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Recommend a riding mower ?

pixie

pixie

Well-known member
I'm looking for a used mower. Do you have one ten years old that's been good or know what to stay away from ?

I'm thinking cheap.. around $700.

Thanks
 
If you can find one in decent condition, an older Husqvarna is good as long as it was a dealer model and not a store model.
 
$700 that"s not much of a budget. I just sold a 1993 Craftsman for $350. They pounded me to death to sell it for $250
 
$700 is going to get you into a ten yera pold mocel at best. Stay away from Bolens and Craftsmen. Cheap junk

Some Murrays are OK. But any of the 12.5 HP Briggs and Strattons have a fixed jet carb and tend to miss and stutter.

I have a nice Troy built but my kid needs it for his big place. So, coincidentaly, I am also looking for an older model in the $400 to $800 range.

There is an outfit in NC seems tohave a lot of them on good deals. EBay

Bit of a drive from NH

I found this one here close to home and am bidding on it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190655864200?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 
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Well, I got mine. Won the bidding at $420 and right here in town.

Now,for yours do you want to just mow the lawn or use it to pull a wagon, push snow? That matters.

If you want one to do other work, you can forget about the big box store units. Go Troybilt or Husky or even Deere.
Cub cadets will never be in the budget.

Deere, Troybilt, Huskys all have dealers with after market Snow plows and such. Attachments that really work.

And, most importantly, their units are built for attachments.

A Murray, Bolens Craftsmen, are really not.


good luck.
 
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FrancSevin said:
$700 is going to get you into a ten yera pold mocel at best. Stay away from Bolens and Craftsmen. Cheap junk

Some Murrays are OK. But anythe 12.5 HP Briggs and Strattons have a fixed jet carb and tend to miss and stutter.

I have a nice Troy built but my kid needs it for his big place. So, coincidentaly, I am also looking for an older model in the $400 to $800 range.

There is an outfit in NC seems tohave a lot of them on good deals. EBay

Bit of a drive from NH

I found this one here close to home and am bidding on it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190655864200?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Click to expand...
Any garden tractor mower built in the last 20 years...was built to be disposable..It will last just as long as the waranty(or alittle longer)..and then its time to replace.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence ..If you could find a older Cub Cadet or older Wheel Horse..You can still find all the parts you need..and if your handy do all the repairs yourself...:whistling:
 
I cannot argue the validty of your point but,

Those older machines are archaic and brutal tools for mowing the lawn.

Besides, an old, still runing, Cub Cadet still draws a high price.

Great for tilling, plowing snow and hauling a tote trailer. Which is why I asked ,what does the OP, Pixie, really want to do.

That said, here's one in his neighborhood priced in his range.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-Intern...686?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c25072d86
 
Thanks for the replies !

I only need to mow a lawn and the sides of about half a mile of road/driveway.

I have a 4wheeler for trailers and use of a John Deere tractor and Brush Hog. Makes me feel old to even Want a riding mower :yum: But the tractor is overkill for the areas mentioned and doesn't cut very low.

I'm pretty good at fixing things but tend to get PO'd if it needs more fixing than running.
 
If you can find an OLDER model Cub Cadet (before they were bought by MTD) then you'll get a good little lawn tractor. Most of those had Kohler engines and the tractors themselves were over built.
 
Looks like ebay might be the way to go Pixie. Great buy Franc ... least that one looked good.
Every cheap mower I bought while trying to save up for a better mower ended up being a disposable. I had a bolens and a simplicity. They each lasted through two years or so of mowing. Both needed a lot of attention (TLC) and there was a reason the person was selling them. Mowing is a tough job and after so many years / hours of mowing these things just plumb tucker out. As long as you are ready for that and handy with that kind of thing you can make it work for you.

Good luck finding one that will get er done pixie. :thumb:
 
I would buy a Yugo before I'd buy a Bolens to mow my lawn. Both are about as dependable

My house is on 1/3 acre and my grass lawn is so small I can cut it with a weed wacker. I need the Rider for the company plant. About one acre of green to cut there.

Since I will likely sell the company in 2014 when Obamacare is required, the Murray I just bought will suite the porpose. Sounds like Pixie needs one just like it.

Saturday morning in America. 1/4 acre plots of overfertilized green grass, every blade perfect. Old men sitting on lawn tractors, our ample butts sticking out over the side,,,, with the blinker going the whole time. :yum:
 
Try craigslist as well. Local to save shipping. Tons of them for sale around here.

If you were a bit closer, I have something decent in your range. A 1989 garden tractor with an 18HP Kohler twin cylinder. Seat has some rips/cracks but it's otherwise in very good condition.
 
Thanks, BC :flowers:

PA and NY seem to have tons of mowers. Ohio even more. The closest I've found that interested me at all was a 2 hour drive one way.

It's pretty rocky in Maine and NH and people tend to run stuff 'till it's beyond dead. Not good country for used lawn mower shopping :yum:
 
Might want to ask BC what his delivery fee would be. :) Sounds like he has a nice one for sale.
 
Shipping would be a killer but here's a pic of it anyway. It's a garden tractor so it's probably bigger then what it appears in the picture. 1989 I believe. I need somewhere around $500 for it but forum members could probably talk me down a little. :whistling:

Roper at this time was either owned by Electrolux or General Electric during this period.

