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mowers

Started by mooleycow, August 10, 2012, 11:24:45 AM

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mooleycow

who had to buy one this year?  is it worth home owners to buy commercial mowers?

trapper

Bought a toro 50" zero turn this summer and havnt had enough rain to give it a good trial.  Dealer is more important than brand of mower.  To get better replys how much area do you plan to cut?  Also how hilly.  My dealer told me not to buy zero turn if I had hills.
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

beenthere

I haven't bought one this year.... didn't even mow for two solid months.

But likely commercial-run mowers are not released until worn out. IMO

Then again, getting a commercial mower from a poor landscaper who the drought caused him/her to go under may be a good deal.

Regardless, a standard answer isn't possible. Have to take it on a case by case basis. again IMO
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chevytaHOE5674

Have a JD 314 that was purchased in 1983 I think. At the time it was the low end of the commercial models (shaft drive, full frame, etc). Have mowed about 1-1.5 acres every week all summer long since then (and plowed snow and dozed dirt with it) and other than an engine rebuild (burning lots of oil) last year it has been trouble free. At the time the mower cost a lot more than the car I was driving and almost more than the place I was living so it was a huge purchase, I almost went with one of the cheaper models. Now almost 30 years later I must say I'm glad I went with the commercial model as most of my neighbors have gone through up to 4-5+ cheapo mowers in the same time frame.

If you mow a decent size area and can afford the commercial more then go for it.

pineywoods

Quote from: trapper on August 10, 2012, 11:43:57 AM
  Also how hilly.  My dealer told me not to buy zero turn if I had hills.

An old wives tale. I speak from experience, a zero turn mower with hydraulic drive works just fine on hillsides.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

AvT

Last year I bought a Swisher 2760 Zero Turn.  Even though it is the ugly duckling of the zero turns I am quite happy with it.  The Briggs motor on it says Professional on it and the manufacurer claims the hytdraulic motors are of commercial grade, The mower IMO is not of commercial quality.  I put the thing through some tough going and it handled it quite well.  It does a nice job of cutting if the blades are sharp and the grass is dry.  This was the cheapest 60 inch mower I could find and I have no regrets so far and believe i can make it work for the rest of my mowing days.  I am sure there may be some upkeep expenses in the future but not enough to pay 5 times as much for a commercial mower.  Here is a little video I made a while ago Showing the mower and the justification I used to get it.

http://youtu.be/lT2sYjoHxaI
Wannabe sawyer, Cord King M1820 firewood processor Palax KS35 Ergo firewood Processor, 5403 John Deere, Bunch of other farm equipment,   LT70 Remote Woodmizer.  All good things but the best things in life are free.. If you don't believe me.. hold your breath for 2 minutes

JOE.G

If you have the money go with the Commercial unit, it should last you longer and just hold up better all around, Resale will prob be better also if you decide to sell it.
Husqvarna 562XP Woods Ported .025 pop up MM
Husqvarna Rancher 55 2005
Husqvarna 450 Anniversary Edition 2010
STIHL 009 1998
STIHL HT 131 Pole Saw 2012
STIHL FS 110 R Trimmer 2010
STIHL BR 600 Magnum Blower 2012

clww

I just bought a new homeowner lawn mower from Lowes today. It's a Troy Bilt Model TB110. Came with a bagger attachment. With my 10% military discount, I paid $188.06.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

thurlow

I also bought a 60 inch Swisher........more than 5 years ago;  I would suggest that it's somewhere between a big box store and a commercial model;  the deck is welded steel, as opposed to stamped sheet metal.  It cut my mowing time (close to 3 acres) in half (had a 42 inch 'tractor' type before).  I love it.  Bought it from Amazon w/free shipping and a trailer-truck delivered it to my driveway.  Hillsides don't bother it a-tall;  it'll mow anything that a conventional riding mower will.
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

AvT

Quote from: thurlow on August 10, 2012, 04:13:07 PM
I also bought a 60 inch Swisher........more than 5 years ago;  I would suggest that it's somewhere between a big box store and a commercial model;  the deck is welded steel, as opposed to stamped sheet metal.  It cut my mowing time (close to 3 acres) in half (had a 42 inch 'tractor' type before).  I love it.  Bought it from Amazon w/free shipping and a trailer-truck delivered it to my driveway.  Hillsides don't bother it a-tall;  it'll mow anything that a conventional riding mower will.

