Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi all,

Well, it's been a while since I last came here, and since you folks gave me some great advice last Fall, regarding snow-throwers (bought a Honda 11/32), I decided to come back for a little guidance on lawn-tractors.

First off, my property is roughly 27,000 sq.ft. Roughly 18,000 sq.ft. of that is relatively "flat". The remaining 9000 sq.ft. is comprised of fairly steep slopes, where it would be impossible to use a tractor, and I'll be doing those areas with a push-mower and a grass-trimmer.

Budget-wise, I'm reasonably flexible, and I'd like a quality machine. I've only just begun looking at these machines, and so far I've tried a Cub-Cadet Zero-Turn 50" mower, and I've taken a brief look at a Troy-Bilt 25HP/ 50" conventional lawn-tractor.  Wednesday of this week, I'll be visiting a John Deere dealer.

I've got to say that I was impressed with the Cub-Cadet, but I suppose it would take a little time to get used to the twin-lever steering system.

Can you folks give me a little shove in the right direction? Is there something I should consider when choosing a motor? (single cylinder vs twin, etc)

How about accessories? My understanding is, you can't use rear-bagger accessories on the zero-turn mowers. Is that a big deal? Do those rear-bagger systems work well?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

I checked out an EX-Mark Quest today at my local Case dealer. They only had the 20hp/42" deck model in stock, and that was $4700. according to the rep who served me. He wasn't 100% sure of that price though, as the regular sales-rep was away for the day. I've gotta say that the build-quality of that eXmark machine, was VERY IMPRESSIVE to say the least. It looks like it would last forever.

Hi ,

I just wanted to led you know, you may want to check out Toro too.  Ex mart is just  a top of the line Toro. They are to same company . You may not afford a Ex-emart Lexus, but you may afford a Toro Camry.