Have 2.5 acre lot and about 50% of it is grass...I need to purchase a lawn tractor so I can man up and keep my lawn nice.

Riding? Zero Trun?
40"? 42"? 50"?
John Deere? Craftsman? Toro? Etc...

Please help me understand what my options are, who do you recommend and why?

Need my man card back...as I'm not paying for someone else to do it.

Oh and I should add...need a trimmer, edger, etc.

Is there a dealer that I should go to that would give a better deal / service other than the big box stores.

Thanks in advance

Either this is a touchy subject...or you all have someone doing your landscaping.

We have been running a JD445 for twenty years. Lately we discovered the soft spot in it, a plastic cam gear. It blew and we have been repairing it. It is a v twin water cooled Kawasaki motorcycle style engine. Aluminum, so it is manageable. If you are handy, you can find a 445 for cheap and replace the plastic cam gear if necessary, but it will only be there on early models. In �98 they switched to steel gears. I have seen them listed for $2K running. Look for one with power steering and fuel injection. It will last a very long time. Solid as a rock. It is a tractor not a mower.

Thank you for the reply. I'll take a look for something like this.

I research everything to death, I bought a Hustler zero turn to mow right around 4 acres. My terrain is rough with lots of pasture grass, it has held up very well. I also liked them because of the longer warranty than others and the Kawasaki motor . No way I would buy a tractor type over a zero turn , it cuts my time way down dealing with trees and other areas .

Do not buy one from one of the big box stores as they are not the same machines from a dealer

Never heard of Hustler, thank you. Google them now

Dixie Chopper

https://www.google.com/search?q=dix...284j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

mowed 4-5 acres in short order...and it was bahia grass

I have 5 acres and have 150 peach trees and around 50 live oaks and post oaks. I had a Gravely Z52 industrial grade mower for 13 years. I loved it but recently the engine finally went kaput!, so I went out and did some more research and ended up buying a Kubota 60". The Garvely would go 13 mph, the Kubota does 10 mph but it's quicker, turns easier and after two mowings, I think I made the right decision and it was a lot cheaper, plus Kubota has 0 % interest and 0 down.

I have a Gravely 48" which has been good and most of the parts, such as bearings are easy to find, and replace. However, I wish it had larger rear wheels to smooth the ride some. As far the other tools, I always get either echo or stihl as they are well made and last.

I have a residential John Deere zero turn. I think its a z355 (48" deck). My place is a little under an acre and before the zero turn I had a tractor style that took nearly twice as long to mow. If I had to do it all over might have spent more and gotten a beefier mower. I picked it up as an "open box" buy from Home Depot for around 2000-2300ish IIRC. I had an issue at one point and took it to the JD dealer. I had no trouble getting the repair done under warranty even though I bought it at a big box store.

I really don't have any complaints. I've had it almost 3 years now.

If your place is going to have more brush or anything more than a residential type lawn I would definitely spring for the commerical type with a welded deck, suspension seat, etc.

Thanks for the comments gents...keep em' coming.

I have more lawn than brush, but I have a few areas that are not exactly level that I'll need to learn how to navigate.

As far as the trimmer/edger go. I looked at Stihl and Echo. I don't think you can go wrong with either. I ended up going with the Stihl Kombi Series. K56 I think it is. It's the one that offers different attachments. Echo has one too. I've had the Stihl for 3-4 years and it's been great. My deciding factor was that I have 2 full service Stihl dealers here. I plan on this being the last trimmer I buy and want to be able to take it to get it fixed by a certified dealer. We don't have any Echo dealers here. If there was an Echo dealer here I would have gone with whichever one gave me the best deal. My parents use an Echo that is around 20yrs old and they still use it today.

I've got a Stihl Trimmer and a Gravely 44" Zero Turn.

Had a John Deer Rider for 23 years...if you get a John Deer, go to a John Deer dealer - otherwise you will get a cheap pos model that really should not even be labeled John Deer.

Comparison between the rider and the zero turn is a no brainer for me after having used both (have had the ZT for two years). What used to take me 1 hour to mow now takes me 30 minutes on the Gravely. By going with a 40 in it keeps the box stable and a nice smooth look to the yard. We have a lot of trees....working around trees is a breeze with a ZT.

I loved my Deer - no question the ZT is a better mower for me. More versatile and faster to mow with.

Have you bought one yet?

Not yet....this weekend it'll happen.

Nice, what ya gettin?

