Advice for Larger Walk Behind Mower

[jweiner]

I currently own a 21" Honda mower that does a great job mulching. The problem is that we recently moved from a house on 1/4 acre of land to a house on 3/4 acre of land and I really don't like spending almost 2 hours mowing every week. I would like to purchase a 36" - 40" walk behind mower. I really want to stay away from Briggs engines and therefore I am not interested in the residential oversized Cub Cadets or the Ariens/Gravely residential models, etc. I had narrowed it down to a Toro or Gravely commercial walk behind, but in looking through the forums here, I now realize that there are so many choices (Exmark, Scagg, etc.). Can someone recommend a good 36" - 40" walk behind that will last "forever" and hopefully cost under $3500? I know that none of these machines will mulch as well as my Honda, but I would like a machine that offers a mulching kit as an accessory. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, is it stupid to buy a mower now? Should I wait until Spring for the new models or will the prices just go up? We live in the Milwaukee, WI area and I have had a hard time findings dealers who are knowledgeable about these units.

[CashMaintenance]

If it will only be for homeowner use a Gravely, Toro, Scag or Exmark should all "last forever". You'll probably be looking at more than $3500 for any of these machines new. Find a dealer near you so they are close by when you need service.

[jweiner]

Would you happen to know which unit might do the best job mulching with a mulching kit installed?

[cej93]

A friend of mine runs a Toro Pro-Line 37--that thing mulches great !

[lifetree]

I'd recommend a Quick 36" Dually WB ... you can get a mulch kit and/or sulky rider attachment for around $ 3,500 !! Good luck.

[jweiner]

Now you've added to my uncertainty (in a good way). I have never heard of Quick mowers. How do these 36"ers compare to Gravely, Toro, etc.? Do they do a nice job mulching? I looked at their website and they appear quite a bit less expensive than comparable mowers from other reputable companies.

Joel

[lifetree]

Now you've added to my uncertainty (in a good way). I have never heard of Quick mowers. How do these 36"ers compare to Gravely, Toro, etc.? Do they do a nice job mulching? I looked at their website and they appear quite a bit less expensive than comparable mowers from other reputable companies.

Joel

The reason they are less expensive is because you buy it directly from the factory instead of a local dealer which doubles the price of the machine to get "their cut" !! The issue becomes whether you feel comfortable doing the routine maintenance yourself ... any repairs which may be needed during the warranty period will be covered by BOP, if done at a local dealer. BOP has mainly used parts that can be obtained by any dealer of commercial mowers, however, they also sell the replacement parts and maintenance supplies at a discount as well.

Concerning mulching capability, it is a very good machine when used in the Fall season for clean-up when you use the Gator blades with the mulch kit.

The Quick series from BOP are full commercial mowers at a good price, I've owned 2 of them and still have one ... I sold the first one when I upgraded to the Dually last year. If you're only going to use it for your own property, you will never need another mower.

Give Tommy at BOP a call ... he'll do everything he can to work with you.

[jweiner]

How does it do at mulching grass throughout the mowing season?

[Toy2]

I have an 05 Toro 36'' with pistol grips, 13hp Kawi, it has been a great mower.

I do all my own repairs, I learned the dealer doubles everything possible to make a buck, with that said I would really look at a Quick 36''.......:waving:

[lifetree]

How does it do at mulching grass throughout the mowing season?

Generally speaking, I've gotten OK results mulching with the Q-36 using high lift blades to chop up grass !! Usually, most LCO's use the high lift blades from the beginning of the season through late July or August ... and then switch to Gator blades for the Fall season. The Gator blades are specifically designed for mulching in the Fall season ... they don't seem to do as well in the Spring season.

[jweiner]

I think I've narrowed my search down to either one of the Quick 36" walk-behinds or the Deere X300 42" tractor. Any thoughts on which would be the better way to go?

[Please_Be_Green]

I think I've narrowed my search down to either one of the Quick 36" walk-behinds or the Deere X300 42" tractor. Any thoughts on which would be the better way to go?

My .02...

I have the 36" Samarai. Love the 16hp KAI motor... Enough power to plow through moist taller grass.

However, deck will clog which requires scraping mid mow.

