I need to get a riding mower

Two stories.

One of my brothers mows "retiree" commercially. 20-30 yards a week. He just sold his 15 year old Exmark, and got a shiny new one.

Other brother, not real mechanically inclined. I get the help me phone calls. Always was a Cub Cadet, always was a PIA to work on. Nothing that should be considered serviceable is in an accessible place. After 25 years and multiple Cubs, he bought an Exmark this year.

lookit that

As a small engine mechanic who did warranty work on many of the most common brands until I retired last year, I will say this: Stay away from the newer Kohler engines. Lots of valvetrain problems and durability sucks. Honda is the best small engine, closely followed by Yamaha, then Kawasaki. Most companies get their hydro units from the same manufacturers, and other than a couple models that failed early (but were replaced quickly and at no cost to owners), they are solid. Cub uses a process on their frames that results in an incredibly durable finish, and their welded-deck units are a great value. As others have mentioned, big box Toros and John Deeres are simply cosmetic Toros and John Deeres. Another good mower is Ariens...95% of their DNA is Husqvarna, but they can be substantially less expensive.

Thanks for all the great info guys! I've learned a lot from this already.
I will definitely check out some of the local dealers instead of Home Depot.
The reason I leaned toward a zero turn is because there are 15-20 trees and shrubs to mow around. Would it be that much tougher or slower with a regular riding mower? Is the maintenance significantly less?

About 8 years ago I gave up my Snapper Comet 26" mower that I'd used on our place for almost 30 years. It wasn't worn out yet, but it took forever to mow our place if I did everything at once. But if I could get the mower to ride it down (brush, tall grass, saplings, etc.) it would cut it!

After trying several of my friend's and family's zero-turn mowers on my place, I bought the Cub Cadet zero-turn model with a steering wheel (the RZT-S series). I got the 46" deck to limit the spindles and blades to two, and to fit between some of the tight spaces on our place.

The deciding factor for this mower was that unlike other zero-turn mowers, the front wheels are active in steering and are synchronized with the rear pumps. Every other mower I tried had free-spin caster-type front wheels, and the mower was controlled solely by the two rear tires. Every one of those mowers broke loose at some point on the steep banks I have and put me into an uncontrolled slide to the bottom. No fun at all! And it was much worse if the grass was at all damp. My Cub Cadet RZT-S has never done that.

The trade-off is that it's not quite a true zero-turn. Where most will pivot in a small complete circle defined by the width of the two rear wheels because one wheel will turn in reverse with the other going forward if you ask it to, the best this style mower can do is lock one rear wheel while the other drives, so it pivots on the stationary rear wheel. It can turn 180 degrees into the next mowing swath just fine, but it can't turn back into the same pass you just made without some backing up.

For me, though, the stability on hills made all the difference in the world. And realistically it mows 5-6 times faster than the Snapper, due to the extra width, power, and maneuverability. But it does use a lot more fuel for the same acreage! All in all, if you have slopes to contend with, consider the RZT-S Cub Cadets. If you have a flat lawn, that gives you many more choices.

Good luck!

For me, though, the stability on hills made all the difference in the world. And realistically it mows 5-6 times faster than the Snapper, due to the extra width, power, and maneuverability. But it does use a lot more fuel for the same acreage! All in all, if you have slopes to contend with, consider the RZT-S Cub Cadets. If you have a flat lawn, that gives you many more choices.


I would say that is a very true statement from what I've seen of those mowers

back to the OP you said you have 15 to 20 trees to mow around , if so get a wider deck than just 48",, a deck that sticks out a little farther past the rear tires will make mowing around those trees alot easier

Taterman said:

Would it be that much tougher or slower with a regular riding mower? Is the maintenance significantly less?

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I don't know about tougher but definitely slower. If you have that many trees you will save a bunch of time. Just making the turnaround at the end of your property is much quicker. I saved about 20-30 minutes when I went from a tractor style to a zero turn. Went from 1.5 hours to a little over a hour now.

Taterman said:

Thanks for all the great info guys! I've learned a lot from this already.
I will definitely check out some of the local dealers instead of Home Depot.
The reason I leaned toward a zero turn is because there are 15-20 trees and shrubs to mow around. Would it be that much tougher or slower with a regular riding mower? Is the maintenance significantly less?

