Thread: riding mower recommendations?

Have a Ex Mark zero turn going on 5 yrs. No problems, love it, has 13 up engine with 52 in. cut. Has a built-in cup/brew holder, great option.

Originally Posted by oldfisherman

For a conventional style riding mower go with the John Deere 300 series from a dealer only. The smaller models sold by places like Lowe,s are cheaply made imports. My wife keeps 2 1/2 acres cut and slows down for nothing. The bigger series is holding up well so far.

I don't see John Deere allowing their name on a cheap import. The same has been claimed that Walmart guns are cheaply made. That is simply not true.

I've been looking at a lot of mowers, not much closer to a definite pick. Wish there was a test drive option... lol. What ever riding mower i choose I think I'm going to need one of those DR walk behind trail/brush mowers that Haywire suggested to go along with it. For some reason the videos of those things chewing their way through brush makes me smile.

Fordguy, for once the advertising is true. I've been amazed at what mine will do. I would advise that if your new one does not come with the heavy duty blade, to go ahead and get one. Best of luck.

As far as brand of zero turn mowers, I have had very good luck with Gravely. Just bought a new one last year. My son is still using my old one which is about 15 years old and still going. Whatever you get, make sure it has a fabricated deck! Most manufacturers offer several grades of mowers, from no frills consumer grade to heavy duty commercial. I cut 3 acres and normally go with a light commercial.

Gravely walk behind with the later Kohler (12 HP) engine.

Beast doesn’t begin to describe this cast iron monster. Check out the videos on YouTube. They can be had for three or four hundred dollars, with the “mower deck” which is more like a bush hog deck. (The bush hog mower deck is round,...there is a finish mower deck also. It is kidney shaped. There are dozens of attachments the machine can power also.

You can get dual wheels with available adaptors. You can also get a “sulky” also which allows you to sit down and basicaly run it like a normal four wheeled tractor.

There are a few sayings:,...
1) If a gravely can run over it,...it will cut it. (I’ve cut three inch trees down with mine)
2) With the dual wheel adaptors for hill cutting “If a man can walk the hill, a gravely will cut it”.
3) If you lose control of your Gravely in a brush patch. Just wait,...a gravely will come out the other side soon enough.

They’re not the safest machines, with their locked in forward speed controls, and no dead man kill mechanism.
It’s the kind of machine Earnest Hemingway would have owned.....