Buying my first riding mower / lawn tractor.

Hey everyone – brand new here and could use some of your expert opinions! I get the impression that I’m going to be the rookie amongst a bunch of enthusiasts and professionals with much larger needs, but I hope you don’t mind helping me out.

I just moved to a larger piece of property – about 0.6 acres all-in, including the house. This past summer (first year in the house) I only maintained the front – it’s beautiful sod and was able to mow/trim in about 45 minutes with my push mower. This year I’m going to start keeping the back nice as well (the lawn is not NEARLY as nice back there) and think I need to step up to a riding mower / lawn tractor . I’ve never bought a rider before and could really use some advice. I don’t have a budget per se, since I’m willing to pay the price that makes the most sense, but from some basic research I hoping it’s possible to pay in the $1.5 - $2k range. Let me know if that’s crazy.

Here is some basic info/questions, but let me know what else is needed:

- Located in Long Island, NY.

- Property is pretty much entirely flat, with almost no trees. I have to maneuver around a bit of landscaping in the front, but nothing crazy.

- I need to be able to get up and over the bricks that line the driveway.

- Need to be able to fit through the fence gate – I don’t have the measurements on me (I can get it), but it’s standard sized gate for a PVC fence.

- I prefer to mulch vs bag – do I actually need a mulching kit? Would prefer to not buy anything else. I would like to option to buy a bagging kit in the future if I change my mind.

- I generally mow high, around 3.5” – 4” if I had to guess (highest setting on the push mower). Not sure if that matters?

- The machine will be used for mowing 95% of the time (I mow once a week). I guess it would be nice to be able to perform other tasks, but I don’t currently have plans for that. Is there something I should be considering here?

- It would be very convenient to buy from Home Depot or Lowes. I’m expecting that people recommend I go to a dealer, but that would mean more $$$. Online retailers?

- Are there any sales coming up I should know about?

- What brands can be trusted? I know the big names (John Deere, Husqvarna, Cub Cadet), but what about others like Poulan, Craftsman, Toro etc? Even with the bigger names, I assume they have different grades of quality?

- I’ll be maintaining it myself, so want something that is easy to take care of.

- Separately, I need to buy a snow blower, too. I’ve pretty much been told that it’s a better idea to get a separate machine for that, but I have toyed with the idea of a plow attachment for the tractor. I live on a main road and get plowed in very badly, so need some power to clear it out. Maybe I can get a deal by buying both machines at once?


Ultimately, I don’t need anything too fancy, but I want it to work well and last a while. I really care about my lawn and put alot of effort in to keeping it nice. This is why I’d rather buy a machine to do it exactly how I want instead of paying a landscaping coming to do it.

Thanks for the help.

My opinion is a best that of a novice, but at the price point you are shopping, most of the mowers will be variations of the same MTD built unit. Yes, some manufacturers make their "own" models, but considering MTD owns many of the companies and you will find the same transmission and engines in most of these, it comes down to little features that separate them and what you prefer. As for your yard, with any obstacles you may do some back and forth unless you have a zero turn which just cannot be had for these prices. As for the bricks to get over, you would have to measure the ground clearance with the deck up on each one that you are looking for and account for the ground to give some, especially with a rider on it. Might be better off having a dedicated spot to enter and exit the driveway that can be graded to make this task easier and safer. I personally looked at the Troy Built Bronco 50" for $1899 but if you get a smaller deck, say a 42", you options open up a bit.

cruzenmike said:

My opinion is a best that of a novice, but at the price point you are shopping, most of the mowers will be variations of the same MTD built unit. Yes, some manufacturers make their "own" models, but considering MTD owns many of the companies and you will find the same transmission and engines in most of these, it comes down to little features that separate them and what you prefer. As for your yard, with any obstacles you may do some back and forth unless you have a zero turn which just cannot be had for these prices. As for the bricks to get over, you would have to measure the ground clearance with the deck up on each one that you are looking for and account for the ground to give some, especially with a rider on it. Might be better off having a dedicated spot to enter and exit the driveway that can be graded to make this task easier and safer. I personally looked at the Troy Built Bronco 50" for $1899 but if you get a smaller deck, say a 42", you options open up a bit.

