Off the subject--Lawnmower

I have a craftsman 19hp 42 inch cut riding lawnmower, that is only 3 years old, and starting to go south. I also have a second hand
1972 Snapper rear engine rider with a 8hp briggs that I converted to electric start. Aside from some cosmetic issues, the snapper is in great shape for its age. I am thinking about dropping 2600 bucks for a new 42 inch cut Snapper rear engine rider. My question is: do you guys think it's worth it? is there a better riding mower for the money. I mow about 5 Acres for yard, and need something that is "hard core" and good quality. Thanks for your feed back and comments!

P.S. I will try to get a picture of my 8N ASAP

Rob

2nd.. is drop close to 3g's on a riding mower.. for one.. you are close in price to a comercial mower... and they will literally run circles around a rider... not that I like the comercial mowers / ztr's..

Also... that price probably will buy you an N... or if you already have a tractor.. will buy you a finish mower with money left over.

What kind of problems is the sears having? deck problems or engine / tranny problems.

If only deck problems I suggest you trash the deck and get a tow behind trail mower.. they have their own engine, and mow real nice. ( I have a craftsman tow behind .. )
They start around $700. Way cheaper to get one and pull it with an existing atv or mower with a trashed deck... or even pull it behind another mower and offset it and make wide cuts.

I have my tractors and big mowers for the pasture, and I have a push mower for right around the house. For the rest of the small work I use a little murry.. ( 12.5 hp 38" cut ) I got about 5-6 years ago... a great machine. I've never had a problem with it.. just maintenance stuff... Have put on a set of blades, and changed the battery once.
Before I fenced in the front yard and added it to the pasture for the horses and cows, I used that little murry and the 48" craftsman to make about a 7' pass at a time.

A neighbor cuts his the same way.. only he has a large huskee like 20 hp and 52" cut, plus a 42" trail mower.

It's your money.. but I just can't see sinking that much into a machine that is going to wear out fast on 5 ac... think about a tractor and finish mower.. besides.. it will save you lotsa time.

good luck!

Soundguy

Snapper mowers are great mowers but they are a bit overpriced in my opinion. And, 5 acres of lawn requires a lot of lawn mower.

You have gotten some good advice so far. For what it is worth, I believe I would consider either a commercial grade 48” mower or perhaps a finishing mower for your tractor.

If you are mechanically inclined, you could probably find a nice used commercial machine for under $2600; or, perhaps another N just to use as a lawn mower.

I mow about 3 to 3.5 acres of lawn around my house with a 42” riding mower and my goats keep my 10 acre pasture clean. I use my tractor and 5’ rotary mower to do the rest.

I bought a Scott’s lawn tractor with a 42” cut, 16 hp Kohler and hydrostatic transmission from HD a few years ago and have gotten excellent service out of it. I can mow my 3 + acres in under two hours. HTH. Rick H. Ga.

By the way, with the increase of various immigrants coming into the US from many different countries (where consuming goat meat/milk is a favorite custom/tradition) there has been a tremendous increase in the demand for goats. It might be a good business to get into. I have goats as a hobby but I have no problem selling them when I get ready to cull them out.

I have had cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, gunnies, turkeys, and horses but I like the goats out of all the farm animals we have had over the years. Rick H. Ga.

I have a John Deere 325 that I purchased 6 years ago. I do the routine maintenance on it, and I have never had a problem or a breakdown. It always fires right up after sitting all winter, and I have been really happy with it. Up until a couple of years ago I used it for some commercial mowing that I did on the side. I'm just now thinking that it might be time for a new battery.

If you have a John Deere dealership in your area, inquire about the tractors that were used in the factory. John Deere uses some of the L&G tractors to run around their plant facilities and then sells them via their dealer network after a year or so. That is what my 325 was and it was about 60% of new price with only 40 hours on it when I bought it. They also put a brand new mower deck under it.

I still use it for trim work and pulling a small trailer around the property. I now use my N and a Woods mower for the bulk of the mowing. However, if my wife mows for me she still uses the Deere.

If you have lots of trees then a zero turn unit might be a consideration. John Deere has one that uses a standard steering wheel instead of joysticks.

• My Site

Whatever you get definately depends on the landscape of the bulk of your yard.

If you have tons of trees, landscaping, bushes and other things to steer around it sounds like your best long term bet is one of the zero turn professional....expensive.....

If however you have a wide open expanse that you can just run straight back and forth and mow then the best idea is a Finishing mower for your tractor.

I have a Sitrex 72" that I use behind my 8N and it is one awsome piece of equipment. A little clumsey in the finer areas of the yard with obstructions but makes my open areas a breeze.

I can cut an acre in about 15 minutes.

They only draw back to the finish mower is the agricultural tires on the tractor. If it's too wet they leave tracks in the yard...but then again my yard is not fully established. I just laid seed in March.

Hope this helps.

TJW In NC

Rob

Rob,

This is a subject I can write about for a long time! I agree that Snapper is a quality product...I had one for a few years. I'm with the guys who suggest a finish mower for your 8N. I have a 6' 3pt mower on one 9N, and another 9N with a 6' belly mower. I use both. I have a 5' bush hog type for the really rough stuff, and a 5' sickle mower on a Cub for the ditch banks that are too steep for a tractor. This is the second year for the flea market Dixon ZTR for trimming.

Now, the point of all this...the ZTR would make it possible to do the balance with a 6' 3pt on the 8N without breaking the budget, and still have the tractor available for other work. I have about $300 in my ZTR, including repairs. I prefer the belly mower on the N, but it rules out using the tractor for other purposes. All the rest are mostly for fun.

George Willer

Finish mower is pretty similar to a bush hog.

The difference is that they have 3 blades instead of one like the hog. This gives you a finer and more consistant cut. They also have four wheels that control height and allow for adjustment.

Here in NC at Leinbach's Woods or Sitrex at 72" will be anywhere from around 12 to 14 Hundred $.

They are built like Mack trucks though and are in my opionion a great investment..

Happy Mowing

Salmoneye

Here's a better look at what mine is like. This is my favorite. It's in its' 14th year for me. Both the tractor and mower were used when I got them. I'll soon bring it in for overdue spindle bearing maintainence.

George Willer

Last 'riding mower' I bought, cost me $25 and the guy delivered it...It is a 12 hp AgWay made by MTD and it is still going...