Best price for mowers?

[Yooformula]

Anyone know of a specific place that has good deals on ride on mowers? I will be in the market in the next 3 weeks and I could use any tips for a starting to look. Thanks!

[Brian98GTP]

7 Mile Fair!! :rolf

:goof

[Karps TA]

Best price is likely going to be any of the "big box" stores - Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. However keep in mind you get zero service from those places, so should anything go wrong, you're on your own to find someone to work on it.

For a couple bucks more you can go to a dealer, get a lot better info on the mowers to make a better decision for what you need, as well as get much better service.

A rider should last you quite a few years, so buying the cheapest isn't always the best value.

[PureSound15]

There's a place in New Berlin off of College Ave, about a block west of Sunnyslope rd on the North side of the street. I think it's a simplicity dealer. A buddy of mine from High School works there (always has a Gold Chevelle out front).

The couple that owns it are older than dirt and offer GREAT service. Small place but good people.

[wikked]

Best price is likely going to be any of the "big box" stores - Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. However keep in mind you get zero service from those places, so should anything go wrong, you're on your own to find someone to work on it.



That's not really true.
We got our Craftsman rider from Sears, was about $1,000 after everything. It has a warranty on various things, as well as service if needed during the warranty period. :shades

I put about 3hrs a week on it, about 5hrs on fall/spring cleanups (mulching leaves), and it's still running like new after 3yrs.

Just like a car, do the maintenance regularly, sharpen the blades about every 10-15hrs of use, make sure the tires are inflated properly, make sure the grease points are lubed up.
Should last until you blow something up :thumbsup

[PureSound15]

Or hit a tree stump:cool:

[97PontiacW68]

Esh Economy on 27th n drexel..

[theavenger333]

That's not really true.
We got our Craftsman rider from Sears, was about $1,000 after everything. It has a warranty on various things, as well as service if needed during the warranty period. :shades

I put about 3hrs a week on it, about 5hrs on fall/spring cleanups (mulching leaves), and it's still running like new after 3yrs.

Just like a car, do the maintenance regularly, sharpen the blades about every 10-15hrs of use, make sure the tires are inflated properly, make sure the grease points are lubed up.
Should last until you blow something up :thumbsup
i dunno, i'm nothing but UNimpressed with our craftsman, especially comparing the price to others out there. its runs okay, havn't had any major problems with it or anything, but its a lower model

[Slow Joe]

We've had two craftsman mowers, and for the price and what we've put 'em through... Good stuff... The current one my dad has... Well we've put it through hell... And it still takes a beating... My mom has a cheap Home Depot brand one, and it's just as good... I think it's a Yard Machines (By MTD)... Maintinence is the biggest thing... And making sure it's got a good motor... The craftsman has a briggs motor and the yard machines has a Tecushmesh or however you spell it... Both have been good... And both are greater than 5 years old...

[wikked]

i dunno, i'm nothing but UNimpressed with our craftsman, especially comparing the price to others out there. its runs okay, havn't had any major problems with it or anything, but its a lower model

Weird... what's UNimpressive about it?

If I had a choice, it'd be nothing but Toro. :headbang

[Memphis]

...Or you could give me a call, see if I have a good one somewhere!

[theavenger333]

Weird... what's UNimpressive about it?

If I had a choice, it'd be nothing but Toro. :headbang
based off the other ones i've driven, osme new, some old, this one's turning radius is garbage. this model doesn't let you speed up or slow down while driving, you gotta brake, then shift gears. the speeds settings are poor, the one setting i actually want is like 3.5. 3 is barely crawling, but 4 is moving WAY too fast. those two are the only gears with that big of a gap. the brake/clutch setup is uuber sensitive, and i think the ride is pretty bad. like i said, this is all based off riding other mowers. the two i've like the best were John Deer and Simplicity

[Slow Joe]

John Deer and Simplicity are also the most expensive....

Having a hydrostatic transmission might help your problem with having to shift gears... You have a manual gear box in that bad boy... As for ride quality... Uhhh... It's a lawn mower... I didn't know they had good rides... LOL... I mean there aren't any springs or shocks on most or anything like that...

[BAD LS1]

Best price is likely going to be any of the "big box" stores - Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, etc. However keep in mind you get zero service from those places, so should anything go wrong, you're on your own to find someone to work on it.

For a couple bucks more you can go to a dealer, get a lot better info on the mowers to make a better decision for what you need, as well as get much better service.

A rider should last you quite a few years, so buying the cheapest isn't always the best value.


