Landscaper Supply Mowers Good or Bad?

[Jason Pallas]

I've gone back a re-read quite a few threads on this subject. Looking for experienced responses. We're thinking about trying one of these Landscaper Supply 48" belt drives. (It's about $800 less than the Exmark). My employees will and do break anything. We do all repairs in house - so service isn't really an issue - parts availability is. The engines (14 Kaw) and tranny (Peerless) are the same (as Exmark, Bunton, Bobcats, etc) - so to a certain extent we can expect some similarity in performance. What about the rest? Quality of cut? Breakdowns - deck welds, etc?
I'm gonna end up fixing the unit anyway (we cut about 450 a week - so there's a lot of wear and tear). My question is, at the 48" belt drive level, is the Landscaper Supply really that different from an Exmark? I've read great things about the Exmark brand (we've been using Buntons for the past 10 years or so). Are the Landscaper Supply mowers as bad as some of you have said or is it just a question of service from local dealers?

I don't mean to re-thread an old subject, but your input is greatly regarded.

[Greenkeepers]

I've never used them... I think for the extra $ I would buy the exmark. Can you demo one to compare it??

[John DiMartino]

My neighbor across the street has one,he bought it this year.It is a 48 with a 14hp.it stripes great,and cuts as good as my Dixie,he hasnt had any problems yet,but its only 1 season old.

[Jason Pallas]

As far as I know, there's no way to demo it around here. I contacted a sales rep - for reference, he said that a lot of scag parts are interchangable. I'm seriously thinking about giving one of these a try.

[Greenkeepers]

Jason-

If you're going to do all the work in house on the machine, then if it does what John D. says then it would be worth saving $800. I don't think that they've been around long enough to get a longevity reading from this. If I'm correct they came out 2 yrs ago!

[Runner]

Check the gauge of the steel on the deck and the chassis out. Oh yeah, it DOES make a difference! What kind of bearing are they running? What size axles does it use? What are they made of? The transmissions are Peerless, but what MODEL of Peerless? (Yes, there are different ones-some lighter duty) How is their service SUPPORT? In other words, do you have a rep call you back that same day if you have questions or problems? I'll tell ya, you try to save 800 bucks on a major investment like this, and it could be the most expensive 800 dollars you'll have ever had. I know I wouldn't risk it. ESPECIALLY if I've got two other guys out in the field running this stuff! Just my .02.

[John DiMartino]

I never even got close to the mower and looked at though,so dont go by me-this guy is very good to his equipment-always sharp blades,machine is well kept.I do hear him wind it to the max all the time-then engage the blades-I cant beleive he is still on his original belt,I hate when he does that-the belt chirp sounds terrible.

[Eric ELM]

John: Is that mower used for your neighbors lawn only or is it used every day? This might only have less than a weeks use for a Pro. Most home owners use them an hour a week or 30 hours a year, where a Pro uses them at least 30 hours a week.

[BRL]

They've been making those mowers since '95 I believe. I had a part time job at one of their locations a couple of years ago. I have one of those that I bought in '97. Its still alive. I believe I was told they are a Bunton knock off, courtesy of a Bunton engineer that left them to work for Black Rock which LS bought out a few years ago to have that line of mowers for themselves. My memory is getting hazy in my old age, but that is close to the story.
Buying this mower taught me the hard learned lesson that you get what you pay for. However, since I was just starting out, the price was right for me & that mower has paid for itself a couple of times over for sure. It got my business going after my original well used & abused Kees started to break down too much (that mower was an '83 and the quality of cut & ease of use was much better than the brand new '97 LS). There are no service centers at the dealers for these machines so you are on your own (any service place can fix them, but I'm sure you won't be first in line). I am somewhat mechanically inclined so this was never a problem for me. The quality of cut is definitely not as good as the higher priced mowers, but overall I did not have any major problems with this unit. I will say that while working for them, many of their mowers came back for warranty work and at that time they had some major quality control issues at their manufacturing plant. These problems may or may not have been since addressed, so they may be put together correctly again. That's my .02

[John DiMartino]

That mower does about 15-20 yards a week,he's PT lawn care right now loking to go full time soon.

[thelawnguy]

"). There are no service centers at the dealers for these machines so you are on your own (any service place can fix them, but I'm sure you won't be first in line). "

each dealer is independently owned, so how they resolve service issues is up to the individual dealer.

