Question for GRMers with large lawns

At a decision point with my mower situation. Live on 3.5 acres, of which about 3.0 is mowable. It's mostly flat and wide open, just a few trees, a playground and an above ground pool to navigate around. No really tight spaces. Right after we moved in, I bought a Toro 42" zero turn mower. While I wish the deck was wider, I've been happy with it. I can mow the property in about 2 hours. Well, as my luck would have it, the engine decided to do a life like imitation of the Liberty Bell. It's done. I'd be shocked if it was repairable. The motor is (...uh...was) a Kohler 19hp.

Local shop says replacement would be $1400-$1500. A new zero turn is more than twice that price, so that's not a consideration. However, I've seen some lawn/garden tractors brand new in that price range. For example, a Husqvarna with 48" deck and 24hp engine. The advantage I potentially see there is a brand new mower with a 3 year full warranty that has a bigger deck and stronger engine. However, I've never tried mowing my lawn with a tractor, so I don't know if it would be as good as doing it with my zero turn.

Anyone have experience mowing a large property with a lawn/garden tractor?

I grew up mowing 6 - 7 acres with a snapper rider.

My experience wasn't really a "Garden tractor", it was a 34hp IH diesel midsize with a 6ft 3 point finish mower and a Ford 8N sized Massey with a 7ft 3 point behind it.......and even those sucked going around trees. And we have lots of trees with approx 15 acres to mow.....we have 2 Hustler's with 6 ft decks now, and couldn't be happier.

Less lawn, more native plants.

PHeller wrote: Less lawn/native plants, more asphalt to park project cars on......

FTFY

Do you need to mow all of it? The more that grows wild = less work. But if you want to mow the whole thing, I'd look at a tractor with a 60" or 72" deck. May cost it more up front, but save time in the end. Using a tractor vs a "mower" gives you the option to add other implements. Plows, trailers, blowers, etc

With a lot that size I think that a perimeter track is necessary. Seriously, in the long run it will probably be better to repair what you have. A mower that cost the same as a replacement engine is probably lacking quality.

I prefer a walk behind, as it gives me an extra day of exercise. I have a 54" Hustler, which is the best and easiest mover I've ever used. I cannot say enough good things about it. It has a 17 horse Kawasaki twin.

I mowed big lawns with a tractor for 25 years, but I am faster with the walk behind.

Three acres is a lot though, might want a sulky for part of it.

Yep, I have to mow all the property, so I can't let it really grow wild (neighbors, etc...and the wife would kill me). I'd love a 60" or 72", but they're just way out of the budget unless I buy an old one. That may put me in a worse situation than I am now with repairs/refurb. At this piont, I'm either fixing the current zero turn or replacing it with a tractor. Zero turns are much more expensive than a tractor with the same size deck/engine. Hence why I'm considering one of the tractors.

But my only previous experience with a tractor was a smaller Sears model. At the time I had 1/2 acre, and it did fine. But that was a small lawn tractor. The one I'm looking at is considered a "garden" tractor, more heavy duty. Wish I could take it for a test mow to see if I liked it...

Sounds like you need to build a big pole barn, and have thrown a rod.

Replace the engine with a used one?

Irregular shapes or lots of trees to mow around is a bit of a pain with a lawn tractor. I've got a bottom-end Deere that has served me well for 10 years without any trouble. I just wish the deck was bigger than 46". My next one will be bigger. My neighbor has a Husqvarna very much like the one you describe, and it seems a fine machine. The 2-cyl. engines are nice and smooth compared to the single-cylinder thumper on mine.

Keep in mind that those new mowers at the price of a motor in the zero turn are unwieldy by comparison and take forever to turn. It's not an apples to apples comparison.

But they can usually also be used as a tractor and you can add a trailer ball to them which allows you to tow stuff.

How bad is the current motor? What is so broken we can't fix it?

Sonic wrote: How bad is the current motor? What is so broken we can't fix it?

I'm here. Certainly it's repairable.

Have you considered livestock? Our horses do alot of the mowing for me.

