Need advice on small riding mower

M

magimat

Forum Newbie
Hi,

I'm looking to buy a small riding mower. I have a small yard and I need it to be small enough to go through a 36" gate so my options are limited.

So far, I narrowed it to 3 models:

Snapper RE 28"
Weedeater One (26")
Craftman Smart rider (30")

I'm really interested in the last one from sears (CRAFTSMAN®/MD 12.5HP 30'' Smart Rider Lawn Tractor - Sears | Sears Canada) which I was able to see tonight at my local Sears and I was really pleased with what I saw. It's a 12,5HP Briggs engine and it comes with mulch kit. Overall it is only 32" wide, so it would go through my gate.

I saw the Weedeater one too, but it looks a little more fragile and I read a lot of bad review about this unit, so even if it's a little cheaper, I would be a bit afraid of buying this one.

As for the Snapper, I read only good review about it, but it's a lot more expensive than the others for what seems really similar. I even read somewhere that Sears once sold rebranded Snapper, but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore, but I don't know if snapper is still involved in Craftman riding mowers somehow.

Anyway... I was looking for some advice on those models or maybe on some other model I,m not aware that would be about the same size.

Thanks!
 
Simplicity makes one too - the Coronet. Just for you to check it out.

Just looked and the 30" is 36" wide -- not good for your gate -- Sorry !
 
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I don't want a bagger... I want a mulcher. I have a mulching push mower right now and it does a great job.
 
This is the craftsman RER made by snapper. It's on the .com site. It's not available on the .ca site.

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

I'd look for a used snapper if I were you. They seem pretty solid and show up used on craigslist pretty often. The craftsman that you linked probably isn't bad if you want something new. There was a manual version locally for $450 with very little use that I was thinking about but decided against in favor of a high-end push mower. It'll take up less space and require less maintenance. I also considered the weedeater and there seems to be kind of a cult following for it based on amazon and walmart.com reviews but quality is low and spending this much gets me into "investment" mode.
 
its true that lawnmowers depreciate rapidly...and you can find bargains on used ones just a few years old...you might consider this
 
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