Hamer of riding mowers

[tommy p]

I've heard that the riding mowers sold at places like Home Depot and Lowe's are built just for big box stores and are not the same build quality as the ones you can buy at a small dealer. Any truth to that?

Also, as the topic title suggests, I'm looking for advice on a good quality riding mower for a very level, .6 acre lot with very few trees.

[Tres Aardvarks]

I picked up a used Craftsman Yard Tractor when we built our house. I've got a lot more yard than you (3 acres with ZERO trees when we moved in). It's done just fine. How fast do you want to get it done? Is it a flat yard?

[bubs_42]

I've heard that the riding mowers sold at places like Home Depot and Lowe's are built just for big box stores and are not the same build quality as the ones you can buy at a small dealer. Any truth to that?

Also, as the topic title suggests, I'm looking for advice on a good quality riding mower for a very level, .6 acre lot with very few trees.

Absolutely not, the Lawn Mowers you buy at a big box store like HD or Lowe's are the same tractors. Here is the difference, they do not service the mower if you need it and all warrenty issues are taken care of by the authorized repair shop (YOUR LOCAL DEALER). What the big box stores have over the others is they can offer you a longer warrenty that the smaller guys don't offer. Typical 3year for small dealers, Lowes 5year. Most all the riding lawn mower no matter the name on them are produced by MTD. I ended up purchasing mine from the local dealer, and they actually take care of me if something goes down that I cannot fix or don't have time too.

Now MTD builds them but some are different from each other because the "Brands" wants "B type of deck" instead of "A type deck" things like that. It is all marketing.

[Carl.B]

You might want to check the used market in your area too. If I were you I would be looking at a rear engine Snapper in the 10 hp - 13 hp range many have electric start and baggers. They don't take up as much space in your garage and are easier to work on yourself too. You can usually find used Craftsman for about 1/2 - 1/3 less than new. Cub Cadet and Simplicity are good brands but they are in the JD price range new and used.

Carl B.

[velorush]

I'd push-mow 0.6 acres, but that's just me.

If I were to go with a rider for that size lot, the mechanical simplicity of a Snapper can't be beat.

[bubs_42]

I'd push-mow 0.6 acres, but that's just me.

If I were to go with a rider for that size lot, the mechanical simplicity of a Snapper can't be beat.

Yes, save your money and buy a self propel or a used Snapper.

[Studio Custom]

I've heard that the riding mowers sold at places like Home Depot and Lowe's are built just for big box stores and are not the same build quality as the ones you can buy at a small dealer. Any truth to that?

Also, as the topic title suggests, I'm looking for advice on a good quality riding mower for a very level, .6 acre lot with very few trees.

Often the difference is engine type and horsepower. My dealer purchased John Deere has a 14hp Kohler engine, the HD version at the time had a 12 HP Briggs & Stratton.

[cynic]

^^ This just seems unlikely anymore given model specs are given on manufacturers websites. If it's not the same model, it's hard to call it a real difference.

[hamerhead]

You could choose between Kohler, Briggs, and Kawasaki in the same model when I got my first John Deere (*Edit - from a dealer*). Prices varied accordingly.

I'd get a used John Deere before a new one from any other brand. Old Simplicitys are good tractors as well (the new ones aren't as heavy duty).

The Craftsman I had was a rebranded Murray/MTD, as are the recent Cub Cadets. Fine for light duty or a small lot.

If your lot is flat, check out the small ZTRs. They cut great and are really fast.

[seeker]

I've got .4 acres, but half is sloped. Tried to hand mow the first year here, but ack, took all weekend.

I prefer Craftsman, even though they are rebranded. Sears keeps parts in inventory for older models. Let's just say I've needed more than a few

[Armitage]

I've been told by a few people that the mowers and snow blowers get different engines for different dealers. I've never checked myself.

[BlueJer]

I design casting dies for a living...and one of the project's that I worked on was a Kohler V-Twin crank-case that get's put into many of the above referenced mowers..

