MoparMarv

I'm buying a house soon and I have to start thinking about a mower for the yard. Its 1.3 acres so nothing big but beyond a push mower. Its flat for the most part with the only uneven stuff being the ditch close to the road. A couple trees and obsticales but they are all spread apart. I would like a diesel mower but could live with a gasser. I was thinking about something Cub lo-boy size. I have been checking out Kubota and Deere's on ebay but more or less need to zero in on models. I would like to keep it under 2000 but am willing to spend more as equipment like that tends to hold its value. Anyone have a favorite they would like to recomend?

old dog

massy furgison is building a nice one - they have been known for duribility in the past.
dont think deer & cub cadette are as good a quality as they use to be.
do know my cousin bought a deer and either 1 or years down the road it puked and they wouldn`t stand behind it . now i know how my cousin treats equipment and know he doesn`t abuse it and does his mantince regularry.
when it comes to transmishions i pefer standard shift to the hydrostatic.
have both and have a 4speed transaxle to repace the one hydrostatic i do have - good luck -they can actully make working around your property enjoyable ! ( enless you get a dud (or lemmon)
Claude

archer39

I worked for a lawncare company for 5 years and the only thing we used were xmark zero-turns. Theses would be ove kill and more expensive is purchased new. But if you shop around they can be had used in your price range. I would buy a used zero turn before i would go out and buy a new deer or cub cadette. The quality of cut and speed is far superior.

rip 112

2,000 is gonna keep you away from the zero turns and possibly get you a decent Deere. I bought a mower for $2k that was decent for yard mowing, a Husqvarna 2454, cut good and ran decent. I'd look at them, they have them at Tractor Supply.

surfram

I paid $2,500 for a Craftsman GT 5000 in 2004. It has a kohler 25hp twin motor and a 54" deck. No problems so far at 130 hours. That being said, I wish that I had spent $3,500-$4,500 for a decent residential zero-turn. 1.3 acres will take a long time to cut if you go too small on the deck size.

Grit Dog

2nd on the Craftsman. I bought a used (5??? years old) 15hp 42" Hydrostatic cut mower from my old boss. He mowed 3 ac in IL with it, so it got used plenty.
I ran it for 3 more years in NM, basically brush hogging weeds on 2ac, bumpy, dusty, tons of gopher holes (potholes). Changed the oil once a year and sharpened the blades once a year, oh and replaced a belt.....that's all. SOld it for $500 last yr, only gave $600 for it and it was very reliable.

nkennedy

I got a Craftsman 20 hp, and an acre of land for it to mow. I would like a zero g model, but you find it for $2k. The newer B&S engines with the pressurized oil systems work for a long time. The decks are the weak point, so keep it clean after mowing. I'm on my 5th year with this one, and haven't put a dime in it exept for oil & a set of blades last year. Craftsman is good about keeping parts available for a long time.

s-cube

Home Depot sold me a Scotts/JD 17.5hp Kohler 42in cut hydrostatic about 6yrs ago....still on the same battery but I have had to replace both blades and bearing assemblies. One acre, house, fence, shop, garden, some trees and too many chickens. It takes about an hour to mow. It used to take 30 mins with the Ford 1900 and 5ft finishing mower when it was just the house to mow around.

Red3quarter

I have a couple yr old John Deere 108. Had it 4 yrs now and its been a good little tractor. I keep up on the maintenance on it. It gets oil changed and new plug every season, greased several time during the seaon, blades always kept sharp, belt checked, mower cleaned. I change the filters on it every year and keep good clean gas in it. JD could have been a little better in the quality dept but my tractor does its job well and has been very reliable.

razor1

You may find some info on www.lawnsite.com

MoparMarv

just to chime back in on this post. I ended up buying a JD 260 with a 46inch deck for 400.00. Just need some PM and freshing up from sitting over the winter. It was close by and the price was right. I'm putting the deck on tonight or tomorrow and will give her a shot when it drys out. Thanks for all the help.

HotRodTodd

Thats a heck of a deal, good find. You see any more like that at that price, let me know and I will send a friend over to pick it up.