Need a Riding Lawn Mower - what one?

I've got about two acres of grass to cut around this old crap house that I'm going to tear down. The grass isn't in super condition, and needs to be restored to a degree. I've got 12 trees to cut around. What kind of mower should I get? I was thinking about a John Deere D series with a 54 inch deck from Home Depot. Is this sufficient? What about an Ariens with a 54 inch deck? I only mention that because there is an Ariens dealer close to me.
Thanks,
J

 

ALL the cheaper mowers are made by MTD for the different manufacturers. An older Honda will last forever, but their getting hard to come by as they haven't imported them in a few years. Unless you want to spend big bucks, they're all pretty much the same.

 

Go to a John Deere dealer, or Huskavarna. I mowed 5 acres for the last 25 years with 2 John Deere's, great machines.

 

Yea, and they are a disgrace to the John Deere line. I paid $8000 for my last JD, power steering, hydraulic lift on the 54" deck, bagging attachment, and Kawasaki engine. The guy who plowed the field next to me had $125,000 tractor, that was a machine!

 

If you are looking a an Ariens, check out the engine and make sure it is not a Tecumse. Those are absolute shit engines. If I were in need of one, I would be looking at a JD or HOnda. But I would not buy it from HD. I am not saying this is the case for their JD tractors, but a lot of the stuff they sell, is made off shore to HD's own specs which is far inferior to what you would get if you went to a specialty store for the same thing. Want a JD, go to a JD dealer.

BTW. HD wipes their hands clean of any warranty issues after 90 days and direct you to the manufacturer which can be an absolute pain in the ass. Just went through this with American Standard.

 

Get a dozen or 2 of sheep or lamb :laugh:

 

I've seen this same advice on several harleydood fora. They like to ride them too.

 

Both the tractor and your little guy are prime candidates for the forthcoming issue of "Practical Tractor" mag..

 

It would seem to me, that you're likely to need one of these to cover a large area .....

[video=youtube;5EjML-6Uouw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjML-6Uouw[/video]

 

The brand is immaterial, just make sure your wife can reach the controls safely.

 

This one is a good choice if you have tall hedges too.

 

That dude will never get hired to make crop circles.

 

I picked up a new riding mower about 6-7 years ago. I went with the Cub Cadet LT1045. Its a 46" deck, hydrostatic drive (plus a beverage holder) and a PTO. It does have the ability to mow in reverse (a combination of turning the key to a certain position and hit the electronic override to engage the ability to mow in reverse). I also like that it has a 3 blade cutting system vs. 2, as well as the ports on the deck which allow you to quickly connect a hose to rinse the underside of the deck. I don't know if all of today's mowers have the 3 blades and the washdown ability, but when I was looking, the Cub was the only one offering that.

Mine is a 20HP Kohler engine. I have 250 hours on it (there's a timer), and other than the usual oil, air and gas filter, the only thing I've had to do was replace the drive belt. Knock wood, its been great. I use it to cut just about 1 acre, and all my land is relatively flat. I've also used it to haul all sorts of stuff (pavers, stone, soil, etc.).

Since you're going to be mowing 2 acres, I'd definitely look for something in the 24-30 horse range.

Several riding mowers these days now have a pretty tight turning radius. You might find negotiating trees isn't too difficult, especially if those 12 trees are spread over 2 acres.

As for John Deere - I went to a JD dealer when I was looking. Not Home Depot. The salesman there - and what a guy! - basically told me that he wouldn't buy one to cut his own lawn. He was not happy with the new motors on them. The old JD (and I have a self propelled) used Kawasaki engines, and those were great.

 

If Harley-Davidson made riding lawnmowers would you mulch?

 

If your grass in in crap condition with dense weeds/twigs, you could use a flail mower or a brush hog. Depending on your budget, you might consider a mini tractor like a Kubota or cub cadet with a PTO to pull the mower. that would be your best bet for equipment longevity. If you have relatively smooth ground with minimal crap in the way, then you could go conventional rider. and as stated, most in the reasonable price range all seem to be the same.

I have 2 1/2 acres and about 2 of that is weeds, my pasture. when my old Massey tractor finally died, I bought an Ariens (made by Husqvarna) 46 inch with Briggs and straton V-twin. I was on a tight budget of about 1000 bucks. and since all mowers in that ranges seem to be relatively crap, I just went biggest deck with most power. pretty much destroyed the blades in 1 season due to debris in the pasture. Now, the mowing job looks like garbage and i'm probably going to hire a tractor service for this season. I'm now just using the mower with a 1 yard trailer as a towing vehicle and waiting for the B+S motor to take a dump on me. Surprisingly, I killed my transfer shovel but the mower has held up after moving 45 yards of gravel. yes, I'm moving it all by hand. As soon as I can swing it, I'm probably going to get another tractor.

 

Bu now, I would have thought that you have cleared most of the crappy shit from the grounds you are mowing. Why not just get new blades, if the tractor is still performing reasonably? Or do you just want a new toy?

If after you have mowed, the lines are crooked, you've done it wrong.

 

Unfortunately, there's always new crap on the ground every time I mow. I'm in rural northern California. Lots of dense weeds and trees in and around my pasture. So between the Pecan tree runners, fallen oak tree branches and all the other new saplings on steroids shooting up between mows, I'm always going to have a blade dulling day. Then add in all the darn gophers and the ground remodeling they do, I'd be changing my blades like underwear. That's why as soon as I can swing it, I'm getting a flail mower. Plus, who wouldn't a want another shiny new toy? :biggrin:

Oh, and my lines are only crooked when my cup holder is occupied.....

 

I change my undies ever day. Yesterday I changed with Mary. The day before with Frank.