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Thanks for the response. The big box brands I'm looking at are Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Toro and (maybe) Craftsman. Are they all MTD?

Also, I've been told that John Deere does not make a separate, lower quality line for HD/Lowers - meaning as long as the model number is the same, it doesn't matter if I get it from those stores or a dealer. Do you know is that is true? Looks like I can get a lower end Deere in my price range - I have to assume the quality is better, but it won't have as many features as those other brands.

Are there any features that I should be looking for? I'm thinking things that make maintenance easier (easy access to blades, ability to quickly remove the deck, easy/clean way to drain oil, etc.). Or are all brands pretty similar in this regard?

I am voting for the John Deere X300 series. It is twice the mower as the 100 series sold at the big box stores. Of course the price is price is 2x also.

NorthBama said:

I am voting for the John Deere X300 series. It is twice the mower as the 100 series sold at the big box stores. Of course the price is price is 2x also.

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I think that one is likely going to be beyond my budget. But can you help me understand what makes the X series "twice the mower" when compared to the D series? And what about the S240 (though still prob beyond my budget)?

https://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equipment/riding_mowers/lawn_tractors/lawn_tractors.page?
read the reviews and the features and compare the 100 to the 300 series.

D110 is your machine.

Jack17 said:

D110 is your machine.

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So I was just at Home Depot and looked at that Deere. For the same price I can get a Cub Cadet with a bigger deck (46 vs 42) and more power (22hp vs 19hp). Since the D series is Deere "entry level" anyway, would I not be better getting the Cub? If I were getting a higher end model I think the Deere would be the logical choice, but at my price point(and for my needs) I'm struggling to see the value in the green paint.


I hope I'm not coming off as ignoring people's advice or just trying to justify buying a cheaper machine. Help me understand !!

Noodles said:

So I was just at Home Depot and looked at that Deere. For the same price I can get a Cub Cadet with a bigger deck (46 vs 42) and more power (22hp vs 19hp). Since the D series is Deere "entry level" anyway, would I not be better getting the Cub? If I were getting a higher end model I think the Deere would be the logical choice, but at my price point(and for my needs) I'm struggling to see the value in the green paint.


I hope I'm not coming off as ignoring people's advice or just trying to justify buying a cheaper machine. Help me understand !!

Click to expand...

As you research until your head explodes, you will find that there are incremental improvements in deck size, engine power and so on as you inch your way up to and past your budget. As for John Deere, I believe them to be great machines, but like you stated, you would be paying for green paint. In most cases they are ~$200 more expensive than the closest Cub Cadet or alike. I suggest you think long and hard about the single most important thing to you, whether it be tight turning radius for landscaping, or raw power for cutting through wet or tall grass, and then determine from there what to pick. At the end of the day if you just want a good value, sort top ranking mowers and pick the one with the most agreeable price. When you are outside of the commercial mower world, you can split hairs all day long trying to pick one over the other, but I do not know one single person with a rider that has had a lot of problems or really hated the purchase they made. You simply have to live with compromise. Good Luck!

Mike

cruzenmike said:

As you research until your head explodes, you will find that there are incremental improvements in deck size, engine power and so on as you inch your way up to and past your budget. As for John Deere, I believe them to be great machines, but like you stated, you would be paying for green paint. In most cases they are ~$200 more expensive than the closest Cub Cadet or alike. I suggest you think long and hard about the single most important thing to you, whether it be tight turning radius for landscaping, or raw power for cutting through wet or tall grass, and then determine from there what to pick. At the end of the day if you just want a good value, sort top ranking mowers and pick the one with the most agreeable price. When you are outside of the commercial mower world, you can split hairs all day long trying to pick one over the other, but I do not know one single person with a rider that has had a lot of problems or really hated the purchase they made. You simply have to live with compromise. Good Luck!

Mike

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This might be the most helpful comment. At my price point, and my needs, I really can't make a terrible decision. The mowers really are very similar, so it's just a matter of finding the right compromise.

I was hoping that someone would help me see the light and convince me that a higher end model makes more sense. I'm still open to being convinced but for now I'm not sure a Deere makes sense for me.