Need some lawn care advice. Pic heavy.

[mav]

I asked in another thread for some suggestions on a lawn mower.  Without being able to provide photos of my yard, I realize that doesn't give a lot of people an idea of what I have to contend with.  I have fixed that situation.  I have taken a bunch of pictures so you can see what I am looking at.  Below is what I cut with a push mower on Saturday, which I will absolutely not do again.

 

I have already ruled out zero turn mowers.  They are incredibly nice, but just too expensive.  There is no way I could bring myself to spend multiple thousands on something that will loose value as soon as I buy it.  What I am looking for is the Glock of riding lawn mowers (inexpensive, reliable, durable, and easily serviceable).  I couldn't care less about the name on the side of the mower.  Here are the pics.

 

Front property heading down the hill

 

Front of the house

 

Side of the house

 

Back of the house

 

Back of house heading towards the top tier of the property

 

Front of the house heading down the hill on opposite side of the driveway

 

Going down the hill between driveways

 

Going down the hill opposite side of driveway

 

Another view going down the hill

 

Bottom end of property

 

Another view of bottom end of the property

 

 

Now that you have an idea of what I am looking at, do you have any good recommendations?  I will be purchasing something next week. Thanks for your help.

 

[ted]

Ya better get this before its gone its about half of what one would cost ya the tractor ridding mowers are high also this is your best bet. http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/64260-zero-turn-cub-cadet-great-shape-only-105-hours/?hl=%2Bcub+%2Bcadet

[10-Ring]

If I were in your shoes I would be looking for a used commercial walk behind in 48" or 54" with a Velke(That's what you ride on.)  Used to run 2 54"ers when I had my lawn care business.  They are every bit as fast to mow with and turn as a zero turn, plus you don't get swamp butt sitting in that seat.  You can pick up a decent servicable used one for about $1500.

[Hozzie]

/\ /\ I agree with 10-ring unless you want to be able to pull a cart or something.  I would look for a nice used Exmark.  It will have quite a few hours on it to get your price down, but it will still be be a better mower than a new $1000 mower from the big box stores.  I would find your local Exmark dealer and go look at them.  They should have some used ones to look at and try out.  If you have never driven one, it takes a little getting use to, but once you do, you can mow faster than using anything else and it is the safest on hills and hard to mow areas.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Hozzie

[mav]

 it is the safest on hills and hard to mow areas.

 

A zero turn is safer on hills than a tractor?  Outside of the price difference, that was another reason I decided to go with a tractor; I thought they would be safer on hills.

[Garufa]

No kind of mower is gonna fix that mangy looking "grass".  :P

[rugerla1]

I also agree with 10-Ring. First thing that popped in my head when I looked at the pics was a walk behind mower. It will be less expensive than a zero turn (I love zero turns but they are high) and will do a good job, and when you get used to riding it, mowing won't take long at all.

[Dane]

it is the safest on hills and hard to mow areas.

A zero turn is safer on hills than a tractor? Outside of the price difference, that was another reason I decided to go with a tractor; I thought they would be safer on hills.

Much safer. It is really hard to roll a z-turn. Check out tractor supply. You can get a very nice Bad Boy 54" for $3500


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[mav]

No kind of mower is gonna fix that mangy looking "grass".  :P

 

:)  That will be fixed soon.

[Chadastrophic]

I recommend getting yourself a nice Mexican, maybe a Juan or a Jesus model.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[10-Ring]

A zero turn is safer on hills than a tractor?  Outside of the price difference, that was another reason I decided to go with a tractor; I thought they would be safer on hills.

Though zero turns are pretty safe on hills a walk behind, which is what we were discussing is likely the safest because all you have to do is step off and let it go if you get in trouble.

[Hozzie]

 

A zero turn is safer on hills than a tractor?  Outside of the price difference, that was another reason I decided to go with a tractor; I thought they would be safer on hills.

 

 

A sit-on zero turn isn't necessarily safer on a hill, but a walk behind is very safe on a hill and gives you more control, especially over a garden tractor.  If you ever look at guys mowing the steep banks on the storm control areas around businesses and commercial areas, they use a walk behind with a velke.  You have a lot of control because they have a low center of gravity.  Whether a sit-on zero turn or a garden tractor, the center of gravity is much higher and with you one it, it makes it that much higher.  

 

I should add, I have actually rolled a garden tractor on a hill.  Do it once and you won't do it again.  Luckily I was able to jump off away from the mower.  I don't see any hills that look too bad on your property, except maybe right next to the road could be a little awkward for a riding mower.  

