your thoughts on the Best mower

You missed the three best Zero Turns on the market: Dixon, Grasshopper and Exmark

 

Right on man. Hustler makes a good solid machine.

It's certainly up there.

Your speaking for their Home Cheapo residential line. There commercial stuff is pretty good. Unfortunately most of the stuff at home depot, lowes, sears, etc. typically isn't going to be the best quality.

 

2 cycle snapper is my personal fav.. honda makes the best commercial walk behind imo.. but i dont like them. walker is my choice on bigger properties. if i did vacant lot mowing again it would prolly be a scag.

 

If you're looking for a high end zero turn mower you have to consider Ferris. One of the only mowers with suspension and built like a tank. But you get what you pay for.

 

John Deere 4100 diesel 4x4 belly mower and bush hog
Kubota 23xx diesel 4x4 belly mower
Murray 21hp gas 46" belly mower (Murry is out of business)
All good if you like mowing. My wife and I mow about 70 acres (mostly pastures).
She is better than me for sticking to it.

 

I still use a 1980 powerking 1612 to mow at my moms. My dad bought it new in 1980 and the engine was rebuilt once and I had to get a new mower deck for it 3 years ago. They are not made anymore, but it will still be running for a very long time if you ask me. You get what you pay for. I found the original sales slip and it was $2000 new back then. For something like that today you would pay 8 or 10 grand. For currently made mowers, I would say any higher end deere will last 30 or so years. The old international cub cadets were tanks as well. My 2004 cub cadet pales in comparison to the originals. Now they are made by MTD. It has been a good machine for me, but it was a dealer model not a box store cheap-o. We also use a scotts/deere model frome home depot that is about 8 years old. For under $2000 I figured if it lasted 8 or 9 years it was a throwaway. The only thing that went after 600 hours was the deck spindles. Other than that it has pleasantly suprised me with its' durability. Take care of your equipment and it will last a while.

 

Ive bought a used craftsman push mower self propelled in '01 for $150 bucks. it sat for 4 years while i was in the air force, I did an oil change and put new gas in it and I use it all the time again! great mower

 

anything with a honda, kawasaki, or kohler engine in it

 

For a tractor I like my John Deere. But if I were to buy a zero turn I'd definitely look at getting a Hustler with a Honda engine. www.hustlerturf.com
Hustler invented the zero-turn, have a very low center of gravity, and have Honda engines as an option.

 

I have the most experience with the Toro Flex 21 mowers. Great machine as it shaves turf beautiful. I have about 16 of them at the golf course I manage. About $10K/piece, but the members love the conditioning of the course!!!

 

craftsmen, i honestly beat my equip to death and they still run most i have ever had to do was put in new plugs ever other mower i have had so far just doesnt hold up like my craftsmen. never had a season it didnt start up.

 

I got a craftsman with a honda motor, wicked mower!!

 

I agree. I have a 1987 Toro 21" self-propelled. Some of the features found on my mower are now only found on the commercial line-up. e.i...BBC and 3 speed gear box's.

 

Yeah the stuff they make at the big box stores they just try to pump them out. When my parents bought our previous house in upstate they had an old toro walk behind probably about the same year as your's plus or minus a couple.

I think a few companies are even starting to cheap a little on their commercial line. Not to bash John Deere because I like them and their stuff for the most part but they recently had dropped the 700 series zero turns and started making the 800 series and imo they aren't the quality that the 700's were. I can't speak from experience but just from seeing them. My first commercial machine was a mid to late 90's John Deere GS 30 and that thing is a tank.

 

We are talking push/self propelled mowers, right? If so, I vote for Honda. The ones that you buy at Home Depot are good for home use and they will last at least 15+ years if you take care of it. The commercial grade mowers have a better engine design and will probably outlast you. The are expensive, though. The last commercial grade Honda that I looked at was about 4 years ago and it was about $1000. I'm sure that they are more money by now.

 

I gotta Deere and its treated me good for about 5 years!

 

Aren't tractors a little dangerous for a seven year old?

 

My truck is the seven year old... damn, that means its trade in time soon!

 

This time of year the Walkers are king!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfXUJD3ZX7c
Skip to about 1:35 to see what I'm talking about.

 

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