HAHAHAH me and you are a bit biased though twoards the higher end product, being we work for a small engine mfg LOL

You get what you pay for, big box stores blow when it comes to these machines as far as quality of the brands they sell, and the service of them. You might get lucky with a John Deere from home cheapo, and have a JD dealer able to service it and do warranty repairs.

Toro consumer tractors are made by MTD now and IMHO sucked when toro made them....

If you got $2500 or so to spend get a entry level SIMPLICITY!!!!! Best cut, dealer sold only, and outstanding service and a machine that will last for 20 years. Make sure to get one with a B & S engine though!

Take it from either one of us, we know about this stuff first hand!

[Karps TA]

I was hoping you'd chime in as well. lol

Little biased towards Simplicity myself, even before Briggs bought them, but regardless they make a great mower. Especially with the rollers on the back of the deck, makes your yard look like Miller Park.

If you have a problem with your equipment at a big box store they pretty much tell you to take it to a dealer. And when you take it to a dealer, who do you think is the priority the customer who bought from him, or the guy who save $200 and bought from the Depot? Sure Sears has their own repair center, but again you need to take it there, plus you can expect to wait 3-4 weeks till you see it again.

[wikked]

ehhh... I don't like Simplicity at all, very very average cut at best =P
I've used & demo'd everything from nearly all the brands you can get here.

The best I've used was a Toro walkbehind with the T-Bar steering... **** would look like golf course fairways after. So easy to keep straight too.

Absolute worst I used are the Grasshoppers... yuck.

To each his own though :)

[BAD LS1]

Yeah most Simplicity's have the full width rear roller bar that gives the stripe effect like you see and miller park. I worked for a simplicty dealer for 7 years in west bend, and by far they are light years ahead of everything else as far as performance, service, and ease of working on.

The same place sold Toro's and they blew to work on, cut, etc... only the Commercial Toro stuff is any good, like high end Z-master's etc wide area mowers etc...

Seriously dont cheap out on the 900$ MTD special from menards though! we will be telling you so in a year, when the deck falls apart, and the engine and trans are the only good things left on the machine.

[Yooformula]

Damm way too many opinions for a friggin lawn mower. Sheesh I got some more work to do huh....I wish I had the budget for a Simplicity but I dont. The ace by me sells good looking used ones(simplicity) which would be more my budget otherwise I would have to go the route of the bix box guys unless I can find a decent used one locally but they all look rusted to sh it and beat on...blah!
Thanks so far for the input fellas, at least I know what direction to be looking!

[BAD LS1]

If you can, do a few year old simplicity over big box store job.

[nismodave]

Buy a John Deere........Support the people in WI.

But yea they cost more.

[Karps TA]

Simplicity is in Port Washington, WI.

I think Toro makes one of the best walk behinds. The Personal Pace self propel is just the best.

[jbiscuit]

thats what my dad has is a Toro Personal Pace. Its an OUTSTANDING mower. I have a Craftsman w/ a Briggs 6.75hp self-propelled and its pretty nice. It has that "Easy Start" or whatever Briggs calls it...3 pumps on the primer and 1 pull...starts every time on the first pull. Its pretty nice. You really need a rider Yoos?

[BAD LS1]

I 2nd the personal pace too! once you have the update personal pace cable that wont break, they are awesome, got one too for trimming.

That Engine you got on yours J is one the best Briggs engine produced for a walk behind mower in terms of price, and reliability, its called the model 12 quantum series.

[Karps TA]

Another tip is if you want/need a new mower I'd pick one up this year. 07 kicks in a bunch of new emissions requirements, and with them you'll see higher prices as well.

[Brian98GTP]

Hmmm.. looks like Im the only retard that had a post that wasnt helpful.....

Ahhhh well.. :alcoholic

[Yooformula]

thats what my dad has is a Toro Personal Pace. Its an OUTSTANDING mower. I have a Craftsman w/ a Briggs 6.75hp self-propelled and its pretty nice. It has that "Easy Start" or whatever Briggs calls it...3 pumps on the primer and 1 pull...starts every time on the first pull. Its pretty nice. You really need a rider Yoos?

I think so, it takes me damm near 2.5 hours to cut my lawn. A ride on would make it easier to cut more often and fertilize as well, not to mention I might be able to mount a plow on the front.

