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.