riding mowers: help a nigga out

[Caliga]

Actually yes, all the time.

[Tonitrus]

http://www.robomow.com/en-USA/

[CountDeMoney]

As a wetback, not allowed to buy riding mower

Why not? 

It's not like lawns have passing lanes.

Nowhere to hang the little flag of <insert spic country here>.

But you can still plant a Mother Mary on the dash.

[CountDeMoney]

Hey Cal, I know it's probably downright sacrilege down there in Hazard County, but did you check out any mowers from Kubota?  I know guys that swear by those things, even over John Deere.

But, I'd take the John Deere, simply by the amount of dealerships and repair centers available.

[grumbler]

I have an ancient Hechinger 42" bed riding mower to mow about the acreage you have, and agree that a ZTR mower is way more than you need unless you have a lot of obstacles.  John Deere is a good brand, and usually rates at or near the top for value when looking at light use like you propose (the D110 got CR top rating for light riding mowers, I believe).  They also rate highly in reliability.  Don't pay any real money (more than $100) for an automatic transmission.  That's just more to break for little added performance.

Avoid Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, White, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, the LT series of lawn tractors for Craftsman, and Toro.  They are all made by MTD, and MTD is crap.

[JonasSalk]

I have access to Consumer Reports stuff and they test things like this extremely thoroughly.  What model John Deere is that? Some of the tested models are listed as recommended, others are pure shit. Judging by the URL, that's a 100 series. If it's a D100, avoid it entirely. It's terrible.

Best tested and recommended models:

Snapper NXT2346
Type: Lawn tractors
Price as tested:
$2600

John Deere X310
Type: Lawn tractors
Price as tested:
$4000

John Deere X304
Type: Lawn tractors
Price as tested:
$3600

John Deere D110
Type: Lawn tractors
Price as tested:
$1700

There's several more, but these are the top-rated ones. Out of all of these, the D110 only scored 2 points lower (pretty much negligible since one score 74 and the other scored 76--which was the top score out of 100).  It got only 2 points lower, but it's $900 less expensive.  Here's the full review for it:

A 42-inch deck helps this John Deere take up relatively little space. You also get notably even cutting in all three mowing modes. Other pluses include an infinitely variable drive system, which lets you vary speed smoothly without shifting, and the ability to check fuel levels without leaving your seat. On the minus side, there¿s no electric power takeoff to engage the blade (you'll have to pull a lever). And there's no high-back seat.

[Caliga]

Hey Cal, I know it's probably downright sacrilege down there in Hazard County, but did you check out any mowers from Kubota?  I know guys that swear by those things, even over John Deere.

But, I'd take the John Deere, simply by the amount of dealerships and repair centers available.

Actually my dad used Kubota lawn tractors... not sure if they make riders or ZTRs.... I'll check.

[Caliga]

I have an ancient Hechinger 42" bed riding mower to mow about the acreage you have, and agree that a ZTR mower is way more than you need unless you have a lot of obstacles.  John Deere is a good brand, and usually rates at or near the top for value when looking at light use like you propose (the D110 got CR top rating for light riding mowers, I believe).  They also rate highly in reliability.  Don't pay any real money (more than $100) for an automatic transmission.  That's just more to break for little added performance.

Avoid Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, White, Yard-Man, Yard Machines, the LT series of lawn tractors for Craftsman, and Toro.  They are all made by MTD, and MTD is crap.

heh, I remember Hechinger.  I can't remember if I thought it was way better than Home Depot, or way worse.   We had them in Pennsylvania too.

[Caliga]

I have access to Consumer Reports stuff and they test things like this extremely thoroughly.  What model John Deere is that? Some of the tested models are listed as recommended, others are pure shit. Judging by the URL, that's a 100 series. If it's a D100, avoid it entirely. It's terrible.

It was a D140, and I just linked the first D100-series JD tractor image I could find.  Thanks for the Consumer Reports data!

[mongers]

I'm told these work quite well:

[katmai]

Cal isn't allowed near sheep ever since the "incident"

[Ed Anger]

Cal isn't allowed near sheep ever since the "incident"

Plus he isn't a dirty Scot or even worse, a Welshman. Yuk.

[Caliga]

I have both Scots-Irish and Welsh ancestry.

[Ed Anger]

I have both Scots-Irish and Welsh ancestry.

Irish: 
The others: 

[Caliga]

Just to be clear: Scots-Irish.  NOT Irish Catholic.

My mom's dad's family was brought in to Lancaster County, PA in the 1740s to fight off the Catholic Marylanders who were encroaching on the Pennsylvania colony at that time.  The only other people in the area were Mennonites who were viewed as cowardly.  The Scots-Irish OTOH were renowned for their violence and hatred of Catholics.   True story.