When I was a kid my dad made me mow an acre by hand (first with a push mower, then we got a Sears gas mower). I got .25 per hour and that was good. Then I spent 20+ years as a city dweller and never saw grass. This year there’s the better part of an acre of it to mow, and it’s started coming up (especially around the drain field). So, I need a lawnmower. My neighbor’s got a Ford riding mower that looks to be about 10 years old, maybe more. It says 38 on it, which I assume is the swath, and then FD11 if I remember correctly. Mine for $400. Is that a good plan? Last time in the big box I noticed the shiny new ones for $800 and up. I’m a carpenter and not a mechanic, so if it needs work I’m pissed. What’s a guy to do? Wife says do something tomorrow.
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David,
I really like my Snapper. It uses a drive wheel instead of a belt and is real easy to change. The blade is belt drive but is also easy to change. I realy dislike the MTD and its clones.
Or you could get some Roundup and green paint.
http://www.snapper.com/
KK
David,
I have a Dixon zero turn. I hate mowing grass and the house we had was a city lawn of about 1/2 acre. Bought the Dixon and WHOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Big fun! Neatest mower and well worth the money. Even has a place to ice down for drinks and a drink holder. Just my thoughts. DanT
an acre is a lot.. that's about what i mow...
a good lawn machine will run $4K to $5K....
mine was $3800 in '84... consider this.. you may be better off paying a service to mow your lawn..
cash outlay....gasoline... maintenance.... and YOUR TIME ... plus the space the machine takes up in your garage / shed .....
all of a sudden 9 to 12 mowings a year paid to a lawn company is worth considering
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
What kind of grass you got??? 9-12 mows a year?...You wait till you can't see the trucks tires till you pull out the mower? ;)
My brother does landscaping / plowing. He has acouple Zero turns - real nice machines and they run pretty fast. Over the winter he fixes and sell used ones to homeowners that are in your situation. A little Sears tractor mower is a waste of your time.
no kidding 9-12 a year. Heck thats how many times i mow from now until memorial day.
did i say 9 - 12 ?... what a dunce ...
i musta been looking at a partial invoice from one of our caretaker properties without thinking about it
my own yard will get mowed about 24 - 26 times from April to November and i will do all of the mowing.. like i have since 1973...
My 1984, 8 speed , 12 horse Wheelhorse is a bull.. it'll plow with a 4' blade, pull a 4' york rake, mow with a 42" deck.... it's just not as fast as the modern zero radius dedicated mowers.... so maybe 4 hours to mow instead of 2 or 3..
if i amortized the cost of the wheelhorse.. it's gotta be about $250 a year.. PLUS gas, oil, belts, batteries... plus my time (24mowings x 4 hours), 100 hours..
it doesn't take too much more to make a lawn service look like a good deal....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Wow.... $4-5K? Everyone 'round these parts has some sort of small riding mower for the yard... craftsman, toro, etc.... and I doubt they're that much. Sounds like you're definitely not down with a $400 used Ford. Maybe I should get a 55 gallon drum of Roundup and kill the lawn. That way at least I could park anywhere.
dave... notice i bought mine in '84 ? the kind you buy at homer won't last thta long... mebbe that's ok too ....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"Wow.... $4-5K? Everyone 'round these parts has some sort of small riding mower for the yard... craftsman, toro, etc.... and I doubt they're that much."
Dave,
You're right on that one. More $$$ doesn't always mean a better looking lawn.
I have 30 (could be 40) year old IH Cub Cadet. Built to last forever and weighs a ton. The magneto died on it several years ago, (didn't feel like fixing it) so I picked up a new Murray Hydrostatic 46" for I think $1150.00 on sale. 16.5HP, very cheap and light weight (doesn't leave anything close to the tracks in the lawn that the HI did.
Now it is not in the same class as the IH, but for $1200 bucks(w/t tax), and after eight years, it's still doing a great job.
BTW I have to mow well over 2 acres.....sometimes twice a week in the spring and summer.
Jon
Edited 3/29/2004 7:50 am ET by WorkshopJon
Edited 3/29/2004 7:52 am ET by WorkshopJon
A 55 gal drum of Roundup will run you near $2,000. I have 2 acres to mow and a mid-size Deere. Decent mowers are not cheap. Figure it will cost you $200 or more per year for a mower. Buy cheap, it doesn't last. Buy expensive and it lasts. About the same yearly cost. The difference is comfort and the annoyance factor. My last mower needed yearly repairs, bogged down severely in tall or wet grass, and *gasp* did NOT have a cup holder. My new one doesn't complain if I skip a week and never has to go over a spot twice. Most important, has an extra-large cupholder. More comfortable, mows faster, less time spent. The zero-turn mowers start at about $3500. A perfectly decent riding mower starts in the $1600 range. A Southern States mower, made by MTD, can be had with a 20+ horsepower engine for $1600. Not commercial quality, but not bad. Stay away from the real cheap ones. Sure, you can get an under-powered toy for $800. OK for a quarter acre. They start needing attention after just a couple years. The sheet metal bends and the belts can be a bear to change and adjust. Any halfway decent one now has a genuine oil filter. If you can wait until fall, you can get a Sears on sale for nearly half price. I don't like them much, but for $1K on sale you can get something fairly OK.