Well this weekend is stalled...had some issues around the house come up. I'm leaning towards the following brands:

John Deere
Cub Cadet
Bad Boy
Gravely
Kubota

No particular order...just need to find a unit that will fit my needs and wallet.

I've seen this misinformation before many times. The John Deere dealer sells the same residential grade mowers as Home Depot. There are commercial grade mowers with welded decks and all around beefier parts that you definitely won't find at a big box store, but the lower end stuff is still the same across the board whether you buy it at a dealer or Home Depot. They literally sell the exact same machines. Get the best deal you can find and don't look back. I had no warranty issues buying my mower and Home Depot and taking it to the JD dealer for service.

I have bought 2 since I moved to Fate. I have 1.1 acres. The first one turned out to be a Murray with a Scotts nameplate. It had a Kohler engine which was fine but the Tecumseh transaxle was a POS. I replaced 2 over about 12 years. I bought both at Home Depot. I walked in with cash and told them I wanted the sales tax knocked off or I was headed to Lowes. They agreed and last time even threw in a nice discount on a trimmer. I also told them that I wanted one that had been stored inside and not one that had sat out the elements for months.

You will not find any tractor sold at big box stores at my JD dealer. In fact, I can speak specifically about the differences. We spent ten grand plus on a JD445 twenty plus ears ago. My dad owned a Murray from HD. he roundly ridiculed my purchase as he just loved to do. Couple years later his Murray died. He bought another and it lasted a few years and quit. He came and looked again at my tractor. �It still looks new, but my Murray does the same thing�. He bought another. It died a few years later. He upgraded to a JD LA110 from HD. that tractor is now my lake house tractor.

You will not see that tractor at a JD dealer. Why not? Because it is a total POC. It needed over $600 worth of fixes to even make it usable and it is super easy to break. Sweet gum balls will take it out. It is so very lightweight compared to our 445, which until very recently has never broke down. It is not even worthy to be called a tractor. Nothing more than a cheap riding lawnmower.

I own three real JDs and one knockoff, the LA110. Don�t go there.

I have about the same size lot as you. Over 2 acres, but only have to mow about half of it. I got a John Deere D140 about 5 years ago. My yard is mostly flat, but have some ditches that cause me to shift my weight on the seat to make it not feel like it will tip over. LOL! But it's a good little (48") riding mower for doing an acre or so of mowing. But no matter what you get, it is important to do the maintenance on it.

Look at the Kubota Z Commander. it is in between a residential and commercial Zero turn. Great machines.

Go with Hustler

I have 2 Hustlers. The first one is a 60", 25 HP commercial I have had since 2007. It replaced a JD diesel commercial that wouldn't pull the slope of my yard without tearing up the turf. The Hustler is a mowing beast. I have 10 acres at Richland Chambers, 4 needs to be mowed. I have only had to change blades and oil in 445 hours of use. The 2nd unit is a 48" Raptor residential unit I bought for my home in the city. It is fine, does a good job but does not compare to the commercial grade machine. I would buy another commercial machine in a heartbeat. I have had the bank give way and flip the machine upside down in the lake. Got it right side up, winched it out, checked all the fluids, washed it off and went right back to mowing. Lucky for me the engine died when it turned over so it wasn't running when it hit the water. The deck is built like a tank and adjusts in a 2 seconds with your foot. Well designed and built to last. Go commercial grade if you want one to last.

What ever you do, go with a commercial rated unit. I bought a zero turn Cub Cadet PRO Z 54 inch cut. I normally wouldn't give Cub Cadet a second look but their commercial unit is as good if not better then the other commercial units on the market. I mow the ranch enclosed areas which are 5 acres plus and the mower is comfortable and fast. I looked at all of the other brands and the PRO Z just had the most durable features I wanted. Kawasaki 26 Horsepower motor, Parker pumps, swing axle front for a smoother ride, air ride seat. All of the ones mentioned are great mowers but I felt like the PRO Z gave me more for my money. I am very happy and impressed with it.

I ended up getting a used riding mower for now...couldn't find the deal that I wanted and wasn't able to come up with the $5500 that they wanted for the commercial grade units. So I'm saving my pennies and will buy next year.

What I ended up with is a 2007 John Deere LA145 48", paid $350 w/ 350 hours. Felt like I did OK.

You did fine, then. Zero turn is the only way to go, though. I just bought a 2017 48” John Deere Z445 with 200 hours Briggs & Stratton for $1,900 from Craigslist. There’s a guy on there that sells a lot of used ZT mowers. He will wheel you a deal. His number is 469-263-0354, Charles.