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Hi everyone. Like it says I am looking to buy a mower but not sure what is best for my lawn. Not sure is a zero turn or a riding mower. I dont want to spend the money and it not work well for me. I have a John Deere L110 that someone gave me and it's kinda on its last leg. And it just really doesn't work well and takes forever to cut the lawn. I cut around an acre to acre and half if doin my neighbors yard. An acre takes about 1 to 1.5 and that just riding not including the weedwacker. Today my neighbor let me use his Club Cadet mower and it cut it in half the time. So I was goin to spend around 2K or so maybe more if worth it in long run. But like I said not sure what would be best. The pictures are just the back of the house and the front is mostly straight ground. Please and help would be awesome!! And if need more picture I will be glad to post more thank you all.

With a slope like that I would strongly suggest getting an old commercial with a horizontal shaft engine .
There are only found on top shelf mowers where quality & longevity are more important than the cheapest possible price tag.
New Walker I know fits horizontal but not sure about anything else as I am in OZ .
An out front zero turn will make the mowing a lot easier as you can see the deck & get it into places where mid mounts just won't go

John Deere X370 would be my choice if you go up and down the slope. Its got Power steering and K57 trans. If you mow side to side on that slope you could go with X350 but extend the warranty an additional 2 years for a total of 6 years. Stay away from junky mowers. I'm not a big fan of ZTR's and slopes of any kind plus if you want to pick up leaves the baggers are pricey. Buy quality and enjoy the mow.

Was looking at a big Craftsman T310 (?) mower the other day. Beautiful red rider, big motor, 50" deck, big tires/wheels, just what I'll be looking for on my next mower. Then I looked underneath the back end and there was that K46 hydro, major let down there. and that mower was near $3500, maybe a bit more. Won't be one in my shed. Whatever you buy, check under the back end for that light duty non-serviceable throw away transmission.

Thanks for the info everyone. I know not to buy any mower from Lowes or home depot. I keep getting answers that dont match up some people say Zero turn wont work well and others say they are the best option. I am not a big engine and all that stuff kind of guy so it's kinda harder to figure out what is good or bad just by looking at it. And not sure what to look for. I know the not plastic the worse it is.

tom3 said:

Was looking at a big Craftsman T310 (?) mower the other day. Beautiful red rider, big motor, 50" deck, big tires/wheels, just what I'll be looking for on my next mower. Then I looked underneath the back end and there was that K46 hydro, major let down there. and that mower was near $3500, maybe a bit more. Won't be one in my shed. Whatever you buy, check under the back end for that light duty non-serviceable throw away transmission.

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Here's a new T310 for $2349.00 54" looks like the entire mower is light duty and throw away.Craftsman 310

Every ones answer will have some sort of prejudice attached to it.
I replace 3 to 5 engines every year because people run them across the slope and then oil pump can not get oil to the top bush so the engine siezes.
One customer has gone through 2 kawasaki engines in 4 years.
Thus I have a liking for horizontals where you can just about run them up a wall.
Add to that horizontal engines are all built to commercial standards, designed to run 10 hours a day every day for decades .
Because of the way they steer , ZTR's can be a problem on hills.
They go up & down fine but running across slopes they are just about unsteerable unless you get one of the ZTR's with a steering wheel and controlled front wheels.
Personally I would put some money into your old tractor ,

A tractor style mower will give you more utility as it will tow a lot better than a ZTR but if you decide to keep the deere then you will have a tow vehicle and a back up mower.
ZTR's are faster and easier to manouver around trees & other obstacles
The other thing that works well is fitting a pump to the ROPS on the ZTR so you can do things like spray the fence line .
If you get a single handle ZTR like Walker or Clipper then you can do your edge trimming from the mower which you can not do from a tractor style mower.
Whateve you get make sure the deck is a couple of inched narrower than the space between the closest obstacles so you can cut it with the rider & not the line trimmer or push mower.
BEcause you enter & exit a ZTR from the front, you can put a rack on the left side of the ZTR to take your line trimmer thus ride to the spot where you need to trim .
Got a customer with an old Great Dane, 61" deck & he can trim sitting in the chair because the lap bars just about touch each other meaning he can drive it one handed while he trims with the other.