Heck a bag of fertilizer sprinkled on a hot day is far better then roundup and much cheaper.....
As far as mowers, there is a world of difference on cuts from a commercial mower vs a homeowner mower. But if you out for basic mowing get what you can afford, if you buy used or even new, its more important to know your service guy WELL. Trying to get a mower back from a repair shop can be a long wait in the summer. An acre is not much really, you can walk or ride it, and knowing that short short grass grows the quickest keep the length manageable.
So decide if you want your lawn to look like Augusta National Golf Course or a yard. Keep your blade SHARP and fuel conditioner in the tank and that used mower will get the job done.
Well, I'm a forever country boy with a lot of organized weeds to mow and, unless you want to give a go at sheep (not economically viable these days), I'm really happy with my DR brush mower. Mine's a 12.5 HP and cost about $2300 several years ago, but it'll get where the riders can't....and you can get it with a nice 48" lawn mowing deck as opposed to the 27" brush hog type mower that I have.
You still have to trudge along behind it, but it's strongly self-propelled with 4 forward speeds and a powered reverse and pretty effortless. Maintenance has been low and I run it pretty hard.
and the walk won't kill anyone!Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
I'd leave the used one. Usually one that old is pretty shot and you want to mow, not repair. I'm in south Florida where the grass grows almost year around so I mow 3 acres about 35 times a year. Years ago I got tired of spending a fortune on mowers and repair, $850.00 in repairs on my Snapper that year, so went to HD and bought a 42" cut Weed Eater mower. I knew when I bought it that it wasn't as good as a Snapper or Toro but it was only $800.00 so I didn't care. I used it for 6 years before it started needing too many repairs. I went back to HD and bought a 42" John Deere for $1400.00. Still not a top of the line mower but if it lasts me 6 years I'll be real happy. I've had it just over a year and just now need to change the blade belt.
the ford has a korler(sp) motor on it will the HD john deere have brigg and spadden. While the true John Deere have korler motor. The trus John Deere will be about $4k. They both ok just they two models of John Deere. The ford is a real good price at $400 around here it be $800 and still a good deal.
You're right but I don't think it matters. My old Weed Eater had a B&S engine too but the engine never gave me problems. I finally gave the mower to a friend who wanted it. He messed with it some until it wouldn't shift gears and the front end was falling out. It sat outside for a year on concrete blocks. One day I was at his place and bet him that it would still crank. We ran jumper cables and poured in some fresh gas. I had to use a screwdriver to lift the bendix into the flywheel but it fired right up and ran like a top. Apparently even cheap engines are pretty good these days.
I hvae a few thoughts.
As has already been said, I'd stay away from a used mower if you're not mechanically inclined. There's nothing that's incredibly hard to fix, but it can be a pain if you don't do it all thee time. But it would be a cheap way to get started if you're short on cash.
I'd stay away from the new $800 riding mowers. No way will you get a good quality machine for that kind of money.
If you want a high quality rider that will last a long time, go to a farm equipment dealer that sells them. Go with a brand that they carry and they'll have parts and service available. A rider that you pay $3,000 or $4,000 for should last 10+ years.
The ZTR mowers are great, but can run up to $10,000 if you buy a big one. I personally don't think they're worth it unless you have a ton of trees and such to mow around.
.
One idea you might consider it to NOT mow the whole thing with a rider. If you're out in the country or part of the yard is in the trees, you could just let it grow. When the weeds are too bad, hire someone with a tractor and brush hog to come in a couple of times a year and knock it down.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized. [Sun Tzu]
When I was living with an acre of grass around me, and doing my dad's 2-1/2 nearby, I went and got a Toro commercial walk-behind from a supply house that sold to the pros. Mine was the basic model for its size of deck, 32", and had a big pull-start engine that always cranked on the first snap.
4 speeds forward, the 4th gear was practically a trot, and one reverse. A very intuitive control for motion, steering, and braking. Two really great things about walk-behinds like this: they turn on a dime, which makes mowing around trees and obstacles much faster than a rider, and they do steep banks, something riders don't do without tipover danger.
Now that I have a seasonal camp in the sticks, I use a DR field mower walk-behind.
I like walking when mowing. I'm not too old yet to resort to riding. Do enough riding in the F150.
I found a pic of one on eBay. Here it is. The one in the pic has dual drive wheels and a wider deck than the one I had.
Edited 3/29/2004 10:29 am ET by Bob Dylan
So, if I can get the better part of 2 seasons out of a $400 used machine then I did OK. Key is to get the wife mowing, and I guess she might walk behind a mower but then I might have to myself, and I'd rather ride my bike or shove young guys around on the basketball court when I work out, not step in dog piles and turn my shoes green. My neighbor is an ace mechanic with a complete shop and a pension that lets him stay in there, so getting something fixed around here is as simple as asking nicely and maybe cleaning his gutters or nailing a deck board back down.
