MTDPro

[columbiaplower]

What do you guys think?Do any of you guys have any of these products? The prices on the website seem kinda high.

[Richard Martin]

Looked at the prices and just kept moving. Buy an Exmark. They are cheaper.

[columbiaplower]

yeah and better quality too

[southside]

MTD. Made. To. Disintegrate.<br>Enough said.<p>Karl<br>

[batman]

Gentleman, it's obvious you haven't checked into the MTD Pro line very well. The MTD Pro line is made by a company called CTP (Commercial Turf Products. This company was created in a joint venturship with Lesco about one and a half years ago. The design of these mowers came from Lesco and was improved upon by the engineers at MTD. MTD spend more on their research & development than any other company spends on their entire operation. The MTD/Lesco mowers have the heaviest decks inthe industry, have a far superior caster arm, have a heavier guage handle and come standard with the latest Kawasaki engines to be created. I would highly suggest that you rethink your purchasing position and talk to your local Lesco and/or MTD dealer next week. You will probably be surprised at what you find out!

[yardsmith]

yes & huffy makes look-alike BMX racing bikes too, but they still come from huffy.<br>How does that saying go; If huffy built an airplane, would you fly in it?<br>Joking aside, MTD's are still on the lower half of the totem pole. SO, if that appeals to you, or you are just getting started, this may be exactly what you're looking for. <br>I was always drilled with the philosophy to &quot;buy the best you can afford&quot;, & &quot;if it's a toss up between one you like alot, & one that's #2 choice, but better quality/brand, go with the step up&quot;.<br> Again, you get what you pay for, & the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low cost is forgotten.<br>Guess all those old cliche's have their purpose in life after all.<br>Their mowers are definitely getting better, but not enough to get my money for where I'm at in this stage of my business. If I was just getting started, they might be a good step into the commercial mkt.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<p><br>

[geogunn]

lesco walk behinds of the pre-MTD variety are very common in my area. I know they are a good product because I've runthehell out of one.<p>leading back to the original post, I'd like to hear from someone that owns a post-MTD version.<p>at my lesco dealer they've got the 54 inch hydro, 19 hp kawi, floating deck (stamped, like a john deere wb) for $3700. same version 48 inch, 17 hp kaw double w/electric start for $3500. folks, that aint bad!<p>GEO

[Eric ELM]

Batman, I am open minded about equipment until I try them out at least. Lesco brought out a Viper for a guy I know to try and invited me to try it too. He dropped it off and we had nothing but problems with it. The first thing I noticed is a back wheel seemed loose. The lug nuts were about to fall off, the holes were oval shaped from the previous demo. The tires had 30 lbs. of air in them. The blades were so dull it wouldn't hardly cut and the motor ran like crap. The fuel mixture was so rich it would hardly run. I can't believe a dealer would send out anything like this to try to impress somebody. Once we got the lugnuts tight and some air let out so it didn't ride like a lumber wagon, I decided I wouldn't trade my 6 year old (at that time) Chopper for one even up or if they gave me some to boot. It was very hard to steer and there was nothing about it that I liked.<p>This other guy decided he could save $400 by buying it instead of a Chopper and has been sorry ever since. His has been in the shop a lot, wheel motor, pump, the deck has been messed up and fixed several times (you know, the one's that have the heaviest decks in the industry), he bent his on an old rotted stump. Now the cooler is leaking and they told him they would just eliminate it, Lesco found out it isn't necesary to have them anymore and they have had several that leaked, so they aren't putting them on the new ones anymore. That is total BS, not needing coolers.<br>So the moral of the story is, you couldn't get me to use one if you gave me one. They had a drawing for one this spring, I told this guy if I won it, he could have it for a back up. I didn't want it.<p><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[batman]

Eric, sorry for the problems your buddy had with his equipment. My partner and I have sold several Vipers and have had no complaints.<br>I guess it is all in who you are dealing with. Tell him good luck in his future dealings.<br>