I was looking at the commercial grade mowers and some of the brands that I keep finding like HUSTLER ,EXMARK SCAG, SNAPPER , SIMPLICITY ,Husqvarna ,no idea what is more reliable and worth the $6k. And the same with the engines in all these mowers. And I live in PA the mower would sit unused all winter or more. This feels like buying a car but harder especially since I dont know all the names and companies that are out there. Is there a brand to stay away from? I know john Deere is a well known brand but seems like you pay more for the name.

Any of the brands you listed will serve you well, they are designed for commercial use. Rather than get caught up in color or make concentrate on finding a dealer with a solid reputation for service. He will be your best friend. We have a couple in our area that although they have well recognized brands I wouldn't trust them with a dog cart. Our local Toro dealer although small goes out of his way to satisfy his customers, he knows that is the key to his success.

what do you guys think of the Spartan Zero turn? havent seen alot on them. there is a PowerPro Equipment dealer near me I think i will stop by monday and have a look at what they have. Any tips on what i should ask or look for?

Spartan are a new company so are willing to run on a razor thin profit margin to get established .
All the bought in bits are top line parts so if the welding is good then the mower should b great.

bertsmobile1 said:

With a slope like that I would strongly suggest getting an old commercial with a horizontal shaft engine .
There are only found on top shelf mowers where quality & longevity are more important than the cheapest possible price tag.
New Walker I know fits horizontal but not sure about anything else as I am in OZ .
An out front zero turn will make the mowing a lot easier as you can see the deck & get it into places where mid mounts just won't go

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I go back to the days of my Wheel Horse 312-8 and in earlier years Cubs, maybe a Bolens all way back in the 60's. Am I to believe that this new equipment is going to have a hard time on what I would consider a normal grade?
My 35 year old Wheel Horse gave up the ghost and I've been using a Scotts 16/42 to get me through to the time to decide on which way to go. I was looking at some old stuff, you know, the days before the "lubricated for life" model appeared. But for the price people are asking, do I want to take the risk of buying a used Cub with 600 hours on it or buy a new mower with a warranty. The difference is running about $500 more for a new as opposed to a 15 year old rider.

I found one a Cub HDS 2135 that was in fairly good shape, someone put a new higher HP engine in it and the guy swore it was a 42 inch deck. We measured it and I was on the side to read the numbers and yep - near that 42 mark. Because there was no GT in the model # I also asked him if this is a garden tractor. This guy is a small engine place, with many used stuff so I assumed he knew his stuff. He said something about none have the GT --- as I stare at a different Cub with a 54 inch deck that says GT. Hm??? So he was going to have his guy deliver it and I would give the cash. Delivery guy gets there and the entire time waiting for him I'm thinking that TractorData said that mower came with a 38 inch deck. So I started to talk with the delivery guy and he says, it doesn't look like a 42 inch deck. I get my tape out again and he holds it in place and guess what --- it measured 38. So the jaded guy in me thinks, did the guy back at the shop hold the tape in a manner so that it would measure longer????

I said no go --- even if this is a direct drive, I want a minimum of 42 inches.

Soooo now I'm back trying to decide. The truth of the matter is that the B&S engine in the Scotts runs perfect (no smoke, etc.) the deck was good until I hit that brick last week. Now the pulley that should be parallel with the deck is at 90 degrees. If I had a deck I wouldn't need to think about this stuff.

Husqvarna Swedish Rider
I have never owned one if these and know this mower is over your budget but it could be the best of both worlds. It is not a tractor and not exactly a ztr but could work well on slopes. If I had to do it again I would look at this Husqvarna.
https://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/riders/

Get a mower that you only have to buy 1 time
I have had this mower for 7+years and it is still going strong.
It has a water cooled horizontal engine

yes, pick a good dealer, he most likely does not carry mowers he believes are junk mowers, because its his reputation. Some people still believe is maintaining their reputation over just profit. My Cub Cadet was made by Cub Cadet, before they sold out and now get made by the same compnany that makes almost evreyone brand out there. Since Bad Boy is made in the USA, that was one of my reasons for chooseingit. But like i haveposted, it runs great, handles great but does not leave a good finish cut on your lawn, but mine is 6 years old, maybe they improved that. Most zero turns are for flat lawns, I read. that one john deere has a floating deck for unevenlawns and hills. I do not know how true that is, but you can check out what type of decks and how they are mounted, are they fixed positoin or floating type decks. Good luck
I am looking at buying only one made in America, from a local dealer who is not a boy selling the lawn mower in the shop and knows nothing about it.

