Lawn mower thread

[Lame Duck]

Just purchased John Deere Z320M from the dealer.  Basically the same price as Lowe’s but they are through in pick-up and delivery for free for annual maintenance.  I heard Lowe’s technicians tend to screw up assembly a lot.

[LinvilleGorge]

Gonna have to tear into my John Deere this weekend. I was doing the first mow of the season yesterday and all of a sudden it just started dying under load. Engage the transmission or mowing deck either one and it would die. I think it might be throttle cable adjustment related. I could hold the throttle up in choke position and it ran decent enough to at least get it back to the shed.

[OHYO]

34 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Gonna have to tear into my John Deere this weekend. I was doing the first mow of the season yesterday and all of a sudden it just started dying under load. Engage the transmission or mowing deck either one and it would die. I think it might be throttle cable adjustment related. I could hold the throttle up in choke position and it ran decent enough to at least get it back to the shed.

Starving for fuel if it run good with choke up. Main jet is clogged for sure.

[LinvilleGorge]

Ran fine today with doing nothing. I think it might have just been overworked and overheating. Mowed the whole field after letting it go to seed last fall. It started acting up about 70% through. Finished the last 30% today. It really should've been bush hogged I just don't have a bush hog so lawnmower it was. I'm finishing up the fencing over the next couple weekends so we'll have the horses over soon so no worries about mowing.

[Doc Holiday]

On 3/7/2024 at 6:52 PM, Lame Duck said:

Thinking about getting riding lawn mower.  Any recommendations?  Should I use Lowe’s/Home Depot or local dealer?

I'm a dude that knows his mowers, how much yard are you cutting? 1/4 acre? 1/2 acre 1 acre? or more?

[Lame Duck]

2 minutes ago, Doc Holiday said:

I'm a dude that knows his mowers, how much yard are you cutting? 1/4 acre? 1/2 acre 1 acre? or more?

1/2 acre no trees

[Doc Holiday]

14 minutes ago, Lame Duck said:

1/2 acre no trees

Just saw your last post, not a bad choice, definitely better off getting John Deere’s from the dealer than Lowe’s. Always buy from the dealer on these when you can. 

[LinvilleGorge]

I work on my own stuff so I just buy from whoever is cheaper. Hell, I almost always buy used.

[DC Amp]

Like one poster said Exmark is a very good mower, however, my local home depot didn't have any so I went with a Cub Cadet, ztm, (Cub Cadet Ultima Zero Turn Mower ZT1 42) with a B&S engine, 22hp I think. I would've preferred the kawasaki motor for all the hipe customers report. It does work well with the Briggy tho

[Lame Duck]

I’m supposed to get my mower tomorrow.  Not sure what will come first… the mower or warning from HOA.  My grass is legit.

[LinvilleGorge]

1 hour ago, Lame Duck said:

I’m supposed to get my mower tomorrow.  Not sure what will come first… the mower or warning from HOA.  My grass is legit.

I could never live in an HOA but if I did I would get a lot of entertainment out of internationally fuging with them. LOL

[SmokinwithWilly]

Depending on your budget, Walker is the mac daddy of mowers. Mulching mower will run you 14 grand but you'll have a mower that leaves a beautiful finished product. I've run Walker, Toro, Exmark, JD, Gravely, Bad Boy, Spartan and even Cub Cadet. They all have their advantages/disadvantages depending on the type of deck

Some stuff to think about before buying. 

How much grass are you cutting off per mow/ how often? This is relevant to whether you need to bag, mulch or side/rear discharge.

What type of soil? Sandy soil will eat up blades. You end up keeping sand in the vortex under the mower and you will sandblast the underside of your deck. 

Is your land level or rolling? Hinged decks work much better on rolling turf vs floating decks for flatter. Downside, only a few lines run hinged decks and they ain't cheap. 

Are you doing the maintenance or paying someone else? Look at your most common repair parts for a zero turn, mainly hydros. How much do they run? Are they even available local or online only? There are some mowers that replacing hydros costs more than a new mower. 

I always buy from a  local dealer that stocks parts for whatever I'm buying. 

I also do this commercially so my standards are a bit higher, but in order, my preference is Walker, Exmark, Toro, Gravely, Spartan, Bad Boy, CC. I won't touch a Craftsman. 

[Lame Duck]

Zero turn lawn mower is so much fun.  Took me 10 mins to get used to it and now I’m riding that thing like go-cart.  All my dude neighbors now want to buy it.  I mowe my whole yard in 90 minutes instead of 4-5 hours.

Edited April 8 by Lame Duck