I believe I bought the Swisher on your recommendation and don't regret it at all!  Thanks thurlow!  Do you remember emailing me about It?
Wannabe sawyer, Cord King M1820 firewood processor Palax KS35 Ergo firewood Processor, 5403 John Deere, Bunch of other farm equipment,   LT70 Remote Woodmizer.  All good things but the best things in life are free.. If you don't believe me.. hold your breath for 2 minutes

bill m

I have a Husqvarna zero turn commercial mower. Yes, it was worth the extra money and yes it can mow hills. It's all in how it is operated.
NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

Ron Wenrich

I mow about 1½ acres.  When I first bought my place, I used small walk behind mowers.  That's all I could afford.  They would last a couple of years and then they were junk.  Then, I went to a garden tractor with a mower.  That lasted a little longer, didn't do that good of a job, and I was replacing bearings every year.  That was more expensive than replacing a mower every other year.

Finally, I bought an ExMark 48" mower.  Its a commercial model, and a walk behind.  I could put a sulky on it.  That was about 15 years ago.  I had a problem with the Kawasaki motor, but they eventually replaced the motor.  ExMark stood behind it, but Kawasaki balked.  There have been other things like belts and the like that need to be replaced.  But, its been dependable all these years.

I can mow the 1½ acres in about 2 hours time.  I walk 7 mile doing it.  But, its faster than a garden tractor.  They're pricey, but worth the investment.  You can find some reconditioned ones in shops if you look.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

tcsmpsi

Between hurricanes, drought and harvesting, I have accumulated more cleared property.  Well, cleared if I keep it cleared.   ;D

This year, I bought the first riding mower for the property, as opposed to walk behinds .  With the trails and little clearings scattered about, I have decreased my mowing time by about two thirds.  That was the intent.  Largely due to my long-standing, pleased relationship with Kubota, I got one of their regular riding mowers.  Kinda pricey for a riding mower, but I am pleased with it. 
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

thurlow

Quote from: AvT on August 10, 2012, 04:22:12 PM
I believe I bought the Swisher on your recommendation and don't regret it at all!  Thanks thurlow!  Do you remember emailing me about It?
Sounds familiar (you wouldn't believe the things I've forgotten........plus the things I remember that never happened).  The only difference I see is the gasoline lines on the fuel tanks;  mine are all on the bottom.  I've replaced the blades once and the belts twice.  Only problem I've had was that the needle valve would sometimes 'stick' in the carburetor;  had it apart twice......nothing obviously wrong.  Tried removing fuel line.........where it goes to the carburetor........and using compressed air to un-seat the valve;  worked, but was aggravating.  Finally thought, "Duh";  I use almost exactly a tank of fuel for each mowing;  the tank would be ALMOST empty when I got through and it would sit empty 'til next time.  Starting filling it after mowing and no more problems.
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

thecfarm

I looked at zero turn mowers. We mow probably 10 acres. Not to good with acres.We mow about 1½-2 hours a day, or I should say try too. But I brought a 30hp tractor with a mid mount for twice the money. Kinda hard to hook a snow blower or a trailer to a zero turn.I kinda wanted the PTO part. I just could not see spending about 8 grand and only using it for 4-5 months a year either. We have a wet hole that I don't see how a zero turn would go through it. I got the tractor stuck twice this year in it.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Clam77

 :D  Won't find too many wet-holes to get your tractor stuck in around here this year.

I've tried a 0-turn before that a buddy has.... think it's a Cub Cadet.. it was fun to operate but I can't see justifying the cost without having alot of trees and yard stuff to have to go around.
Andy

Stihl 009, 028, 038, 041, MS362
Mac 1-40, 3-25

Al_Smith

Lawdy I've got a woods full of hundred dollar specials .If I wring  an engine I just go fetch another one .