Really like mulching at 4" in the mid-summer heat and dry, but don't like the mulch or side discharge at 3" even on a 4 day cut schedule during spring and fall. Takes a dump if mulching plate attached and throws too much @4' while side discharging which does requires additional blowing throughout the yard.

Blades are easy to touch up sharpening without removing and are easy enough to remove, sharpen, and re-attatch. The cut is wonderful in my opinion with sharp blades....

Maintenance (i.e. Oil Change was very simple) Love the fact that everything is in the user manual with videos online.

Per my post which you responded to... I'm looking to pick up a bag as I think I will bag next spring, mulch during the summer, and bag again in the fall.

Personally, if I were you, I'd wait until the mid-winter and see what type of deals BOP are offering. I picked up mine in late december, early january with a 25% off and free shipping deal. I saved almost a grand.

Good luck...

[jweiner]

Can you clarify for me - if I always want to mulch and I mow at least once/week and never need to mow wet grass, will the Quick 36" do a decent job mulching at heights of less than 4" with the mulch kit attachment or is it just not a good mulcher at less than 4"?

[Please_Be_Green]

Please keep in mind that everyone has a different definition...

I keep a pristine turf on my property... My turf is talked about amongst the neighborhood. People know how much time I spend caring for my turf. It bothers me when I don't think it looks it's best. It's always a topic of conversation at parties, even in the middle of winter. Some would say I am a lawn-nazi, but I get great pleasure of watching my children and their friends run, roll and trample my lawn. LOL

The machine cuts and mulches fine at heights lower than 4". Really dry grass not a problem at all. A little moist it can clog of up the deck, but even with a clogged deck the machine will still cut.

My issue is that when I see mulched lines of grass it bothers me. It may be 1" lines along the edges of the deck that has a little more mulched built up on the turf. It may be the occasional dump when making a turn.

I see the professionals maintaining my neighbor properties... I think they get the same issues with their 5k - 10k machines. The difference is that I'm one guy doing it all. I can cut my entire 15k in about 35minutes. However then I have to put on the back pack blower and hit some spots to distribute the clippings a little better so they are not sitting on top. I'm not talking the entire lawn, I'm saying a few areas where the machine dumped a little more than I like. I see the pros after they cut, they're out with their blowers too.

So I'm thinking right now if it takes me 15 more minutes to bag every once in a while it's a wash on time and may make a cleaner cut.

Of course then my turf isn't getting the benefits of recycled nutrients, which I believe is a benefit. However, I cut on a 4-5 day schedule and I'm not sure the turf would miss an every other mulch/bag cycle.

For the price and quality of these machines, you will not be disappointed with a Quick.

Also, looking at the prices right now... I'm not sure they'll have another 25% off 'Winter Sale" and even if they do it would only save a small amount on the prices they've listed right now. I'd jump on the free delivery and 50% off accessories right now. Pick up the bag and gator blades and be ready for the FALL leaf season.

[jweiner]

Thank you for the great information. The Quick sure does sound like a great machine. Even my 21" Honda mulcher occasionally leaves a "mulch line" if the grass gets too long between cuts; and I do go around with my blower sometimes to disperse these lines. I too am very particular with my lawn, so I am glad to hear that you are happy with your Quick being a particular person. I had also been looking at a Deere tractor, the X300 which I am told does a nice job mulching and is about the same price as the Quick. The thing that makes me nervous about the Quick mower is the lack of local support/repair capability. With a Deere, there is tons of local support. That is my only hangup about the Quick at this point. By the way, do you have a single or dual hydro Quick?

[Please_Be_Green]

Thank you for the great information. The Quick sure does sound like a great machine. Even my 21" Honda mulcher occasionally leaves a "mulch line" if the grass gets too long between cuts; and I do go around with my blower sometimes to disperse these lines. I too am very particular with my lawn, so I am glad to hear that you are happy with your Quick being a particular person. I had also been looking at a Deere tractor, the X300 which I am told does a nice job mulching and is about the same price as the Quick. The thing that makes me nervous about the Quick mower is the lack of local support/repair capability. With a Deere, there is tons of local support. That is my only hangup about the Quick at this point. By the way, do you have a single or dual hydro Quick?

