# Residential mower help 🙏



## Rhone12 (Oct 8, 2020)

I'm so sorry to add another post like this, but I am struggling on which riding mower to get for 3rd acre lawn with hills. I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to get a high-quality cut and possibly stripes. Residential or commercial what would be your best advice? Thanks a ton!


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

If it is nicely maintained and you like to mow at a leisurely pace- then I would recommend a residential mower (I like Toro).

If it is bumpy ground with rocks or debris and you only plan on mowing once a week or less and want to go fast - then I would recommend a commercial mower.

Pretty much the commercial ones are built to go faster and get abused on bumpy "lawns". They are much heavier and the extra weight makes them ride smoother for the operator. If you don't need that, then a residential mower would be lighter and cheaper to purchase. No reason to buy commercial if you are only mowing a couple hours a week on a nice lawn.

I find the resale value of commercial mowers is not good. A lot of pro lawncare guys looking to buy a mower don't have any cash (finance 0% at the dealer for new), or they prefer to lease for tax deduction purposes, or they want brand new with warranty so they don't have downtime. So it is somewhat difficult to sell a used commercial mower for a good price.

PS. At first I read 1-3 acres but is it actually a third acre? If so, I would say you probably don't need a commercial mower and would be better off with a 42" Timecutter. Or a 21" Toro Super Recycler if you want to walk mow. 30" Timemaster if you want something inbetween. I never used them on hills though. I hear the Toro commercial 21" or Exmark 21" can pull hills good at about $1000 cost.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

what mower do you have now?


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## Rhone12 (Oct 8, 2020)

ABC123 said:


> what mower do you have now?


I used an Automower and didn't love the experience.


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## uts (Jul 8, 2019)

The most consistent name for a pristine cut and after cut appearance that I read is a walker. Exmark and scag follows it for commercial mowers (just my reading)

For a great cut you need a appropriate power and sharp blades. For a pristine aftercut appearance you need to bag (that's my experience)

For 1/3 of an acre you could get by with a walk behind mowef easily. New honda/Toro SR are great with bagging.

As for a riding mowerx your budget will dictate what you can get. I think the scag entry line.mowers are very good.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Anything can mow decent with good stripes, its all about setting it up right.


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## cityofoaks (Sep 8, 2020)

1/3 acre? Super Recycler hands down. If you have to ride for health reasons, etc.....then I like those classic Snappers with the rear motors for small yards, they store nice and bag like no other, and do well on hills too.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

@Rhone12

My answer would be a John Deere lawn tractor. Cuts the grass, tows my sprayer and spreader, and hauls mulch and soil for me too.

Here is my JD X350 when I bought it from my dealer. They even delivered it to my house for free (I sold off both of my trailers)....


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## flyfishsteve (Mar 11, 2018)

walker


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

Hustler or Grasshopper. 
I looked at John Deere but felt it was too expensive for what you get. You are paying quite a bit for green and yellow paint.

I went with a Hustler Raptor Flip Up which makes it very easy to clean under deck and change blades. I bought that new
I just bought a used Grasshopper Front mount. It can take an AeraVator aerating attachment in place of the mowing deck and lots of other things too. 29 hp , it rockets. The Hustler is 25 hp.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

One of the local landscape contractor companies had several problems with their Hustler Raptor.

The mower deck kept throwing its belt off in the field, and he had to have the belt guide replaced.

The transmission mounts broke, which is apparently a known defect, but replaced under warranty.

Both of the plastic fenders cracked at the mounting points, and vibrated until he replaced them.

The only problem I've had with my John Deere is the seat vinyl cracked; replaced under warranty.

But everyone has different experiences with different models and machines, so results may vary.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

There are a lot of different models of Hustler Raptor. They had a belt guide "airworthiness directive" which they would install for free on particular models. My 2017 came with it installed.

There are some known problems with some model transmission mounts but they have been taken care of under warranty and do not affect all models. Mine has a huge bar connecting the two transmissions. Hard to imagine that breaking. Anything is possible.

Fenders cracking at mounting points is usually a symptom of running into stuff. (Mine didn't crack but pulled the bolt heads through the plastic. TOTALLY my fault. I am much more careful now.)

Mine did have the well known headache of the fuel gauge crapping out. But it wasn't Hustlers fault I looked into who made the gauge and it is a very high tech system but for whatever reason it has problems. They totally take care of that under warranty. (Edit: System is built by Kelch and involves a magnet on a float which rotates on a spiral according to the fuel level. A hall effect sensor reads the rotation and converts it to fuel level. Looks great to me but they had a lot of headaches with it. Dealer picked up and delivered mower for free which he didn't have to.)

