Lawn mowers

[HoughMade]

I highlighted the difference in our post. You can buy the same cheap stuff at the dealer that you can at the box store. Only difference is the price.

I made a mistake- the S-220 is also dealer only and has a Briggs engine.

The 100 series is sold new at Big Box stores and, generally, not at dealers that I know of, but maybe some places. The 200 series, X300 series, X500 and X700 are sold at dealers and never at big box stores.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I just go around in circles.

 

[kickbacked]

I prevent that by chunking the lawn into different rectangles and altering which proportion I do each week. So, 1/3 is a rectangle one week, and then the next week I switch it up so a different 1/3 is a new rectangle. I basically have 3 patterns that I rotate through.

I can't argue with your other points. ZTR lawns do look spiffy when done artistically.

You guys here this? now you gotta know geometry. Nice try buddy +1 for the ztr

 

[Jaybird1980]

It makes me sad to think that my $1500 tractor (back in 2006!) is considered "lower end". Eh, I'm a cheap bastard, so to me that sounds like a lot of money for a lawnmower. But for what it's worth, I'm still loving it. And it does have a Briggs & Stratton in it. But I'm a huge fan of Briggs & Stratton. They just work.

I'm not trying to say it's garbage. I'm just saying it's the lower end model compared to something like a 400 series. It's not the cheapest available by any means

 

[Jaybird1980]

I made a mistake- the S-220 is also dealer only and has a Briggs engine.

The 100 series is sold new at Big Box stores and, generally, not at dealers that I know of, but maybe some places. The 200 series, X300 series, X500 and X700 are sold at dealers and never at big box stores.

Correct, I think HD has a couple specific models only for HD,. I'm saying if the model is available at both locations they're made with the same parts.

DoggyDaddy's particular model is a 100 series from a dealer.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You guys here this? now you gotta know geometry. Nice try buddy +1 for the ztr

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'm not trying to say it's garbage. I'm just saying it's the lower end model compared to something like a 400 series. It's not the cheapest available by any means

It's all good. My choice of lawn tractor/mower doesn't make me more manly than other men. My huge **** does that.

 

[maxwelhse]

You guys here this? now you gotta know geometry. Nice try buddy +1 for the ztr

I actually am +1 ZTR, if you're buying me one.

This is the lot I currently mow:



Whether or not you want to think about how you're going to mow it... you're going to think about how you're going to mow it.

In reality it's easier than I made it sound. The lot is so irregular that it's easy to pick a new place to start and it really doesn't impact mowing time much.

 

[Kozaturf]

Now see, you have a legitimate excuse to have really cool stuff. A lot of the guys on INGO do. I haz a sad for me.
It makes me sad to think that my $1500 tractor (back in 2006!) is considered "lower end". Eh, I'm a cheap bastard, so to me that sounds like a lot of money for a lawnmower. But for what it's worth, I'm still loving it. And it does have a Briggs & Stratton in it. But I'm a huge fan of Briggs & Stratton. They just work.

I was still working at Home Depot in 2006 as I was just finishing school and I think $1500 was the cheapest Deere we had. On the flip side, back in the 70s my Cub was like $3000. I can't believe they even sold one of them, let alone the hundreds of thousands of them that they did.

My Dad bought a full loaded GMC 4x4 1500 in 1974 and the receipt is $4600...

If you are a "cheap bastard" then you don't want the legit excuse to have cool stuff. Like all cool stuff, cool mowers are

If time travel were possible I could go back to 1974 and get a couple really nice trucks and have enough left over to hang a decent rifle in the back window of each OR I can mow the lawn.

 

[maxwelhse]

If time travel were possible I could go back to 1974 and get a couple really nice trucks and have enough left over to hang a decent rifle in the back window of each OR I can mow the lawn.

I was more making the case that not many people today would pay 2/3 the price of a fully loaded out GMC 1500 for a lawn mower. That would be, what, $60k-ish? I still can't believe that even some people in the 1970s were doing, apparently, exactly that. Even on straight inflation, that's $16,000 for a garden tractor with a 44" deck. Ouch.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Anyone got decent recommendations for brand/model if one was going to start looking at riding type (possibly venturing into zero turn, etc, but not decided yet) mowers and what features, etc to look for? I've been a self propelled push mower guy for decades.

I've only owned one old used riding mower like 15 years ago that I bought from a broken home sale and then turned around and sold like a season later when I moved from that house, so my riding mower knowledge is very very low. We moved at the end of 2019 and I've currently got about 0.6 or so of an acre to mow and it seems significantly larger than the previous house's 0.4 acre lot. Either I'm just getting old or one of the surveyors was lying. Time to step up to something easier.

I'll be looking at a couple of dealers here in the Hendricks county area and will be buying from a place that services and sells and not a big box store for that and other reasons.

What's INGO's recommendation?

No real opinion as to brands, but if it was me I'd get something capable of mounting a snow blower.
I don't mind mowing, but I hate shoveling snow

 

[Kozaturf]

I was more making the case that not many people today would pay 2/3 the price of a fully loaded out GMC 1500 for a lawn mower. That would be, what, $60k-ish? I still can't believe that even some people in the 1970s were doing, apparently, exactly that. Even on straight inflation, that's $16,000 for a garden tractor with a 44" deck. Ouch.

Oh, I get it. It definitely hurt handing over the cash for my mower but it's what I needed and I got a deal because it was the "demo" unit the dealership owner was using at his house and had just had it's break-in service. I laugh when people tell me they want to move out of town because they found a place for X-dollars which compared to what they pay for a house "in town" seems cheap. That is until they find out how much upkeep and the equipment for said upkeep is going to cost.

