Help a JONG buy a lawn tractor

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

I'm obsessive about spending money and I hate going cheap only to regret the lack of quality. I came into a little windfall and can't justify spending any more money on ski gear (let's be serious, I can't convince the wife that I need new boots and I've already bought new skis and bindings for this year).

I "need" to buy a lawn tractor to knock down the weeds at our shack in Vermont. The "lawn" is about .75 acre, not level but not steep hills either. I've been researching the shit out of low-end lawn tractors, but most of the ratings seem to revert to Amazon ratings. Here's what I've found:

• Ariens at Home Depot are not made by Ariens
• Cub Cadet is made by MTD, the same company that makes Yard-Man, Toro and some Craftsman
• John Deere are about 20% more for similar features as others
• Husqvarna makes the Ariens at Home Depot and also some Craftsman

What direction should I go? For reference, I can get 10% off at Home Depot because I'm a veteran. I can also buy in NH to avoid paying sales tax so the price point is enticing. There is also a Sears nearby in NH; I've seen a lot of cautions online about poor customer service and quality control for Craftsman but my next-door neighbor has both a snow blower and lawn tractor from Crafstman and is very satisfied (I've used his snow blower and it is pretty sweet compared to my 2002 Yard-Man). I've seen a lot of positive vibes about Snapper but they are pretty pricy...are they worth the extra coin? They are more expensive than John Deere...

Help me out.

[Hugh Conway]

.75 acres it doesn't fucking matter. you can do that with a push mower if you are - like everyone on this website - uber fit and active.

[ill-advised strategy]

honda?

imo all their motorcycles and small engine stuff is very well-made.

[huckbucket]

My Cub Cadet has a Kawasaki engine. I chose it for that reason. Not great on hills though (slips even with new tires).

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

.75 acres it doesn't fucking matter. you can do that with a push mower if you are - like everyone on this website - uber fit and active.

Can but don't want to. It takes 75 minutes with a push mower; been doing it for 2 summers and want to spend my weekend hours more productively.

honda?

imo all their motorcycles and small engine stuff is very well-made.

They haven't made lawn tractors in decades.

buy a used one and thrash it about.

I have a 1978 Ariens that I'm currently thrashing but the upkeep is using up all the time saved.

[Shredhead]

[QUOTE=MyNameIsAugustWest;4297087]Can but don't want to. It takes 75 minutes with a push mower; been doing it for 2 summers and want to spend my weekend hours more productively.
[\QUOTE]

Get a lawn service.

[CantDog]

I have a Cub Cadet with the Kohler engine and it's been very good. The Hondas now don't seem as good as they did 8-10 years ago, but I have a newish powered walk behind that I use for the awkward hills I can't get with the CC, it stalls on thick grass whereas the similar model older honda didn't as much.

For less than an acre you probably aren't going to save that much time using a riding versus a powered walk behind. If time is really the concern lawn service is the choice.

The other option is a mid grade or commercial walk behind with a much bigger deck. Will cut your walk behind time significantly and a good quality used one runs cheap on Craigslist. Looking at Burlington craigslist there is a 48" Scag walk behind for 1500 with low hours.

[stevesmith7]

I had 2.5 acres of rough weeds to mow. Six hours start to finish. Bought a Craftsman with the Kohler engine. Beat the crap out of it for 12 years and sold it with the house. Little things were starting to need attention but you can get parts for a long time from Sears. It wasn't just a little bit cheaper than a Deere, more like 1/2 the cost bought on sale. YMMV.

[RustyGroomer]

Get a lawn service.

This. You already know him too. Andrew from the shop does this for summer work. Even claims to be VtLawn guy or something.

[ill-advised strategy]

[old goat]

2:42 FTW.
Not a lawn tractor but I saw 2 guys in the ER who got drunk and decided to trim a hedge with a power lawn mower by lifting it up from below. All they had left was 4 thumbs between them.

For the OP 2 suggestions--1) plant something you don't have to cut 2) goats

[Harry]

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Now that's a hell yeah!

Lawn service...going rate is about $55 per cut in our neck of the woods...conservatively 12 cuts per summer. In less than 3 years, it's more expensive than a low end John Deere. Less than 2 for an on-sale Craftsman. My windfall is barely 4 digits...

For those that say the time savings isn't significant, I disagree. 75 minutes with a self-propelled Toro, 15-18 minutes with my neighbor's 46" Craftsman. That's a whole hour I could be fishing, kayaking, or simply hiking up the hill....every week. Plus, it's hard to drink beer working a hand mower, even a S/P one.

[BCMtnHound]

Now that's a hell yeah!

Lawn service...going rate is about $55 per cut in our neck of the woods...conservatively 12 cuts per summer. In less than 3 years, it's more expensive than a low end John Deere. Less than 2 for an on-sale Craftsman. My windfall is barely 4 digits...

For those that say the time savings isn't significant, I disagree. 75 minutes with a self-propelled Toro, 15-18 minutes with my neighbor's 46" Craftsman. That's a whole hour I could be fishing, kayaking, or simply hiking up the hill....every week. Plus, it's hard to drink beer working a hand mower, even a S/P one.

