Would you buy the same mower again?

[dwross]

I have had just two walk behind mowers, both Lawn-Boys purchased in the 70"s. The only difference, the second one, 1978 purchase, is self-propelled. I would buy either machine again in a minute. But alas, no more 2-cycle mowers. These machines were sturdy, reliable and easily maintained. I am disappointed with Lawn-Boys produced today by Toro.

Today, if I needed to replace my 1978 Lawn-Boy, I probably would opt for one of the battery powered mowers. I have no idea what brand or model I would choose.

 

[Proftomda]

I have a 2008 Yardman self propelled with a 5.0 Honda GCV160, a 2008 Lawn Boy self propelled with a 6.5 Briggs and Stratton, a 2003 Craftsman DYT4000 riding mower with a Kohler Courage 18 and a 2016 Kubota BX2370 with a 60 inch mower. They are all built better than the new stuff at the stores, even the Walmart Yardman. The Craftsman was manufactured by Husqvarna and has a steel hood, aluminum tuff torque rear axle and feels so solid compared to the new stuff. The Kubota of course is a different animal and built to a much higher commercial standard. The 60 inch deck with mulching kit does wonderful. I would rebuild all of these rather than buy the new. The secret is cleaning after every use lubrication and lots of oil changes.

 

[War Eagle]

Well, if you want to go way "back in the day," I started with a manual walk behind reel mower - the kind where the traction of the wheels on turf would would spin a cylinder of blades past a stationary bar. Do NOT want to go back to that. After a series of Craftsman riding lawn tractors and garden tractors (all of which were real workhorses in their day), we now have a Scag Liberty-Z 48". Love it. More importantly, my wife absolutely LOVES it. She says mowing with it is like dancing, and I'm happy to let her dance to her heart's content.

 

[cparktd]

Well, I made enough money with push mowers to buy a car and a house and pay CASH for them by age 18, (it was a cheap crappy condemned house to fix up) But no way I'd buy another push mower! I bought a used Simplicity 44 inch Zero turn and used that on my smallish city lot and it made quick work of a small tight yard for a few years but I would NOT buy one of those again due to inherent pump related problems.
Then... 5 Years ago I moved to a 4 acre lot and after shopping all the local dealers and brands bought a Ferris 2100z ZTR, 28 HP fuel injected, 61" with coil-over shock suspension. It is amazing! If it was stolen today I would buy another Ferris tomorrow. I had to upgrade to a bigger utility trailer for it! No mowing for hire these days, just personal stuff.

 

[Wdwerker]

I had a Honda tractor type riding mower that was wonderful for 20 years or so. But Honda quit making those machines many years ago. 2 years ago I bought a EGO 56 volt LM2100SP and I love it ! Folds up to take less space in the garage. Variable speed self propelled. Motor increases power when needed to prevent it from bogging down. Battery lets me mow my 1/4 acre if I mow twice a month. Might have to charge once if I’ve let the grass get too tall. Charges in less than an hour. I flip it on its side and clean the underside with a toilet brush before I put it away. I can stop multiple times while mowing to pick up sticks and it starts instantly every single time. No gas to buy, haul and pour. No oil to check. Flip to clean without anything spilling. Catcher works fine when I bother to use it. Mulches the clippings nicely so that’s what I normally do. Single point height adjustment is nice. I would definitely buy another one. Might get a chainsaw or leaf blower this year that uses the same battery.

 

[northwestpat]

After years of maintaining gas-powered mowers and other garden equipment and getting tired of it, I've been converting over to battery-powered equipment - including my first riding mower. I purchased a Ryobi RM-480E with a 38-inch deck. We have about 6 acres and I use it to cut the lawn and field grass on about half of it. Ok, for you old-school guys, I still use my John Deere 4110 diesel tractor for the other jobs. The Ryobi has done the job well. It is stable on hills and doubles as a utility cart. I can also drive it up on ramps and it fits perfectly in my 6-foot VW pickup bed. I can easily tow a utility cart or my DR chipper. I wished it had an accessory tool carrier, but didn't. So I mounted an ATV carrier on the back, as you can see in the photo. It will cut for a full 2.5 hours before it shuts off the mower and requires a charge. Thankfully it has a reserve to let you drive back to the shop. At the time I purchased it, it was one of the few battery-powered riding mowers out there. Now Ryobi has a Zero-turn, 42 inch deck mower. I costs a lot more than my 38 inch model. But I am happy with it and would probably purchase it again - although I may have opted for the zero-turn if it was available when I purchased mine.

 

[BerryBill]

We have two mowers for our acreage, a Ferris 700 Z and a Kubota GS 1800 diesel. Both are great mowers but if I ever buy another it will be a Kubota rear discharge with a Diesel engine. Why? Because we have an orchard with rows of berry bushes with grass between and a regular side discharge builds up clippings at he base of the rows.
The Ferris has a mulch kit and we use it for that area but if I’m a few days late getting it cut there is a little windrow of clippings that need to be spread out.

 

[qmark]

So I have a Hopper 725 G2 from the early 2000s. It now has about 1400 hours. I got tired of the Kubota gas engine though it is still in good shape and replaced it with a Kubota turbo diesel. I love the economy and the power. It is built basically with off the shelf industrial bearings and many other parts so it is easy to get parts. I need the front deck for getting under trees and bushes. I also mount a sprayer on the deck for spraying in our orchard. So, if replacing which won't be anytime soon I would look first to Grasshopper.

 

[john66]

I bought a Troybilt Bronco from Lowes 4 yrs ago.It was supposedly new,,,well it was 1 someone bought and used it and brought it back(someone cleaned it up very very well before returning it)This thing has been nothing but PROBLEMS sinse after about 3 weeks of use.Starters,,carbs,,belts,,relays,,every year.I keep hopping the thing would catch fire one day lol.My neighbors have Cubs and a Huskavarna(same age as my TB) with the same Kohler motor and they have nothing but problems with these riders also.I realise 90% of these riders all come from the same company/assembly lines etc,,so it must be due to a specific year or model as to why we are getting JUNK when buying a new rider.I know a few ppl who have had bad luck with the newer style Briggs but not near as many(in my area in central Illinois) have issues with the Briggs as the Kohlers.So last year around june I bought the big walk behind 33 inch from CUB.I know a guy who works in the dealership.He told me if I have any issues with it to call and tell him about it.So far after last mowing season and so far of the start of this mowing season everything is great on the mower.It mows nice and for me it is easy to use and move and control and the walking is good exercise.Hopefully this walk behind will continue to be a GOOD one.

 

[LeakyGasket]

I have a Hustler SD 54". If I ever get another, it will be a Grasshopper with front deck that goes vertical. At 74, I am tired of crawling around under the deck to change the blades. There is nothing wrong with the Hustler, and I don't like the flip deck Hustler for various reasons.