After much deliberation I picked up the single and saved the $800-$900 price difference at the time. In hind sight it may or may not pay off. The single does take a little getting used to and does take a little muscle. (Not much though once you get the hang of forward and reverse.) At 39 years old not that big of a deal... but maybe in 10 years, at 49 years old I'd like to have the Dually. However, I'm not sure I'll still be cutting my own lawn at 49... I could also see myself selling my current mower in another two seasons and going with a Dually 44. Sometimes it's just nice to have new equipment.

[jweiner]

Are you at all concerned about the lack of local service/support for the Quicks?

[Please_Be_Green]

Are you at all concerned about the lack of local service/support for the Quicks?

I've spoken with my local mower shop... They basically said it's got a Kawasaki engine, no problem. As regards to other parts, I think BOP site and customer service will be able to assist and even if I didn't want to do the work myself, my service shop would be more then happy to take my money.

I'll put what, maybe 25 - 30 hours a year. How much service do you think I'll need? My last mower was a residential snapper, 12 years old. Engine blew up last year... maybe if I took better care of it it would have lasted longer but I think 12 years was worth the $500 I spent in 1996. Got a new 6.75hp B&S on that setup and now have that as back up. I'll baby the QUICK with the oil changes, basic maintenance and service videos on BOP site. I don't think service issues are as big of a deal to a residential user at least for a DIY'r like myself.

[LewisLawn]

my opinion would be o go with MTD professional series beltdrive....there is about 1500 difference in any belt drive over hydro...mtd is the parent company of cub cadet and many others so don't think it is junk...any how belt drive will last you plenty of years if not run commercially. any residential walk behind or ztr is designed to last approx 450 hrs before pumps or gears give way...commercial will last 4 to 5 times that long and the price difference will be made up in the first repair bill

[mdlwn1]

To the Op......All of these mowers are basically the same. None of them will mulch very well. Mulching creates very minimal lift to the grass blades. If you cut when the lawn needs it, it really wont be a problem. As for the guys who say "I love my blah blah blah".....as relevent as a dumb ford/chevy arguement. ANY commercial walk behind will suffice.

[lifetree]

... ANY commercial walk behind will suffice.

I certainly do not agree with this !!

[LilesLawn]

Toro and exmark are the same pretty much. They are both great mowers and will exceed your expectations. Find one that has a dealer close for supplies and blades.

[lifetree]

Toro and exmark are the same pretty much. They are both great mowers and will exceed your expectations. ...

I'm just curious why you recommend Toro and/or Exmark when it looks like you only have John Deere and Kubota equipment ?? BTW, congratulations on your success ... with 16 employees you've apparently done very well.

[Glosjttx]

the most important thing to keep in mind is service. a sweet price is meaningless in the face of a bitter disappointment every time you need repair. find a good shop that keeps good mechanics and at least makes an attempt at customer service. you will be back for service, advice and dumb questions, so at least buy the unit from a servicing dealer who will take care of you.

[Mowingking]

Does anyone know if the ariens wide-area walkbehind mower stripe good.

[Jeffjob]

The reason they are less expensive is because you buy it directly from the factory instead of a local dealer which doubles the price of the machine to get "their cut" !! The issue becomes whether you feel comfortable doing the routine maintenance yourself ... any repairs which may be needed during the warranty period will be covered by BOP, if done at a local dealer. BOP has mainly used parts that can be obtained by any dealer of commercial mowers, however, they also sell the replacement parts and maintenance supplies at a discount as well.

Concerning mulching capability, it is a very good machine when used in the Fall season for clean-up when you use the Gator blades with the mulch kit.

The Quick series from BOP are full commercial mowers at a good price, I've owned 2 of them and still have one ... I sold the first one when I upgraded to the Dually last year. If you're only going to use it for your own property, you will never need another mower.

Give Tommy at BOP a call ... he'll do everything he can to work with you.


Lifetree;

I have a 36" Quick. This will be my second year with it. I am very happy with it except that when my yard is at it's bumpiest, it is difficult to cut a straight line.

Is that why you went with the dually? If not can you tell why you upgraded.

I love my 36" Quick and I just ordered the striping roller to use this year.

I went from a 2 hour mow for a 3/4 acre yard to about 30 minutes.

Thanks...