***OT Lawn Mower OT***

saluki2007

Welp it's time for me to buy my first lawn mower.  I'm looking at going either Cub or Deere.  My brother and father both have Cubs and haven't had any major issues.  A buddy of mine who is in the lawn mowing business says to go Deere.  Since you all are very good at spending others money, what do you say?  Looking at a 42in deck.  Either the D100 series or the S240 from Deere and the XT2 series from Cub.

Chubbs

Deere

hondabbq

Don't buy a Deere from a box store. Lift the hood on it. Spaghetti wires everywhere. Front axles are cheap. Etc. 
look at them at a Deere dealer and its night and day. They are more money than a box store one but they hold their value a lot longer than the cheap ones. 

acmoser76

Agree with Honda. My dad is a farmer and told me the exact same thing when I went to buy a new mower. Ended up going to a local Deere dealer. Spent a little more money but have been pleased with the purchase.

stompbox

hondabbq said:

Don't buy a Deere from a box store. Lift the hood on it. Spaghetti wires everywhere. Front axles are cheap. Etc. 
look at them at a Deere dealer and its night and day. They are more money than a box store one but they hold their value a lot longer than the cheap ones. 

The 100 series at the Deere store are the same as the ones from bigbox.  My local dealer was very forthcoming about that.  Now, if you step up to the 300 series or above (which are not available at a bigbox) then what you said is very true.

That said, I ended up with a self-propelled Honda :lol

calracefan

Deere from a dealer !

fishlessman

i believe deere still makes their own tractors, cadet is made by mtd who makes all the rest of the junk pretty much. have heard problems in the past, deere at the big boxes have different model numbers and the mechanics working at the deere dist will not work on them so becareful with that. i went with a dr yard and brush mower, it destroys everything, very happy with it

milesvdustin

 Buy once cry once. How many acres are you mowing? Is it hilly, flat, lots of trees or other obstacles? 

saluki2007

stompbox said:

The 100 series at the Deere store are the same as the ones from bigbox.  My local dealer was very forthcoming about that.  Now, if you step up to the 300 series or above (which are not available at a bigbox) then what you said is very true.

That said, I ended up with a self-propelled Honda :lol

Both Cub and Deere dealers said this as well.

saluki2007

fishlessman said:

i believe deere still makes their own tractors, cadet is made by mtd who makes all the rest of the junk pretty much. have heard problems in the past, deere at the big boxes have different model numbers and the mechanics working at the deere dist will not work on them so becareful with that. i went with a dr yard and brush mower, it destroys everything, very happy with it

The Deere dealer said this as well.  Although he said most of MTDs products were not made in America.  Didn't spell out that Cub wasn't, just most products were.

saluki2007

milesvdustin said:

 Buy once cry once. How many acres are you mowing? Is it hilly, flat, lots of trees or other obstacles? 

It's a little over a 1/2 acre.  Not many obstacles at the moment, but it's a new house/yard.  Will be planting trees and shrubbery around the house over time.  Right now the only thing is the fence in the back yard.  It's mostly flat, but the back yard is sloped and the sides kinda fall off.  Not too steep that I would have to use a pusher though.

kl8ton

Kubota
Diesel power

Sorry I know that wasn't one if your choices.  

WeberWho

My Simplicity bit the dust last year. I was in the same position. For the price that I was going to pay for a big box store Deer got me a nicer used Kabota. Picked my Kabota up for around  $1200 with 220 hours on it. ($4,000+ new) Liquid cooled  V-Twin Kawasaki motor, 48" deck, power steering, and heavy suspension. Night and day difference from my Simplicity.  $1200 could hardly get me a Deere. 

fishlessman

saluki2007 said:

fishlessman said:

i believe deere still makes their own tractors, cadet is made by mtd who makes all the rest of the junk pretty much. have heard problems in the past, deere at the big boxes have different model numbers and the mechanics working at the deere dist will not work on them so becareful with that. i went with a dr yard and brush mower, it destroys everything, very happy with it

The Deere dealer said this as well.  Although he said most of MTDs products were not made in America.  Didn't spell out that Cub wasn't, just most products were.

same machines, just different stickers and getting parts and service is harder from the big box. at camp i have an ariens, no problems in 10 years except a belt. they are made by husqvarna which is a great company. i would probably go with them over the other two

saluki2007

kl8ton said:

Kubota
Diesel power

Sorry I know that wasn't one if your choices.  

I am open to anything.  Just starting the research process and those are two names I'm familiar with and had been pushed towards.

DoubleEgger

You might want to consider a used commercial zero turn mower. They'll last forever for home use and you'll cut your mowing time in half. Toro, Exmark, Scag etc. 

theyolksonyou

My FIL and I burned up a cub, but we were mowing 6+ acres. Have a kubota diesel zero turn that is a beast. Agree with @DoubleEgger on used commercial. 

DoubleEgger

theyolksonyou said:

My FIL and I burned up a cub, but we were mowing 6+ acres. Have a kubota diesel zero turn that is a beast. Agree with @DoubleEgger on used commercial. 

I borrowed a buddy's 60" Toro once when I lived in NC. I mowed an acre in 22 minutes. 

fishlessman

kubotas are the gold standard, 10 x better than the deeres

theyolksonyou

I live on a hilly, rocky, bumpy 2/3 with lots of stuff to go around. I can get it in 35 min tops. 

johnkitchens

My first mower was a 60" Yazoo. My dad bought it new in the mid 70's. It looked very much like this one. 

U_tarded

Walker makes a great mower they are made in Colorado.  I can't say I've bought one but used ine several times and they are top notch.

saluki2007

@johnkitchens I had to do a double take to figure out that was just a boat in the background.

johnkitchens

saluki2007 said:

@johnkitchens I had to do a double take to figure out that was just a boat in the background. /div>

LOL I see what you mean. At first glance it looks kind of like they are attached. 

shucker

pay more attention to the engine than the brand of mower.  Kawasaki engines are hands down the winner when compared to the kohlers and briggs.  I would not pay a premium for deere or cub in a big box store because they are basically the same mower as the cheaper brands.  If youre going deere or cub, get the real deal, not the mtd.  If budget doesnt allow, save your money and get a less expensive mtd.  

fishlessman

since your yard is wide open, a pull behind and an atv, more fun than a rider

Steve76

Bought a Toro zero turn, 42" 8 years ago, mow weekly here in FL, new blades every year, regular oil changes, never a problem, and the lawn looks like a golf green... Did NOT buy it from a big box, but from a Toro dealer... As with Deere, the are differences...  About 3/4 acre....

Fred19Flintstone

I have a LX272 Deere I bought in 2001 from a dealer.  I mow about 2/3 Ac.  Change the oil & lube it 1xyear and your Deere will serve you well.  At least that's what I do.

JohnInCarolina

Big Green Lawnmower:

saluki2007

And if it helps me from getting buffaloed, I'm leaning towards the Deere S240 sport.  It's green, just like my egg.  I may even cover the john deere stickers with BGE and Yetti ones.  Maybe throw some flames on it too. 

gmac

I like my Exmark zero turn. Cut about 2 acres of grass. Borrowed a 60 inch Hustler once and really liked it too. Prefer zero turn to tractor style but for 1/2 an acre it may be overkill.