No matter what mower you get there are several variables to making it last,it is easier on the mower if the grass isnt to tall short grass is easier on most mowers so mow often, wet grass is hard on the mower also makes it work harder, and debris scattered in the grass is hard also, At my regular full time job i run grasshoopers, kabotas and JD's and we mow well over 300 acres every 2 weeks but they are commerical mowers and all have diesel motors on them, as my 2nd job like i said i run a JD and Bag 95% of all my grass so it is harder on the mower also if it is wet or to tall, most of my yards are small to medium yards with alot of turns so i choose not to go with the zero turn cause i found with each sharp turn you tear the sod up unlike a tractor style will.
That's a very good point. I don't have too many trees to mow around, yet, but I suspect I'll be seeding an areas that's heavily treed in the next year.
That's correct. You can tear up some turf making sharp turns.
There is the 3 point turn that prevents that from happening, but it adds time.
glad you asked .. my G1900 3 cylinder 18hp diesel is waaay over powered for what I mow. one can generally raise diesel hp up by about 50% when comparing against small gasoline engines. this hoss uses the same 3cylinder diesel as compact Kubota tractors like B1800.
since I'm mowing a piddy 1/2 acre which is considered a large yard in the city .. I've got Kubota G1900 with 989 hours up for sale at $3450. reason for bring up is to compare prices for a commercial quality mower like a used Kubota G1900 vs paying about the same $$$ for a new consumer mower that's no where near the durability or quality. but do stick with only low hour machines .. stay away from gear that's got say 6,000+ hours, although it's not unusual for diesel equipment to go those kind of hours and still be running strong.
I've been following the diesel-hybrid Raven at Lowe's for a few years. I'm curious how they hold up over time, but it hasn't been out long enough to buy one yet.
This isn't completely true. I agree regular briggs are turds. Google up Briggs Big block Vanguard. Its not made by briggs. Its a whole different animal. You will have to step up to a commercial zero turn to get the vanguard engine. Mine is awesome. Tons of power, quiet and fuel consumption is better than kaw.
I've got over 700 hours on my 17 y.o. Ford New Holland LS55 with 60" deck. It has a 19hp Kohler command twin with hydrostatic drive. I've never had to do any work on the engine and nothing but fluid changes on the HS drive. Haven't had to do anything but replace the rollers on the deck either. The only trouble I've had with it is the hydraulic lift went out. I wasn't going to spend $500 to fix it, so it's just a hassle to remove the deck if necessary.
Is your deck lift a linear drive unit?
Here you go O/P. Buy this and don't worry.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_596955-67757-933069___?productId=50166873&pl=1&Ntt=hustler
I've talked to several folks that run Hustler, one of them being the guy who sprays my yard. He's been using his for 7 years now commercially as his sole business and he's tickled pink with it. He told me "I thrash the $s!t out of it, and it's never been in the shop". I also talked to a dealer that sold the Hustler and Toro ZTs when I was looking a ZTs, he told me that most anything with a stamped deck is a 5 to 7 year life span. After that you are looking at as much to fix it as a new model will cost. Fabricated decks last far far longer, are thicker and will take a lot more abuse. Even the homeowner version of the Hustler that Lowes sells is a fabricated deck. He was steering me to the Hustler even though they sold more expensive brands. He showed me that Hustler has the same basic construction, engines and transmissions as the full on commercial models, just with a lower feature set.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_596955-67757-933069___?productId=50166873&pl=1&Ntt=hustler
I've talked to several folks that run Hustler, one of them being the guy who sprays my yard. He's been using his for 7 years now commercially as his sole business and he's tickled pink with it. He told me "I thrash the $s!t out of it, and it's never been in the shop". I also talked to a dealer that sold the Hustler and Toro ZTs when I was looking a ZTs, he told me that most anything with a stamped deck is a 5 to 7 year life span. After that you are looking at as much to fix it as a new model will cost. Fabricated decks last far far longer, are thicker and will take a lot more abuse. Even the homeowner version of the Hustler that Lowes sells is a fabricated deck. He was steering me to the Hustler even though they sold more expensive brands. He showed me that Hustler has the same basic construction, engines and transmissions as the full on commercial models, just with a lower feature set.
there's very little in common with true commercial quality lawn tractors as compared to flimsy Lowes quality riding mowers. there are exceptions where box stores will carry high end commercial models but expect pricing to be up there.
Kubota diesel riding mowers are among the most expensive available .. for instance my G1900 with 989 hours originally sold for about $8k .. expect to pay about $4k used at a Kubota dealer. one really important factor is fuel efficiency .. diesel riding mowers are incredibly fuel efficient!
used diesel riding mowers are top choices but again .. finding a low hours one at anywhere close to reasonable prices will be hard. there are other commercial gems available with kohler industrial gas motors and hydrostatic transmissions for about $1500 -$2500 range. but the same rule apply .. one with low hours that needs nothing other than TLC.
older JD riding mowers with Kholer/hydrostatic drive are another option but one needs to be careful not to purchase low end models with belt driven transmission which are no where near as durable.
Case/Ingersoll lawn tractors with low hours do pop up for sale on Craigslist .. those have true hydrostatic drives with Onan engines .. condition is everything as rebuilding a Onan engine can be cost prohibitive. don't be fooled by rattle can paint jobs .. much better to find one with low hours in original condition.
another good one is Ford New Holland lawn tractors .. those can be found in same price range $1500 to $2500. tractordata.com is the best source of hard data like weight and HP. good commercial duty riding mowers will weight 650lb to 950lb range.
here's a clean Case 448 with 18hp Onan .. recently in Tulsa Craiglist there was one with low hours in good condition available for $1250 .. was amazed it lasted a week. usually when low hours Case/Ingersoll pop up they don't last long.
Last edited:
