Troy Built

[J.Henderson]

Has anyone used a Troy-Built 9 horse walk-behind? I priced one today at Lowes and it ran around $1395.00. I would appreciate any opinions on this as I am just startingout this year and about to purchase my first 33".

[Mike Paulsen]

I have one that has the mulch deck on it. I never have thought that it did a very good job. I wish it did, i would use it in a few yards.I have heard other people on hear that like there.

[mdb landscaping]

i was considering the troy built before i bought my first walkbehind. i am so glad i didnt go with it. my scag 48 inch walk behind has 5 speeds and cuts extremely well. this doesnt mean the troy built is bad, but in my opinion, you should spend a little extra money to get a 36 inch or 48 inch walk behind. you get more power, and a better cut with a commercial mower. the scag, or exmark are a lot more productive in my mind, and they will last longer

[BerksLawn]

I have the Cub Cadet and its basically the same but with 8.5hp it cuts great and stripes pretty good i only use side discharge the mulching with it dont work so good. Overall its a great mower my first commercial one and its goin on 3 years even tho it dotn see much action now beacuse of my 48"
but its great for backyards but it aint so good on hills

[bob]

How do those plastic caster wheels hold up? They look like they'd brake easy.

[tomoaktree]

I bought a troybiult 5-6 yrs ago. What a mistake! It was in the shop at least 9 times before I could manage to sell it. It's just not set up to be used commercially . I have all exmark now and haven't had any problems.

Tom

[dmk395]

I have had excellent luck with the 33", but if I were to do it all over again I would look at a 36" Exmark, or something similar. For a little more money it may be worth it, but then again the Troybilt isnt a bad machine at all in my opinion, especially for the money.

[kountryscape]

hey j.hendersen i just happen to be in the QCA. i used to work at one of the garden centers that sold troy-bilt equipment. those troy -bilts aren't all that they are cracked up to be why dont you go see rob wolf over on hickory grove road in davenport. he sells all kinds of commercial equipment, but he also has a big commercial mowing business. good guy to work with.

[BerksLawn]

ive used the cub for 21/2 yrs and im gonan porbably replace the wheels this spring they have sum wear but for 2 years that good the only other problem i had was the deck crakin and i broke a spindle well ran over a small pole so thats why

[Evan528]

Simply put.... the troy built is not a "commercial mower". You can not compare them to exmark or any of the real commercial mowers. Im sure a troy built would be just fine for a home owner but it just wont cut it for commercial use.

[Skookum]

I have used Troybilt 33" mowers for about 6 years now. My first one was the original with just the doughnout mulching deck. I traded for the newer combo deck when they first came out. I will agree with some of the above post about the 33 not being marketed as a commercial unit. But I have never had any problems to where either one had to be in the shop. They use comercial B/S motors and the frames are no less well made than any other mower of comapable size. Today's ZTR's and WB's are nothing but plastic stuff more and more. They are very easy to operate and manuver, especially in small tight areas. You cannot swing a bigger WB around as easily as the Troybilt or drag it backwards like you can the Trobilt.

Everyone goes on about those "plastic" wheels. I admit they make it look cheap, but I have never had a problem with having to air them up like on my Toro 42". They work just fine for what they were intended, mowing a lawn. They will get scuffed up alittle from running over concrete, but you will get many years out of them before you would ever need to even touch them.

I started with the 33 for likely the same reason you are wanting to, "Price". For the money it is a great little mower. It is a great mower to get your feet wet in this business if your not sure about wanting to do it. Alot depends on your mowing sites. I use mine today mainly for small tight yards, as a gate mower, island mower, and backup mower. I have and do use it specifically on commercial sites where other LCO's could only use a 21" due to steep areas and difficult tight spaces that are just not possible with a bigger WB and take forever with a 21".

I will admit that now that I have the money, I would buy a 36-48" WB first since it is your most valuable asset, in my opinion. But I would still have a Troybilt 33 as well, down the road later. It fills that small needed niche, that the other makers try to fill, but at a lower cost.

It is all about what you can afford. A 36-48 Toro, Scag, or Exmark, as examples, would really be a better first mower. But they run about two to three times what the Troybilt does. The Troybilt will serve it's purpose if that is all you can afford right now, and you'll be glad you have it later when you do buy a bigger WB.

That's my opinion anyway!

Also, try Troybilts website, I do not have the url in front of me, but they do offer some better deals online direct from themselves.

[Edited by Skookum on 02-14-2001 at 08:04 AM]

[Double D]

I started out with a Craftsman 33" mower that is almost identical to the Troybilt (Troybuilt, Cub Cadet, White's, and the Sears are all made by MTD). The Craftsman has a 8hp motor, and is green. You can by the Craftsman mower for $999, for another $120 you can get a 3 year maint. agreement. It has been a good mower for me, and every so often I drop it off at the Sears repair center and they do a full check up on the machine, and install new blades. I agree with everyone else, if you can afford it go for an Exmark 36" fixed deck for $2000, if you were like me starting out, the $999 "Crapsman" fit the budget, and has served it's purpose well.
Double D