Electrolux is the world's largest builder of lawn & garden tractors. A short run-down on the company:
1978 - Purchased Partner of Sweden
1979 - purch. Husqvarna of Sweden, which traces roots to 1689
1979 - purch. Jonsered of Sweden
1979 - Weed Eater merged with Poulan
1986 - purch. Poulan/Weed Eater of USA in 1986 from Emerson Electric, and operated as a div. of WCI, White Consolidated Industries Outdoor Products
1988 - purch. American Yard Products of USA
1988 - Partner-Pioneer div. merged into Poulan/Weed Eater, creating the Poulan Pro brand
1989 - purch. Roper outdoor products unit from GE, and renamed American Yard Products
1990 - purch. Allegretti & Co., makers of the Paramount brand and merged into Poulan/Weed Eater
1997 - Poulan/Weed Eater, Frigidaire and American Yard Products combined to form Frigidaire Home Products
1999 - purch. rights to McCulloch products outside of USA
2000 - purch. Blue Bird
2000 - USA operations renamed Electrolux Home Products
2005 - Electrolux announces plans to spin off or sell the Outdoor Products unit
2006 - The Electrolux Outdoor Products unit, including Husqvarna, is spun off into Husqvarna Outdoor Products, part of the new Husqvarna Group.
2006 - Acquired Dixon Industries, a US-based manufacturer of residential zero-turn mowers.
2007 - Purchased the Swedish lawnmower company Klippo.
2007 - Purchased outdoor products division of Japan's Komatsu Zenoah.
2008 - Purchased Jeng Feng Industrial of Taiwan, the owner of the McCulloch brand in North America, thus giving Husqvarna world-wide rights to the McCulloch brand

Source link
http://montana20021.tripod.com/electrolux/
 

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I would consider a 300 series John Deere. They are old enough, that you might find one in your price range or slightly above. They are made by Deere, and were very popular backin the 80's and early 90's. they are heavy built, enough so they are worth rebuilding. Parts are readily avalilabe at the John Deere dealer in your area. These were made long before they cameout with a cheaper line, like the Saber line. The 300's are cast iron axle machines with ample grease zerks, unlike so many others with few or none. True Agrucultural quality and support in an older, but well built machine.

Regards, Kirk
 
Quiet Kirk!!! How am I supposed to get rid of a Roper when you bring a JD300 series into the conversation...
 
i did a little looking on thoes 300's the early kohlers had problems the later kohlers seemed bullet proof i would stay away from any thing with an old flat head arr cooled onan oppsed cylender engine they were a good motor until the main berings go bad and older onan parts can be hard to find walk into your local cummins dealer looking for parts to an older onan motor they will tell you that they are obsolite
 
Melensdad said:
If you can find an OLDER model Cub Cadet (before they were bought by MTD) then you'll get a good little lawn tractor. Most of those had Kohler engines and the tractors themselves were over built.
Click to expand...

Don't have to go that far back with Cubbie.

I have a 2006 Cub Cadet 2000 series shaft drive with hydrostatic that is built like a tank. Kohler Command V Twin engine with the beefed up bottom end (as compared to similar engines and even the Kohler Courage) Cast Iron front axle. Very well built and puts a comparably priced Dear John to shame.

Look for used 1000 series Cubbies in your 700 budget.
 
BRGTold said:
Any garden tractor mower built in the last 20 years...was built to be disposable..It will last just as long as the waranty(or alittle longer)..and then its time to replace.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence ..If you could find a older Cub Cadet or older Wheel Horse..You can still find all the parts you need..and if your handy do all the repairs yourself...:whistling:
Click to expand...

I completely disagree... at least in terms of the older John Deere lawn tractors. I agree with Kirk regarding the John Deere 300 series...

I am the original owner of a 1991 John Deere 318. Onan engine, hydrostatic transmission, power steering, etc. In over 20 years I've probably spent a couple hundred bucks total on parts, and half of that was for a new battery and new front tires. It's a testament to the concept that if you buy a quality product, and you maintain it properly, it will last.

Parts availability is excellent. Nice ones hold their value remarkably well too, just look for them on ebay. But a nice one will be well outside the OP's price range.
 
bczoom said:
Quiet Kirk!!! How am I supposed to get rid of a Roper when you bring a JD300 series into the conversation...
Click to expand...

I might be interested, and I'm less than an hour away... what size deck does it have? How many hours? Do you have more pictures?
 
Hey Andy.

I'm thinking the deck is 42". No idea on hours but it's very clean so it hasn't been abused and doesn't appear to have been used a lot. It was used at my neighbor's camp but then they took their home tractor there and bought a new one for the house. This was a couple years ago. I mowed a stretch about 300' with it then put it away. I know the battery is dead but not sure if it needs a new one. It's currently being stored at the bunker so I can't run out and take pics right now. Have Cub Scouts tonight.

More pics later in the week (tomorrow?) work for you?
 
My neighbor has some baby goats that will be for sale soon. Get 2 of them and if they don't do a good job you can eat them. Try doing that with a John Deere!:hammer::yum::yum:
 
bczoom said:
More pics later in the week (tomorrow?) work for you?
Click to expand...

Sure, I'll let you know if I'm still in need of one in a day or two. Looking at a couple on craigslist tonight in Butler.

I had a Wheel Horse with a 60 inch deck until yesterday, but decided it was WAY too big considering we live in town now. A fellow from Punxy responded to my craigslist ad and drove over last night and paid me $50 less than what I paid for it 3 years ago. I'm looking for something similar with decent quality like I had before, but with a smaller deck (38 or 42 inch), but I might be open to others like the one you have for the right price...
 
It looks like I'm done tractor shopping... Brian, if you find someone else who is interested, go right ahead and sell it to them. My neighbor works at the local tractor dealership and they called me about a trade-in they just received... 2009 John Deere LA125 with 70 hours, priced at $1000.
 
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