Any reason not to get this mower?

$7000 buys a LOT of illegal immigrant labor, and comes with no maintenance, storage or depreciation problems.


Just sayin'.....

 

I demo-ed a similar JD a few years back. That 2 bar steering system takes a little getting used to.... don't go near your wive's favortie part fo the garden/landscape before you master it. =)

 

I have a 2004 husky 61" commercail machine and love it. I have a 2 acre lot and can easily mow it in under an hour, it takes 3 hours on a standard 42" lawn tractor. I bought the husky after my 1st mowing 3 years ago. Last year 2 other neighbor up-graded to commercail machines and this year at the block party 2 more were asking for detail and were actively shopping. There are 20 houses in my development...it looks like they will almost all either upgrade or convert to a service because 3 hours is just too long to spend on a mower.

 

I imagin your average charge is about $100 / hr at the office. So add the two hours or so you will also spend doing it yourself.

But, hey! Shouldn't your kids be cutting your lawn anyway?

 

I can think of one reason not to get it....

http://www.grasshoppermower.com/fm_700.php


If you have not compared a front-mount mower to a mid-mount, do yourself a favor and take both for a spin. The front-mount will ride MUCH smoother, give you a better cut (deck floats over the contour of the ground better), can get underneath shrubs and other objects and is much easier to service since the deck flips up.

 

How much grass ya cutting? I paid about $2,000 for a JD tractor at Home Depot couple years ago for the cabin, we cut a couple acres of hilly terrain. It works great. Liked it so much I bought one for the house. I'd have to be cutting a LOT of grass to triple the investment......

 

Uro, there is a world of difference between the "JD's" sold at Lowes/Home Depot and the real McCoy. They both have green paint, but that's about it. That's not a knock on the Lowes/Home Depot models, because they serve their intended purposes. If you were mowing 1/2 acre of sod in suburbia, one of them would probably do just fine. If you require more from a mower, you're probably better off to buy a heavier-duty model from the beginning. It will last longer and end up saving money in the long run.

I've got a JD 425 that I mow three acres with. That mower is a tank, and it needs to be because I have some pretty rough terrain. I had to replace a carburetor once in seven years, and that's it. At some point I'll switch to a zero-turn just because of the time that I'll save. If not for that, I could never justify trading the 425 for one because I don't think I'll ever be able to wear that thing out. Anything that goes bad, I can replace while the basic bones of the tractor will last a lifetime.

 

Why aren't the kids doing this for you again? Dad had my poor butt cutting grass since I was 10. Uggg!

 

Yeah, but look how you turned out.

 

Respecting the value of hard work and calluses on my hands? Oh wait, the calluses are NOT from cutting grass. (sigh)

Ok, maybe just good looking?







Seriously though would this not be a good way to ensure your kids exercise and contribute to the family for the short time that they live at home?

 

Of course your wife does not. You would have her doing it next!

So much for "equal rights," huh?

 

I have a area I have to mow at my Warehouse in Tennessee it is about 12 acres. I was paying a service $1500.00 a month to mow it. I decided I could pay for the mower and trailer to haul it in and mow it myself. That is what I did. I have a Kubota ZD331 with a 72" deck. and a 22' Car hauler which is also good for hauling the ferrari around in. The Kubota is great I love that mower. The only issue is the tires will spin and get stuck easily in mud and the mower is heavy and almost impossible to move by pushing it. I have a ATV with a winch I have had to use a couple time to pull it out with. Once I learned what will get it hung up I avoid those areas if conditions are wet. For me it is usually a small area I can go back and use a weed eater on and no big deal. Get it. I think you will love it once you get used to it. If I had it to do over only thing I think I would have done is get a smaller deck so I think you will be better off with the 48" deck.
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The JD I picked up was also sold at the local Deere store. The salesman there told me it would be fine for my use, he recommended changing out the casters on the deck to a better kind, and adding mulching blades. BUT he was about $400 more than Home Depot, and wasn't budging on price. So I bought it at HD, got a bumper and the upgrades he recommended and still saved about $300. Not sure what Home Depot sells anymore but I wouldn't be surprised if it was junk. I've had this thing about 3-4 years now. It's reliable, easy to work on (oil/filter change in 5 minutes) and gets the job done. For what I spent I am pretty impressed.

Being a speed junkie before I got the JD I went shopping for a Dixie Chopper billed as the world's fastest mowers. Most of the lawn services down here use them. Nice mowers but double the JD price.

Evaluate your terrain and make your decision based on that, odds are you'll get the right machine.

 

LOL yeah that was the reason I took that picture I thought that was pretty funny. It is a hell of a mower I have to say I don't mind mowing anymore. It has made mowing around the house take about 1.5 hours where it was 3.5 to 4 hours with the old JD Lawn Tractor. The 12 or so acres at the warehouse can be done in a day (I mow it twice a month). I have to go check up on the place anyway so I might as well mow while I am there. Here is a picture of the Warehouse and property I mow with it. The Warehouse in the center is 204,000 sq. ft. just to give you an idea of the size of the place.

I don't think you will be upset with the mower. The decks are some of the best constrcted commercial decks I found. I researched many before buying this, Dixie Chopper, JD, Grasshopper, and Cub Cadet. The Kubota just looked like it was made with much heavier guage steel than any of these. Especially the Decks.
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Where is the pool?!?!?!??!

 

I guess this is about as close to a pool as I can get. The building used to be a Factory for Lee Jeans before they moved to Mexico. This was a treatment tank where they dumped the dye water for the denim. It then created a sludge that was removed from the water and the water was then safe to be drained into the sewer system.

Now it still holds water but I have not been to good about adding chlorine so it might be a little green

I wouldn't recommend swimming in it.
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Never thought of that it is all fenced in. I have to check into it. Maybe I can turn that old treatment tank into a Koi Pond too

 

if you're looking for quality of cut, Exmark Lazer Z is the best bet
the Ultra Cut deck is very good and proven, the newer Trition decks have finally gotten their bugs worked out and worth a look.
if you want almost as good quality with far superior control on hills as well as comfort and ease of use, and Hustler Super Z with an XR7 deck would be a better choice.

JDs have nice options, but are more show than go

Toro also is worth a look since they bought Exmark and have improved vastly since then, they're a bit more, but offer a lil more aswell.

oh, and dont wuss out on the 48" deck, get at least a 60"