help a new guy out

[mikeb1982]

hey guys this is my first post, i am starting a small business and i need a riding mower but i have a small budget due to the cost of all of the other equipment i have had to buy. I was going to start out with just a walk behind. toro time master 30" commercial mower but after buying my 16 foot long trailer i am thinking i need a riding mower to go with it : )
The real reason i want a riding mower is because i think it will open the door to some larger properties. I am a landscaper/sprinkler guy/salesman but i want to get into mowing so that i might be able to lock in customers and get some more steady work right off the bat. here is the mower i was looking at. the price is the main attraction at $2600.00 us.
Toro | TimeCutter SS4225 - Zero Turn Lawn Mowers

 

[Ric]

hey guys this is my first post, i am starting a small business and i need a riding mower but i have a small budget due to the cost of all of the other equipment i have had to buy. I was going to start out with just a walk behind. toro time master 30" commercial mower but after buying my 16 foot long trailer i am thinking i need a riding mower to go with it : )
The real reason i want a riding mower is because i think it will open the door to some larger properties. I am a landscaper/sprinkler guy/salesman but i want to get into mowing so that i might be able to lock in customers and get some more steady work right off the bat. here is the mower i was looking at. the price is the main attraction at $2600.00 us.
Toro | TimeCutter SS4225 - Zero Turn Lawn Mowers

The price shouldn't be the main attraction if your looking for a commercial mower. Be aware that the Time-Cutter SS4225 is a residential mower and has a 3 year Consumer warranty, the work you'll be doing would be considered commercial work if your using the machine in your business which the commercial warranty is only a 30 day warranty. The Time-Cutter SS4225 runs the EZT drives which are not suited for commercial work and are not serviceable units and wont last under a commercial work load.
Toro Timemaster 30" is also residential not a commercial mower, if you want the commercial 30" it's the Toro Turf-Master which you may be able to purchase for as little as $1699 which is the mower I'd suggest if you don't have the clients to back up the money being spent. If you were looking for a ZTR and wanted to get by on a reasonable price I'd consider at least a high end residential, something like the Hustler Raptor SD with at least the 2800 drives which are serviceable and can be maintained.

 

[LoCo86]

hey guys this is my first post, i am starting a small business and i need a riding mower but i have a small budget due to the cost of all of the other equipment i have had to buy. I was going to start out with just a walk behind. toro time master 30" commercial mower but after buying my 16 foot long trailer i am thinking i need a riding mower to go with it : ) The real reason i want a riding mower is because i think it will open the door to some larger properties. I am a landscaper/sprinkler guy/salesman but i want to get into mowing so that i might be able to lock in customers and get some more steady work right off the bat. here is the mower i was looking at. the price is the main attraction at $2600.00 us. Toro | TimeCutter SS4225 - Zero Turn Lawn Mowers

Have you thought about getting a 36" walk behind mower. That way you can cover all types of terrains and get through most gates. You might have you buy a used one at a good price. A lot of people buy 36" mowers as a behind the gate mower or small property mower and end up selling them because they don't use them that often.

 

[Ric]

Have you thought about getting a 36" walk behind mower. That way you can cover all types of terrains and get through most gates. You might have you buy a used one at a good price. A lot of people buy 36" mowers as a behind the gate mower or small property mower and end up selling them because they don't use them that often.

The 36" is a great choice. I used the G 1336 BD for a couple of years until I went with the TM and I found out for the money you really can't beat the 30 TM or the Exmark either one. The difference in productivity is far out weighed by its ease of use. The 30" is actually a lot faster than the 36" and cheaper to run.

 

[mikeb1982]

Dang guys, a lot of good advise. I will take all of this into consideration before I buy my mower. I have heard it both ways from the dealers. Home depot guy says don't get the toro for commercial use and another dealer says it will be fine for a small start up. The Lowe's guy says the hustler raptor is awesome but it's hard to choose. I had one guy say he never has problems with the drives on the toro and I'm inclined to trust him because their store is also the largest lawn equipment service department in the area. Ric, I had the name wrong on that walk behind 30 incher. I did get the commercial grade mower but couldn't find one less than 1800. I got a good deal on a power rake as well. I'm very nervous about this whole deal but excited at the same time. Lawn care is not new to me but doing it on my own is. I found this forum because I need help making these big decisions. I know 2600 for a mower isn't a big deal to some guys but for me and my family this is a big decision to make.

 

[Ric]

Dang guys, a lot of good advise. I will take all of this into consideration before I buy my mower. I have heard it both ways from the dealers. Home depot guy says don't get the toro for commercial use and another dealer says it will be fine for a small start up. The Lowe's guy says the hustler raptor is awesome but it's hard to choose. I had one guy say he never has problems with the drives on the toro and I'm inclined to trust him because their store is also the largest lawn equipment service department in the area. Ric, I had the name wrong on that walk behind 30 incher. I did get the commercial grade mower but couldn't find one less than 1800. I got a good deal on a power rake as well. I'm very nervous about this whole deal but excited at the same time. Lawn care is not new to me but doing it on my own is. I found this forum because I need help making these big decisions. I know 2600 for a mower isn't a big deal to some guys but for me and my family this is a big decision to make.

What the guys from HD says about not getting the toro for commercial use and another dealer saying it will be fine for a small start up are both basically right and IMO that's all it's good for and I use nothing but Toro. The guy from Lowes is basically right if he is talking about the Raptor SD but the Raptor itself is in the same ballpark as the Toro Time-Cutter SS4225 with the Same EZT drives. If and when you buy a mower buy it from a dealer and get his support, even if it's a little more money it could pay for itself in the long run. For my money the Hustler Raptor or Fastrak SD is the way to go.
I'd use the money you were using to buy the Toro and Make a down Payment on the SD or maybe even the Fastrak SD and finance the rest @ 0% for 48 months and your payments would be near nothing and let the business make the payments.