I've only got around a 1/2 acre near the house .The two acres out front I gnaw off with a 1951 Ferguson and a 6 foot Mott flail .With this drought it's been 5-6 weeks since I used it .

thecfarm

Al,like the flail? I'm thinking about getting one for the 30hp tractor. I'm claiming back a grown up pasture and I cut my stumps low. But don't dare to bring the mid mount on it. I'm afraid I may hit a stump and break a shaft. Right now I use a push mower on it. and yes, I do hit stumps with it. Lucky to get 2 years out of a mower. I would like to mow it at least once every 2-3 weeks to get the grass to come in quicker. Now I only have time to mow it once a year. probably an acre in size between the 2 places.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

customsawyer

I am one of those in the commercial corner. One thing that dealers rarely tell you is that the blade speed on a home owners model limited but on a commercial mower they can crank it up higher. It is like the difference between home owner chainsaws and the pro chainsaws. ;) 
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

thechknhwk

I bought a toro timecutter 50 ztr.  It's a great mower.  I don't think going commercial is necessary with the toro's.  It does have a stamped deck, but I don't find that to be a concern - it's pretty thick.  The dealer said he had a customer that cut commercially with the same mower and deck for over 3 years until he hit something and ripped the deck off.  He had the dealer replace the deck and continued mowing commercially with it.  I was mowing with a 42" JD tractor that was giving me troubles, so I bought the toro.  My mowing time went down from 1.5hrs to about 50 minutes.  I mow about 3/4 acre.  I have lots of trees, horse shoe pits, pool, play area, deck, etc to cut around here.  My wife mows her grandma's grass with a 46" tractor in about 2hrs.  There is way more open space there, and when I take the toro there I can mow it in just over an hour.  It mows @7mp/h.  It is MADE IN THE USA - even the Kawi engine.

chevytaHOE5674

Quote from: thechknhwk on August 11, 2012, 10:18:29 PM
It mows @7mp/h.

I don't mow anyplace smooth enough to stay in the seat at 7mph. hahaha :D

clusterbuster75

spent the extra money on a used commercial(grasshopper)mower this spring for a price I could of got a new homeowner for.

After sitting for a month due to drought, it wouldn't start. Had my mechanical abilities tested. In the end, it had four things go wrong at once.  Blown head gasket, electrodes on distributor corroded(had spark, just not hot enough), needle valve in carb bad, and junk fuel from sitting too long.  Before I got it all figured out, I was condemning my decision, but now that I got it going, only time will tell if it was justified.

It probably depends on your abilities and desire to keep a commercial unit going. Some cheap homeowner stuff isn't built to work on.
stihl 046, Cat 416b , JD 5520 N

Al_Smith

Quote from: thecfarm on August 11, 2012, 09:57:13 PM
Al,like the flail? I'm thinking about getting one for the 30hp tractor.   
Yeah but it is what it is and it isn't a brush mower like a bush hog .It will gnaw off little stuff though like maybe 1 inch .

That flail I have was cheap 600 bucks 25 years ago and it looked nearly new at that time .It's a Mott so you can buy knives about any farm supply like TSC .Just mowing grass you can get maybe two seasons before you need to reverse them as the sharpen on both sides .Hit a rock though they will break .Unlike a bush hog though you won't break a drive shaft or wring the gear box if the shear pin doesn't break were you to hit something .

Oh my you can find all kinds of stuff in tall weeds .Old cables ,engine blocks ,you name it .

Al_Smith

Quote from: customsawyer on August 11, 2012, 10:03:13 PM
  One thing that dealers rarely tell you is that the blade speed on a home owners model limited but on a commercial mower they can crank it up higher.

Well yeah on something like a Dixie Chopper those blades are nearly supersonic plus they are fast ground speed .They also cost a kings ransom .

thecfarm

I have to change blades on both of my mowers every year. The blades are just worn out from the grass. If the blades are 2 inches wide on the ends,by Aug they are only 1½ and starting to crack.I won't be mowing much over 4 inches unless I get behind on mowing. I want to use it weekly,or daily,like what I am doing now.I would expect to change the knifes yearly too. I want the field to look like a lawn. Kinda have to mow it weekly like a lawn or it mows kinda hard when the grass is 6 inches high. My tractor will mow right alone,but only at certain places. I'm mowing an old hay field not my lawn. Gets rough in places. I priced a NH frail,$4000 for a 60 inch. :o Double  :o
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Handy Andy

I bought a used Xmark probably at least 10 years ago. It is 26 hp and 72" cut.  A school district ran it 2 years and traded for new.  My wife mows our yard, it's about 5 acres, and she can mow it in about 2 hours.  The thing is a hog.
My name's Jim, I like wood.

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