what do you guys use to mow your lawns. i came close to pulling the trigger on a John Deere x540 last week. next year for sure.

husqvarner 115 or something like that

Being a landscaper for many years ,,,,Commercial Toro Pro Line are one of the best,,,if you must have a tractor , , get one with a PTO for accesories,,,Cub is another good name ,,,I have 14 years on my Toro 21 inch powered by a 6hp Suzuki two stroke,,cost over a grand,,but 14 years of bagging clippings with more to go,,,not available at Home Depot,,,only at a true power equipment dealer,,,Lesco with Kawasaki power another good name,,all Kawasaki "commercial" motors are the longest lasting units,,,,,better than the Honda "commercial" mowers IMO,,what ever you get , get a "commercial" designation for the best quality and longevity,and also for parts availability,,,,,,

http://www.toro.com/en-us/professional- ... ercial2000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vb0QwILtEw

Kubota last's forever if you have the dosh,,, http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/list.a ... anu=KUBOTA

Kubota tg1860 diesel. Works quite well, power steering is nice too. And it comes in orange.

How much land do you need to mow?

only a half acre, but i want overkill baby!!

Cub Cadet SLTX 1054 for 3 acres.
Polaris Ranger with DR tow behind 13hp bush hog for lower 6 acres.

Atv with a gang mower for overkill

After being a mower mechanic for a few years early on in my degree. .. stay away from the new john deeres unless its one of the commercial grade items. Most ride ons are pretty cheap and horrible these days and because they skimp out on the hydrostatic drives they often fail after 2-4 years (sometimes less depending how they are treated). The motors rarely have any problems if they get an oil change once a year... It's just the hydrostatic drives.

Good machines that I have found are. .. kubota diesels, ferris zero turns (can even get ones with cat diesels)... simplicity zero turns... common thing is they all use Japanese hydrostatic gearboxes... can't remember the company off hand but they are pretty much bullet proof.

If you can find one with a fabricated deck as opposed to a stupid pressed deck you will thank me later. . Copes if you bump into something and keeps the spindles all in line.

The deck spindles you want are also fabricated... The cast aluminium/iron ones break all the time... specially if you accidentally go over something. Its good to grease the spindles once a month in summer due to heavy use.

Keep the top of the deck clean and the cutting belt will last forever.

If you buy a 2-5 grand mower (cheapie.. well in aus this is the case) be prepared to throw it away age two years. Rideons are not cheap but are worth it if you have the property size.

On a small property or complex a zero turn is invaluable.

But if you decide to get a push mower (would suggest a commercial type one for half an acre which is still way cheaper than a crap rideon) I would not use any thing other than a Honda... they are second to nothing and will last 30 years plus (no valve or car adjustments... just new fuel and spark plug and they will still start first pull). Get one with the heavy duty cast deck and you are laughing.

Again with push mowers... avoid pressed decks.

This is the little tractor/mower that came with the house I bought last year. I think we payed the owners £200 for it. Always wanted one of these and I had a great summer cutting the grass whilst having a cold beer. I've no idea whether it's a good one or not - nothing to compare it to! But the previous owner had it imported from the States - he left me all the air bills, import paperwork and original invoices.

It has loads of gears, (six I think). It won't wheelie

The manual gearboxes although not as nice to use definitely last a lot longer

But give me a zero turn any day... There are ones which run off a joy stick
.. super easy to use. .. highly manoeuvrable and plsystation like controls

CubCadet does the job here, previous one lasted eight years of ridiculous abuse, clearing new lawn, mowing rocks...

Manual gearbox may last longer but hydro cuts a half hour or more from my mowing time.

cub cadet 2550 gt gets the job done on my 5 acres