About as general as you can get, lawn mowers.

[DocSteve]

I came into some money, wanna but a riding mower. Last I bought was a Cub Cadet because the sale guy explained how many parts of a CC were metal vs plastic on a JD . And 1k less. Biggest regret.
If you compare your mower to the best perceived, issue.
Well I came into a good 5 figure tax free lump sum and a 3k a month income.
I got a 1/3 acre lot. Down from 2 1/2 acres thanks to a divorce.
Im not gonna go back to a push mower.
Figure people here worked out the best for the money.
$500 to $1500 rider. Gotta get a 1st pull weed whacker too.
Open to all opinions.

 

[mike243]

Terrain will matter on the style of rider, time mowing will dictate the deck size. Commercial equipment aint always needed for longevity imo. I have a JD with a 42" cut and a briggs 19hp engine. Its a hydro drive, the farther you push the pedal the faster you go. Battery's have been the only issue with it, best I can remember its 6 years old and don't think I have 100 hrs on it yet. If mowing any hills a engine with a oil pump and filter will help extend the life to prevent blown motors ,weed eaters I prefer a 2 stroke vs a 4 stroke, every type of lawn equipment will have a use guide that might state a service life in hours but all that can be affected by lack of service lol.

 

[fivetricks]

All I can say is that I've owned a 1500 dollar model John Deere for about 12 years now and it has been Rock. Solid. It's even the home Depot model with the B&S motor. I replaced a deck belt 2 years ago even though it didn't really need it. Other than that the only thing I've ever done to it is regular maintenance like oil change and cleaning the building up grass.

The bagger system that they sell with it is so/so admittedly. 330 bucks. I used it for 10 years. Ended up taking it off the mower.

Not sure how important it is to you, but there's no PTO system on it at the 1500 dollar price point.

 

[mike243]

I think that's about what I bought mine for a small discount being a prev year model

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

I got a 20v Dewalt weed trimmer last year, worked great! Threw a 5ah battery I got on eBay on it and never had any lack of power. Multiple uses on a single charge, plus with the "fuel gauge" on the battery it's easy to know when you need a charge.
Derrick

 

[hardcookin]

Look for a used commerical zero turn in good shape.
Weed whackers Echo or Stihl make good ones. Buy from a reputable dealer, not a chain store.

 

[fivetricks]

I have/had a stihl whipper. Biggest POS in my arsenal, bar none. Carbs suck. I have an 80.00 El cheapo one that I bought because the stihl was awful to keep running. Been working like a champ for years now lol.

I do hear high praise about the dewalt and Ryobi battery whippers from other folks that own them.

 

[Co4ch D4ve]

I bought a used JD 14 years ago... still going strong! Not the big box model. LT 155 is the unit with 42” deck. I like the mulching deck except it doesn’t lift matted leaves like a discharge deck does.

I have a Husqvarna weed eater and love it.

 

[DIYerDave]

I've been using a JD 325 hydro with a Kawasaki engine for many years. It has the 48" deck with the Power Flo bagging system. Best rider I ever owned.

 

[Braz]

I have a Deere 216 tractor that is over 30 years old. The Deere dealer still carries parts for it. Something to consider if you plan to keep the mower for a long time.
I now use a zero turn mower because I'm mowing over an acre and the tractor was just taking too long. Love the ZTR but the only thing it will do is mow, not multi-task like the tractor.
My Stihl trimmer is also a POS, hard to start and will turn your arms numb with vibration. I have a Greenworks battery powered one which has been great so far.

 

[sacedbysapp]

Look into walker mowers.

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

Or get one of the automatic mowers, same idea as a Roomba

 

[hoity toit]

I have a Snapper riding mower now for 18 years and all I have ever had to replace was the battery every couple years. The mower itself is ALL Metal and has held up in good shape all theses years. I think I paid about $1500 for it new. As far as a weed wacker i have a Snapper 40 volt cordless now for the last 2 years. It beats a gas weedeater all to pieces. My lot is a little over 1/2 acre and I can do the whole thing and not run out of juice.

HT

 

[Brass Man]

1/3 of an acre lot is not much. I'd look at a Toro self propelled walk behind. Get one with the bagger/ mulch optionand the 4 cycle engine, not the 2 cycle. Last Toro walk behind I had lasted for 20+ years including the years my son used it. The one before that last 21 years before it died. Just normal maintenance which is not difficult.

For a trimmer, Echo or Stihl are the absolute best choices. Stihl trimmer I had I also gave to my son when we moved to Florida. 10+ years and still going strong.

Buy the mower and the trimmer from a dealer. Stay away from the box stores.

 

[Jonok]

Don’t know where you live, but if it’s around MI, I have a nice snapper rider that I just don’t use much anymore that I’ll make you a great deal on...

 

[DocSteve]

Thanks for the opinions. I know a walk behind/push mower makes more sence for the yard size.
I went from 2 1/2 acres to 1/3. Spoiled by rider. Will be looking more into options. I do like the idea of the rechargable weed whacker.

 

[GaryHibbert]

Evening Doc. I have almost exactly 1 acre of lawn that was heavily fertilized with 8 year old steer manure--you can sit there and watch it grow. I have a Craftsman riding mower with a 42 inch deck that gets used about once a week. It has performed flawlessly for the past 5 years (its older brother finally died and had to be replaced). The only "repairs" I've had to do is replace the battery and blades a couple of times--the blades take a beating when I mow both sides of the 1/2 mile driveway every two weeks or so. It's not as classy as a JD, but a heck of a lot less expensive.
Gary

 

[Marcsmith]

Look into walker mowers.

For 1/3 of an acre. A walker is overkill unless you can get one used. Mine is going on 20 years old... and nearing end of life. 7000 hours on original body, frame and hydros. Second engine though.

A pp mentioned the dewalt. I have a the dewalt 40v trimmer and 40v hand blower. Both are perfectly adequate for light commercial use or heavy residential use. I trimmed 400 headstones on a single charge with a 4amp 40v battery at work. Sold me. The hand blower will run about 30 minutes on a full charge