Looking to buy first mower. Have a $1500 budget and .5 acre

I'm more confused about which route to go than I can explain. I've read that the CVT transmission ones that come in so many now days are to be avoided at all cost. I've also read that if you have ANY type of slope to your yard that you should be going with an old traditional manual transmission if you want it to last at all. I was looking at SEARS and they have alot of Craftsman shift as you go manual transmission ones (Hydro?).

My back yard is the largest and is the most mowed. It has about a 15-20 degree slope to it. Would I be foolish to go with a Hydro transmission or should I stick to a manual? The only option in a traditional manual transmission is Poulan Pro at Home Depot Model# 960460075 (I can't post links)

I want to buy new, not used.

15 degrees is generally considered to be the maximum slope to safely mow with a riding mower. I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about an inexperienced operator mowing slopes in the 15 to 20 degree range with one. A half acre is small enough to be mowed with a 21 inch walk-behind mower in under an hour.

Darryl G said:

15 degrees is generally considered to be the maximum slope to safely mow with a riding mower. I don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about an inexperienced operator mowing slopes in the 15 to 20 degree range with one. A half acre is small enough to be mowed with a 21 inch walk-behind mower in under an hour.

Click to expand...

Ok then I must be way off on my degrees LOL

It's a typical fenced in backyard. It isn't flat but it isn't anything too crazy. You can sled down it when it snows but you need a push or running head start. I know, terrible way to tell the slope of a yard over the internet.

There is nothing that you can sit on or stand on for $1500 or under that is worth the effort of opening your wallet for.
OTOH you can get a good Self Propelled for that money that will last you for decades if you keep it clean.
Is the block .5 acre or is that what is left over after you account for the house, shed, deck, garden, trees etc ?

Do you have any physical problems ( including age ) preventing you from walking around your yard ?

And finally, apart from sliding down the slow what do you use the yard for ?
In many cases, grass is the wrong thing for a back yard or for the lifestyle of the home owner.

I guess mowing is all relative, as it would take me over an hour to mow my .28 acre lot with a 21" push mower. If I didn't bag, it would take bout 40 minutes. As for the mower, anything you get other than something with a completely manual transmission is likely going to fail prematurely as hydrostatic and CVT transmissions will not do well under the conditions you have stated (slopes....). As for the walk behind route, if traction is not going to be an issue, you could always try a Toro Timemaster 30" walk behind. The mower can move at 4.5mph on flat ground which is a good pace, and at 30" wide, it will take you less time to mow your grass. The only concern again is the slope, where with even the slightest amount of moisture on the grass will make for a lot of sliding and tire spinning. The alternative is to find a used, wide area walk behind mower with larger, wider, pneumatic tires. At $1500 you could probably find something with a 36" deck. Not sure where you are in SC, but here is a link for something near Charleston:

https://charleston.craigslist.org/grd/d/lawn-mower-zero-turn/6532197175.html

Not saying that this is the one, but if you do your homework, and inspect anything used in great detail, you can find some good machines out there. As for something new, you will have very few options that will do what you need to do either safely, or in a timely manner. Good luck.

Mike