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Need New Lawnmower

Midlife

Midlife

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I'm in the market for a new lawnmower, as the Sears push mower I have has rusted the deck beyond repair. Because of the high heat/humidity down here in FLA-Land, I typically mow at 8AM, but there is dew on the grass.

I'm interested in either a riding mower or (I think this would be better for me) a self-propelled mower. They have changed the engine specs from hp to torque, and Honda won't publish their torque values. I would prefer as wide a deck as I can get, and direct/gear drive rather than belt-driven. Having never used a self-propelled mower, I presume they can work as a push mower for tight areas and turns, by simply dis-engaging the driving wheels, right? Better to get front wheel or rear-wheel drive? Other concerns?

I'd love the zero-turn riding mowers, but don't have the money. Besides, in tight areas, they and standard riding mowers probably won't work, so I'm still forced to use a push mower or a weed-whacker.

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
 
Randy,it sounds like you would be happy with a self-propelled,high(bicycle)rear wheeled mower.They turn on a dime because of the larger rear wheel and simply release the lever on the handle (which is right where you hold it anyway) to stop forward travel.I had a Toro like the one I just mentioned before getting my John Deere rider and had no complaints. Having said that ,a 42" John Deere HydraStat rider is the best thing since sliced bread. IMO.
 
He would need 4, 3 for the grass, one to keep an eye on Randy so the others are safe.
 
Now we know who was in the back of that lecture hall when the prof. was talking about ghosts and sex.......
 
Check your Craigslist or ebay for an older Honda self propelled. I have one from 1985 and it runs just as good today as it did new. Still starts on the first pull. The newer Hondas got cheap with belt drives and some with plastic decks.
 
How big is your yard Randy? And how often would you have to not use the self propulsion feature of the mower? From my experience, the self propelled are much harder to push when not using the feature.

The mowable portion of my yard is a tad under 3/4 of an acre. I use a 36" walk behind style mower.
 
I have about 1/3 acre to mow. I'd need to simply use the push version around the edges, where SWMBO put in curved beds. The rest of the time, I could let the mower do the walking.

36" deck? My gawd, that must have cost a fortune!
 
Sorry, I mispoke. It's only a 33" cut.

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I have both a craftsman and a Honda self propelled. I use the Honda, easy start and easy to use. The Craftsman is a PIA to start and doesnt cut or mulch as well.
 
I use a 18HP Ford compact tractor with a 60" mower, still takes me 4 hrs to cut the grass. I tried letting the cattle mow it, but then I had to wade through tons of shat :crazy

1/3 acre, an old time rotary mower is all you need, you'll work off some wattles too.
 
Updated:

I bought a Snapper self-propelled mower, and I've learned that I need to push it along the curved edges. Once that is done, I can use the motor-drive to do the rest. It has cut down the mowing time down from about 90 minutes to 50 minutes or so, and I'm not quite so tired or sweaty. I suspect self-propelled mowers have their own quirks that I'm getting used to; this one is definitely designed for right handed people, and I'm a southpaw. I'm adjusting...

So far, I think it was a good investment.
 
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