First Time Riding Mower, Need Some Advice...

[Mows]

Hi all,

If finances permit I'm considering a riding mower, my first. I have about 1/3-1/2 an acre of mow-able lawn that is relatively flat with a gentle slope to it. When I first purchased this house I cut the lawn with a self-propelled mower. It was way too much work but I was foolish enough to stick with it that way for a few years. I eventually migrated to hiring a lawn service to cut the lawn for the last few years.

I'm now considering buying a riding mower that will be used to cut the lawn (I'm in PA so we have a pretty long cutting season) and it would be a perk if it could also take a blade to do some light plowing of snow in the winter but that is not a necessity. Finances are tight and my budget is probably no higher than $1300. I see a number of riding mowers in this price range but the quality seems hit or miss with some owners thrilled and others frustrated with their purchase. I'm sort of leaning toward a Craftsman mower from Sears as they seem reasonably decent for the price and I live close to a Sears so it could be serviced with some ease if needed.

What mowers should I be considering for my lawn around that price? What should I be cautious about?

 

[RatRacer]

First off, Welcome!

I would first venture to local mower dealers and see what they have for model year leftovers, demos, and decent trade ins, since folks are upgrading at the beginning of the cutting season now. I'd scrounge Craigs List for implements like plows and spreaders, before going retail/mail order. P/u'd a almost new $200 John Deere 125lb spreader for $60.

 

[djdicetn]

Hi all,

If finances permit I'm considering a riding mower, my first. I have about 1/3-1/2 an acre of mow-able lawn that is relatively flat with a gentle slope to it. When I first purchased this house I cut the lawn with a self-propelled mower. It was way too much work but I was foolish enough to stick with it that way for a few years. I eventually migrated to hiring a lawn service to cut the lawn for the last few years.

I'm now considering buying a riding mower that will be used to cut the lawn (I'm in PA so we have a pretty long cutting season) and it would be a perk if it could also take a blade to do some light plowing of snow in the winter but that is not a necessity. Finances are tight and my budget is probably no higher than $1300. I see a number of riding mowers in this price range but the quality seems hit or miss with some owners thrilled and others frustrated with their purchase. I'm sort of leaning toward a Craftsman mower from Sears as they seem reasonably decent for the price and I live close to a Sears so it could be serviced with some ease if needed.

What mowers should I be considering for my lawn around that price? What should I be cautious about?

For new, a $1,300 budget doesn't give much to choose from except big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, Sears) models and I never recommend those because if you need Warranty work post-sale they cannot provide that. Craftsman mowers(everyone knows Sears doesn't "manufacture" anything) are generally Husqvarna lawn tractors with cheaper components than a model that a Husqvarna dealer sells. To be honest, for your yard and a lawn tractor that would "last"(10-20 years, relatively problem free) I would recommend going to a Husqvarna dealership and looking at the YT42XLS(MSRP $2599). Yeah, I know....yikes that's double my budget, but you will generally get what you spend(a $1,300 lawn tractor may last half that long...5-10 years and will be more likely to have problems). For a little less money(MSRP $1899) you could get a new Husqvarna YTH24K48(still a very good residential lawn tractor). In my honest opinion spending any less than $1,800 on a lawn tractor is chancy(you may get a good one and you may get one that makes you wish you had saved up another $500). If all you can do is $1,300 I would suggest you get a smaller deck(36"-42") and better engine, etc. components for your money.

 

[Dataz722]

For new, a $1,300 budget doesn't give much to choose from except big box retailer(Lowes, Home Depot, Sears) models and I never recommend those because if you need Warranty work post-sale they cannot provide that. Craftsman mowers(everyone knows Sears doesn't "manufacture" anything) are generally Husqvarna lawn tractors with cheaper components than a model that a Husqvarna dealer sells. To be honest, for your yard and a lawn tractor that would "last"(10-20 years, relatively problem free) I would recommend going to a Husqvarna dealership and looking at the YT42XLS(MSRP $2599). Yeah, I know....yikes that's double my budget, but you will generally get what you spend(a $1,300 lawn tractor may last half that long...5-10 years and will be more likely to have problems). For a little less money(MSRP $1899) you could get a new Husqvarna YTH24K48(still a very good residential lawn tractor). In my honest opinion spending any less than $1,800 on a lawn tractor is chancy(you may get a good one and you may get one that makes you wish you had saved up another $500). If all you can do is $1,300 I would suggest you get a smaller deck(36"-42") and better engine, etc. components for your money.

Huswvarna is also offering 3 years 0% interest on the YT42XLS (I believe it is for anything over $2500) which if you were able to finance it would possibly make it much more bearable. I was considering them for a while myself.

 

[djdicetn]

Huswvarna is also offering 3 years 0% interest on the YT42XLS (I believe it is for anything over $2500) which if you were able to finance it would possibly make it much more bearable. I was considering them for a while myself.

Dataz722,
Yeah, I've been recommending those Husqvarna XLS mowers because it's so hard to find a lawn tractor(at least in that price range) with a fabricated deck much less a Kawasaki engine and locking differential hydro tranny. Another user has(and loves) the YTH24K48 "Fast Tractor" which has a stamped deck(and Kohler Courage) for about a $1k less than the YT48XLS and I'd love to see them mow side by side for a comparison(I believe the XLS is well worth the extra $1k). If they had those fab deck lawn tractors back in 2006 when I bought my 54" Craftsman YS4500(made by Husqvarna) I would have "ran" out of Sears to the Husqvarna dealer. But then, I might still be using that lawn tractor, happy with it and wouldn't have my Gravely ZTR that I really "enjoy" mowing with:0(