riding lawn mowers

[kalianna]

We are finally succumbing to age and thinking about getting a ride-on lawn mower, which we know nothing about.  We have a one acre, mostly grass, mostly level property. Any advice on what to get and what maintenance and repair are involved would be greatly appreciated.  Hereʻs some specific questions:

What brands are good or to be avoided?
What kind of maintenance is involved?
Where can it be repaired?
Are there electric alternatives?
What are the limitations with ground slope and protruding rocks?
Where is the best place/worst place to purchase? 

Mahalo in advance for your suggestions.

[dobanion]

A standard 42" cut deck mower should suit you fine. Nothing special needed for a level acre. You're gonna need to either remove or go around protruding rocks. Hit one once really good and you're gonna need serious repairs.

Maintenance is pretty much nothing for the first few years, just gas and go. Maybe remove the blades once or twice a year and give em a sharpening.

STORE IT IN THE GARAGE. Left out in the rain it will have all sorts of problems.

I have a Husqvarna, I like it, but I wouldn't insist it's the best or only choice.

[Durian Fiend]

They inevitably develop problems such as bad battery, starter, carburetor. Belts will wear out and break or slip, and changing them is a real PITA. The mower deck rots out unless you're diligent about cleaning and lubing it.
I don't like them. Use sparingly for your best value/less hassles.

Maybe Steve's Honda for purchase and maintenance? I've heard good things about them. Of course you must have a trailer to haul them in for repairs. Aguiar's mobile repair if you'd rather have someone come to you.

They're spendy, even the Home Depot Cub Cadet and John Deere models. The local Deere dealer says that their mowers are of a better quality than the ones sold at Depot. I'm inclined to believe them.

Yeah, I'd consider spending the big bucks for either a commercial grade gas mower such as Skag or Hustler. or perhaps an electric rider. No belts, gas, etc. The electrics probably have their own issues though.

[MyManao]

Mahalo in advance for your suggestions.

Stay away from the models sold in big box stores. Period.

[kalianna]

Steveʻs Honda is terrible for maintenance. Donʻt trust them at all. So whatʻs good?

[macuu222]

I've been sticking with a gas push mower for my acre for the last 20 years. It cost about $350.00 new and last about 6 to 7 years with little maintenance. And then I buy another one. All those purchases would never add up to cost of one riding mower and it's headaches. And yes I'm at the point where it's just too much for my back.  But I find that doing just part of the lawn for the day and then doing another part the next day works for me.

[knieft]

Every reply is pretty much spot on to my eyes. The best thing you have going is the level acre.

Field replacement of belts is a serious PITA. Even blade replacement can suck. Tires suck. Like cars, mowers just become more of a PITA as they age, and they age faster. With six acres of orchard rock mowing since 1997, I have been through “top of the line” craftsman when the extra repair warranty actually worked, blah, blah, now on my second scag tiger cub or whatever it’s called. Cost over 10k these days, but heavy duty rock and roll. And way overkill for a level acre, but might be way less maintenance than the cheaper mowers since it wouldn’t be stressed much at all.

Electric riders are 4-6k at Home Depot. Never used one, but though more expensive per power than the cheaper ICE models at HD (which I agree should be avoided) I can imagine a better experience over all going electric with a level acre. Though instead of the typical belt/lube/filter/tire maintenence, you’ll be replacing expensive batteries over time…and tires still vulnerable. Buying and popping in a new battery, compared to field replacing belts and tires, sounds like a pleasant dream. I have not researched the current generation of electric riders, but they seem to be slowly coming of age.

OTOH, you might want to do the math of comparing a $3-6K mower vs simply hiring out the job.

Until recently I was of the DIY mentality about most everything. Especially with help from YouTube, I can fence the perimeter and internal pastures of 6 acres, replace the lanai steps and risers and rails, install water pumps, etc. myself. These days, I see the value of paying someone who knows what they are doing instead of me making every mistake possible to become competent in doing something that I may never do again. Mowing isn’t exactly like that, but if you hire it out, you have zero upfront costs and no maintenence issues (read quality of life).

I still mow (listening to podcasts/audiobooks) but hire out most of the chain sawing and whacking and find it a great value to do so. Just depends how you want to spend your aged years I guess…

Let us know what end up with!

Cheers,
Kirt

[terracore]

I pretty much agree with the posts above but what about an alternative solution?

Calculate the cost of the mower you are considering, add in maintenance (gas, repairs, etc), divide by how long you expect to use it, and then see if having somebody else mow the lawn might be a better option? It might not be CHEAPER, but cheaper is not always better.

[kalianna]

Thanks for all the feedback. As much as Iʻd like to picture myself riding along on my mower with an iced coffee, it really would make more sense to hire someone to do this. Iʻll just have to sit on the lanai and make sure they donʻt miss anything. :-)

[leilanidude]

For anyone wanting a rider or zero turn mower, only get one that states it has a "fabricated deck". They are much more suited for the occasional lava rock hit than the stamped steel decks.