need a new 21" mower.

[Don32]

New to the site and so far I have been impressed with the information available. I am in no means a commercial lawn company but I will be taking on 3-4 residential lawns this spring and looking for a new 21" self propelled mower. I would love to purchase a larger walk behing but not in budget and for 3-4 lawns not really worth it for me right now. I currently have a deere JS63 for mysef only which I know is strictly residential but so far I like and have had no problems in 5 years except for new gas tank. Looking for others out there that may be a good option. Price obviously important but not the most. Looking for something dependable and ease of maintaining and servicable.

Thank you and again, good site.

[marko]

I would say a commercial Toro (Proline). One could be had for $899 for the non blade brake model. Keep in mind that you will get 4 - 5 years wear on your mower in the 1 year that you use it. I would keep the deer since you like it and dont replace till it gives up the ghost.

[Trukfr8]

I also only mow 3 lawns myself. I actually use used Lawnboy's. They are cheap and never break down (much). Look at ebay for some mowers.I like Lawnboys cause they have side chutes, I personally hate rear baggers. For a small 21" mower, I highly recommend Lawnboy.

[NEPSJay]

we use honda commercial 21" hydros exclusively... what a mower!!

[lawnboy dan]

sad to imform you lawnboys are only sold as rear baggers now. they are the same as a toro but painted green . i use older lawnboys too but the best 21 is the john deere jx75 . honda second best -toro 3rd

[South Florida Lawns]

What is their size? Although pricey I would seriously look at the Toro Proline series, in the $800-1200 price range. It will seriously last a long time if you take care of it.

[Pecker]

http://www.billygoat.com/site/intro.aspx?pid=19

[South Florida Lawns]

http://www.billygoat.com/site/intro.aspx?pid=19

How do they hold up. I never seen one in use.

[lawnspecialties]

After finally giving up on Exmark's Metro 26 ever coming in (they were way behind in production), I decided to just buy something cheap but decent to get me through the summer. Bought a Husqvarna at Lowe's for a little over $440. It has a Honda 5.5 hp engine, ball bearing wheels, and hydrostatic drive. By no way is this a Toro proline or Honda commercial but with all the negative feedback I've heard of the Metro 26, I'm keeping this little gem 'til it drops!

[Gene $immons]

Toro proline with the Honda engine.

[Envy Lawn Service]

I agree, keep the JS63 till it drops and keep saving money.
Then maybe you can step to something a bit beyond a 21"

I wouldn't waste my money on a 'commercial' 21" right now...
And I sure wouldn't waste the money on a Toro Proline.

[Envy Lawn Service]

How do they hold up. I never seen one in use.

I'd like to know also... never even looked at the Billy Goat stuff.
Both the 24" and 33" look interesting.

[Gene $immons]

Whats wrong with Toro?

[Envy Lawn Service]

Whats wrong with Toro?

I've talked about it on here before...
I've just never liked mine.
The engine is reliable, the BBC is handy and it bags well.
But the drive system sucks and all it's good for is bagging.

[Gene $immons]

I like mine but the biggest problems have always been the drive gears wearing out quickly. The Hondas seem heavy.

[Pecker]

How do they hold up. I never seen one in use.

Don't know but I'd like to because I'm thinking of selling my Toro Proline 32" and going this way since I don't have many backyards of size. . .

BTW, I like your avatar - it reminds me of me!

[KS_Grasscutter]

I have a John Deere JX75, had for a couple years. I love it. I also have a PersonalPace toro, and I hate the drive system and I dont like the design of the bag. My neighbor had a John Deere 21" that he had for over 20 years, and it had no major problems (i think)

[Critical Care]

I can understand that once you acquire a few accounts then you start thinking that you need something dependable. You’ve done will with your JS63, but perhaps now you should think about keeping it as a backup mower.

With only a few accounts and no interest in expanding, you could get by with a slightly improved mower without all of the luxuries such as five speeds or a hydrostatic transmission, or you could look for a used but clean commercial grade mower that may offer more, but at a reduced price. Of course, our eyes are generally bigger than our wallets and what you want and what you need may be two different things. However with that said, do anticipate the future, because like so many other people on here, those 3 or 4 lawns were just the start to many to come.

[PMLAWN]

I tried a Billy Goat and found it very hard to use. Switching gears was a pain and backing up took a lot of effort and time.
On a budget for that size mower I would look at the Quick first