Need advice on buying first riding lawn mower
 

I have about 2 acres to mow. I live in a small town and the only
mowers I have access to are those at a local Sears outlet and I can
drive 30 miles to a Lowes. I just want the best buy for the money.
If I could keep the cost close to $1000-1200, that would be great. Of
the mowers in that price range, what would you recommend. THanks

Need advice on buying first riding lawn mower
 

Need advice on buying first riding lawn mower
 

John Deere & Cub Cadet


"Pennyaline" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I have about 2 acres to mow. I live in a small town and the only
mowers I have access to are those at a local Sears outlet and I can
drive 30 miles to a Lowes. I just want the best buy for the money.
If I could keep the cost close to $1000-1200, that would be great. Of
the mowers in that price range, what would you recommend. THanks

Depends. What is your acreage like? Is it grassy or weedy? Do you have
lots of trees and shrubs to mow around? Do you want to do things other
than just mow? You may want a lawn tractor if you need more cutting power,
or if you dream of pulling cartloads of amendments or some day
tilling/furrowing your garden patch with it. But if you only mow grass and
want a nimble little number that goes fast and turns on a dime, a riding
mower will probably do. At your price range, you can get a nice little
low-horsepower tractor that will mow and pull... might even lend itself to
uncomplicated snow "pushing" (as opposed to plowing), or a riding mower
that will do what it does well.

One important question, and it's not as dopey as it sounds: Do you want to
be able to mow in reverse?

Need advice on buying first riding lawn mower
 

wrote in message
...
I have about 2 acres to mow. I live in a small town and the only
mowers I have access to are those at a local Sears outlet and I can
drive 30 miles to a Lowes. I just want the best buy for the money.
If I could keep the cost close to $1000-1200, that would be great. Of
the mowers in that price range, what would you recommend. THanks

A very good site with lots of good people:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/tractor/

Need advice on buying first riding lawn mower
 

Andy replies:

I have had two Murrays. The work OK, and I am able to
make repairs to them as needed. Each lasted me about
15 years.
I presently have a Sears Craftsman which cost $900.
It is made better than the Murray, but will also be harder
if I have to repair it....
My neighbor has a John Deer, which cost about $2000.
It is like driving a Cadillac compared to the Murray or even
the Craftsman, and is well constructed. However, it mows
the grass just the same as the Murray, and requires
essentially the same maintenance. I expect repairs and
parts will be very costly for him.....

If you can maintain it yourself, there's no sense buying
an expensive model, as it will work about the same.
if your land has a lot of ruts and hills, and sticks, and
all manner of stuff that is hard to mow, it will be very hard
on the blade assembly housing. If you are mowing a golf
course, I wouldn't spend the extra money.....

Those are just my opinions. I am a frugalista, and don't
see any point in paying a lot of extra money for a name
recognition brand, if my needs are such that something like
a Murray will do the job just as well...

Andy in Eureka, Texas