Seeking New Mower Advice...

Looking at getting a commercial grade lawn mower for myself this Christmas. The size of my yard is just over 1/3 of an acre so it takes me a good bit of time to cut with a small Troy Bilt walk behind mower that was given to me. So I feel like it`s time for me to upgrade to something bigger and better that will help get the job faster. I was originally looking at the Honda hrc and hrx, but have a friend that has an exmark 21 and recommended the 30 inch to me the other day. I also have a brother-in-law that has recommended exmark in the past. So I figured what the heck, I`ll try one out. I went to my local dealer yesterday and borrowed their exmark 30 ($1799 out the door) to demo for the weekend to try out. At first I thought it would be worth every penny, but now I`m wondering if it`s too much of a mower. It seems like it is super simple to use, but the hand operation feels somewhat awkward while playing with it in the garage and it is a very large mower. I have come across the YBravo 25 ($1599) earlier and it looks like an awesome mower with a Honda engine, but slightly smaller cutting deck and a two speed transmission. I am kinda stumped on which mower and don`t really have any experience with any of them. Any thoughts or recommendations on any of these, or any other, would be greatly appreciated guys.

few links here to what I would be loooking at.

Main page:
30-39 Inch Lawn Mowers @ Mowers Direct



walk behind large deck still feels expensive but I could bare it.
Toro 20199 TimeMaster 30-Inch 190cc Personal Pace


if I am spending 1600+ dollars I am not walking. My dad has John deere similar to this does great job on the lawn his is close to 20 years old runs great. smaller ride ons dont leave tire tracks all over the lawn.
Snapper 7800952 RE210 33-Inch 15.5HP Rear Engine Riding Mower 2014 Model


if i had a larger lawn I would bite the bullet get one these.
Ariens 915157 Zoom34 34-Inch 14.5HP Zero Turn Lawn Mower

only thing with ride ons bags not included the range from 300-600$ extra depending on the size. I live up north lawn only grows 2/3rds the year so I would probably go with small ride on with bagger (i am lazy). If i were down south doing the lawn 52 weeks a year I might go with zero turn expensive but awesome machine. If I didn`t have the room to store a ride on I would get 30" walk behind but I have hard time justifying 1600$ for one seems exorbitant for a walk behind mower.

Last year I finally broke down and bought a big snowblower 2000$ and only use it 10-15 times a year (wish it was 0 times a year) while its a lot money for something used so little its some the best money i spent. takes me 1/3 the time to clear all the snow off the driveway which means a lot less time in the stupid freezing cold worth every penny.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trashmanssd

if I am spending 1600+ dollars I am not walking. .

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I like the way you think !!

How long does it take you to mow a 1/3 of an acre with a push mower?

use a calculator to determine if time saved is worth 5 times the money for equipment.

I estimated about 1 hour to mow 1/3 acre with a 21" mower at 2.5 mph.
Keep in mind, the average efficiency is 80% for home lawns with landscaping and other obstacles, turning, etc.

Exceptions: physical disability matters. If one is not fit enough to use a walk behind, then it`s sensible to ride.

Here is the calculator.

Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

You also need to consider small areas that may need trimmed with small mower. Switching equipment to mow small strips,tight spots,etc. can add considerable time to mowing maintenance.

I know this stuff because I spent my life doing commercial real estate development and maintenance efficiency was a key component when developing a property.

I have a 23hp 48" deck Craftsman garden tractor that I bought new in 2000. Still runs like new. I bought this when I had 3 acres and it would average about 3 hours to mow it. It gets used sometimes weekly mostly every two weeks and the only parts replaced have been the battery ( solved that problem with a tender ).

Dave

IMO 1/3 acre is worthy of a ride on. Maybe close to the minimum, but worth it. I use a 21" walk behind on my 1/4 acre and if it were any larger I would consider it too much excercise.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trashmanssd

few links here to what I would be loooking at.

Main page:
30-39 Inch Lawn Mowers @ Mowers Direct



walk behind large deck still feels expensive but I could bare it.
Toro 20199 TimeMaster 30-Inch 190cc Personal Pace


if I am spending 1600+ dollars I am not walking. My dad has John deere similar to this does great job on the lawn his is close to 20 years old runs great. smaller ride ons dont leave tire tracks all over the lawn.
Snapper 7800952 RE210 33-Inch 15.5HP Rear Engine Riding Mower 2014 Model


if i had a larger lawn I would bite the bullet get one these.
Ariens 915157 Zoom34 34-Inch 14.5HP Zero Turn Lawn Mower

only thing with ride ons bags not included the range from 300-600$ extra depending on the size. I live up north lawn only grows 2/3rds the year so I would probably go with small ride on with bagger (i am lazy). If i were down south doing the lawn 52 weeks a year I might go with zero turn expensive but awesome machine. If I didn`t have the room to store a ride on I would get 30" walk behind but I have hard time justifying 1600$ for one seems exorbitant for a walk behind mower.

