"Craig Davis" wrote in message
...
I just purchased a home with 1 1/2 acres of fairly level and open lawn.
Any
information that will help me make a good decision on what to purchase
will
be appreciated. Do I need a lawn tractor or a riding lawn mower. How
much
HP is needed? How wide a cut? Any thoughts on which brands to consider
or
stay away from would be appreciated.


What is your time worth and what kind of budget are you looking at ? If
money is not the object then a zero turn mower may be worth looking at. If
money is tight then you may want to look at a John Deere Lt 120 or something
in that series. Get the largest cut mower you can affoard if you want to
save time. Some of the 3 bladed mowers do not do as even of a cut as the
two bladed mowers. YOu may have to make a tradeoff as to what is more
important , looks or time. Also to keep the lawn in good shape you may want
to make sure you have enough mower to pull an airerator and other things.

YOU could get by with a Murry 38 inch cut but you may have to replace it in
a few years. I don;t think I would get one for that size of lawn. A few
years back my dad had a Murry about that size and had about 2 acres to mow.
It would do the job but it took a while to do it. As he was retired it did
not mater how long it took. Also had to replace it every few years.
He had the money to get a good mower but did not want to spend it on a
mower.So he made "payments" on a good one by buying several that did not
last as long.