walk behind mowers ???

[Wile E]

Who makes a good walk behind mower?
I have seen a cub cadet at TSC for $1,300, Is the DR field and brush mower anygood? Is the DR only a brush hog or is a finish cut mower too?
Does Deere, Kubota, Or any other reputable manf. make these.

 

[Gary from Muleshoe]

The Deere brand seems to hold up pretty well. Just make sure you buy from the dealer and not the big box stores. They may all be the same but service is worth something.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Check out Toro/Exmark if you want a reputable name.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Wile E,
I have a 48" Exmark zero turn with the sulke to stand on while cutting. I am in Michigan and am interested in selling as I picked up a a zero turn rider few years back. Have not tried listing it yet. It's a commerical grade and excellent shape and has only been used for residental use. Exmark is the way to go but all depends on how common the machines are used in your area. Exmark has the market in this area.

Al-

 

[Sidekick]

I have a Toro with a Sulke platform and it's got almost 3000 hours on it. A '94 model I think. It has a 20 hp Kohler and a 52" deck and there isn't much of anything it can't mow. Plenty of power. 18 years and still going strong. I've only replaced belts, tires and the electric clutch.

 

[old]

Never had any luck with any thing made by DR all been pure junk with a high price. Now as far as a good walk behind a lot depends on what you want it to do. For normal lawn mowing hard to beat a cheap buy and use till dead Wal-Mart one but if you want a mower that will take on more then just a lawn check out what Gravely has. Ya you pay for them but they are good and have been around for decades

 

[Jack345]

Check out Ferris,They make some the best Pro walk behinds on the market.

 

[Wile E]

What do you want for that mower?
You may live not too far from me. I am in MI. too.
What city do you live in?

I really would like a small 32" walk behind to get in between trees and mow the sides of hills.

 

[brokenot]

I've used three or four different models in the 30" to 32" size and in my opinion those machines are *kind of* stuck in the middle as far as being optimal is concerned. The problem lies in the blade size. Having two short blades seems to make them work the most effectively in shorter, more well-maintained grass. There doesn't seem to be much "flywheel effect" or blade tip speed. I have a 50" Gravely walk-behind, a 22" Yazoo walk-behind, and a 32" Great Dane walk-behind. They all work well, but the Great Dane's shorter blades don't do as nice a job when the going gets tougher. The Gravely's blades are only about 1 3/4" longer each, but it's enough to make a difference. Both machines rotate their spindles at the same rpm, both have large, unobstructed decks, but the Great Dane just doesn't work as well.

The Gravely and Yazoo will go through thicker, taller grass and make a cleaner cut at higher ground speeds than the Great Dane will.

It's noticeable with ride-on machines also. One of the Snapper riders with a single 30" blade will out-perform a different machine that divides the cutting duties up to two blades to cut the same width path.

Here's a short clip of the Great Dane with my daughter on board shortly after I brought it home. I bought it and the Gravely on Craigslist for $500 total:

http://youtu.be/ad18bNOGX5Y

If you're set on something in the 26"-30" range, I'd keep an eye out for a good used Roof, Sarlo, Yazoo, etc. single blade machine. What they'll cut and how clean they'll cut it will really surprise you.

 

[Matt in TN]

I had a Toro 36" walk behind for a few years. I was mowing 1.25 acres and it just hurt my back to use it because I'm tall and I had to stoop slightly to operate the controls. Nevertheless, it was the finest mower I've ever used in terms of power, reliability, and quality of cut. I moved on to a Deere Zero Turn Z425 and miss the Toro everytime I look at my yard. Get the T-bar control if you pick up a Toro. Exmark makes a good mower that has good controls, too.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If you go to the DR website they will mail you information and a DVD of their mowers. They are very expensive but looked impressive in the video.

 

[OliverGuy]

Toro's pretty good for me, 36" up to 52". I've got ones from 2000 to 8-10,000 hours. If you don't need a big motor, an older t-bar with a 12.5 hp kaw is a great runner. I still run 4 from the 80's about every day out on crews.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Forget the dime store/box store equipment and go with a professional grade mower like Exmark, Bunton, Bobcat, Ferris, Scag etc. They will last the average home user the rest of his life given a bit of care. Deere and Cub Cadet have some decent walk behinds but they are not sold at the box store outlets. You dont have to break the bank to get them either. We purchased all three of ours is slightly used condition on Fleabay and Craigs list for VERY reasonable money. We have a Bunton, a Scag and an Exmark. Belt drives are considerably cheaper but go with a hydro and dont look back. Depending on what you intend to do with it the newer generation of "standers" are very versitle machines. We are waiting on them to become available for our kind of money used and plan on relacing all but one of our walk behinds with them.

 

[Kippster]

Gravely made a real tough machine. I use mine for mowing with the two blade finish deck as well as a multitude of other chores. Not much out there that's as versatile or as rugged. Kippster