The Kohler "Command" is far superior to the Kohler "Courage" in more ways than 1. The "Courage" engine will not last nearly as long as the "Command", which is much more robust and made to last. The "Courage" had a lot of non-functional features removed to save on part weight (less cast aluminum), and wall thicknesses are not as thick, etc. I believe those are the models that Lowes and HD carry so they can compete pricewise.

Quite literally, the Command crank-case and Courage crank-case are almost identical. Command has thicker walls and fins in areas to help with cooling (which helps with longevity). The Courage is literally the exact same design, but "light-weighted". Still functions enough to sell the general public...but is designed to not last much longer than the warranty so they can keep selling them. BS in my opinion. If you are building the tools to cast these parts already, why not just give everyone a good product. It would actually be cheaper from a tooling standpoint to have 2 identical tools built rather than 2 different.

Also worth noting, the only difference in the actual crank-case when it comes to horsepower is the sleeve thickness they use for the piston bores. It is literally the same block with either a thicker or thinner walled piston sleeve that get's bored after casting.

[Biz Prof]

One more thing: The mom-and-pop dealers typically carry a wider range of the manufacturer's portfolio than do the big box stores. Take Husqvarna. Lowe's sells about 4 tractor/ZTR models in stock and sells/promos them at price points that the smaller dealers cannot/will not match (I tried). The traditional dealer, however, will have essentially the same tractors that Lowe's carries, but with a different (usually, better) powerplant (i.e., Command vs. Courage within the Kohler family) and a welded/fabricated heavy-duty deck. These extras come with a premium price, of course. The consumer has to decide how/how much he will actually use a tractor/mower before pulling the trigger on either. Maintaining either unit will go a long way in determining how long one lasts.

Case in point: My father-in-law and I co-owned a Christmas tree farm that covered approximately 4.5 acres. The grass between the trees required some mowing, but he insisted that it look like a damn fairway at all times, which would require weekly maintenance. I opined that we should simply cut it once in late Spring with a bush hog, and again in October when the grass had browned. As most FILs will, he did it his way and completely wore out the deck and various other parts of a light commercial grade ZTR in about four years. To date, he's spent over $10,000 keeping a $5,500 mower on a task it was never meant to do. Eventually, when I started my doctorate, I sold my share back to him and encouraged him to give it up (there's literally no profit in small Christmas tree farms in the flatlands of NC). When I drove by his house yesterday, he was out there in the field, limping that Gravely along and doing it his way.

Moral of the story: Buy what you need to do the mowing job, plus a bit more. If doesn't absolutely need to be mowed, quick trying to mow it every five days against the will of your equipment.

[hamerhead]

That's good to know about the Kohler block, Jer. Seems like a pretty dumb thing to do - their name is still on it.

[Studio Custom]

That's good to know about the Kohler block, Jer. Seems like a pretty dumb thing to do - their name is still on it.

Like a Slammer series import?

[mrjamiam]

+1 on the rear-engined Snappers. I haven't had one recently, but we had two in my family, and the first one had lots of hours with a stupid teenager (me) using it to make money and it still lasted a long time with hardly any maintenance needed.

[BlueJer]

I know that Briggs and Stratton do the same thing...the Vanguard engine is the good one. Can't remember what the crap one was called...

Long story short...the "commercial" versions are the only newer mowers that are made like they used to be made (for the most part).

Sadly, it's become the new normal that mowers (and even cars) are only built to last a few years.

The old saying...we get what we accept

I personally would much rather spend $300 on an old Wheel Horse than $2,500+ on a new model. I would likely get the same amount of hours from either...

[ArnieZ]

For the amount you have to mow you might consider a walk behind. I have a half acre of lawn to mow. I use a Simplicity Pacer, which is a walk behind with a 34" cut. It takes me between 45 -60 minutes to cut. It mulches so I don't collect grass. Maintienece is minimal and belts are easily changed, though not often. Some riding mowers and tractors require you to drop the deck to change belts which is a pain in the ass.

ArnieZ