back up mower

The Question is, what to do? I've been asking myself this question for weeks now. I own a Walker 48&quot; 20hp.... and I was wondering if this mowers screws up and needs major repair what would I do? My little MTD wont cut it!!! So do I buy me another mower? <p>I do about 25 yards, most yards I could use two mowers on and one large account. In my area Walkers and Danes are common. My local dealer says that Walkers are hard to come buy now. Guess the supply is really great for them! Alot of people wont to trade up to a new model but cant get them in fast enough. My dealer was telling me that I could get a new Dane 62&quot; cut for $7000.00 <br>but my problem is that I'm kind of stuck on the Walker.(a used one that is).

 

Metroman, you really need a minimum of 2 of all of your equipment. Unless you want to pay rental fees for the maybe 2 weeks + your machine may be in the shop. You need a peice of mind to know if your machine breaks down you can keep on servicing your customers without interruption. There have been good things said about walkers on here. You might just have to travel a little to get one. I just park my back up machine and keep it ready and use it sparingly

 

metroman, since you do only 25 lawns i would just buy a cheap used 52 or 60 inch walkbehind for 1000 bucks. in the rare intances that your rider will break down you can just suck it up and deal witht the walking. i dont think you should spend all that money for a spair ztr!

 

Metroman I have a 44&quot; Toro walker with a toro<br>bagger for sale for $1300 in great condition.<p>There are cheaper used machines on the market but most are so played out they are only<br>good for parts machines.<br>

 

Metroman,<br>My Exmark dealer will offer a lender while mine is in the shop...the only catch is that they have to service it each year ($300). If you dont have the extra money to buy a back-up that might work for you. Stones' sounds like a nice deal.

 

I have a new 99 Walker that I bought last year in the spring. I bought a used diesel Walker at an repossesion auction sale for $1500 in really good shape and a 44&quot; Toro walk behind at the same sale for $450. I have just bought a 42&quot; Yazoo that I use for aerating and fertilizer spreading but still have it as a back up mower. And I keep a couple of older tractor style mowers around in case I need them. I buy and sell equipment to make a few extra bucks so I never have to worry about back up equipment much. Hit the papers and find a deal for a back up mower.

 

Buy a used mower, or expect to pay $50 a day to rent a 48 of questionable quality at a rental center.<p>I have a 38 which was my original mower when I started, I use it as a backup when needed and as a trailblazing mower when Im not sure whats hiding in the grass that could kill my main machine.<p>Bill

 

most guys i have seen and heard on this forum who have been working more than a couple years (at least 5 years) have a large assortment of back-up/old/retired equipment. you'll hear the only reason i keep that mower is cause it does this or that well. I could see maybe buying a tractor (JD 455) for leaves and spring work, maybe, or if you started out with a lawn tractor, like my uncle in NJ, you keep it.

 

Even though I work alone most of the time I carry two mowers on the trailer. 60&quot; Exmark Lazer is the main and 52&quot; Howard Price hydro walk behind is the backup. Times when I get busy and hire someone for a day or two to help we may use both mowers but on most residential jobs I can cut the lawn as fast as a helper can trim and blow. If I ever got cught I could put the deck on the JD 318 tractor and mow with that, but production would be way down. As it is now the 318 does cleanup and grading mostly.

 

Metroman, you are basically in the same boat as I am. 23 accounts per week and I have a 98 Walker that I bought NEW, that has been in the shop 4 times for major repairs since I put it in service in April of 98. I bag 10 customers. The first time it went down I rented a Walker. In 1999 I bought a Toro Proline 15hp Hydro walkbehind with a 44&quot; deck and a Pro-slide. This mower saved my a#$ 3 times since and has paid for itself 3x in my book. I am a solo operator with 2 midsized mowers on my trailer. The Toro gets used for most side discharge jobs. The engine hours get split (less wear on both). And I get a little exercise. When the Walker went down last year I asked my bagging customers if it was ok to side discharge for a few weeks and I did not have 1 that said no. I was as fast as using the Walker because I didn't have to empty clippings. The initial cost was around 4k but this mower will last me many years. Just something to consider. Good Luck.