[lakegastonla]

To the people of this forum who speak without THINKING OR KNOWING the facts, I say get a life. I use a mix of two brands of walk behinds: bob cat and lesco belt drive walks. The Lesco machines are absolutely first rate. It is easy to down a product when you have NO experience with it or when you have a friend(who may not know his *** from a hole in the ground) who talks bad about a product. I HAVE read some complaints about the viper, but the walks are 1st rate machines and ALL of the people I have talked to who actually OWN or have used(cut) with the walks love them. In short, don't spout off a load of crap when you don't know what you are talking about. Be fair to all the brands until you have experience with them. I had a new exmark that was FALLING APART two weeks after we bought it. I don't try to make rash generalizations about the whole exmark line based on the performance of that one mower. But, I will also never buy another one.

[Hardy Enterprises]

I have a MTD pro hydro walkbehind and I have had no problems with it. All I have done is run it. I have it stumps that have almost throwed me over the handle bars without bending the deck. It cuts grass great. The only two complaints I have are the brackets for the anti-scalp roller need to be heavier and the 48&quot; deck doesn't cut tall stems such as bahia grass very good.<p>Jay

[yardsmith]

everyone who has responded to this post & gave particular details HAS used one, including myself. If you think everyone should think like you or agree that ANY mower is THE best one, you obviously are on the wrong forum. Read the countless posts from the last 45 days on who thinks what mower is best. We give our opinions based on field experience of us or those we know in the same line of work. The original question was &quot;What do you guys think?&quot; concerning MTD pro mowers. <br>Also, like cars, I never buy the 1st year or 2 of a new model-wait until they get the bugs worked out.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<p>

[lawrence stone]

Lake gas wrote:<p>&gt; The Lesco machines are absolutely first rate. <p>I have a 13 year old 52&quot; Toro that I paid $700 for that will provide a better quality of cut in any conditions that any new or used<br>lesco mower ever produced.<p>I can mow bluegrass at 2&quot; that's 10 days old<br>with old gator blades and you can't tell that<br>the grass was not bagged.<p>Tell me can you get this same performance from any Lesco machine?<p>Oh that's right you don't have nice thick<br>bluegrass/ryegrass lawns down south.

[Evan528]

lawrence..once again you crack me up! i was just at my local lesco warehouse about 3 weeks ago and i was discussing the lesco mowers with the manager, these were his exact words... &quot; the walkbehinds are ok, the vipers have had nothing but problems, overall our mowers are not our best quality products!&quot; personally i have not used the new lesco walkbehinds made by mtd but i have used the old ones and they cut ok but there construction seems alright... i wouldnt count on one for my main mwer though. i definitly wouldnt touch the new mtd one... mtd has too be the biggest shi* out there! im surprised home depot dosnt sell there commercial mowers for them too!

[dylan]

I've got a mtd 14 hp 48&quot; gear drive.<br>In the first 5 months I broke the deck right off the machine (the welds cracked and I did not even hit anything). The service was terrible. Two weeks late on delivery and missing the bag. Needed an air filter. Promised in 2 days, took 2 weeks.<br>Blew a gasket on the Kaw. and it took 5 weeks to get a replacement. Needless to say, I have not been impressed.

[Eric ELM]

Karl-Southside wrote:<p>&gt;MTD. Made. To. Disintegrate.<br>Enough said.&lt;<br><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.townserver.com/elm/&quot;&gt;Eric@ELM&lt;/a&gt;<br>

[EDL]

I bought a lot of lesco products when i started up, and have learned that they were junk, the walkbehinds do not cut for $^%$, they are not as comfortable as other mowers, and do not manuver as quite as well as other machines. there blowers fall apart and are under powered unless you buy the 16hp for $2500

[Evan528]

16hp for a push blower? must weigh 400lbs! little wander is the only way to go for a push blower!<br>

[EDL]

Sorry i forgot to mention that it is hydraliclly drive, or else you would have some large arms