Last year I finally broke down and bought a big snowblower 2000$ and only use it 10-15 times a year (wish it was 0 times a year) while its a lot money for something used so little its some the best money i spent. takes me 1/3 the time to clear all the snow off the driveway which means a lot less time in the stupid freezing cold worth every penny.

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Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this. I have looked into the Toro timemaster. From my understanding it is virtually the same mower as the exmark 30, but not commercial grade. I have heard toro owns exmark. Which would explain why they look similar. I`m

The main reason I am battling with buying the exmark is because it is so expensive and its a walk behind. I would of thought I could get a "good" rider for close to the same price, but seems like I would have to spend more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan

How long does it take you to mow a 1/3 of an acre with a push mower?

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With the mower I have.... About two hours. It is self propelled, has cheap plastic wheels, and goes at a snails pace. Plus I battle a two piece handle that is constantly trying to bend when I push down to pivot and turn.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Gloss

use a calculator to determine if time saved is worth 5 times the money for equipment.

I estimated about 1 hour to mow 1/3 acre with a 21" mower at 2.5 mph.
Keep in mind, the average efficiency is 80% for home lawns with landscaping and other obstacles, turning, etc.

Exceptions: physical disability matters. If one is not fit enough to use a walk behind, then it`s sensible to ride.

Here is the calculator.

Mowing Calcuator | How many acres can I mow in an hour

You also need to consider small areas that may need trimmed with small mower. Switching equipment to mow small strips,tight spots,etc. can add considerable time to mowing maintenance.

I know this stuff because I spent my life doing commercial real estate development and maintenance efficiency was a key component when developing a property.

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Thanks for the link. I wish it only took me an hour to cut my yard lol. Which is why I`m looking at the bigger blade mowers. The faster I can cut my grass the more time I can spend detailing or throwing the football with my boy [emoji41].

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dogfather

IMO 1/3 acre is worthy of a ride on. Maybe close to the minimum, but worth it. I use a 21" walk behind on my 1/4 acre and if it were any larger I would consider it too much excercise.

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I felt the same way last time I cut my grass. It took me so long and was exhausted afterwards.

Here is a pic of my 21" Troy and the 30" exmark I am demoing.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...328eb086b1.jpg

The Exmark is definitely a nice yard machine.

Suggestion: Contact a few landscapers and inquire about used walk-behind mowers.

Craigslist in my area has listed a 32" Exmark, Like New condition, extra blades. $650.00

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Gloss

The Exmark is definitely a nice yard machine.

Suggestion: Contact a few landscapers and inquire about used walk-behind mowers.

Craigslist in my area has listed a 32" Exmark, Like New condition, extra blades. $650.00

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That`s a great idea bud. I actually have a lot of friends that do landscaping and will check if any of them how some decent mowers they want to sell.

Well I just got done trying the exmark 30, and I have to say I don`t think it`s for me. It is extremely heavy! When I first loaded it into the truck I didn`t think it was that heavy at all. But after using it for a day the 170lbs take a toll on you quick. The self propelled handle is also super awkward. It`s almost really out of reach and when you do get a hold of it, it`s either go full speed or at a walking pace. There is no happy medium. I`m glad I got the chance to demo it before wasting the money buying it.

I think sometime this week I`m going to try and get a ybravo 25 from another shop if I can. It only weighs 117lbs and has a 25" cutting deck. Apparently you can get it with a Kawasaki or Honda gsx motor so that is a plus as well.

If anyone has any other recs please let me know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trashmanssd

few links here to what I would be loooking at.

if i had a larger lawn I would bite the bullet get one these.
Ariens 915157 Zoom34 34-Inch 14.5HP Zero Turn Lawn Mower

only thing with ride ons bags not included the range from 300-600$ extra depending on the size. I live up north lawn only grows 2/3rds the year so I would probably go with small ride on with bagger (i am lazy). If i were down south doing the lawn 52 weeks a year I might go with zero turn expensive but awesome machine. If I didn`t have the room to store a ride on I would get 30" walk behind but I have hard time justifying 1600$ for one seems exorbitant for a walk behind mower.

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Remember, a zero turn lawnmower turns using differential power (like a tank). That can tear up a lawn, particularly one which is wet. (I have a perennial wet spot at the bottom of my hill and a zero turn mower just can`t be used at certain seasons - which seasons are also the heavy growing seasons).