My neighborhood LS uses the equipment shop across the street for warranty service. They have an agreement, LS warranty work is first in line. The guy does work on my exmark on occasion, and even I get first priority.

[Jason Pallas]

I talked to a rep today, he told me that a lot of the parts are Scag interchangeable. The deck is 7 gauge (same as most Exmarks and Scags). The tranny is a 9 spline Peerless 70070 - I know this is the same as the Exmark and I think Scag uses it too. Engine is a Kaw 14 hp 420fv. It seems like a good machine. I'd like to be able to actually look at it to see the axle and the spindles/pulleys and also the brake setup. I'd hate to buy it and be cursing the fact that I didn't spend the extra money for one of the other mowers. But, I could easily use that money to buy other parts and equipment. With the amount of work we do I know we'll have to do repairs on anything - question is - on what and how often - and how quick can I get the parts. My choices remain:
Landscaper Supply 48" (over the internet) for about $2250
Exmark Metro 48" at the local dealer for about $2995
Exmark Viking 48 "Hydro (Demo model) another dealer $2699 (with full warranty)
Scag 48" at Alamia for about $2900
(a liitle weary of the electrical clutch thing)

The local shop that we did most of our OEM business with went out of business. We do most of our parts ordering with J. Thomas (highly reccomended!) - so I've got no particular loyalty to any dealer. The nearest Exmark dealer is a good guy and I do now go to him for Redmax and Echo parts. All other things being equal, I'd buy from him, but things are far from equal. What do you guys think? What would you guys buy?

[turfquip]

Jason, if you are going to spend 2250 over the net why not buy a Toro? The number for Savilles Power Equipment is at my site on the commercial mowers link.

[lbmd1]

Jason,
Ed from turfquip is correct. Savilles power equip in Orchard park( Buffalo, NY) is selling 48" belt drive Toro's with the Tbar steering for $2250. I am thinking about buying 2 since my wife's son in law just bought one last week. This is an excellent deal for a Toro! It's a tried and true commercial mower with a Toro warranty that will last for many years.


Mike

[Jason Pallas]

Thanks I'm going to look into that.

[eslawns]

I have a 48" LS with a 14 Kawi. It's cut for 2 full seasons, and I do 40-50 residentials a week. I've used Toro, Encore, Exmark, and Lesco. I don't like the T-Bar steering, but otherwise these are all good mowers. I can say that if I get another walk behind, it will come from Landscapers Supply. The only thing I've done so far is change oil and filters. Also, I get my repair and PM parts from there, and have good service. I get things shipped to my door, faster and cheaper than I can get them from a dealer. BTW, you can cross reference their parts in the catalog if you need to get them from a local dealer.

[Runner]

Well? There's a praise! I'll tell you though, Jason, that Viking hydro for $2699 sounds pretty good! Another thing, You're really not that far away from us. Do your price comparing, then give a call up here to our dealer. (Exmark, Gravely, and Skag) The name of the dealer is Atherton Road Sales and Service and I'm willing to stake my reputation on it that they are about the best in the state for service and dependability. I know this from personal experience, others, and what Exmark reps say. They have a web address, I think it's AthertonRoadSales.com and can be found through the dealer locator on Exmarks site. They can really work with you on prices since they move so much. There are alot of sales from as far as you. The best thing is, that these guys will keep you up and cutting. If something needed work, (though it probably won't) they'll fix it right on the spot for you while you wait, and prompt. If it's gonna take them awhile, no problem. They will give you a free demo to take with you. A REAL demo. See ya in a day or two! They ALWAYS have demos available! They told me when I bought mine, if they don't have one available, they'll pull one off the floor to take. Now, THAT'S service! They're having their open house pretty soon, and they have BIG savings at that time. Every year they have the factory reps come in, they lay out a nice buffet, and they sell ALOT of machinery! So, that should tell you SOMETHING about their pricing. Look them up, and give them a call, and they will give you an invite. It would be worth just asking. Their number is on their website, and ask for J.W..(no relation to George):) Tell them Joe sent you. Good luck with it, and Thanks again to J.W. and John from service!

[Jason Pallas]

Thanks - I'm going to give them a call this week. I walked into my local Exmark dealer yesterday (to check something out on the Exmark). They must have been reading my posts or something because he was falling over himself to answer my tech questions and told me that they'd cut me a good (better price) deal - since their open house was comming up soon. I told him that if that were true, we'd consider buying 2. Still waiting on the Landscaper Supply catalog - but the Exmark looks good for now.