Riding Mower advise

ctdave said:
I am now 76 years old and I no longer want to mow my ~1/2 acre lawn - with my current push mower. What brand/ model riding mower would you recommend. I do want a reliable unit, price less of a concern. Any cutting width will likely suffice

My 80 year old dad mowed his 4+ acre "lawn" for many years with a John Deere 60 (??) inch cut riding mower - clearly a leading mfgr choice

Thanks for any advice!! -dave
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I am 78 years old. I have always bought and used JD riding mowers. I have a JD X350 with over 1100 hours and I have never had any major problems. I recently bought another X350. My mover deck is 42 inches. I would highly recommend this mower-in your case I would consider getting a 48 inch deck. I think regular maintenance is important, and if you want to buy one I think you should consider buying from a JD dealership. Having a good relationship with the dealer is a key. Also, you can go to the dealership and get most any part you might need. If they don't have it they can get it fairly quickly. Yes, they are a little "pricey", but in the end IMHO they are worth it. JD makes good mowers-the best-again IMHO.
 
a couple of pictures of the property you're maintaining would be very helpful to help determine what may or may not be a practical machine for the job, i.e. is the lot level or grades & smooth or rough, trees, etc. Aside from that, I'd start by looking at the Z320R ZTrak, better seat w/armrests ..... jmo
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I ( actually my wife) mows our 3/4 acre property with a 48” Kubota ZT. I keep it running…..she likes the “auto fuel” service I provide. Couple wear and tear expenses in 8 yrs and only one challenging issue, warped intake manifold.

A ZT is what you want as it’s easier to operate and more maneuverable. Riding mower will be a huge disappointment. I would go with one of the suggestions for a new Ariens or JD in the earlier posts. Don’t waste your energy on used since budget isn’t an issue. Store it indoors and don’t make a habit of spraying with water for cleanup…..just compressed air and it should be reliable.
 
82 here, I have a snapper zero turn. Has a drive shaft for the deck power. Single stick drive control do not think they make them any longer. Takes one hour to mow an acre. Changed 2 belts, deck and power take off. I use stable fuel conditioner all year. Is fun to drive, easy to get on and off, everything out in the open easy to keep an eye on most parts. I would not buy anything else than a zero turn. If you have the means have someone check it 2 times a year. Your job is blow it off after use. Industrial use machine will last longer less problems.
 
I need more information.
1. Do you want to bag your clippings?
2. Do you have any gates? If so, what is the opening size?
3. Do you have a place to store it? Size?
 
Johner said:
82 here, I have a snapper zero turn. Has a drive shaft for the deck power. Single stick drive control do not think they make them any longer. Takes one hour to mow an acre. Changed 2 belts, deck and power take off. I use stable fuel conditioner all year. Is fun to drive, easy to get on and off, everything out in the open easy to keep an eye on most parts. I would not buy anything else than a zero turn. If you have the means have someone check it 2 times a year. Your job is blow it off after use. Industrial use machine will last longer less problems.
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Yikes! I'd go nuts if it took me that long to do my 2-1/2 acres, which I can do in 45 minutes on my Ferris IS2600Z. But for those who enjoy a leisurely ride have at it .....
 
I’m close, walking behind a 48” scag but at my age and the cost of a mower, I will probably pay someone to mow after the scag dies.
 
ctdave said:
I am now 76 years old and I no longer want to mow my ~1/2 acre lawn - with my current push mower. What brand/ model riding mower would you recommend. I do want a reliable unit, price less of a concern. Any cutting width will likely suffice

My 80 year old dad mowed his 4+ acre "lawn" for many years with a John Deere 60 (??) inch cut riding mower - clearly a leading mfgr choice

Thanks for any advice!! -dave
Click to expand...
I am 79 and still mowing my lawn. I use an Bolens XL14 mowingdeck in the middle and My proud a Stiga Park, Stearing in the middle and mowerdeck in the front. stearing 45° posible. Watch YouTube for the model.
 
Do not know if you have noticed but everything made these days is en****ified. Too many useless bells and whistles "features" that break and are more expensive to fix than to buy new, and if it could be fixed there are very, very few guys out there who know how to do it. So stay simple. Only reliable small engine maker these days is Honda, and they are the only company that actually has parts for their engines, all the rest are throw-aways. Stay away from big box stores, find real a Honda dealer and get their cheapest model, if service ever needs to be done they will have someone who knows how to do it. And use ethanol free gas, a bit more expensive but your mower will start every spring.
 
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