What do y'all recommend for a riding mower, less than $1,700 so zero turn is out. Looks like options are Troy, John Deere, Craftsman, are the 4 brands I'm looking at with 42" deck. Don't want Cub Cadet, brother had one and it broke down in less than a year.

Zero turn. I should have listened when other people told me to only get a zero turn.

Definitely a zero turn. Any of the lower end commercial grades would serve you well. The ones with the welded steel deck (the deck will be connected by a chain on each side) and not the cheap box store stamped decks.

Some good brands to look at are grass hopper, Big Dog, toro, bad boy, and John Deere makes some too. There's a really great market of used commercial grade mowers on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist as well (sometimes you can get one with a warranty still on it).

Good luck and share a pic of what ya get!

I've had a Cub Cadet for 10 years that my FIL gave me. I think it's 18 years old. Other than normal wear and tear, I've had no issues.

Whatever you do, don't buy a craftsmen or Troy Bilt for that kind of money. With your budget you should be able to get something solid.

1. Run pure gasoline through it if you can.
2. Perform the maintenance on it yearly at the least.
3. Do these two things, and it will last a lot longer.

You pose an interesting questioning because I think you want to buy a quality mower but you want to do it for less than $1700 and that is going to be hard to do . John Deere from a box store is not a quality mower. They are made to big box store specs and not John Deere specs. No wonder they are cheaper. I'm 80 years old and have owned numerous mowers in those 80 yrs. I wish I would have known at 30 what I now know about mowers at 80 I would have owned fewer mowers and better quality ones early on. I still own and use two to keep up our 7 acres and I don't have much problem with what I have now, I paid more up front and got good ones so I don't get dollared to death and have break downs when I need them for mowing. In the long run it is much cheaper this way I might suggest that you look on the home improvement forum page 1. Find the post titled Riding Mower...does it matter where I bu? ... read the info and responses offered by fellow ags. I offered two responses there and they explain what I'm talking about in greater detail. Good luck and if an old man can be off any help to you feel free to reach out to me.

My John Deere D130 just got a sweet tune-up and is ready for the season. I'd let her go for $1,250. Just got a new battery, brand new blades, full tune-up, etc. I'm only selling because I'm putting in some backyard renovations and won't need her anymore. I might try out a robot mower. Located in BCS. PM or email at atm98john@yahoo.com.

IMO if you don't have a lot of acreage , a zero turn is overkill. I have an acre lot and a 42 inch John Deere mower is fine . More than that, see what advantages a zero turn can give you.

turfman80 said:

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IMO if you don't have a lot of acreage , a zero turn is overkill. I have an acre lot and a 42 inch John Deere mower is fine . More than that, see what advantages a zero turn can give you.

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User name checks out.

I have a Big Box store John Deere and it's been a problem free workhouse for 6 years now.

had a crafstman with a b&s platinum engine. royal purple oil and ethanol free gas. no issues for 5+ years. just belts and blade sharpening

Salute The Marines said:

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I have a Big Box store John Deere and it's been a problem free workhouse for 6 years now.

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I bought a "big box" version of a John Deere from the real John Deere dealer many years ago. Like about 10 years ago or more. Went to school with one of the owning family members of the dealer, so was more than comfortable with who I was discussing the pros/cons of the "big box versions" vs the actual "real JD" mowers. This was a lawn tractor style for reference.

They took time to point out the differences and pros of the nicer heavier duty JD mowers as any dealer would. Then pointed out why the "big box" version got a bad rep, which according to them was unnecessarily so for the average home owner. Since I knew them to an extent, it all was more like a big sit around and visit most of which was after hours and talking, but discussing mowers. When it got down to it, here is what it boiled down to.....

I have a little over a half acre yard, 95% of which is St. Agustine grass. It is mostly level, with no really large inclines/declines, or rough terrain, and no trailers to pull around the yard with loads of dirt, or anything other than just regular mowing. They knew I keep things maintained well. Based on all that, they told me to expect this machine to more than meet my expectations, which it has. They could have possibly swayed me as looking at the heavier duty models made the OB in me "oohh and awe", but when it got down to it I needed to cut grass.

The mower has served me well, and has performed to my expectations based on our discussions and then some. Is it the best? Of course not. Does it fit my needs and perform as expected for my situation. Of course. Maintenance is key though.

Appreciate all the info, all posts helped me with my own research etc. which is why I came here first. Got a good idea of what I'm going to pursue now which is the zero turn bad boy MZ with the Finance options through local dealer or tractor supply. I'll let y'all know and will post pics when I pull the trigger. Very helpful and appreciate all the input!!!

Not sure if the link below works but I promised a pic when I got it. Great mower, really happy with it. Thanks again to all!

https://imgur.com/a/mfk4KwV

A little bit of a derail here...but it looks like the OP already found his machine!

I have an older Toro zero turn that needs new front wheels and tires.

Size 4.10/3.50-4

A lot of what I'm finding are designed for dollies or utility carts. Where is a good place to find some that are made for mowers? Or will the others work?

Thanks!

Tried a cheap dolly replacement on mine and the bearings gave out very quick. You might Amazon.

Couple of observations...

1) Just look at that bad boy!
2) Do you have a little hanger in your garage for parking that thing, because that would be awesome!

Thanks for the advice...that is what I was afraid of. I found them on Amazon. I will try Ike's Small Engine in Bryan today...if they don't have them, I guess I will be at the mercy of waiting on Amazon!