10 yr old Snapper 21" vs New 21" Toro Commerical Unit

[Please_Be_Green]

I've got 15k of turf to cut...

It's been taking me an hour and ten to cut the entire yard with a 10 year old Snapper 21 residential unit.

That mower literally blew up on my yesterday...

Would a commerical 21" mow quicker... I sometimes mulch, sometimes bag... normally alternating during the key growing seasons.

I was originally thinking of going with a Toro Z300, but I just can't seem to justify the cost for 15sq/ft of turf... Then I've been trying to justify the 32"WB, but even that for 3k, seems a little extreme. As mentioned I like the ability to alternating between catching and mulching and it appears the WB wouldn't really offer me that quick change.

So now I'm back at 21" for less cost but quality cuts...

Any advice appreciated.

[larryinalabama]

Get a new commerical 21 Snapper highvac, its easy to convert to a mulcher

[brucec32]

I've got 15k of turf to cut...

It's been taking me an hour and ten to cut the entire yard with a 10 year old Snapper 21 residential unit.

That mower literally blew up on my yesterday...

Would a commerical 21" mow quicker... I sometimes mulch, sometimes bag... normally alternating during the key growing seasons.

I was originally thinking of going with a Toro Z300, but I just can't seem to justify the cost for 15sq/ft of turf... Then I've been trying to justify the 32"WB, but even that for 3k, seems a little extreme. As mentioned I like the ability to alternating between catching and mulching and it appears the WB wouldn't really offer me that quick change.

So now I'm back at 21" for less cost but quality cuts...

Any advice appreciated.

Assuming this is just your home lawn:

You're right not to go with a rider. You won't be out there long enough to get too tired and wb's are more flexible.

A commercial 21" won't cut much faster than a home unit, though perhaps little faster ground speed. They often have a little power advantage, too. It's likely your old engine was weaker than a new home unit's, though. I have used commercial toros and home units and don't notice a power difference. Speed maybe a slight difference but not a problem on the small lawns I use this type mower on. Commercials are heavier and it shows in turns. (120 vs 75 lbs)

How much is an extra 1/2 hour of your time each week for 9 months a year for the next 20 years worth to you? I'd base my budget on that.

There is zero reason to buy a new commercial mower at all if you don't want to spend that kind of money. In fact, you'll take a huge depreciation hit doing that, so you're stuck with the machine like it or not if you buy new.

These machines are designed to mow more lawn in a week as you'll mow in a season. So a moderately used machine (many are barely used) would still have tons of life left in it for a home user. I would not buy an old beater, though, unless you're handy with fixing little things. Little things that are no big deal for us to repair can be a hassle for a homeowner.

I would keep an eye out on ebay and elsewhere for a nice low hour used machine. A belt drive 32" or 36" would do fine for a home lawn. 48" would be fine too unless you have gate or uneven terrain issues. A non-abused used unit that is a couple years old would easily last a lifetime of home use with minimal repairs and the gear drives are pretty easy to work on.

Belt/gear drives are out of fashion now so many are great values used. Hydros are what pros into high production are going with in most cases.

A mulch kit on a 32/36" wb takes about 15-20 minutes to get on and 15-20 to get off unless you it very often in which case you can shave a few minutes off. But how much time does it save you vs the 21"? It'll mow your lawn in half the time or less if it's 15K ft and fairly wide open. So you're saving 35 minutes with the big walk behind every week. In that circumstance so what if you have to sometimes take time to switch back to bagging from mulching? A better solution would be to just mow the lawn more frequently to avoid having to bag. It'd look nicer that way.

A midsize wb will do a lot more things than a 21". It will have tons more vac power when bagging, it will cut heavy grass better, and will mulch leaves much better. It will allow you to hang a sulky behind it and stand/ride instead of walk if you want. Baggers for this size machine are pretty affordable. Again, check for used units if you want to save a little.

I've bought tons of mowers over the years, but commercial 21's are probably the most overpriced for what you get vs quality home units. A pro using them hours and hours a day can justify the extra cost and the advantages show up over time. But a moderately used 32" costs about the same as a new 21" commercial unit with similar features and will likely outlast the 21" since it's being used fewer hours than the smaller mower.

If you're going with a 21", the high end residentials will perform virtually as well as commercial 21's and cost about half. The things they lack you won't wear out quickly anyway since it's not getting tons of use.

In midsize gear drive/belt drive wb's I would definitely recommend the Toro with T bar steering for ease of use. Pistol grips take longer to learn and in my experience were more tiring and harder to turn in tight spots. You can mow with one hand if you wish with a t bar that is set up correctly.

Here's an example of a used unit with an (expensive) sulky included. 56 hours is just broken in. This mower would last maybe 800-1200 hours before a major problem cropped up. You'd likely age too much to use it before that point.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Toro-Walk-Behind-Commerical-Mower_W0QQitemZ190252515481QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190252515481&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A3%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

And the beauty of buying a good used unit at a fair price is you can use it 5 years and get a significant amount of your money back out of it if you keep it looking sharp and take care of it. This unit would be roughly $3400 new at a dealer with sales tax and the fancy sulky.

There are plenty of perfectly serviceable gear/belt drive wb's around for about $1,000, but some may be in more questionable condition and require a few more small repairs that you may not want to hassle with. But if I had just my home to mow, I'd sell the ztrs and just use the toro 44 or 32 wb. They're light on the turf and faster than a 21" and versatile enough to handle leaves.

[Please_Be_Green]

How much is an extra 1/2 hour of your time each week for 9 months a year for the next 20 years worth to you? I'd base my budget on that.



That's exactly my original thought... And quite honestly with a full time job, 3 children and a wife... It's worth alot.

At the same time, I do enjoy yard work, so I don't sub out...

If the snapper didn't blow up on me yesterday, I'm sure next year I'm walking behind a 36 - 48" WB. However, now I'm in a bind as I need to cut the lawn ASAP.

I've spoken with my shop and they are going to replace the engine with a 6.75hp engine for $200 + some labor... Shouldn't be more then $300.

Figure this gives me a nice touch up machine and some time to look around for a used WB...

Thanks for your extensive reply... Appreciate that.