Well, given your circumstances, I'm going to suggest two alternative approaches.
I'm using a 1994 Agway-branded 38" tractor made by MTD. MTD (aka Made To Die) is not considered a top quality brand, and it isn't. Still they're cheap, easy to work on, and their direct parts ordering has been top notch. I got mine for free because the transmission was shot, and it took about $50 bucks worth of gears and a couple of hours to fix. If you or someone you know is mechanically inclined, keep it in mind.
Also, take a look at your yard before deciding what to buy. If you have to get around a lot of stuff (trees, rocks, etc) you may be better off with a walk-behind (or a zero turn tractor). If you have any inclines, cheap tractors have cheap transmissions that you probably don't want. For example, the brake on my MTD is not designed to work when it's in neutral, so shifting from forward to reverse on a hill can be hairy, and in fact, my manual tells you not to use this tractor on hills (really!).
Pete
First thing is to do a quick business case on the cost of a mower vs a professional mowing service; and then decide if it's worth it. Remember to include the cost of spring maintenence, gas, and insurance (forgot that part ? check to see if your current homeowner's policy will cover a riding mower).
If you go ahead, my '82 Honda still runs perfectly (but I've worn out a couple of blades). For a rider, decide first if you also want to put a snow blower or blade on it too. If not, I'd look first at the Toro with the unicycle trailer seat.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Sure, there are guys who mow lawns. The problem is getting them to show up. The flake factor is huge for that kind of service around here. I need to be able to get it done without a bunch of begging phone calls.
How terribly odd; we have hundreds of those services around here; they arrive and depart with RR precision. Pretty reasonable too..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I'd say, buy the $400 machine, use it a couple of seasons to get a feel for what you need, then trade up.
It will be money well spent.
Here's another approach. If you got trees, don't rake the leaves. Plant a lot of bushes. Dig a frog pond and plop in one of those blow molded black plastic jobs. Don't fight the crabgrass or dollarweed or spiderwort. They're green and they don't grow tall. Get the picture... now you've got little or less to mow. If you're in a gated community or got yard-#### neighbors though you're dead meat. Oh yeah I forgot, get some chickens and let them scratch around the yard for food. You'd be surprised how much grass they can rake up with those feet.
Yeah, I live in a gated community! Ha ha ha.... NOT
The Best= Gravely ($$$$)
The very Good= Simplicity, Snapper, Toro or any name brand that ISN'T made by MTD
Green machines are a good status symbol and they will also mow you yard.(Ask Boss hogg)
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
"Green machines are a good status symbol and they will also mow you yard.(Ask Boss hogg)"
You guys are never gonna cut me any slack on that are ya ???I have a microwave fireplace in my house... The other night I laid down in front of the fire for the evening in two minutes.
Parts could be a problem for that old Ford. Iirc, Jacobsen made much if not all of the small yard and garden tractors for Ford. Ford is no longer in tractors but you might try looking around for a New Holland dealer- they may be able to help. If you buy new I'd go with a good local servicing dealer. Setup, parts and service will more than likely be much better over the long run.
I agree with the advice that if you aren't sure what you want to do, and you are short on cash, the $400. mower might be the best bet to get you started and give you an idea what you want or don't want in a mower. I personally feel that the ONLY way to go is the ZTR style mowers. They will mow your yard in half the time whether or not you have any trees. Anyone who says they" don't think they are worth it" has never used one. My first one was a used Dixon, the second was a Cub Cadet. If I get a next one it will most likely be a commercial unit, either a Scag, or Exmark. But as yet I haven't won the lottery, so that purchas is currently on hold.
Check out the mowing deck on the used one. Blades, pulleys, and belts can cost as much to fix as the engine. Personally I would not pay that much for a mower that old.
Yeah, at the very least look it over and try to find some excuses to talk the guy down to $200-300. Rusty deck, worn or cracked wheels, cracked belt, etc.
Wife and I talked it over and we're going the Smith-recommended route of hiring a lawn service to do it. I don't want to own old equipment, especially something I can't fix. The guy at the saw/rental/tool repair place here doesn't know anything about Fords, and he's the only game in town. My feeling is that if I were to buy one it would be a very nice machine in the $1500+ range and I don't want to drop that kind of dough right now. If I did, it would mean I'd have to skip my upcoming trip to Moab to ride my bike, and I ain't skipping that.
excellent dave...
one more for my "do as i say and not as i do"
.. me .. i'd play more golf.. but if you want to ride thru the desert on a horse with no name.... have at it....
'sides .. if you start to feel guilty ( and i don't know why you would ).. you can use the first year to research mowers some more... see what the yard dudes are using..
most of the ones around here own more tools than me
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 3/30/2004 3:41 pm ET by Mike Smith