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In general maintenance is about the same. Sharpen and clean under decks, oil and filters, greasing, air tires...that kind of stuff. The better ZT transmissions will have
oil filters on them requiring changes of oil and filters at spec intervals.
If you do not have significant hills or some kind of ditch to mow a ZT is just a better ( as in quicker and easier ) way to cut grass. I would NEVER mow my lawn with a
tractor again. Only had about one customer in say ten years come back in and regret purchasing a ZT instead of a tractor. They do have a small learning curve but
pretty much everybody likes them once they get used to driving it.
As for time savings, the more stuff you have to cut around the bigger the advantage.
If you care, most of the smaller ZTs are not designed to pull lawn rollers, light duty yard carts are mostly ok. And ZTs suck to pull fertilizer spreaders because you
can't reach back and control the flow valve. Basically you're buying a better way to mow grass only.
If you want to go upscale a bit the above units have been very solid. There're a long ways from a commercial unit but have been great on your sized lawn
The ride platforms add a fair amount of comfort at about a $500 extra. They make the same animal with out it.

Somebody mentioned some posts back that they got a John Deere S240 and were pleased with it. I got one from my JD dealer with my "Covid Bucks" a few years back (call it my Trump tractor) and have been happy with it. Just don't buy the low end JDs at the box stores (or any store) as they're junk. Which is what most manufacturers are making today... JMO

Taterman said:

Thanks for all the great info guys! I've learned a lot from this already.
I will definitely check out some of the local dealers instead of Home Depot.
The reason I leaned toward a zero turn is because there are 15-20 trees and shrubs to mow around. Would it be that much tougher or slower with a regular riding mower? Is the maintenance significantly less?

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Be very careful mowing close to trees regardless of the mower type. It's easy to damage the bark enough to kill it if you cut thru the bark with the edge of the mower deck in a complete or nearly complete circle, and also opens it to insect damage. You might want to put a shield around the trunk to protect it from your death machine. I've used cheap plastic buckets with the bottom cut out and the side cut to get it around the trunk, and a couple bungees to hold it closed but allow the tree to grow without interfering with sap flow.

GunnyGene said:

Be very careful mowing close to trees regardless of the mower type. It's easy to damage the bark enough to kill it if you cut thru the bark with the edge of the mower deck in a complete or nearly complete circle, and also opens it to insect damage. You might want to put a shield around the trunk to protect it from your death machine. I've used cheap plastic buckets with the bottom cut out and the side cut to get it around the trunk, and a couple bungees to hold it closed but allow the tree to grow without interfering with sap flow.

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It's easier just to learn to drive!

Taterman said:

Thanks for all the great info guys! I've learned a lot from this already.
I will definitely check out some of the local dealers instead of Home Depot.
The reason I leaned toward a zero turn is because there are 15-20 trees and shrubs to mow around. Would it be that much tougher or slower with a regular riding mower? Is the maintenance significantly less?

Click to expand...

I think the maintenance is sorta the same level, but different stuff. I had a 42" Craftsman conventional for 12 years, still running when I sold it to a buddy for $50, and a Husquvarna 48" conventional (it had a lever for throttle instead of a pedal, and it held up okay, but I hated that BS throttle set-up.) Zero turn was the way to go for me, sounds like it is for you as well.

Lots of opinions here, and not all facts are correct.

Cub Cadets have Kohler engines. Ask your dealer how many have burned the house down. Mine almost did. First time in my life I ever had to run for a fire extinguisher. (they say its corrected now, but are ya feelin lucky?)

Deeres have their own engine brand, but they are made my Briggs. IMHO since B&S has stood the test of time, that'll be what I personally buy.

Depends on what size tractor you want to buy. If its a relatively small one, the model that Home Depot (or other box stores) sell is exactly the same as the one the JD sells. If you want a bigger one, you are stuck with the JD dealer.

Buy a JD online and you might get free delivery.

Zero turns are nice, but the current "regular" tractors have an amazing turning radius, so I would not buy one at that elevated price.

More great replies, thanks guys. I think it's more like 20+ trees and shrubs to mow around, and the yard is shaped like a long rectangle and it's sloped the length of it but not really steep.
The Toro Dave B. posted looks great and that extra shock absorption would help with my messed up back, but it's way out of the price range unfortunately.

