Lets Talk Riding mowers

[Breedlove]

Eight years ago I bought an Ariens 42" riding mower from HD . Now the poor thing is getting to the end of the road . Still runs good hardly pulls my FA , DW can still get around on it .

I went to our country Tractor repair guy Old Ed , he is older then me but I asked him should I repair or go get another one. He said Heck doesn't sound bad , I can go through it ...If the transmission is leaking it is gone otherwise I can repair cheaply. Cheap to Ed was less then 300.00 Includes oil change , new belts , new blades, tuneup basically going through everything .

I go to the mower stores and I feel like Hank Hill , but he tells me that the only way I could get better then I have is to go with a Zero Turn.
The new ones look so good and I am like a kid . What would you do .
8 year old riding mower , might spend 300.00 . Or spend the 3K get the Zero and rock on . We mow a little over one acre .

 

[Dawg52]

With 1 acre I wouldn't spend 3k. But I'm a cheap old bastard. I've never tried a zero turn so it might make mowing fun. My dentist was bragging on his and said it was fun to use. He has a lot more than 1 acre to cut tho. Only you can decide if it's worth it to you.

 

[Car-Guy]

$300 isn't much of a gamble, IMO... I did buy a new JD (135 I think) just for mowing around the house, barn and fenced area where I don't want to run a big tractor about 3 years ago and have been happy with it. Zero problems. Cost less than 2k but it is not a zero turn.

 

[Clone]

Do you have a lot of trees and such to mow around? If so, then the zero turns are nice. If it is open area, I prefer the ride of a regular lawn tractor.

 

[REWahoo]

I'd spend the $300 - and maybe go on a diet.

 

[fosterscik]

love my exmark zero turn with 50" deck. I've got 2 acres to mow and its so much better/faster than my old Deere riding mower. I wouldn't go back (but would like an even bigger cut!)

 

[W2R]

With 1 acre I wouldn't spend 3k.

+1

I guess that $3000+ plus gas and repairs for a riding mower would be cheaper than a lawn service if you kept the riding mower for 5 years or more. I pay $1100-$1400 per year for my lawn guy ($35/mow), but he is not the cheapest lawn service around here. Also he does edging too and you would still have to do that if you used a riding mower. It would probably cost a little more for an acre than for my small-ish city lot.

Depending on your age and how much you do or do not love spending time mowing your lawn, you might want to consider a lawn service. Some people really love mowing but not me. YMMV and that is completely fine if it does.

 

[Firedafter30]

I started mowing my one acre again now that I'm retired. I dug my 14 year old John Deere out of the shed, changed the oil, sharpened the blades and it needed a new fuel pump from Amazon (took me a while and some Youtube videos to figure out the problem). But, its running fine now.

I would pay the $300 and save the money instead of buying a new one.

 

[gerntz]

Which one has the bigger beer cup holder?

 

[travelover]

I've always wanted a zero turn and finally treated myself to one. It is definitely the faster way to mow especially around trees and other obstacles. Plus it is fun. But if money is a priority, I'd just patch up the ole Ariens at 1/10 the cost.

 

[GravitySucks]

Sheep.
When they wear out you have mutton instead of a repair bill.

 

[travelover]

Sheep.
When they wear out you have mutton instead of a repair bill.

Plus wool and companionship.

 

[Red Badger]

Which one has the bigger beer cup holder?

Finally, a response with the right priority.

 

[Clone]

Sheep.
When they wear out you have mutton instead of a repair bill.

But how do you keep all the adolescent boys out of the yard at night?

 

[MRG]

I upgraded to a gravely zero turn around 2002. I had to start mowing more grass.


If you spend time turning a zturn is awesome.

 

[ransil]

Just finished fixing my neighbor's zero turn. Mine is still apart waiting on parts (bearings), its 12 years old and is in great shape.

I would buy a used commercial zero turn, if $3k is your budget find the best one in that price range, look for trade in at the dealer. ( not HD , Lowes, tractor supply or rural king) gor a small lot i would look into comercial walk behind (hydro)with a sulke or stander models.

 

[RAE]

I'd definitely fix up the Ariens, at $300 versus $3000, especially with just an acre to mow. But I'm cheap too. If you are with the "blow that dough" crowd and don't care what it costs, then buy the zero turn.

 

[Breedlove]

One thing I do know , there is no difference from the JD at HD or Lowes then the ones at the JD dealer . The residential models are all built in China to JD specs. I worked with an Ex JD engineer . Now the largest seller of mowers is MTD , they sell under so many names from the Walmart brand to the Cub Cadet . MTD is like a disease to the folks I know . So I will have the Ariens rebuilt and see where it goes .

 

[Jerry1]

I'd fix the Ariens. Eight years is probably closer to half the life of that machine than the end. I moved to a house with an acre a couple years ago and would have got a zero turn, but I got a John Deere 300 series because I wanted my grandsons to learn to drive. Also, my lot is pretty smooth and flat so I would have got the benefit of the quicker cutting time from a zero turn. As has been said, I would also be more inclined gravitate to a zero turn if I had a lot of turning to do - I don't.

Also, be careful if you do upgrade. In my previous house, I had more land and a small tractor with a 56" deck. There comes a point where handling the deck gets difficult as one gets older. On the Deere I bought, I can get the blades off and lube the deck without removing it, so that's a plus. On my tractor, I had other implements that required the removal of the deck.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I like my ZTR mower, but it does tend to tear up the turf if you get too aggressive on the lawn.

 

[homestead]

How well do the ZTR mowers handle rough terrain? I have a Craftsman 48” garden tractor now.

 

[Breedlove]

So true on changing blades , I think the Zero turn would be so easy . Everyone says with a zero if you go to fast it will cut holes . A friend of mine bought a new Bad Boy was showing off for his wife . Hard to drink a beer on a Zero but anyhow he was showing he could and drove into one of his lakes .

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

One thing I do know , there is no difference from the JD at HD or Lowes then the ones at the JD dealer . The residential models are all built in China to JD specs. I worked with an Ex JD engineer . Now the largest seller of mowers is MTD , they sell under so many names from the Walmart brand to the Cub Cadet . MTD is like a disease to the folks I know . So I will have the Ariens rebuilt and see where it goes .

My X300 Deere tractor was built in Horicon, Wis.

 

[Walt34]

A friend of mine bought a new Bad Boy was showing off for his wife . Hard to drink a beer on a Zero but anyhow he was showing he could and drove into one of his lakes .

This post needs pictures.

 

[MRG]

How well do the ZTR mowers handle rough terrain? I have a Craftsman 48” garden tractor now.

I had two. One was a 42" Gravely and it was not suitable for really rough terrain. The other was a 65" Scag, that thing was an absolute beast. Best to strap yourself in cause you could get thrown off.