# Walker Mowers (T25i)



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

Anyone have any experience with these?

Today I came across the following video as I looked into yard improvement, leveling, etc. This is the first time I've ever seen a Walker mower.

Starts at 5:03 was my first glimpse at one and that bagger/dump process caught my eye






I looked into these more from the same YouTuber and came across this video where he explains his mower and does a leaf cleanup in the fall with it. He has the *Walker T25i*






From what I've read so far, they offer great lawn cutting, bagging, leaf cleanup, and deck cleaning/maintenance access is as easy as it gets. The cons are clumbing/clogging in wet grass.

You can see the deck access capability here, simply flip it up.






Pretty cool stuff, curious to see what the opinions are on here! :thumbup:


----------



## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

@silvercymbal is a member here and I agree, he has put out some good videos!

I'd love a walker for my spring scalp and collecting all the clipping :thumbup:


----------



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

OK very cool. @silvercymbal has quite a variety of videos, very analytical and doesn't look to shortcut. Good stuff!

What's prompting this question is my debate on choosing a mower. I currently have a Kubota B2650, but I only have 3/4 acre lawn (5 acres total property with a 200+ yard gravel driveway). The tractor is excellent for all the working duties, but I purposely held off on the lawn mower side as I figured out what was best. Kubota does offer a 60" (believe it's inside tractor wheel width) and 72" (definitely outside tractor wheel width) for mowing. If I go that direction, I'd like the 72" because it will track better and also allow me to cut even quicker...but it's pretty overkill for 3/4 acre. The other aspect is weight of the compact tractor but I think with the wide wheel base and FEL off the front, the math works out to it being OK and many others are mowing with them with great results.

The downsides with the Kubota 72" MMM are there's not an attached bagger option, but there are rear towed baggers (they're huge and pricey, many $1000s). Deck access is also no where near as easy as the Walker...although pretty much no other mowers are as easy either. And another downside is the attaching and removal of the MMM any time I want to do woods work. It's not a big deal, but it will take maybe 5-15 minutes each time (based on others experiences).

So been weighing things out for awhile now, and today came across the Walker and it caught my eye.


----------



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

How does the walker do on lawn "sweeping" as well? Maybe with mulching blades you can mulch leaves, sticks, twigs, acorns, etc and just suck them up...or not really?


----------



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

Man those badboys are pricey! I see a bunch for sale locally, but older and high hours. I'll keep researching them, especially the longevity of their parts. One I saw sounded like it was virtually entirely rebuilt. Another needed a motor but "everything else is great". Not sure if a project one is worth tackling, but a $2K pricetag needing only an engine sounded promising compared to $10-12K. They sure seem nice.


----------



## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

I had one for a while it was a 2001 and it did a great job vacuuming while mowing. Probably the best thing about it was that with the out front deck it cuts down on string trimming considerably as you can get way closer to the edges of mulch beds than with a standard zero turn. Even with the optional speed up kit they aren't fast mowers though.

Mine ran 3 timed mower blades that actually overlap each other never left a single straggler. I may get another one if I can find one for a good price.

Check the manual walkers have like 40+ zerk fittings to grease!


----------



## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Walkers are very nice rotary mowers, and if you have the pocketbook to get one, they are a fine machine. But if you're like subscribe to the motto "Buy once, cry once" you won't be disappointed in them.


----------



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

I requested a demo just to see what they recommend for my property and to get an idea on price. Will have to weigh out the investment on this versus the Kubota MMM vs going with a cheaper residential ZT or the like.


----------



## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Other than Grasshoppers, they are one of the most common commercial mowers around my area.

I think they are very very nice grass cutters, and leaf suckers. They do have some other attachments, but they are certainly leave a very nice cut lawn.


----------



## HomerGuy (Jun 5, 2017)

craigdt said:


> Other than Grasshoppers, they are one of the most common commercial mowers around my area.


Its crazy how much geographic location plays in mower brands. I honestly don't think I have ever seen a Walker mower here in southeast Michigan.


----------



## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

HomerGuy said:


> craigdt said:
> 
> 
> > Other than Grasshoppers, they are one of the most common commercial mowers around my area.
> ...


Yes- very odd.

It was difficult trying to find a Ferris dealer in my area, and I have never seen another one in the wild.

Around here, Grasshopper, Bad Boy, Walker, and lots of Hustlers.

Never seen a Ferris or Scag in the wild.


----------



## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

Sorry I am SLOW on the uptake this month with some projects. Thank you for the nice comments about my videos, I appreciate that!

As far as the Walker... now that I have owned it a year I can say it's awesome. The vacuum ability is what you thought, and can suck up everything, debris, etc and it makes a huge difference in how the lawn looks.

That being said, I bought a used T25i which was very hard to find since its a newer model. I hate buying anything from landscapers since years ago I realized that landscapers don't sell anything that makes them money or works well, so why are they selling something that's good?

I ended up finally finding a 2 year old one with 300 hours on it from a part time landscaper that was getting out of the business. So my advice is be VERY leary of older units if you go used. They can be costly to repair. If you are thinking new they have a nice finance program.

I used to have a Kubota BX and Deere 1025R both very good machine but in my opinion terrible mowers. I know people won't agree but I could have kept any of these three and the Walker beats them all. If I had rough fields, etc the tractors would win hands down.

Tractors do other things well and thats why I owned them, they paid for themselves allowing me do jobs that could not be done without. But the major work is done all I need is mowing and snowplowing and the Walker had done well for both.

The other thing in this LONG message I didn't mention is the speed. I LIKE to mow a lot 3x a week but I hate doing it so I want fast and the walker is the fastest, thats why the pros all buy them. They get a better cut in less time I really was a big Toro guy and owned a navigator which was really great but the Walker is better and Exmark/Toro discontinued there snowblower which ruined it for me.

I hope this is helpful with your decision. If you change your mind later Walkers have amazing resale value too so you can get out of it if needs change.


----------



## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

I have a Wright, which is in the same price class. That rear bagger dump cart deal they have is really nice.

You'd need something like a billy goat for acorns, the upward suction of mowers will get some of them, and will get a lot of the sticks, but not a lot of the acorns.

I bought my mower with 500 hours for about a third of the price as new. It needed $600 worth of work to be perfect and has run flawless.

If you're looking at a commercial unit, to me 500-1000 hours is "good used" and 300 to 500 hours is "like new".

Mine needed hydro service at 500 hours which was pricey, and also needed blades, tires, and a tuneup. I opted to have it all done at the local dealer, so I probably could have saved some money, but I've never done hydro service so I let them do it.

Take your time, watch craigslist and Facebook marketplace and eBay. And don't be afraid to pay $500 to ship something that's a great deal. A lot of landscapers sell their stuff at the end of the season or if they get out of the maintenance side.


----------



## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

Great feedback guys, thank you, I appreciate it!


----------