Taterman said:

More great replies, thanks guys. I think it's more like 20+ trees and shrubs to mow around, and the yard is shaped like a long rectangle and it's sloped the length of it but not really steep.
The Toro Dave B. posted looks great and that extra shock absorption would help with my messed up back, but it's way out of the price range unfortunately.

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Like I said about that Bad Boy MZ Magnum, there is NO shock absorption and on rough ground, you notice it! That gel cushion helped, and even if you DO get one with some shocks, consider the cushion also!

Taterman said:

This will be the first mower I've ever bought as we lived in a townhouse for 25+ years. I might pick up a used Cub Cadet from a friend here but they is starting to look like it will fall through so I may have to buy a new one.
The two I've looked at so far are a John Deere 48" zero turn and a similarly priced Cub Cadet 50" zero turn. The guy at Home Depot said they'd had less returns or issues with the Cubs and that their Kawasaki engine is better than the JD.

Can anyone help steer me in the right direction? We have and acre and a half to mow and it's already pretty long .

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Do t know much about the zero turns. But the little tractors I can tell you this. What are you going to do with it ? Seems silly but how much land do you have, is it Holly or flat, is it all nice grass, are their patches if tough, are you doing any ground work I e . Tilling and work like that.

First the little JDs are not the same quality wise if the big JDs. They use a very expensive green paint on them IMO. I have a cub cadet which is nice but I do use it above it's pay grade. Some CCs gave Chinese engines beware.
If you are mowing flat nice grass at 1. 5 Acres or less base line is ok, Any conditions above that get upgrades. Finally, on these little tractors the tranny is the weak link. Most of the vase lines have a TL 200 which is crap IMO. Check out the tough torque website. They should have a chart to help line up what work you are doing with the trans made for it. Tough torque makes slot of the trans for these machines.
There is a difference between a lawn tractor and garden tractor. If your handy mechanically might look into an old Garden Tractor.

As stated, get a better grade from a dealer, not a home improvement store. The ones I used maintaining baseball fields as a volunteer were Husky residential grade and they held up fairly well considering the people operating them at times were inexperienced and not responsible for repairs or damage. Not all small JD's are flimsy ... just the ones at Lowe's and The Home Depot are build to a lower standard and often with a lot more foreign content.

Dad bought a dealer-grade JD zero turn RADIUS (leaving off radius is a pet peeve and suggests the machine only mows straight lines) when his riding mower finally died (which he paid a couple hundred dollars to have it picked up and repaired then sold for a few hundred). I am glad I convinced him to get a ZTR because they are so much faster and he's upper 70's in age. What used to take all day on a 48" rider takes him a couple hours on a 48" ZTR.

Scag is the standard and if Scag were Stihl, Gravely would be Echo. If spending that much, I'd stick with one of those two and let others buy Dixie Choppers, Kubotas, Toros, Ariens, etc.

Toros were decent when they were American made. That's been a while. I think Cub Cadets still are.

Blind Son works in a local mower production plant. The only parts made 'in house' are the fabricated deck and frame. Engines, hydros, pulleys, electrical harness ALL come from other sources. I'm betting it's the same with other companies also. This company ships mowers worldwide so parts availability and conformity is a big plus.

For the same amount of money you can get a better grade of mower tractor.A zero turn of the same quality will be a lot more.For what you mow a homeowner grade will be fine if you mowed a lot the homeowner grades wouldn't last.A true commercial grade zero turn will be $10,000 plus on some the plus is a lot.

Taterman said:

More great replies, thanks guys. I think it's more like 20+ trees and shrubs to mow around, and the yard is shaped like a long rectangle and it's sloped the length of it but not really steep.
The Toro Dave B. posted looks great and that extra shock absorption would help with my messed up back, but it's way out of the price range unfortunately.

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If the ride platform is something interesting go to toro.com and look at a 77503 or a 77507. Not the same platform but still some isolation.
Not sure if JD has any suspended seats in the price range but their Z515 can be had with a 54 in deck and the Z325 with a 48.
I'd personally not go under a 54 deck but the 48-50 is OK. A thing to keep in mind is running time, or hours of use. Bigger decks get the job
done quicker reducing equipment "run time". Any piece of equipment has X number of hours of designed service life, less mowing time
means longer service life in terms of years of use. Sometimes saving that few hundred dollars by getting a smaller cut really isn't a good
idea.
Almost never see a customer come back in and say " I bought too big of a machine"