Mower purchase advice

[VTFly]

Hi! I mow 0.9 acres in Blacksburg, VA. My Cub Cadet 2155 42 inch mower is 10 yrs old and is about to die- the deck is very, very beaten up and the seat fell off (metal fatigue). My lot is hilly and is a rough lot- it was never smoothed. I also have rocky limestone outcrops in spots that project about 2 inches off of the ground. We also have more than 30 shrubs/bushes to mow around.

I have looked at ZTRs, lawn tractors, and midsize mowers. Right now, I am leaning towards a 36 inch fixed deck mower. The decks on the lawn tractors do not look to be strong enough to take the occasional encounter with a rocky outcrop, and the ZTRs would be hard to handle the 30 degree slopes I have in spots.

Questions:
1. For a homeowner, what is the practical difference between gear versus hydro drive in a walk behind?
2. Is a heavier fixed deck better or worse than a floating deck for a rough lot?
3. What brands would you recommend? We have gravely, exmark, and toro in our area.

Thank you very much for your help! Feel free to email me if you wish; tmack@vt.edu
:usflag:

[elshauno]

Get a Quick 36. From what Ive heard they are by far the best bang for the buck and most shops should be able to work on them. Hydro is the way to go. You should be fine with a fixed deck on a walkbehind but just check out the link to Q36 at the top of the page.

[davidcalhoun]

Have you considered rough service mowers like DR Power or the Gravely Rapid series? Might be an option if you would like to use other attachments (grader bade, generator, or snow blower).

THe DR also has a "bladeless attachment" that might work in your application. It mentions that it works over rocks and stones.

If you go with a commercial walkbehind unit, see if you can get some kind of swinging blades for it (kind of like the blades on a Cub Cadet Z-Wing). If not, keep a lot of extra blades on hand.

[BUCKEYE MOWING]

I think the Quick 36 is the way to go ...price, quality and ease of use are what need. ...wait till feb and you can get a 44" from them ...
quick36.com

[ed2hess]

I think the Quick 36 is the way to go ...price, quality and ease of use are what need. ...wait till feb and you can get a 44" from them ...
quick36.com
Won't it be hard for him going across 30degree slopes to keep the mower going straight? Isn't Quick a single hydro?