[ken50]

Everyone always wants to know what the BESt mower is, and it seems everyone has their own person opinion, I am starting to think the top names are all pretty comparable. Many times may come down to what personal preference and local dealer support there may be. What I would like to know is, what commercial mowers should I not even consider, and why?

Thanks!

 

[specialtylc]

Here this will start a fight. Dixie chopper. Frames look like a 6 year old put together with an erector set. And they just plain look cheap.

 

[PLI1]

The worst mower I have ever owned was a Bobcat hydro 48" walk behind. What a giant turd that thing was!!

 

[flyboy]

Anything with the name ENCORE

 

[lawnman_scott]

Great Dane parts availability would bring it to the top of the list.

 

[Fivestar]

Had a 2 year old Billy goat that had no front teeth. He just did`nt cut it so I sold him.

 

[DLCS]

Originally posted by Fivestar
Had a 2 year old Billy goat that had no front teeth. He just did`nt cut it so I sold him.

LMAO. thats a good one.

 

[GRT]

Let me be the first to say that this is a poor, completely negative thread; all it does it harbor hatred towards brands. If you have a question about a certain manufacturer then by all means, ask. But to start a thread like this is childish IMO. Base your decision on fact and YOUR opinion, not on others bashing companies' products.

Seems to me like you would get the best advice from a thread with the BEST mowers, which is why they've been started.

 

[Fareway Lawncare]

Well I hated the Sutech Stealth...sorry Sutech & also the new design Toro Walks w/the vertical height adjusts when they tried to fit the SFS deck on an eXmark type carrier frame...no knock on previous & future Toro Walks...that mistake is being remedied.

 

[ken50]

I realize this will be a negative thread, but I am getting ready to get into this business with both feet, and for me to lay out the kind of money that is necessary, I just want to make darn sure I don't get BURNED. From what I have seen, there are a lot of good mowers, but I just don't have pockets deep enough to make a mistake. You say childish, I say just being cautious. I am sorry if I offended you or anyone else on here, that was not my intent.....

 

[lawnman_scott]

Originally posted by GRT
Let me be the first to say that this is a poor, completely negative thread; all it does it harbor hatred towards brands. If you have a question about a certain manufacturer then by all means, ask. But to start a thread like this is childish IMO. Base your decision on fact and YOUR opinion, not on others bashing companies' products.

Seems to me like you would get the best advice from a thread with the BEST mowers, which is why they've been started.

The thread doesnt matter. Look at the responces. Do they give a reason? And did the people ever own one? Example: Dixie chopper frame looks like a 6 y/o prut together with a erector set, and they just look cheap. What does this tell you? Nothing.

 

[NEPSJay]

Lets not count out the famed "Landscapers Supply" p-o-s.

 

[The Dude]

Preach on Scott. This has to be the #1 problem on here. garbage opinions on things people have never used before.

 

[GRT]

Originally posted by lawnman_scott
The thread doesnt matter. Look at the responces. Do they give a reason? And did the people ever own one? Example: Dixie chopper frame looks like a 6 y/o prut together with a erector set, and they just look cheap. What does this tell you? Nothing.

Completely agree with you there, but I still think the thread is worthless...nothing but bashing without evidence or backup.

 

[PLI1]

I'll give reasons for mine.
48" Bobcat Hydro walk behind...........
1. Poor quality cut.
2. Not much vaccuum, even with high lift blades which caused poor bagging and dispersal of clippings.
3. Hydro would go out of adjustment often and track to the right or left.
4. Belts would go out of adjustment often and wear out much quicker than my other machines.
5. Poor weight distribution. The front end would lift up when mowing up a steep hill.
6.Uncomfortable to use. My employees would fight over the Exmarks vs. getting stuck with the green turd.
7. Reliability. I was always performing some type of repair to the thing vs. only once in a great while to my other machines.

 

[AMAC]

Lets keep it simple: Murray sucks, it is a wall mart brand machine that wont last 1 season of hard work. Buy a commercial mower with a warranty and you will make $$$.

 

[GRT]

Originally posted by ken50
I realize this will be a negative thread, but I am getting ready to get into this business with both feet, and for me to lay out the kind of money that is necessary, I just want to make darn sure I don't get BURNED. From what I have seen, there are a lot of good mowers, but I just don't have pockets deep enough to make a mistake. You say childish, I say just being cautious. I am sorry if I offended you or anyone else on here, that was not my intent.....

Didn't think it was your intent, and no offense taken of course. It's just my opinion that this wasn't the best way of getting the information you wanted. I would never buy something based on what people told me NOT to buy; especially with the vague reasons given so far. I think you would do best to research the most mentioned companies on the site:

Exmark
Scag
Toro
John Deere
Great Dane
Etc.

Then test them all, keep asking your dealer questions, and make an educated decision that way. I'm sure everyone here has had a bad experience with any piece of equipment, and this thread just harbors complaining and negativity. Nothing's wrong with being cautious, but there are more efficient ways of research. You wouldn't buy a car by asking your friends, "What's the worst car out there? I'll make sure I don't buy that one!" right?

 

[workaholic]

I do not like to talk turkey on mower companys but i will say this. Do to the expense that is invovled in buying equipment, One needs to know whats good and whats bad and theres know better place then talking to lco that have used them. I have bought junk in the past and if any lco would ask what that may be I would certainly tell them that this product is not going to hold up. Remember this the U.S A. FREEDOM OF SPEECH...

 

[Bill Davis]

why is everyone getting so serious about the threads people start now. It is not that big of a deal. I like hearing about bad equipment myself. GRT I dont think it is bad to hate a brand that puts out crappy equipment. This is good info and unless you have something to say about some bad equipment then dont complain about the topic. My bad mower would be my old Lawn boy mower. The deck design was something I just couldnt understand. It left weird tire lines and didnt enable me to trim up against things very close with the right side of the deck. Just my opinion.

 

[GRT]

Originally posted by workaholic
I do not like to talk turkey on mower companys but i will say this. Do to the expense that is invovled in buying equipment, One needs to know whats good and whats bad and theres know better place then talking to lco that have used them. I have bought junk in the past and if any lco would ask what that may be I would certainly tell them that this product is not going to hold up. Remember this the U.S A. FREEDOM OF SPEECH...

I know where we are , and anyone is welcome to say anything here...that's not my point. My point is, when you bought the "junk", did you ask your peers specifically about that brand/equipment model before you bought it. If so, did your peers advocate your purchase?

My point is, we don't even know what Ken50 is looking for; commercial mower has a broad meaning. ZTR rider? Hydro walk behind? Gear Driven? If he had said, I'm looking for a 48" ZTR and was thinking about a Scag, Exmark, Encore and John Deere, people could give him advice based on his needs and their experience a lot more efficiently than, "Murray sucks." I'm just trying to make this thread a little more effective for his own sake, ya know?