Should I buy Commercial or a Homeowner mower for 4+ Acres

reynoldston said:
I am talking about a mower that gets used every day and gets over a 1000 hrs a year.
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Does anyone really put that many hours a year on a machine?
I mow alot for Atleast 5-6 months a year and I know I don't come close to 1000 hrs.
Only place I could see it is a golf course.

Kenny, just out of curiosity, how many hrs does your 14 year old ZT have?
 
Ric said:
why pay more for a mower with all these bells and whistles when all they do is cut grass.
said.
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never underestimate the seat. I've learned that over the years. A good seat can make mowing a dreamy experience. A bad seat can make mowing a chore you hate.
 
KennyV said:
The question of how much mower to buy is likely always going to be around...
The low end mowers have the meaningless extras... those things are aimed at the consumer who will not take the time to find out what the difference is between a lawn mower and a garden tractor is...

A commercial or industrial grade mower will also be vastly different than a consumer residential grade..

The simplest answer to the post question is: buy the Most mower you can afford or justify... You will not be able to buy a machine that is too Good. It is very easy to buy one that is Not good enough.
This all goes back to the question, How long do you expect your mower to last...
There are some out there that will last more than the purchasers lifetime.
I don't mind working on my own equipment. I would rather do any repair than have just anyone at a dealers shop tinker with it... Even during a 'warranty period'... I know how much I want things done right & I have seen how motivated service managers are to do things.
I look for the Best equipment, It is generally going to last longer & be easier to service and repair...

Once you get past engine type & make, Drive system and suspension... the Type and Thickness of steel, Quality of welding and fabrication of components... There will be differences..

A simpler way to look at it...
Do you see having the mower you are buying today still doing what you want in 10 years? 15 or 20 ?
I have a Lawn Tractor that I got in the early 70's... Still able to do everything it did new, it's near 40 years old.
My ZTR is 14 years old now... I know it will still be able to do everything it does today after Another 14 years...
There are a lot of brands to choose from... Many good mowers.. How Long do you Want to keep the one you are going to buy? :smile:KennyV
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Kenny what you say about buying a commercial mower lasting a life time doesn't really hold water for everyone, especially a commercial operator who puts a 1000hrs a year on a ztr I mean how long do you think they're going to keep a mower? three maybe four years max.
If the average homeowner cuts his lawn four times a month@ two hours a cut that's only eight hours a month and depending on how many months a year he mows that's a possibility of somewhere between sixty and eighty hours a year and any good high end residential will do that for many years if it's maintained the way it should be and at half the cost.
 
I was addressing my response to the original poster...
He was not talking about doing a lot of commercial work...
ALSO he is in Colorado... The there are Not enough mowing days in any year there to get any where near 1000 hrs a year... Cant mow 24/7 and they have 4 seasons... not mowing grass half the year...

Also I Am recommending he buy More mower than he needs... He will be able to buy a Great high end machine that will Last for decades... He stated he was Open to used...
There are fantastic deals to be had on Low hour high end USED equipment...

If a savvy Businessman is doing 1000 hrs a year... he Needs an Industrial grade machine... no need for Me to point out why.
:smile:KennyV
 
KennyV said:
I was addressing my response to the original poster...
He was not talking about doing a lot of commercial work...
ALSO he is in Colorado... The there are Not enough mowing days in any year there to get any where near 1000 hrs a year... Cant mow 24/7 and they have 4 seasons... not mowing grass half the year...

Also I Am recommending he buy More mower than he needs... He will be able to buy a Great high end machine that will Last for decades... He stated he was Open to used...
There are fantastic deals to be had on Low hour high end USED equipment...

If a savvy Businessman is doing 1000 hrs a year... he Needs an Industrial grade machine... no need for Me to point out why.
:smile:KennyV
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I can see our opinions or beliefs differ on the subject. True he said nothing of commercial work and if it's like you say he's not mowing grass half the year then why spend all the extra on high end machine that will Last for decades when a high end residential would do the same thing and be more cost effective for the homeowner.

You say there fantastic deals to be had on Low hour high end USED equipment, the way I look at that is if this Low hour high end USED equipment is such a fantastic deal and it last for decades why is the individual selling it?
Sorry I don't agree but I see that as buying someone else's problems and besides that if you find a Low hour high end mower forsale the seller will want top dollar for it and you could buy the thing at the dealer with warranty for a few hundred more, at least that's what I find to be true on craigslist.

As far as a savvy Businessman Needing an Industrial grade machine I agree but I also know they're not going to keep them for a decade.
Personally if I were Fallcreek I'd buy what the dealer suggested because he is right in his suggestion and that Z 465 would do the job and would give him many years of service and be more cost effective for him as a homeowner.
 
Several considerations when looking for a new mower.
First and usually foremost is how much money are you comfortable spending.
Secondly, are you handy mechanically? If not then you should consider local dealers and the products that they sell as this will provide you with local servicing.
My experience over the years has told me that over researching a product usually ends up with an unhappy owner/operator.
Do you have a need for your future machine to be able to perform other functions such as plowing and snow blowing?
Sometimes a dealers demo of a machine will help in a decision.
I mow commercially but only put about 250 hours on one machine and about 75 hours on the other annually. However all of my customers have difficult lawns to deal with and I use collection systems on my machines about 95% on the time.
An effective collection system attachment for your future new machine may be another consideration that you should look at if needed. In the fall I cleanup upwards of 600 bushels of leaves and pine needles and this volume is after the leaves have gone thru the mower deck and the collection blower and decreased.
Most machines have collection systems available however a small percentage of them are effective.
Mad Mackie in CT:biggrin::laughing:
 
one of the things you stated is that you want something to handle afew morre functions, and seeing where you live, you may to think about good garden tractor that during the winter you can attach a snowblower to it which would be multi-functional. just means that you may have to be careful closer to shore not to sink the front tire in the sand. any zero turn is not quite as safe for a snowblower. the garden tractor may be harder to get around trees but being able to use it during the winter blowing the snow out of your driveway(if it is like mine, 778 feet long) it just maybe worthwhile for you
 
I'm new here with 2 acres and have a commecial walk/ride behind older john deere mower. very old but works pretty good. If and when it wears out I am going to look for a kubota lawn tractor or a kubota ztr with a diesel motor. Seems like I take my j.d. in to the shop every other year and it cost 300+ to keep running
 
I have a heavy duty homeowners mower (Husqevarna 23-54) and I mow 4 difficult acres with hills, rocks, weeds and water along with bumpy grass every week. I blow snow on a 600 foot driveway in the winter when I need. I really beat the crap out of my mower and every year I need to do some repairs or improvements. It gives me some time in my shop away from my wife. Ive had the mower for 10 years now and it's still going strong. I ALWAYS change the oils, filters and plugs.

Bruce Mowbray
Springville, PA
 
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