If that extra hour between machine time is really that precious to you, I think your math in the 1st part of your post is a bit off. Under 2g for 3 yrs of hassle free mowing sound like a heck of a deal once you add your time in...

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

But over 10 years (expected life of a lawn tractor?) it's $6600. I'm trying to balance time and cost.

[Bunion 2020]

I have a Craftsman with an 18 HP.5 Briggs and Stratton.

Very underwhelmed by the motor.

The mower is o.k.

[SB]

Too hilly for a zero cut?

One of those commercial walk behinds with the surry could be the ticket. Bet you could find one end of season sell off by a lawn service that would last you a life time.

If you really need a ride on just get a cheapie when they go on sale soon. If you take care of it it will take care of you.

[Buster Highmen]

FWIW, IME, corded electric is faster than gas as long as you're not worried about your masculinity. Other pluses include basic cost, maintenance, gas and the globul warmingz. I can do our 1/4 acre yard and grass tennis court in an hour and a half.

[dcpnz]

I can do our 1/4 acre yard and grass tennis court in an hour and a half.

Are you using electric nail clippers?
If not what the f@#k are you doing that takes an hour and a half to do 1/4 acre plus tennis court?

[Timberridge]

I'm trying to balance time and cost.

You'll need a string trimmer too. But unless you want to look like the jolly green giant, you should wait to fire that up until the dew is off the ground (that's about 10 am in VT). Then its another hr of mowing, assuming you don't need to drive to the gas station to get gasoline. A quick shower after, and you've just gone through 1/2 day in a 2 day weekend in VT.
I also factor in ~1-2 hr every month to clean the mouse nests out of my air intake. The little bastards really piss me off.

[CantDog]

Exactly. The time difference is not the fact it's a riding mower, but a deck that's twice as large and it will go a little quicker than the self propel. Commercial walk behind, especially zero turn with a velke and you are out less than the riding, esp used. They usually can do 7-9mph at top speed.

If you want a riding mower to push snow, till or dethatch then it's another story. Then you really want a decent garden tractor, not something just for mowing.

[Buster Highmen]

Are you using electric nail clippers?
If not what the f@#k are you doing that takes an hour and a half to do 1/4 acre plus tennis court?

The 1/4 acre is a fractal, so trimming is a bitch.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

You'll need a string trimmer too. But unless you want to look like the jolly green giant, you should wait to fire that up until the dew is off the ground (that's about 10 am in VT). Then its another hr of mowing, assuming you don't need to drive to the gas station to get gasoline. A quick shower after, and you've just gone through 1/2 day in a 2 day weekend in VT.
I also factor in ~1-2 hr every month to clean the mouse nests out of my air intake. The little bastards really piss me off.

I'd actually prefer to do it upon Friday arrival at 6-ish pm. Done by 6:30 and into beer #2 before the Red Sox come on NESN. That way I don't have to waste the morning as you noted. And forget about getting gas anywhere near Londonderry after 7pm.

So...

Brand doesn't matter as much as the engine B&S used to be the shit, but it sounds like Kohler or Kawasaki are the current darlings. Get the biggest engine I can afford.
I am obsessive about seasonal preventative maintenance (test my generator 4 times per year, always use fog oil in cylinders when put away for the off-season, always run the gas tanks dry to avoid gumming up the works, clean filters at the start middle and end of seasons, etc) so reviews may not be worth reading if the writers treat their equipment like most 'Mericans treat their cars.
Wait until after Labor Day to score best prices.
I like the idea of a warranty so not big on used (maybe abused) stuff.

Thanks all.

[Hugh Conway]

The 1/4 acre is a fractal, so trimming is a bitch.

i bet you never really cut the edges.


yeah, you totally need the biggest engine you can afford for mowing 3/4 of an acre. just drop a 350 in it and line up with the other suburban dildos tim allen.

[skiballs]

I'd actually prefer to do it upon Friday arrival at 6-ish pm. Done by 6:30 and into beer #2 before the Red Sox come on NESN. That way I don't have to waste the morning as you noted. And forget about getting gas anywhere near Londonderry after 7pm.

So...

Brand doesn't matter as much as the engine B&S used to be the shit, but it sounds like Kohler or Kawasaki are the current darlings. Get the biggest engine I can afford.
I am obsessive about seasonal preventative maintenance (test my generator 4 times per year, always use fog oil in cylinders when put away for the off-season, always run the gas tanks dry to avoid gumming up the works, clean filters at the start middle and end of seasons, etc) so reviews may not be worth reading if the writers treat their equipment like most 'Mericans treat their cars.
Wait until after Labor Day to score best prices.
I like the idea of a warranty so not big on used (maybe abused) stuff.

Thanks all.

The best part of a riding mower is cutting the grass while drinking beer. I have a 16hp husqvarna 250hrs on the clock, haven't changed the oil yet.