[Memphis]

You can buy John Deeres at the big stores, but they are a cheaper version of the dealer versions. They use the Briggs motor...dont get me wrong a great motor...the dealer version uses the new Kawasaki motors. Also not built as heavy as the dealer versions, but like you say you get what you pay for. You can also buy simplicity at Lowes, but I would guess its the same deal as the John Deeres...not the same quality as the dealer versions. I know Lowes uses a local dealer (Esch Economy) to set up the John Deere tractors, and that dealer has a sticker on each tractor for service work needed in the future...

[theavenger333]

John Deer and Simplicity are also the most expensive....Having a hydrostatic transmission might help your problem with having to shift gears... You have a manual gear box in that bad boy... As for ride quality... Uhhh... It's a lawn mower... I didn't know they had good rides... LOL... I mean there aren't any springs or shocks on most or anything like that...
you get what you pay for Joey!! both craftsmans i used had the manual trans, and their prices are comparable to simplicitys straight from Sears. ride quality, aparantly you havn't ridden any nice ones, on the craftsman the deck jumps everywhere, and the chassis is incredibly rigid, so on a hill it does poorly.

anyway, Yoosef, i've seen your yard, its a tad smaller than mine, only reason we got a rider is because my dad can't walk it, and i won't be living here forever. if you got a wider push mower, a self propelled unit, it would take far less time. the one u got now is a very thing unit, they make regular grade ones almost a full foot wider. besides, if you want a rider with the attachments, you gotta get a nice one

[wikked]

you get what you pay for Joey!! both craftsmans i used had the manual trans, and their prices are comparable to simplicitys straight from Sears. ride quality, aparantly you havn't ridden any nice ones, on the craftsman the deck jumps everywhere, and the chassis is incredibly rigid, so on a hill it does poorly.


Don't blame the mower, blame your yard ;)
If the deck is jumping everywhere, you need to roll that sh1t out*, bad.
You'd be amazed how much easier it is to mow once that's done.
Our Craftsman has a self-leveling deck, so that's not a problem.
I'd think any decent mower made currently has that?
I been outta the game for a few years :goof


*The day after a good rain is the best time.

[theavenger333]

i've rolled our yard twice since we moved in, trust me, its the mower... and NO we do not have the self leveling deck

[BAD LS1]

Craftsman... bah EHP junk. The decks are just held on by a series of rods and arms, barely connected to the front axle for pivoting to follow ground contours, WONT stay level for long, cheap arbors, bearings etc. chinsy thin gauged steel decks. Not to mention most are HELL to remove the deck. Also the lack of gauge wheels on most lead to PLENTY of scalping as well, one at each corner dont often cut it. Dont even think about attachments for this swill product either, a snow blower attachment will look like one MASSIVE mechanical asshole due to poor engineering of belt routing/tensioning system and the lack of tractor frame requires an oversized sub frame for the blower. These are the ford festiva's of the riding lawnmower world.

Again,most of your Simplicity's, J/D's, HIGH end Toro, Ariens/gravely products are the best out there at what they do and wont jack your lawn up.

this is like comparing MTD made mcculloch chain saws to a Stihl or Dolmar saw... there is no comparison. The german saws reign supreme.

[UnderPSI]

I need some Simplicity parts Tom, I was wondering if you could help me out. Just the usuall service stuff. Air Filter and precleaner, Oil Filter and fuel filter. Am I missing anything? 2000ish Simplicity Leagacy 25hp gas. 60" deck. Thanks, Brad. 262-751-9439

[GRNDNL]

Yoos....For the right price I'd give up my rider....shes served me well all these years but it might be time to step up.....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/carcraft53029/Junk/redneckridinglawnmower.jpg

[GTSLOW]

Yoos....For the right price I'd give up my rider....shes served me well all these years but it might be time to step up.....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/carcraft53029/Junk/redneckridinglawnmower.jpg

What kind of price are we talking? How does it do on hills?

[BAD LS1]

I need some Simplicity parts Tom, I was wondering if you could help me out. Just the usuall service stuff. Air Filter and precleaner, Oil Filter and fuel filter. Am I missing anything? 2000ish Simplicity Leagacy 25hp gas. 60" deck. Thanks, Brad. 262-751-9439

I left the simplicty dealer to work for Briggs. Sorry i cant help you out there anymore they arent too happy with me coming back for 6 months and leaving lol

[GRNDNL]

What kind of price are we talking? How does it do on hills?

Price....Well that depends if you want me to finish it, I'm working on it right now, going to give it a nice #8 Budweiser paint job.....:headbang

As far as hills, really depends on how pregnant the wife is, she usually slows down some about 6 months out, then really slows down at 9 months...Would you believe the last couple of times she thought I should help..... :rolleyes: