How about a 1/2 dozen goats.....cheap and they give back milk.

 

I would love to see my neighbor's reaction to that!!

I can't believe I am concidering spending 2000+ on a lawn mower???

 

Jeff, don't you have a commercial service or some neighborhood kid who'll cut it? It takes someone who knows some stuff to do a proper job with herbicides, fertilizer, soil conditioner and all that, but any grade school kid can push a mower.

Let's see, $20 a shot, a dozen times a summer - you're good for about eight years. Doesn't make sense to stick two grand into a machine that you need for a dozen hours a year. Maybe you can trade mowing for welding and fabricating on the mowers. Free up cash immediately, save storage space and save time - the only non-renewable rescource there is.

 

I bought a Swisher mower last spring at Rural King. They make from 42" to 66"mowers. I mow my own and my mom's, a total of about 3/4 acre. I got the 42" and love it. I think it was about $2500. I agree with Jim's reasoning about hiring it done, but it would cost me about $75 a week to have both done. After the cost of the mower, I use about 1 1/2 gallons of gas a week. The mower is heavy duty and well made. It is not a Dixie Chopper and doesn't run 15mph, but I didn't need that. They only stocked the 50" and larger and had to special order mine. I highly recommend this mower. They're made in JimLou's neck of the woods and have been building mowers since the 1940's.

 

I bet those goats are starting to look a lot better........

 

Two weeks ago I saw a Riding Craftsman LT1000 (about 4 years old with a 19.5 B&S engine, 46" mowing deck) sitting in a neighbors field with a plywood sign saying "For Sale... CHEAP". I went over that night and asked how cheap was cheap? He said: "$100 and I never have to see it again!." I took me about 5 seconds to write out the check and buy it.

Why did he get rid of it?

It needed a new starter. He'd taken it to a shop in Spokane and that's what they told him. They were right the starter was bad. But I went to a local small engine shop and ordered a $20 part to fix the starter... came home and installed it and the rest is history. Not a bad buy. Now I'm watching Craigs List for a snowblower attachment for it.

Find a used mower you can fix up... and run it for the next 20 years. One of the last mowers I had lasted 27 years and then I gave it to the guy who bought my house to maintain the acre of grass.

IMHO... used is the way to go... and then you don't need to get up every day an milk those goats!

 

Larry when I bought my cub I whole heartedly agreed with you. The problem I am running into is with a full time job (46hr week min) and a full time The mower is starting to loose. It would take a 300.00 part to get the cub mowing again. The same 300.00 part I had to put into it 3 years ago. If it were just that I would fix it, but it is also the dyin deck and the worn out hanger assembly. All of that is fixable and reasonably easy, but it takes up time I cannot squeeze out of my day... I am afraid that as much as I love my cub, it is about to be history. It even has a newer kohler in it.

As for having someone mow for me, I would love to but the neighbor kids around here wouldn't touch a yard for 20.00. It is more like 50.00 that works out to 200 a month,,,, that is more than my last jeep payment!

 

I just retired my 1988 John Deere STX 38. It was blowing oil back into the carb and was getting hard to run. I bought it used almost 10 years ago and paid $500. Traded it in for $100. Not a bad investment overall.

I bought a new Deere X300 this spring. Nice machine. I work for John Deere so the pricing is a little better for me.

Here's the deal. The higher priced models are usually made in Horicon, WI. They are the better machines and have a life expectancy of 20 years. The Lowe's A100 series are made in Greeneville, TN. They are made to compete with Craftsman and biased-I would buy one of those if that was my budget.

X300 is normally priced at $3000. $3000/20 years = $150/year.
A130 is around $1900. $1900/8 years = $237.50/year.

Now I realize you are looking at different models than the tractors, but the same mathematical analysis will apply.

If you buy new, spend the extra cash to get a better machine if you intend on keeping it. Some people do not want to maintain things themselves so the lesser model is better for them.

I also recommend driving them. Deere dealers still let you test drive them.

 

Brihno:

Does the 300 have seperate pump and drive units or are they together on each rear wheel?

I couldn't work today so we drove around to a few dealers. We really liked the 2600.00 Cub Cadet with a 22 hp Kawasaki engine. I am just a bit hesatant about the newer cub cadets.

We found a Snapper today that I really like but I think it is under powered. It has an 18 hp Kohler engine. Nothing to sneeze at, but I wanted something in the 22-25 hp range. We have a thick heavy yard that has killed many a mower.
The thing I really like about the Snapper is it has a main hydraulic pump that drives 2 individual drive units. That is how the comercial units work. This one is supposed to be the top of the line residental mower and uses all the deck bearing housings and the like that the pro models use. course it cost 3500.00

 

Just wondering...if they make snow plow attachements for jeeps? Why not a mower attachment?

So, how much does a cost goat in your area?

 

Last time I was at an auction about 30.00 for scrubs, registerd quite a bit higher..

The more I think about it the more I want to fix the cub....

 

Why not a mower attachment?