If an equivalent zero turn to the one you have now is twice (or more) the cost of the repair, do the repair. Any lawn tractor you buy in that price range will not be worth repairing when it breaks.

Was up against a similar decision recently with a 54" John Deere 425. $1000 for new electric (PTO) clutch and replacement of all the seals in th back end that hand gone from round to square over the last 14 years and 500+ hours. Equivalent new or repaired unit would be at least 3-4x the cost, so repaired. Should last another 500 hours of hard use.

It's going to be like Grandpa's ax-- replace the handle twice and the head once, but it's still Grandpa's ax.

Sonic wrote: How bad is the current motor? What is so broken we can't fix it?

There's a roughly 2.0-2.5" crack in the block. Not sure the extent of any possible internal damage. I was standing a few feet away from it at the time...with my radio headphones on. I thought I heard it running funny, looked up and not a few seconds later it went up in a huge cloud of smoke and ugly noises. I shut it off as soon as I could. Crack was pretty easy to find...just look for the source of the oil pouring out...

I live across from a 500+ acre farm. They have 3 horses...believe me, I've thought of walking them over for some heavy feeding.

carguy, you're right. It really isn't apples to apples at all, except for the cost. Each has pros and cons. Zero turns are very nimble, but really don't tow/haul very well. What really pisses me off is that I don't think this engine has 300 hours on it...and I've always taken proper care of it.

Sounds like the connecting rod let go, fairly common on small engines. Probably not a lot salvageable inside of it. You could probably source a B&S engine a bit cheaper for it from Northern Tool, they aren't that difficult to change out, especially with a helping hand.

This surprises me. I used to have a Jacobsen with a Kohler 14 horse single. The first engine saw 15 years of hard use (mowing, hauling, plowing). The replacement was still going strong after another 15 when I sold it.

Klayfish wrote:

Sonic wrote: How bad is the current motor? What is so broken we can't fix it?

There's a roughly 2.0-2.5" crack in the block. Not sure the extent of any possible internal damage. I was standing a few feet away from it at the time...with my radio headphones on. I thought I heard it running funny, looked up and not a few seconds later it went up in a huge cloud of smoke and ugly noises. I shut it off as soon as I could. Crack was pretty easy to find...just look for the source of the oil pouring out... I live across from a 500+ acre farm. They have 3 horses...believe me, I've thought of walking them over for some heavy feeding. carguy, you're right. It really isn't apples to apples at all, except for the cost. Each has pros and cons. Zero turns are very nimble, but really don't tow/haul very well. What really pisses me off is that I don't think this engine has 300 hours on it...and I've always taken proper care of it.

A cleverly worded letter bitching to Kohler might get them to get you a deal on a short block.

Having an acre to mow and a regular lawnmower, I pine for a zero turn. But I don't find it nearly as much work now that the kids are old enough to do it!

Kohlers are supposed to be pretty strong. I would try to find a short block and repair your existing mower. Or look for a Honda engine. I don't think after owning a zero turn mower you are going to be able to stand a tractor.

I mow a little over a half acre of really tall weeds and crap that imitates grass only on the fact it's green. I have a 42" Murray lawn tractor from 1994 with a B&S 17 horse Vtwin I/C engine. That sumbitch would mow down a pine tree if you could get it on top. Never used a ZT, so not much comparison, but I can do the yard in a couple hours. A few trees and stuff to get around. I think a ZT would be a little quicker, but this monstrosity came with the house for free.....

If I were you, I think I'd invest in replacing the motor. Maybe swap brands or something if you can save some dough, but for that money the lawn tractor will be a crappy one.

Does it have to be a Kohler? You can get a good B&G of the same power for about half the price. If you ran that thing all day long, than a Kohler would be worth it, but for a private operation, the B&G would be good enough.

If you don't have a lot of obstacles, more deck is good. A ZT is really great if you have tons of obstacles on your lawn. For example, I use to mow 2 acres, with nothing in the way. At my new house, I have a little less than 1 acre, but it takes me as much time (with the same little lawn tractor) because of all the trees I have. A ZT would be really good here.