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hadn't thought about that. There really are no traditional lawn mowing / landscape maintenance outfits anywhere near us, too rural and not big enough cities. And 99% of people do it themselves. But I will do some research to see if any of the local farm equipment places have any used gear. I do know that used John Deere mowers are basically within a few hundred $ the same prices as brand new......

 

Why are you bagging 5 acres?

 

5 acres is commercial mower territory, a residential unit will end up needing a lot of repairs.

Buying at a box store opens you up to problems on a purchase this big.
1) They don't service anything, they don't know anything either.
2) Although they may "partner" with local dealers who do you think gets priority when a box store unit comes in and there is a "customer" unit to work on?
Some dealers are actually hostile about this although I personally think that is a silly way to run your business.

Buy a unit that has multiple dealers convenient to you, Hustler for example has 3 dealers within 25 miles of me.

A solid used commercial unit might be a better machine for you. They are designed to mow 40 hours a week, if you buy a good trade in with 900 hours for example it might take you 15 years to put on 500 more. Now might be a good time to buy also, a dealer might be glad to move a unit now or used in the winter.

The commercial units are designed to be maintained (grease fittings, filters, etc) and they are designed to be repaired.

Of the brands you listed Toro is most popular with commercial cutters.

 

No commercial grade mower parts are "cheap" but John Deere has a reputation for being very proud of their parts.

Personally I have never had any luck with any green tractor.

 

I disagree.

After a commercial unit gets 1500 hours on them, they can be picked up cheap. I don't know why the pro's move them out the door?

They are so easy to rebuild.

These are the ones I deal with.

 

The middle one is the only one I have now. The other 2 are spoken for.

I buy them then replace all the wearable parts. I find it's hard to put more than $500 into them plus my time.

Once I'm done, there is nothing different than when it came from the factory.

 

You disagree that John Deere parts are expensive?
I always felt anything JD green cost more that other brands.

I suggested a used commercial unit in an earlier post for just the reasons you stated.

 

No, I disagreed that commercial units are expensive.

They are designed to be repaired fast and easy.

There are only 4 different wrench sizes needed to work on 95% of these units.

The 2 most expensive parts is the engine and the hydraulics, even the hydraulic repair is cheap as long as you don't mind getting dirty.

 

Decided to inspect the left pump on the unit in the left side of the picture.

Found I had a bad thrust bearing.

The bearing cage along with several of the bearings had failed.

This will require a complete removal of the entire hydraulic system for the left side of the machine. Fortunately, these were designed so there is no chance at contaminating the right side.

New bearing, new filter, remove the reservoir and flush, flush the wheel motor and the hydro hoses and the system will be fine.

I am l looking forward to cutting apart the filter. It will have lots of metal shavings.

Pics of what the bearing should look like vs what I have.

The second pic shows missing bearings as well as the bearing cage has been disintegrated.

I could only find small parts of the bearing cage.

I'll do a complete flush when I put it back together next month. I only had time to remove the pump and diagnose.

 

I should mention, the only reason I took it apart was I noticed a very slight lack of speed on the left side. I wanted to know why it was lagging.

Power was the same as the right, but speed was slightly less.

 

I wish I was closer to you and needed a mower

 

Right now, we only have leaves on maybe 1 acre of the property. I personally don't care, I was just anticipating my wife not liking leaves sitting there on open ground all year.

I had initially thought a commercial grade mower would be the better choice, but the price difference is considerable. We are going to stop at one,, maybe two of the local farm equipment dealers in the area, this weekend, and talk with them. I wouldn't mind a used unit, so maybe we'll find something we can work with.

I do appreciate all the info, thank you all.

 

Good used commercial ones can be found, I bought this one from a friend with the vacuum for $4,000. It had about 600 hours on it.

 

Ok, so a little more google-fu and I have found a few of the commercial grade John Deere Zero Turns within a reasonable driving distance from me. They are used, and within the price range I am comfortable with. My question for you all is - based on these 3 ads, would you be comfortable buying with the listed number of hours on these mowers? First one is 10 years older than other two, which could also be a concern? These brand new are in the $12K - $15K+ price range....







Just for reference, a brand new 2023 960M model, right off the JD web site



And.... I had been looking at this model line, the Residential/Home Owner range.

 

The 1st one is my choice.

I actually worked on the same unit.

I installed a HF engine in it.

My best friend bought it and has been using it to cut his 5 acres for the last 4 years.

The hours are not deal killers to me.

I'd just do hydro oil change on all 3 just to be safe.

 

Ok, thank you, that does make me feel a hell of a lot better about older, used models.

 

You will be miles ahead buying a used commercial unit vs a new residential machine.

I will not buy a used residential unit to repair and flip. There are too many wearable parts that are not easy and quick to repair. The pro units are designed to quickly get them back in service.

Let's do some math.

It took a pro lawn service company 5-10 years to put 1000 hours on these units. They most likely mowed 8hr/day to do this.

I bet it would be another 20 years for you to put on another 500 hours on your own unit.

 

this happening soon...














I got nothing worthwhile to add