 

I think riding mowers have advantages too like being able to pull implements (rollers, aerator, and carts, etc.)  For pure mowing, a walk behind with a velke is hard to beat.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Hozzie

[Electric B]

There are great deals on CL for used commercial mowers

 

I mow about 3-4 acres and put  50hrs +/ -  per year on a mower. If you find a deal on a mower with 800-1000 hrs and only put 50 hrs per year it will take you 20 years to put another 1000 hrs on it. A used commercial mower is light years above anything coming out of a big box store.

 

I bought a used Kubota ZD331 Diesel it had 950hrs on it and I paid $4000.00 cash. The guy was getting out of the business. That mower will last me until I get tired of it.

[MarkInNashville]

You said a zero turn is to expensive but I was mowing 2 acres, plus weed eating. I got a z turn and cut the mowing time to about an hour and (added bonus here) it cut the weed-eating time to not being done very often. It is expensive but it only hurts once (and the Home Depot models are getting cheaper every day)! It REALLY reduces the time required. Of course if you do the math it may be cheaper to pay someone else to do it for you.

[56FordGuy]

I picked up a used hydro walk behind this year. It was the best thing I've ever done for my yard. I was mowing with a small Cub tractor and 60" deck. The walk behind is a 54" and cuts more of my yard faster, and does a better job at it. I live on the side of a hill, and the walk behind is no comparison to a lawn tractor for stability. Much better. All the weight is down low, and if things do go bad you can just let go of it and step backwards. 

 

The only downside to the walkbehind on a hill is that it doesn't do wet slopes well. It looks like your yard is a little less sloped than mine, so you may not have an issue. If I go out to mow too soon after a rain, the mower will slide downhill in a couple of spots. Just not heavy enough to get a good bite through the wet grass. That's a good thing overall though, lighter machines put less stress and wear on the yard when mowing. 

[Wyldk2]

Ruled out a zero turn mower have you? Well i can agree that they can be expensive( some tractor types are just as expensive). I just got thru with the maintenence on my Cub cadet 1720 ( 46" cut). Maintenence isn't that bad, some places harder to reach than others.

 

Probably takes me 45 minutes to mow my .84 acre of land. Mine is an open space, yet a little slope of a hill.

 

As for your needs, since i see you have a couple hills, you might consider something with a Hydrostactic transmission.

[gregintenn]

It all depends on how much you want to spend and how long you are willing to spend mowing the lawn. I still recommend an older, used rear engine Snapper.

[45guy]

I do not say never very often but if I ever half to start mowing my yard again I will buy a z turn. Home owner use should be 20 plus years. The time it will save you is much more valuable. I can see no reason to ever buy a tractor style mower again. You can find a deal on a new z turn and get 90 days same as cash at least maybe longer. GO WITH A Z TURN. If it is just not in the cards pick up a used good name rider for under a grand and save up for a better mower. I sold a Snapper 18hp with 800 hrs. for $400 a few months ago. Had the mower for 22 yrs. Good mowers at decent prices are out there.

[mav]

I just got through cutting my grass on my new JD X320 (not inexpensive, but not a bank breaker either) that I picked up from Homestead Tractor.  Sheesh, it was a pleasure cutting grass.  I didn't break a sweat.  When I was push mowing it, I always looked like I just jumped in a pool.  While it is not as fast as a zero turn, it is fast enough for me, and it worked great on my hill. 

 

Hopefully I made a good choice.  And yes, my grass looks better now that it is being taken care of.  :)

[Peace]

congrats!

[Wyldk2]

Same mower my dad has. Before this one he had a Gravely tractor( it burnt in the fire). I've mowed with my cub, his old gravely( long ago) and the New JD. Nothing runs like a deere.

[Hozzie]

I just got through cutting my grass on my new JD X320 (not inexpensive, but not a bank breaker either) that I picked up from Homestead Tractor.  Sheesh, it was a pleasure cutting grass.  I didn't break a sweat.  When I was push mowing it, I always looked like I just jumped in a pool.  While it is not as fast as a zero turn, it is fast enough for me, and it worked great on my hill. 

 

Hopefully I made a good choice.  And yes, my grass looks better now that it is being taken care of.  :)

 

I think that was a good choice.  I have the X534 and it mows very well and it's nice to be able to pull things around.  I think you will be very happy.  Do regular maintenance and don't beat the crap out of it and it will last you 20 years.

[Guest TankerHC]

My lawn mower experience was limitied to self propelled regular mowers until last month. So I can only go with the one I bought. Sears has the Craftsman Lt 2500 Lawn Tractor with the 22HP Koehler engine and 46 inch cut, Precision Cut system and cleaning system on sale for $1200. Bought one and love it. Added the roof for $99.