 

[kickbacked]

I actually am +1 ZTR, if you're buying me one.

This is the lot I currently mow:

View attachment 132329

Whether or not you want to think about how you're going to mow it... you're going to think about how you're going to mow it.

In reality it's easier than I made it sound. The lot is so irregular that it's easy to pick a new place to start and it really doesn't impact mowing time much.

I know what you're getting at I was just being funny. I used to mow about 4.5 acres with one. I mostly just thought about what id do if i hit the lottery. Thats the part i miss about slow mowing. You get a lot of time to drift off in thought and you can catch a tan.

 

[maxwelhse]

Oh, I get it. It definitely hurt handing over the cash for my mower but it's what I needed and I got a deal because it was the "demo" unit the dealership owner was using at his house and had just had it's break-in service. I laugh when people tell me they want to move out of town because they found a place for X-dollars which compared to what they pay for a house "in town" seems cheap. That is until they find out how much upkeep and the equipment for said upkeep is going to cost.

I already have a mower payment emotionally included with my next mortgage. I mowed 8 acres on my Cub, with the same 44" deck, for years as a kid and I'm never doing that again. Literally all day from sun rise to sun set. It's just the wrong tool for a job like that.

I know what you're getting at I was just being funny. I used to mow about 4.5 acres with one. I mostly just thought about what id do if i hit the lottery. Thats the part i miss about slow mowing. You get a lot of time to drift off in thought and you can catch a tan.

Ehhh... Mine is rickety enough from age that I'm pretty engaged with keeping it pointed in the right direction for the hour it takes to get the job done. In the case of my response above, I used to re-write songs in my head and occasionally sing them back to myself. It's not like anyone was going to hear it over the not really muffled Kohler in the middle of a giant field. Once in a great while, I will find myself occasionally singing along with my bluetooth hearing protection now.

 

[kickbacked]

Ehhh... Mine is rickety enough from age that I'm pretty engaged with keeping it pointed in the right direction for the hour it takes to get the job done. In the case of my response above, I used to re-write songs in my head and occasionally sing them back to myself. It's not like anyone was going to hear it over the not really muffled Kohler in the middle of a giant field. Once in a great while, I will find myself occasionally singing along with my bluetooth hearing protection now.

The hearing pro is amazing today. I listen to podcasts mostly. Growing up i never used any hearing protection. probably why people say i have the tv too loud and im complaining its too quiet.

 

[patience0830]

Man, I mow 2 ranges. 1 440 yds and one 100yds up and down hill. Plus about an acre around the house and driveway. Had a Scag Freedom Z until last year. It works at the rental now and the new Snapper 120 does the job here. Both good mowers but the Snapper is less cluttered and I stay cleaner using it. Both with B&S motors and they have both been good so far. Lots of power. Both have tow bars for the lawn roller now and I'm considering a sprayer for the Snapper. Mowed around here for years with a Scag commercial belt driven walk behind with a Kawasaki motor and my younger brother is still using it. That thing is bulletproof. Trying to make it go backwards was always a bitch. Just gave away a JD 225 that I inherited in my current marriage. Never again will big green darken my doorway. Parts are outrageous and the stamped deck is/was junk. A Scag/Gravely/Grasshopper/Ferris ZTR will outlast you and mow your kids yard for many years with basic maintenance. I think this Snapper I just bought is in the same ballpark.

 

[maxwelhse]

The hearing pro is amazing today. I listen to podcasts mostly. Growing up i never used any hearing protection. probably why people say i have the tv too loud and im complaining its too quiet.

I still can't believe how few people I see wearing them today and then look at me like I'm the crazy person. Even if you don't care about your hearing, wouldn't you rather listen to something other than the mower? I've noticed a handful with regular ear buds in, but that's fighting an inferno with squirt gun when I've tried.

 

[kickbacked]

I still can't believe how few people I see wearing them today and then look at me like I'm the crazy person. Even if you don't care about your hearing, wouldn't you rather listen to something other than the mower? I've noticed a handful with regular ear buds in, but that's fighting an inferno with squirt gun when I've tried.

I run the 3m worktunes and isopro ear buds. The ear buds dont work as well as the headphones. But the headphones slam down on my sunglasses and give me a headache after a while.

 

[maxwelhse]

I run the 3m worktunes and isopro ear buds. The ear buds dont work as well as the headphones. But the headphones slam down on my sunglasses and give me a headache after a while.

I have the worktunes as well and mine (have tried 2 pairs now) have Bluetooth trouble. They drop audio in and out, sometimes non-stop. What's weird is that it only seems to happen on the tractor. If I'm using them to vacuum the house, they're rock solid. They sound kinda "meh" though.

The isopros look like pretty much every in-canal ear phone I've ever seen. I like to use that style at work since it mostly drowns out my coworkers without deafening myself. No way I'd wear the worktunes in the office, though it would be funny for a day or two..

 

[ws6guy]

I went from a 30 year old snapper to a Gravely ZTR. I only mow .7 acre but lots of landscape and trees so the ztr makes it so much easier. I picked up the ZTX42, it as a manufacture deck but the hydros are sealed. My yard is very flat so I'm not worried about the hydro but for a yard with hills it would be better to upgrade to a unit that has better hydros. I've only had the Gravely for 4 years but so far I have zero complaints.