Make your own:

 

 

Mower

I looked at Sears a while back for a ZTR mower and the salesman said that the Sears brand ZTR was made by Simplicity and was a piece of junk. The rest of theirs were supposed to be made by Husqvarna. Consumer reports said the John Deere 225(I don't remember the letters in front of the numbers) was the best rated noncommercial unit.

 

Gravely.....

 

Aaron can you elaborate on that a bit, because I have been looking at them as well.

 

get one... they are the Rockwell of mowers...

 

Jeff, My best friend works for Cub and every once in awhile he gets a sweet deal on a unit that is returned by an unsatisfied customer (wife got pissed) want me to check with him and see what he has access to right now?

Or you could always go with a slightly modified version like the one below.

 

Thanks for the offer, but it looks like I am between fixing my old and a snapper. I found that all the cubs I can afford are made by MTD. Nice to hear from you ..

 

Actually MTD makes all Cub-Cadets and has for several years. International sold out to them years ago. MTD also make Troy Built and Huskee (TSC) and they make cheap mowers for wally world too... yard machines

Recently MTD bought out the old tractor line called WHITE, look for a new side by side to come out in a couple of years.... I don't know much but I can talk mowers with you guys.

 

Well you already know more than I do....

I was planning to buy a new Cub until I heard about the MTD deal then crawled under one. I drive my mowere with less regard than I do my jeep, so it needs to be tough..

Hey where is that website you promised me??

 

Hey where is that website you promised me??

Welcome to the Frontpage
there is a whole board for lawn mowers

 

Funny Why is it every time I decide to buy something I can't get anyone to sell it to me. Played phone tag half the day today just trying to get a straight answer on a Snapper. pathetic... It is a mower for sake...

 

Are you talking about Gravely? A buddy has one that must be forty years old. It seems to be right next to indestructible.

 

They are, and they make alot of attachments for them too. My father owned one approx. 40 years ago and I had to mow the lawn, there sure wasn't much that thing wouldn't cut. I hated it but it sure worked good, took me awhile to figure out why he took me off lawn detail, seems every time I used it we wound up with one less tree in the yard, the last time was when I took out the 3" (trunk size) red maple and that mower never slowed down, boy he was angry too. I bought a JD 727A XTR with the mulching kit, this is my 3rd summer using it and no problems, paid 5K for it out the door and my lawn looks like a putting green. I still have my 21" JD push mower and weed eater I bought approx 27 years ago and they work like a champ. Don't need the push mower anymore, just pull it out and run it every now and then. Never liked the Cub Cadets or Farmalls, we had them both, the engine on the Cub was junk, air cooled and had an aluminum head and was always in the repair shop cause of head wrarpage, we also had issues with the mower belts and pulley's, once you get rid of the chains, belts, and pulleys you'll do fine. It cracks me up to see these people that live in the grand houses around here, biggggg cars and you know they need a little extra cash cause they are selling their brand new riding lawnmower, like thats going to make the house payment. XTR'S, Gravely's, alllllll excellent mowers, do your homework and go get you one you'll like it, just remember you get what you pay for.

BOOGER

"Sometimes Insanity and Genius walk the same side of the street"

 

the engine on the Cub was junk, air cooled and had an aluminum head and was always in the repair shop cause of head wrarpage

Newsflash! Having grown up in the lawnmower shop of IH dealership (+ my dad's own shop), outside of a few 25-30 y/o Kohler & Wisconsin engines... everything else had an AL head!

That trendy "water-cooled" BS didn't happen until the manufacturers started dreaming up new ways to lure folks with more $$ than common sense and trying to make their equipment more prone to long stays in the repair shops... :smirk:

 

As far as I know, Gravely didn't. I still won't own an IH product and haven't. I didn't have the time to "hang out" at lawnmower shops, by that time in life I had seen more car engine internals and was tooooo busy with boats, outboards and spending time on the water and back in the brush. Most folks around here don't repair mowers they thrash em and trash em, heck, I don't even cut the grass, trim, etc. around here I just do the equipment maintenance, I did sit in the seat of the JD 727A one time though. Newsflash, right now I'm just waiting for Deer season to start, I've seen quite a few around here that need to be in one of my freezers, and with one Jeep build under my belt this year I have 2 more waiting on the assembly line to do before fall sets in.

BOOGER

"Sometimes Insanity and Genius walk the same side of the street"

 

I am over run with deer, had to run one out of my flower beds this morning... come get ya one!!!

 

One? Just one? My son and I killed 18 last year, I'm down to almost one left in the freezer, I'll be out before the season starts this year. In 2006 we killed 27 and that meat lasted all year long, we ran out just past new years. I'd rather eat Deer than beef, we've eaten sooooo much Deer these last few years I'd rather have Deer than beef. Season starts I might have to take you up on that free one, Thanks.

BOOGER

"Sometimes Insanity and Genius walk the same side of the street"

 

I'll be out before the season starts this year.

Scouting, of course.