Which mower would you buy?

[amr40509]

I hate to ask a question that has been asked a thousand times (and I have spent a great deal of time reading old threads here and searching already) - but I'm looking for the right mower for my situation.

Typical city lot, just under 1/3 acre (with a house on a good chunk of it). Somewhat of hill leading to the back yard (basement lot) but nothing too bad.

It will have a fence soon but I'm going to have one of the gates be a large double gate.

I already have a cheap 21" Craftsman push mower, Stihl KM90R with the straight edger and string trimmer, and an Echo blower - so I have the trim work taken care of.

What mower would you buy?

I don't want something huge due to garage space (I want to park it in front of my truck, so it can't be super wide, but it's not like a 61"Z is a fit for this yard anyways). I guess budget is always a concern to some degree, but I'm not really too restricted by it. I think something under $2500 would be ideal if I had to put a number on it.

I'm kind of leaning in the direction of a Snapper RER (either 28" Hi-Vac 12.5hp or 33" Hi-Vac 17.5hp - both using the Ninja mulcher kit). I grew up spending a LOT of hours cutting 8ish acres every week with a 8hp 28" one (later upgraded to a 11hp when then 8 wore out). Would this be a good solution for this small yard, or is there a reason a small lawn tractor style would make more sense?

[macgyver_GA]

Buy a used 36" commercial walk behind. Far far superior cut to lawn tractor or RER and much faster.

I maintain 17 properties and they are all small postage stamp lots <1/4 acre. I run a Snapper pro 36" WB with a sulky and I can knock them out in no time. I almost double my productivity compared to running a 21" push mower.

I bought mine used about 3 years ago for $1k. I plan on buying a brand new hydro model in the spring.

I recently helped my uncle prep his yard to aerate and overseed and it needed to be cut shorter before we aerated. He has a lawn tractor and was amazed when it only took me about 20 minutes to cut his yard that usually takes him 35-40 minutes with his rider.

[RAlmaroad]

How old are you? Age will determine a lot of what you'll be satisfied with. A good walk behind self-propelled Snapper 21" will all but eliminate trim and have a beautiful cut also. I have a Scag and Kabota, but I mow 4-5 acres. The Scag has a beautiful cut which compares with that pretty cut of the Snapper. Artistically a small 21" cut on a well manicured lawn is beautiful.

[amr40509]

Originally Posted by RAlmaroad

How old are you? Age will determine a lot of what you'll be satisfied with. A good walk behind self-propelled Snapper 21" will all but eliminate trim and have a beautiful cut also. I have a Scag and Kabota, but I mow 4-5 acres. The Scag has a beautiful cut which compares with that pretty cut of the Snapper. Artistically a small 21" cut on a well manicured lawn is beautiful.

31 years old, wife + kid, business owner so I work a lot.

[IS500Z]

For a small lawn a walk behind will be as fast as any rider. I would look at a good quality 21-inch from companies such as Honda, Toro, Snapper, or Ariens. It depends what dealers carry in your area and which model fits you specific needs. You should also decide whether you plan to discharge, mulch, or bag. Some of the mowers will perform better in one area than in another. For example the more expensive Honda's rear discharge. I have always found rear discharge to be a bit of a pain to work with as a lot of the clippings end up on you. They work well in both mulch and bagging mode.

[JCLawn and more]

32inch snapper commercial walk behind would fit your needs.
Posted via Mobile Device

[amr40509]

So I've been scouring Craigslist / eBay - there isn't much out there. Lots of 48" walk behinds, but not much smaller. Would this scare you http://lexington.craigslist.org/grd/3374001534.html

[JCLawn and more]

Not at all. Not much to go wrong it. The engine maybe depending on how many hrs on it but I'd buy that.
Posted via Mobile Device

[amr40509]

Give what I've said - What do you think of the option of changing gears completely and getting a Honda HRX217HYA?

For my yard type, would this really be any slower? From a cut quality standpoint...what do you think, is there anything better ?

Keep in mind that I am a mulcher.

[JCLawn and more]

From a quality stand point unless you out there every 3 days in the spring going slow and taking most of your morning or evening to mow your lawn and leaving squigly 21 inch lines then ya it would work fine.
Posted via Mobile Device