I am in the market for a mower, I've got about 2½ acres so I figure a rider would be preferable. around 2-3k for budget. I know the primary thing to look for is who makes the engine, Briggs/Honda/Kawasaki being the recommended.
>>29950213 Ecovacs GOAT 1600s or one Luba 2 10000
>>2995026I don't want some Chinese data harvesting device used to determine if my lawn is good as a drop zone for CCP paratroopers.
>>2995021i have a Toro Timecutter Max 54" and mow about 3 acres with it, the 5 gallon tank can mow everything without refilling with fuel to spare, which is nice compared to my old Husqvarna that needed to 2 refills to do the same job. the Ultima ZT1 was my other choice and the more budget friendly option, the better spec'd Cub Cadets have the same Kawasaki 23hp engine as the Toro which is the preferred choice for that mower size. i went with the Toro as it has a beefier 10 gauge steel frame and fabricated deck and there are a lot of plastic parts on the Ultima that are steel on the Toro. my land is still pretty bumpy and mostly rock-free so i went with the heavier duty choice. they are very similar on paper but once you get your hands on them you can tell which is for homeowners with big lawns and which is for handling tougher conditions. I've only had to change the oil once and do basic maintenance on the filters and it runs great, but needs a good battery to turn over properly. i keep mine on a 12v solar battery tender and thats the only way to get it started until i get a new battery for it.
>>2995029alright cool, thanks. I do have "just a big lawn" so maybe the Toro would be overkill. I wasn't really looking at the ZT1 specifically, I just grabbed an image off the internet. it doesn't have to be a zero turn
>>2995027I will sell my soul and butthole to the chinese to not have to mow lawn.
>>2995040normal mowers are fine if you want to keep the cost down and just drive in a straight line to take care of a big lawn, just know that once you splurge on a Zero Turn you will never go back.
>>2995047I have used one before so I know, and I know how much more expensive they are. I'm like 65-35 leaning towards a zero turn. the chief concern is durability/reliability, I don't want to drop several grand on some disposable JD tractor from the Home Depot.
>>2995048even the jd shit from the stealership is trash. fucking joke brand. my shop landlord has an x530 he bought new in 2009 for $5700 (!) and his wife neuroticly mows about 2 ac a week. that piece of shit is constantly breaking down from wear parts. belt sheaves and guage wheels/bushings are eaten like candy and the $15 scamazon ones last exactly the same service time as the $200 jd "genuine" chinkshit. i bet hes spent $15k buying new bagger components for it. it eats up a $2k blower every year like clockwork. just fucking junkhe shoulda bought a 4xxx series with a loader and a finish mower for his wife to play in the garden with instead
>>2995021
>>2995050from what I know, Cub Cadet isn't much better these days. gold standard during the International-Harvester era, now is all third party rebranded junk.>>2995051I was asking for advice from people who already have mowers, but whatever dude
