scrubbedexpat097

Not an option. As long as we are fit and able then we will take care of our own land ourselves. It is satisfying. ......even when it is triple digit degrees!

Rete

Actually I love hiring our lawn guy whom we use when the mower is in for repair. He charges us only $70 for 3/4 of an acre just in the back and does our front lawn and our neighbor's. Does all the edging for both properties and blows and cleans up and bag all the clippings. And yes, he often works in 106 degree heat going it.

Living on retirement benefits and using mowing and edging and trimming as an alternative to a gym membership is better suited to us.

BuckinghamshireBoy

Exactly what OH said to me when I floated the idea for the new - considerably larger - garden.

Mind you, these things are horrendously expensive in Europe, so I didn't even bother to counter.

Boomhauer

If money was no object I would get a Walker . It has the deck out front and is a z-turn. It is such a royal PITA to clean the underside of the cutting deck or replace blades on riding mowers where the deck is centered. Walker mowers have a reputation for giving a nice cut.
They also have a collection bin for the grass clippings that is better designed than the bins that hang off the rear of standard Z-turns.

Guindalf

I hat to shatter people's illusions, but just about all of the mowers out there are made by just TWO manufacturers! If you look closely, you'll find the identical controls on them, just slightly different variations.

We have a Poulan Pro 48" tractor mower that I was going to sell when we bought a refurbished Cub Cadet Zero Turn 50", which I managed to pick up from HD for about $1500. The Poulan hasn't even been fired up in a few years, since I found out that the Cub WOULD fit through the door of the dog pen, which is why I kept it!

Point is, with good looking after (which I don't give mine!), any model should last several years.

P.S., we also have an acre in the Georgia heat, with some nasty slopes of which we have to be careful.

MidAtlantic

I believe Consumer Reports had a recent article on mowers. It may be worth the OP taking a look at that.

ddsrph

Guindalf

Personally, I rate the zero turn way above the tractor type, but it depends on personal choice as well as the ground it has to cover. Going from a 48" Tractor (actually, I think it's 42") to a 50" zero turn cut my mowing time in half!

Timely as mine is in the shop right now and my yard is like a jungle. I'm thinking I'll have to get a battery and fire up the tractor for the first time in a couple of years, just to keep the mess under somewhat control!

ddsrph

scrubbedexpat097

So it's mowing season again. The John Deere is still in action, it has been fixed twice already this year just because some hard headed English guy refuses to give in and make his life easier with a new mower.

We will see what happens in August this year. A retirement gift, maybe?

Boomhauer

What I read was that the John Deere sold in the big box stores is not the same quality John Deere sold at landscape equipment dealers. I had a Deere for a few years, was definitely better than the MTD ride on, but once it developed mechanical issues it was not worth fixing it.

Hiro11

If you're just looking to mow, get a zero turn. My parents have 50+ acres and have been using a commercial-grade Husqvarna zero turn mower for years that they bought used. It's built to take abuse and be easy to maintain. I have mowed many acres with it, it's very comfortable and ergonomic and basically unstoppable. Super fun to use. They are expensive (a good used one will be $5k) , but you'll never have to think about it again.

scrubbedexpat097

Believe me, I know it is the answer. Life would be much easier. He knows it too but as long as he can keep fixing the JD he won't do it!

It might be sabotage time soon!

ddsrph

Pulaski

There are a number of brands of commercial z-turn mowers and they are somewhat regional in both manufacture and/or distribution. Therefore the "best" one for you might be different from the best one for someone just a few miles away or in the next town, so I wouldn't waste much time trying track down some particular brand that some people are pushing, repeatedly.

Look for the local commercial landscaping equipment dealers and see what they are selling - it could be one of the brands discussed above, though I suspect not Cub Cadet, nor probably JD, but ones I have seen local to me are Scag, Bad Boy, and Dixie Chopper, and when I finally decide to replace my rapidly aging Craftsman, it will probably be one of those as they have a local dealer, not something recommended by someone 1,000 miles away.

FWIW most commercial mowers seem to have either a Kawasaki or a Kohler engine, and there doesn't appear to be much to choose between them - if they're ubiquitous in commercial mowers they're going to be reliable, powerful enough to get the job done, and easily serviceable.