Need a riding lawnmower

that craftsman mower is a great mower, i am hell on a mower, i have had one for 3 years i have flipped it twice in a ditch, ran over small trees when angry,stick in mud all the time, put in 6th gear and pop wheelys for fun. the thing wont die i spent like 1200 on it when they had a sale. It cuts great.Only down fall is the belt for the blades are a pain. :)
 
I own 2 John Deere 60 inch (757) commercial grade mowers. I do NOT recommend John Deere's. Even if you could get one for $2k all the parts are outrageously priced... We needed a gas cap for one of our John Deere weedeaters and they wanted $54. :eek:

I would look at the simplicity. Sometimes the bare bones model of a particalur brand is better than the top model of a different brand.
 
Demon 8 said:
Saw that and my only concern is when you buy the cheapest of even the best brand, it isnt their best. Would you think that model could handle the steep slopes. Dont get me wrong, you get what you pay for and I dont want to spend $1500 and get a POS but if I can find something that will get me 5 years and not break the wallet that is the way I have to go, not want to go
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The Regent will do what you want it to. Any other hill any other model will climb this one will as well. Even though its the lowest price it is still built with top quality pieces and mowing quality. It is a lower priced model because it doesnt has as many add ons available. It can have a mower, bagger, or a snowblower, and some other little stuff. There is no rear PTO or stuff like that that drive prices up.

DO NOT buy a Craftsman what ever you do unless you want to replace your mower every 3-4 years. They are shit. Look at the way the mower deck is attached to the tractor. They use a bunch of thin metal brackets and many pins, a complicated system. The arbour drive pulleys are made of stamped tin metal. The arbour bearings and shafts are very weak and cause lots of issues. Now go look at the same items on a Simplicity (any model) and you will see the difference. Ask the sales people at both locations to remove the mower to access the bottom of the deck for cleaning or replacing blades. Bring your watch and time them, a deck on a Regent can come off in about 20 seconds if they have done it once or twice before.
 
amtrucker22 said:
I own 2 John Deere 60 inch (757) commercial grade mowers. I do NOT recommend John Deere's. Even if you could get one for $2k all the parts are outrageously priced... We needed a gas cap for one of our John Deere weedeaters and they wanted $54. :eek:

I would look at the simplicity. Sometimes the bare bones model of a particalur brand is better than the top model of a different brand.
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Not only the prices of parts but what about the quality of cut? The Simplicity mowers have rollers across the entire length of the rear of the deck to follow the contours of the ground. Most JD mowers I have seen only have 2 wheels on the rear. What happens when you drive over a higher spot in the center of the deck? It cuts the grass down to the dirt, a Simplicity wont do that.

For commercial applications I'd go to a Ferris. They advertise on the big mower that you can cut 7.2 acres of grass in 1 hour with a 72" deck.

http://www.ferrisindustries.com/pages/mower.php?product_id=18
 
You should get one of those new Elk Rotary Mowers...:p :p :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:

Linney1.jpg
 
yellowfever#154 said:
Not only the prices of parts but what about the quality of cut? The Simplicity mowers have rollers across the entire length of the rear of the deck to follow the contours of the ground. Most JD mowers I have seen only have 2 wheels on the rear. What happens when you drive over a higher spot in the center of the deck? It cuts the grass down to the dirt, a Simplicity wont do that.

For commercial applications I'd go to a Ferris. They advertise on the big mower that you can cut 7.2 acres of grass in 1 hour with a 72" deck.

http://www.ferrisindustries.com/pages/mower.php?product_id=18
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I run Hustlers and ExMarks but both are pretty expensive. We only run the deere if we have to. Deere's are slow clunky and have a mediocre cut. The only reason we have them is we inherited them when we purchased another company.
 
amtrucker22 said:
I run Hustlers and ExMarks but both are pretty expensive. We only run the deere if we have to. Deere's are slow clunky and have a mediocre cut. The only reason we have them is we inherited them when we purchased another company.
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Put those Deer mowers on Craig's List...they have great public appeal and according to you very poor performance...why would you retain them? Seems like a perfect solution...get positive cash flow and unload a liability...:dontknow: :dontknow:
 
I have a Craftsman tractor mower, 12.5 horsepower I/C sleeved cylinder, with a 42" cut. My property is about 1/2 acre (100 x 200). This mower was a "house warming" gift from my father in June of 1993. (that's 16 yrs for the math challenged). I have replaced the drive belt once, and replaced the battery once. I have only performed routine maintenance. Yes, when it's time to cut the lawn, I'm sure it will be ready to go. The original price was $1200.00. The battery is sitting in my garage on a tender. My only complaint is, I should have got a wider cut, but, the additional time provides an opportunity to smoke a slightly longer cigar. :) I will take pics when I slide it out of the shed, if you'd like .
 
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I appreciate the help. Funny I could choose a piece of golf course equipment but had no experience in residential equipment
Thanks a bunch. I am going to look for a Simplicity dealer near me for a closer look
 
Prof said:
Put those Deer mowers on Craig's List...they have great public appeal and according to you very poor performance...why would you retain them? Seems like a perfect solution...get positive cash flow and unload a liability...:dontknow: :dontknow:
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A little more complicated than that Prof. Appreciate the advice though.
 
My neighbors have went through several Craftsman mowers to my Simplicity and I seen NOTHING that compares to the beautiful cut ! John Deere sucks monkey balls for a clean cut :mad:

Simplicity Broadmoor,quick detach deck for easy belt changes and blade sharpening.

I weigh about 380 and have used it for 10 years with no problems :congrats: :marchmellow: :rock: :D
 
Demon 8 said:
I appreciate the help. Funny I could choose a piece of golf course equipment but had no experience in residential equipment
Thanks a bunch. I am going to look for a Simplicity dealer near me for a closer look
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Good choice! PM me if you want to double check pricing, I can compare to Canadian pricing if you need me too. Let me know the model and options.
 
Most any mower you buy from a big box store is going to be made by MTD. They own Cub Cadet, Yardman, Troy-Bilt, White, Yanmar ( Cub Cadet), Yard Machines, and Bolens.... They are all basically the same. The John Deere mowers at Home Depot and Lowes are actually made by John Deere (But, as said, the parts can get expensive). I had a JD for my lawn when I lived in MI... 25hp Kohler motor was sweet. And I thought it has a great cut. But, I was the department manager for outdoor power equipment at the time for our Lowes store. So, I set it up myself from the crate. :eek: ;)

Simplicity is actually owned by Briggs and Stratton.... They are very nice. :)
 
My Craftsman is also powered by a 25 hp Kohler. I bought it at the end of a model year and spent just over $1400.
 
Try to find a good used Honda rt5518 mower. I bought mine in 1987 for my acre of grass and large garden spot. It has 2 or 4 wheel drive and crab steering. I have never had problem in 22 years other than a new battery. It is a twin cylinder liquid cooled honda engine. 18hp with a 8 speed forward and 4 speed reverse tranny and 2 PTOs. It is not as large as you might think and turns almost as sharp as a zero degree mower.
 
hehe, strange... i have a Kubota ( 22HP) bought some years ago second hand ( 600 hours) at a dealer ... and those are US import !
Big mower underneath, front lift. Great machine, never had troubles.
I do use it when my wife screams to divorce me ... or the gras is to high ... :confused: :dontknow: :D :D :D :D :D

PS first thing i made was a co-driver seat for my grandkids.... :D
 
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Had two craftsmen mowers.very happy with reliability.Not sure about how they due on steep slopes living here in flat ass.florida.Would def rec.buying one though.
 
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