I need to buy a 36"-42" ?? riding lawnmower that can pickup pine cones and needles, manuever thru 25 mostly pine & oak tree's in the 1/2 acre+ back yard and another 5 trees in the 1/3rd acre front yard...and not break the bank to buy one.

The lawn service guy is charging me $125 a month and ain't gettin' it done too good...so I figger I can buy my own and do the same crappy job until I can teach the BH how to do it better....ya think?

Sooo the ??? is what to buy and how much to spend...looking at $1,000 to mebbe $1500 for a budget. Got a Lowe's, Tractor Supply, Sears, WalMart, McCoy's and some Lawn & Ranch supply stores in town.
Ron

what ever you get, only buy a TWO-cylinder rider;

two-cylinder will last forever (if you at least occasional change the oil)

ANY one-cylinder rider will THROW A ROD by year 3 guaranteed.

I'd sooner buy a used 2-cyl rider (about $600) than ANY new 1-cyl rider.

MTD make most of them. I like Sears because of their warranty and home service. They also have a 42 inch one which has a bagger.

I would step up to a small zero turn. Much more maneuverable between the trees.

OK ...so far so good with ...

#1 2 cylnder & change the oil so it'll run for more than 3? years...

#2 Bagger is a no brainer ...as the local tree guy's gonna charge me $200 to rake sweep ALL the feet deep who knows how many years worth of pine needles and cones down to clean grass, fallen tree limbs etc and I HOPE To God he'll take the 50-60' wide x 15-20'deep x 4' tall pile of bamboo it's taken me a week to cut down & I still need to hit the bigger stumps with a SawzAll to take'em down below surface level ....and only $400 to take down, grind the stump and haul off a 80'-90' tall oak that has a dead crown in it...

#3 Zero turn makes a LOT of Sense too...but I see a potential budget problem ...

What other good ideas to shop for...

We are making a List and Checking it twice...but spent all of last year from coming ashore for the 1st round of the War the last week of April '16 working inside this 50 year old house and about to get a clear cut Final Inside Finsh Out Plan under way.

Had expected this old house to be a 6 month minimum rehab job ...but looking more like a year or more for everything to get done inside and out...with no surprises. It had stood vacant for over 2 years, the husband had passed ummm mebbe 5+ years ago and the wife was finally put in an alzhiemer unit in Arlington where the grown kids live but lived on her own for several prior years ...and I bought it at about 60% of Tax Appraisal @ 40% or less of the average neighborhood price. Sweat Equity is no fun though.
Ron

I have a 21 year old Sears mower with a Kohler 1 cylinder motor. Just keep the oil and oil filter changed and periodically the air filter.

With all the trees I suggest a zero turn (as somebody else already has). Hopefully you can make that happen. And, again, a 2 cylinder. Hydrostatic trans. I have a Deere D130 which I'm happy with after 3 years. I don't have the available bagger but may get one this year.

I think this class of tractor is much like the Chevy - Ford - Dodge debate (though we all know Ford is best)... they are all pretty much the same.

our old Craftsman rider (19hp, 42 inch cut) lasted us about 17 years and was still running like a champ, but 2 years ago both spindles were shot and I had to order the parts which was going to take a couple of weeks and then finding the time to get them installed. We went to Home Depot and bought a new Cub Cadet, 22hp v-twin Kohler hydrostatic, 48 inch cut rider (much better turning radius to trim around trees, 16 inch turn radius) for about $1600 OTD (had a HD 10% off coupon). I have been very pleased so far. They make a 42" cut with slightly smaller engine for around $1500. A bagger attachment can be purchased separately.

When the parts came in and I got installed in the old 17+ year old Craftsman, I listed on Craiglist and it was sold the next day for $600.

I currently have my FIL's old Craftsman that is similar to my old one (~19hp, 42 inch cut, hydrostatic) but considerably newer (likely 2005-2006 model) with very low hours on it that is in my shop that I need to go thru as it's been sitting for 3-4 years, needs a couple of tires patched/replaced, carb/fuel system gone thru, fresh oil & new battery (was running great when he passed) ... that will be for sale in the next month (once MLD season ends) if you might be interested (or would sell cheaper if you want to do the work yourself).


I really wanted to go to a Zero Turn but the price point difference was hard to swallow (about $1000+ more for comparable engine/cut width) and the 16 inch turn radius on the Cub Cadet rider would work for us.

If you go with a John Deere I got a bagger system that fits most of their D series motors that I'll let go of cheap.

My single cylinder 21 hp Briggs powerered sears mower is running fine. I mow 2 acres with it. Going on 5 years old and 4 of the five years were stored outside not covered.

The engine is the best part of it. Uses no oil, doesn't smoke and starts when you look at the key.

Scag zero turn, will last a life time and easy to maintain

Price? Bagger?

Looked Sears the other day, and got overwhelmed with data points and details and NO take home info sheets...the black one that I remember best was a just received last Tuesday, is a 2cylinder 42" that would mow going backwards is THAT a bigdeal???, with a 6 Inch turn radius & not a 16" for around $14-$1500 as I recall. Biggest drawback right now is that the baggers have not been shipped yet and likely won't be available until sometime in early June...which kinda defeats the reason to buy, given that I am drowning in pine cones in this wind.
Ron

Watch for their sales.

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/lawn-and-garden-tractors/xt1/lt42 Xt1

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/lawn-and-garden-tractors/xt2/xt2-lx42-kh-copy-of-lx42 XT2

Go to a dealer don't mess with box stores... you will have to go to a dealer for warranty or service work anyway... also your able to find better dealer exclusive models between brands at a dealer vs box stores...better financing also...

The two links I provided are a good example... XT1 seires is what you will mostly find at box stores.. looks the same but there are differences.. better seat, blue tooth connect, twin cylinder in all XT2 models, bigger battery, and real bearings in the front axle would be the main point... other than the engine... twin engines do come in the XT1 but mainly in larger decks.. XT2 will also offer EFI and smart choke choices with the engines that is a big plus.... both would do you may check out that first one in the 42 it fits the bill on the budget.. but the second one gets a lot more for your $. Hope you find what your looking for

they will all mow backwards a lot have safety systems that you just have to set the key at a certain position and hit a button then take off mowing nothing overwhelming or out of the ordinary

yep, our Cub Cadet is like that ... once running, turn key back a notch (with blade running) and push a button so it will mow in reverse. If I recall there are some models that do not have this option and I would not own one that doesn't mow in reverse.

Yes there is a few with the old standard key switch

MTD makes that, MTD, Ariens, White, Cub Cadet, Yard Man, and Lawn Chief. Murray, another famous store brand makes some of them. Dynamark was and probably still is its own. You have several people misled on who makes what lawn equipment.

There are still differences... same frame/deck but from there even though its the same MTD Cub Cadet has differences even to troybuilt which is the closest related to them... dosnt matter who OWNS them a brand and its dealer support IS what makes them lol

Oh and mark my words you will see craftsman/sears mowers fade out in years to come... the way it looks sears as a whole

MTD also makes the Sears Craftsman

there are many variables ... even if one company makes various different brands, each brand will have their own unique specifications and tolerances to be held elevating or lowering the quality of so called equal units.

I have a Husqvarna 46" and it's been a good mower. $1300 bucks and I learned about the backwards mowing turning key back trick on here.

I would stay away from Sears, their days as a retailer are numbered.