There's always one guy in every forum that is the exception to the rule. I guess I am him today. I bought a Cub Cadet RZT from a big box store in 2006, 50" with Kawasaki 24hp engine. I have used it every summer since then from April to October. Aside from blades and belts, those crappy aircraft cables holding the deck (I long ago replaced with metal) and many tire plugs and tubes, the only thing I have replaced is the electric PTO clutch, which was $267 in 2013, oh and a couple of sets of spindles in the early years when I was hitting a lot of tree stumps.

I guess it shouldn't have lasted this long with it's stamped metal frame (it has) and I shouldn't have bought it from the Big Orange because they don't fix anything (I didn't need them to). I have 8.5 acres and the amount I mow varied between 3 and 6 acres depending on what I had going on each summer: this year probably 5. I have hills at least as steep as yours if not more so, and a ROW next to the road is much steeper! One year I mowed this as well, but it didn't feel safe and I hired that out to a lawn service company (maybe 1/4 acre).

Anyway, I wouldn't hesitate with another CC and a Kawasaki engine on it when this one finally gives up for good. I looked at an Exmark last year but I always amortize things in my head. I paid $3,000 for the CC in 2006. That's $215 a year.. if you want to account for inflation, call it $300 a year. I'd have to live another 43 years to pay for an Exmark at that rate (60 at $215!). I hope I do live that long but not to pay off a mower!

This photo is from 2 years ago after a good washing. It doesn't look this clean now! haha. I also have another mower from 2000 that I used for the first 6 years I lived year - a 42" Craftsman (Kohler) used mostly for towing a lawn cart now.

Food for thought..
Cheers
Dukester

my dad bought a Husqvarna from Lowes and has had it for 16 years and the only thing he ever changed was the belt 2 years ago and that is it! but 15 years ago Lowes and Home Depot sold better quality product cause the companies made better product. now its all plastic of just cheap parts. i went and looked at the Spartan RZ HD 54' and wow what a beast. and the ride was like sitting on air.

ddbtdd, that is one interesting mower. never seen one like that.

So I went and bought a Spartan and it's a game changer for me. The ride itself Is amazing compared to the John Deere and Hustler I used to have. It's all around a better machine and I couldnt be happier so far. But time will only tell. Thank you all that helped me to make a decision.

SeaBass80 said:

So I went and bought a Spartan and it's a game changer for me. The ride itself Is amazing compared to the John Deere and Hustler I used to have. It's all around a better machine and I couldnt be happier so far. But time will only tell. Thank you all that helped me to make a decision.

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Please keep us informed how you find our Spartan.
On paper they should be supurb but we rarely see one here , hopefully because they never give the owners any problems.

i used to be a tractor kina guy but now i am a ztr guy tractor are boring and the ztr is fun, i like husvarna my self used to have a dixie chopper but they went out of busines. your ztr has a learning curve but you can over come that verry easley i have a mz 52 has a 25 hp kollar and 52 in welded deck when i bought it three years agoo i paid just under $5000. good luck,what ever you chose

bertsmobile1 said:

With a slope like that I would strongly suggest getting an old commercial with a horizontal shaft engine .
There are only found on top shelf mowers where quality & longevity are more important than the cheapest possible price tag.
New Walker I know fits horizontal but not sure about anything else as I am in OZ .
An out front zero turn will make the mowing a lot easier as you can see the deck & get it into places where mid mounts just won't go

Click to expand...

I like front-mount mowers, long chassis. But for my place, similar to this one, my ideal mower would be front mount, long chassis, 4x4. Not likely to see one of those babies for $2k tho! I have long chassis Grasshopper, kubota diesel. But would prefer maybe Toro or Jacobsen diesel 4x4 if I had my druthers. I prefer manual PTO as well and those two brands are manual PTO. My GH is a good unit, but constantly having one wheel or other slip on terrain I have. Mowing in long oval pattern great help for me. I keep tire pressures low, but the thing still easily breaks loose.