new mower advice needed!!!

I've scrolled through forums over the past couple days but everything I see seems to be dated so I thought I'd ask

Here is my situated. We are moving from 1/4 acre postage stamp to a 3.6 acre lot. I have two little kids and I bring them up because they keep me busy and while I like mowing, I'd like to be done yardwork in an hour or two.

Here is the hard part, I don't want a zero degree and I only want to spend about 2K..

What are your recommendations for riding lawn tractors to mow this lot in that amount of time in that budget.


I will throw in another nugget. The current owner is willing to through in his JD 318 mower for 500.00. I don't know enough about them but it's an old mower...from what I saw online...possibly from the mid 90's. I just dont want to walk in to a bunch of issues with it...but I also dont know how strong of a mower that is at this point in it's life to mow the lawn - time wise.

Thanks for any advice!!

mpoland33 said:

I've scrolled through forums over the past couple days but everything I see seems to be dated so I thought I'd ask

Here is my situated. We are moving from 1/4 acre postage stamp to a 3.6 acre lot. I have two little kids and I bring them up because they keep me busy and while I like mowing, I'd like to be done yardwork in an hour or two.

Here is the hard part, I don't want a zero degree and I only want to spend about 2K..

What are your recommendations for riding lawn tractors to mow this lot in that amount of time in that budget.


I will throw in another nugget. The current owner is willing to through in his JD 318 mower for 500.00. I don't know enough about them but it's an old mower...from what I saw online...possibly from the mid 90's. I just dont want to walk in to a bunch of issues with it...but I also dont know how strong of a mower that is at this point in it's life to mow the lawn - time wise.

Thanks for any advice!!

Click to expand...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-Yta24V48-24-HP-V-Twin-Automatic-48-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower/999990138

mpoland33 said:

I've scrolled through forums over the past couple days but everything I see seems to be dated so I thought I'd ask

Here is my situated. We are moving from 1/4 acre postage stamp to a 3.6 acre lot. I have two little kids and I bring them up because they keep me busy and while I like mowing, I'd like to be done yardwork in an hour or two.

Here is the hard part, I don't want a zero degree and I only want to spend about 2K..

What are your recommendations for riding lawn tractors to mow this lot in that amount of time in that budget.


I will throw in another nugget. The current owner is willing to through in his JD 318 mower for 500.00. I don't know enough about them but it's an old mower...from what I saw online...possibly from the mid 90's. I just dont want to walk in to a bunch of issues with it...but I also dont know how strong of a mower that is at this point in it's life to mow the lawn - time wise.

Thanks for any advice!!

Click to expand...

For $ 2000 you are only going to get a low grade domestic mower that you will be replacing again in the next 5 years.
Check the 318 for excessive deck rust which is what kills them .
The other thing that kllls them is owners too tight to get them properly serviced, or buy a service manual so they can service the mower properly.
Serviced well that mower will run 20 years standing on its head.
Try to get numbers out of your head
The 318 was made from 82 to 93 and cost $ 3500 then, equate that to hours worked in say 1990 for $ 3500 then multiply it out according to what you earn today and it will come out in the order of $ 5000 - $ 7000.
And that is what you will have to pay today to get a mower of equivalent quality.

If you think you are going to mow 3.6 acres in under 2 hours on anything outside a commercial grade mower you are delusional
Mow rates are calculated by multiplying the distance travelled in 1 hour at full speed x the width of the deck ( with no overlap ) converted into acres.
I reality the mow rate is about 1/2 what the brouchures state and that is without trimming, cutting in & weed wacking ,
SO those sorts of mow rates only happen is you are cutting 1/2" of the top which means mowing daily in fast growing periods.

If it were me I would take up the offer of the JD , after all the previous owner has been using it to mow his yard so it has to be up to the job.
Then after you have been there a year or two and have built up funds replace it with used commercial mower but expect to pay double what your budget is.
That way you can buy at the end of the season when the professional take advantage of the end of season sales ( they get a lot cheaper mid fall )

Avoid a headache and don't buy the used tractor! Buy the most expensive mower you can buy within your budget and maintain the heck out of it. With $2k you can have your choice of 42" riders and a couple of 50"s as well. The only way you are going to save a significant amount of time is to get a bigger deck or mower with faster ground speed, assuming you can actually cut at those speeds. If you actually have over 3 acres of grass to cut, it will take you at least two hours to cut the grass and then some if you trim. You can always get the new one now and who knows, in a few years you can get something bigger, faster, better!

Random thoughts ...

Just today I came across a restored 318 advertised for $1800. And searching online that seems to be on the low end for examples in really good shape. It's a beast of a riding mower, but if you don't need tractor-ish attachments, snow blades and stuff, stick with a ZTR that can actually cover more ground speed better.

My father-in-law purchased new, the smallest commercial ZTR from Gravely a few years back. That thing flies over the field that the el cheapo riding mowers he has are left standing in the proverbial dust. That sort of thing is within your price range, used. Just pay attention to the hour meter. If it's got several hundreds of hours on it, it's been used in a business most likely, and will need expensive repairs at some point.

I had a bunch of 318's through my shop over the years. They are great until the hours get high, Coincidently a lady had a 318 with the same amount of acreage you mentioned and it nickel and dimed her to death and I sold her a zero turn. I would recommend you to reconsider if at all possible, the time savings is so significant I couldn't offer any other advice. Also, for 2K you can get a decent used commercial zero turn, but have it checked out by a pro shop. There are a lot of expensive components that can be easily spotted by a pro mechanic as being ready for replacement. Good Luck!

I think you should consult to the experienced faculty to know exact information about the mower cost. There is website available who gives the correct detailing of mowing a lawn and even provides the services of landscaping design too. An experienced person can let you know about the actual prices of the mowers and tips too, to get a perfect mowing. New mower can take some adjustments, which can be made easy if you get comfortable with it by knowing the tricks of operating it correctly.