Recommend me a riding mower.

[kedie]

Buying a new house with a 1 acre lot. What's a good, reliable riding mower? My budget is $2000 or less.

 

[IndyND]

The green ones get lots of well deserved good reviews. I have had no issues with husqvarna for six years.

 

[pwoller]

I'd get a used commercial ZTR or walk behind. I like Scag but most of the commercial ones will out cut and out last the residential mowers.

 

[smokingman]

This is what we have.HUSQVARNA FAST TRACTOR Compared to other riders we have had this wins hands down.
I doubt you will find many mowers with a hydrostatic transmission,24HP,grease fittings(vs sealed),Kohler engine,and electric clutch for less than 2k.MSRP on that one is $1899,but you can find it for less if you look around..Husqvarna ridding mowers are made in Orangeburg, SC.
Most other mowers are really made by one company MTD.MTD manufactures products with their namesake as well as many other brands.Some; Poulan, Weed Eater, Yard Machines, Cub Cadet, Mculloch, White, Ariens (only the riding mowers) Bolens, Troy-Bilt, Craftsman, Agway, Ace Hardware, Yard-Man, Ryobi, Yard-King, Mastercraft, Huskee, Wizard, White, most store brands such as wal-mart, Lowes, Servicsar, home depot ect...all made in China by MTD.

 

[Oliver]

get on Craigslist and find a Dixie in good shape. Parts are easy to find, they perform well, and are, best of all, from and manufactured right here in Indiana!!!

 

[kalboy]

For a small lot of an acre size you'd be hard pressed to beat a Snapper rear engine rider. Last forever, when parts are needed they're cheap and the mowers simple and easy to fix. I've been mowing my acre lot for 16 years with a 28" cut 10 horse Snapper and it takes me under an hour easy. The mower is light and takes up little room .
The most common service, blade removal for sharpening, can be done simply by setting the mower up on it's end. Sometimes I don't even take the blade off.
The darn little suckers just don't seem to break or wear out.

 

[pwoller]

Hell you could cut an acre lot with a push mower. How fast would you like to be able to cut it?

 

[Brandon]

I like my hustler super duty. Super easy to do maintenance.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Personally, I'd rather have a brand new Cub Cadet than I would a brand new John Deere.

Neither are "what they used to be", but that seems to be much more evident with the JD-branded ones. I say JD-Branded because, depending on which line/model you get, it may only have a JD sticker & a green/yellow paint scheme. It's just branded a JD but isn't actually made by them.

Seriously: with a $2k budget, look into the Cub Cadet 1000 series and the Husqvarna mowers.

 

[pjcalla]

Do you want a ZTR, which will only cut grass, or a garden tractor that will be able to pull carts for mulch, plow your driveway, till your garden, etc.?

If you want a ZTR, I would look into Hustlers over Dixie Choppers. With only an acre, you could get by with a 50" or less deck. Meeting the $2K mark with a Hustler may prove to be difficult.

If you want a tractor, my recommendation would be an old Wheelhorse. I picked mine up for $300, and it has been solid. I've even been offered WAY more than I paid because these are the tractors of choice for competition pulling. I don't do that, but I've pulled many big bushes, stumps, etc. out of the ground with it. I can also pick up different attachments for other duties. I do have a cart, and it is nice to use instead of hucking wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of mulch around my acre lot. I do not have any experience with the newer tractors, so I am no help there.

 

[Mike H]

I mow just right at 1 acre with a JD LA110.
It's been going strong now for 7 years.

 

[mayor al]

I have 2.5 acres with 50 fruit trees around the lot. We use two mowers, depending on time of year and grass height..

1. A 13 yr old Scott (Orange John Deere) with a 23 hp Kohler and 48" cut for routine cutting and next to the house. It gets more use pulling a cart hauling stuff around and for yard clean-up.

2. A 10 year old JD F935 with a 6 ft front mounted mower and a 30 hp Yanmar diesel. It does the job very quickly and can nose under the low hanging fruit trees without hurting me...or the trees.

The Scott was bought new from Home Depot, The diesel JD was an Ebay buy for me.

 

[jerryv]

For a small lot of an acre size you'd be hard pressed to beat a Snapper rear engine rider. Last forever, when parts are needed they're cheap and the mowers simple and easy to fix. I've been mowing my acre lot for 16 years with a 28" cut 10 horse Snapper and it takes me under an hour easy. The mower is light and takes up little room .
The most common service, blade removal for sharpening, can be done simply by setting the mower up on it's end. Sometimes I don't even take the blade off.
The darn little suckers just don't seem to break or wear out.

+1 .. I bought an old Snapper Comet about 5 years ago .. paid $250 for it. Electric start, 8 hp. Just won't die.

 

[kedie]

Hell you could cut an acre lot with a push mower.

I could, but I don't want to.

That Husqvarna looks nice. I'm not partial to any brand or type, I just want one that will last.

 

[Bennettjh]

I don't have an acre, but...

I have a 1974 Simplicity Landlord I use for tall grass, weeds, junk that grows in general. It's more of a work horse than a finish mower.

For finish mowing, John Deere LT 155. It's about ten years old and does a good job, not a lot of maintenance, I guess that's JD quality.

I would suggest a ZTR for you. Especially if you have several obstacles like trees, buildings, etc.

I don't want to sound like I know everything because I definitely do not. I've just cut A LOT of grass.

 

[hornadylnl]

 

[Brandon]

50" deck to cut 1 acre? I only have a 48" to cut 2 acres! I would think a 36ish deck would be good for 1 acre.

 

[karl77]

worked at a (green tractor) dealership for about 5yrs (driving the delivery truck, working the parts counter and turning wrenches on occasion); in your price range you get either: worn out commercial unit, or a disposable tractor, good for 10yrs at best (more like 5-6). If you want longevity (15-20+), move up to the $29-3500, or plan on a new tractor every 6 yrs.

It is possible to get a deal on a commercial unit, just not likely, the original owner dumped it for a reason.

 

[PX4me]

Go to Craigslist. Your 2k will go a lot further by buying a nice used tractor.

 

[Gadgetmonster]

I have this mower... love it.

Turns sharp and this is the best part... there is no clutch, it hydraulic drive. You switch speeds and direction with a foot pedal. No jerky start or stops. I can cut the lawn much faster without changing gears.
HydroGear T2HP Hydrostatic Transmission
•Provides easy speed and direction control
•Foot pedal operation - drives just like a car

Snapper is made by Simplicity... very easy to maintain.

Snapper 2691020 SPX2042 (42") 20HP Lawn Tractor