I am not here to knock John Deer which I almost bought. I don't care for their policy vis a vis farmers repairing their own equipment (which all farmers do). There were big lawsuits about that. I can see the points made by both sides but I like to be able to mess up my own gear and I think most guys do too.

I am very satisfied with the dealer I bought the Hustler from. He is also a Grasshopper dealer and didn't think I needed a Grasshopper and I agreed until I really got real familiar with LawnZilla and what it was going to need. (an AeraVator!) So he sold me Raptor Flip Up. I went there looking for a Grasshopper that Flips Up. I would never go back even though I have a Mow Jack and a second mower jack. WAY too much trouble.

As you say everyone's experience is their own and it also depends on the luck of the draw and whether or not there are gremlins circling overhead. Hustler has a pretty good reputation for customer service and responsiveness. My experience has been good.

https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/raptor-flip-up#Specs
Looks like they've switched from the 25 hp Kohler to a 23 Kawasaki

https://www.grasshoppermower.com/

The Hustler is a mid mount and has a shorter wheelbase so it is sort of zippier. The Grasshopper is big and heavy and long and has a Grammar seat that was an $800 extra and has its own manual. It really rides wonderfully no matter how fast I push it. More like a Cadillac.

Grasshopper is famous for their front mount mowers which others are now starting to copy. The more I learn about this company and their products the better I like them. Even though I bought their product used they are very quick to send me manuals and answer questions.

Both have Facebook owners groups and both groups are pleasant.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

@gene_stl Thank you for providing your input on the machines you use.

I am always a bit reluctant to reply to these threads because people who own other machines tend to favor their choices, and you can inadvertently cause people to react to what is stated in a given post.

I always appreciate when people talk about their own experiences on equipment, and what they find that works for them, because that is how readers of the threads learn of the different options that are out there, and can make a more informed decision when they are buying equipment or goods.

I try to keep in mind that other readers may not have the desire to do a lot of research when buying, for whatever reasons life presents to them, so when they ask for what to consider, I just speak from my own experience and what I know or have learned from others.

A sample size of one machine does not really tell anyone very much, so owners offering up their experiences is helpful to those who seek that input. I have learned that you can step on someone's toes in these threads without really meaning to, and people are fans of their own equipment for their own reasons, so it can cause people to think someone is "against" their "side" or brand of choice.

These threads do get viewed by a lot of people, all over the world, so I try to be mindful of that fact.

That is why ownership experiences are so important on equipment or product reviews: it matters....

Thanks again for your mature responses, and elaborating on your equipment. I appreciate that.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

I came very close to buying a 700 series Deere. The mighty Scotts/Murray that is in my avatar kept getting jammed on my many mole hils and probably wood chuck hills too. It also got very slippy on my hills and berms. I knew I needed something else newer and better. But I wanted at least the 4wd model and maybe even four wheel steering too (WITH awd) This pushed the price a little higher than I wanted to go and the only advantage the lower models might have had would have been newer tires and maybe a differential lock. So I decided to try a zero turn.

Having now bought two I have spent enough that I could have paid for the Deere model I liked. or close to it. We all do "what seemed like a good idea at the time". Even though I consider myself to have upgraded to the Grasshopper I don't have any regret about the Hustler, other than nobody wants to pay anything near what it is worth. If I have to sell it for 50% off what I paid I will just hang onto it. I think both the new and used businesses are very slow right now with so many people laid off their jobs.

People do tend have a preference for the decision they previously made. And it's good to have specific features and bugs pointed out. In the case of Hustler there are some models that have big headaches with broken transmission mounts but it isn't all of them. In the Hustler FB group the guys with the commercial models really love them and think they are the best. Similar in the GH group too. Hustler has a couple of models that they sell at Loews. As you can imagine there are more headaches in those than in the commercial ones which can only be bought at dealers. The Raptor Flip Up that I bought is generally nicely made. The deck is EXCELLENT. Really solid steel and I was very surprised at how big the diameter of the spindle shafts are when changing blades. (Aided by the Flip Up feature which I will never ever go back from)

I am not trying to piss anyone off. Just report what my experiences have been and maybe an opinion or two.
Thank you for your kind words.
Time to go outside and grind up some leaves.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

@Rhone12 what did you not like about the auto mower?


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