Riding mower/lawn tractor recommend

[Chunky]

I did a search and only found a zero turn thread.

I just need a reliable, durable, riding mower.

An net search of reviews, left me more confused than when I started.

A friend recommended John Deer.

Let’s call the budget 5K, but that’s a bit flexible.

Recommdations please and thank you for any answers.

[BRUTE 23]

It's more about the type of mower with in the brand. Depending on how much you mow will determine what you need. The biggest difference is residential vs commercial mowers. If you have a large yard and want a 20 year mower go commercial.

My dad has a lawn business and uses all Scag mowers. I also put Scags at the ranches I manage. They are hard to beat. We have had really good luck with them.

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[Mitchell8]

Acreage, terrain, slope, trees, tight areas and width of deck. Lots of consideration. I had no tight areas 2 acres to mow and was going to buy a JD lawn tractor a step up from the base model. Then started thinking about planting trees, fence, garden so I went toro time master 60 inch deck zro turn. My neighbor has a lawn tractor and takes 4x as long going around all the trees he’s planted. Just depends on your yard and what you want/need

[xman59]

if you go JD, be prepared to buy your parts from them and pay double to do it. I work in a hardware/auto parts store and JD is terrible when it come to finding parts, stuff as simple as blades or belts and filters... next to them Cub Cadet is the hardest..... not saying either is a bad product, but no way will i ever buy either or encourage anyone to either......

most of the rest are fairly easy,,, I bought a hustler and mow about 3 acres, not including under and through all the pine trees I have,,, no regrets no troubles.... exmark is good, but very pricey but it is hard to tell if they are actually better than most others,,,, bad boy quality has really fallen off over the last 5 years,,,, Gravely are still highly thought off, but few dealers,,,,, toro is too close to a craftsman mower and parts are made by several different companies,,, and not all are interchangeable....Kubota has a big following,,, i get mixed reviews from the owners, some great some trash,, so i really don't know, i have a close friend with a mowing business that uses Kubota but every week he is buying something to repair one or more,,, hard to tell if it is quality issues or operator error

i suggest visit the dealers closest to you, see who wants your business and ask them all two questions,,,, if your brand did not exist what would you personally buy,, and what would you not buy....... my choice was easy when i went with Hustler,, the dealer was very close and he sells a lot of them, i don't hear bad comments about the mowers,, some on him but not the product... i have not needed service in the 5 years I have owned it, and i am still running the original belt,,, i do swap blades frequently because i have a lot of rock on the driveway that gets hidden in the grass

[Chunky]

Thank you for the input.

I am mowing about 2 acres around the house, flat, a couple of trees.
Been fine without a zero turn for the last 30 years, don’t get me wrong…I like them just don’t need the extra expense.

[SCREAMINREELS]

I bought a snapper about 13 years ago that still runs great. I did have to replace bearings and a few pulleys in the deck once and other than that it’s been great. There’s a snapper place on Main Street in tomball. I’ll be buying a riding mower when it finally quits but hasn’t shown sign of that yet. I mow about the same size you do. I honestly bought it because it was on sale at the time. First and only one I’ve had

[Chunky]

I bought a snapper about 13 years ago that still runs great. I did have to replace bearings and a few pulleys in the deck once and other than that it’s been great. There’s a snapper place on Main Street in tomball. I’ll be buying a riding mower when it finally quits but hasn’t shown sign of that yet. I mow about the same size you do. I honestly bought it because it was on sale at the time. First and only one I’ve had

I am replacing a Snapper, that I would not recommend. I got a couple of good years out of it, been fixing it often since then. I have kept it going, so there is that, but probably won’t buy another one.

[Mitchell8]

Prices have definitely gone up with the prices I just checked personally I would also go lawn tractor. Zero turn is nice though you can get a 50 inch toro for 4k or jd tractor for 2500-3500 depending on what model

[Das71198]

if you go JD, be prepared to buy your parts from them and pay double to do it. I work in a hardware/auto parts store and JD is terrible when it come to finding parts, stuff as simple as blades or belts and filters... next to them Cub Cadet is the hardest..... not saying either is a bad product, but no way will i ever buy either or encourage anyone to either......

most of the rest are fairly easy,,, I bought a hustler and mow about 3 acres, not including under and through all the pine trees I have,,, no regrets no troubles.... exmark is good, but very pricey but it is hard to tell if they are actually better than most others,,,, bad boy quality has really fallen off over the last 5 years,,,, Gravely are still highly thought off, but few dealers,,,,, toro is too close to a craftsman mower and parts are made by several different companies,,, and not all are interchangeable....Kubota has a big following,,, i get mixed reviews from the owners, some great some trash,, so i really don't know, i have a close friend with a mowing business that uses Kubota but every week he is buying something to repair one or more,,, hard to tell if it is quality issues or operator error

i suggest visit the dealers closest to you, see who wants your business and ask them all two questions,,,, if your brand did not exist what would you personally buy,, and what would you not buy....... my choice was easy when i went with Hustler,, the dealer was very close and he sells a lot of them, i don't hear bad comments about the mowers,, some on him but not the product... i have not needed service in the 5 years I have owned it, and i am still running the original belt,,, i do swap blades frequently because i have a lot of rock on the driveway that gets hidden in the grass

The OP wanted ideas or reviews on a riding mower & not a Zero Turn. Are the one’s you posted lawn tractors?

[Smokeater]

I can only toot the JD horn. I'm still makin' circles on a mid 90's GT275. Has been a great mower! What few parts I've needed, I was able to find reasonably priced. Have only done ball joints and spindles. 17hp kawasaki I/C has done me well. Other than that has only been fluids and filters. Every friend of mine that has told me I gotta have a zero turn has spent big money on theirs with random issues. The 15 minutes it would save me is not a prollem.
I'd also add. Buy it from a mower shop and not a big box store. Anything made for big box stores has had corners cut....all about profit.

[HogHunter34]

Don’t rule out zero turn if your budget is $5k
Bought a Scag Liberty Z residential grade locally & walk out price was just below $6k
It’s 52” cut & well built. Been very pleased with it

[camoclad]

I wish someone would make a garden/yard tractor with a rear pto and attachments...

[Chunky]

The OP wanted ideas or reviews on a riding mower & not a Zero Turn. Are the one’s you posted lawn tractors?

Thanks, and you are correct I was looking more for lawn tractor style, however all input is well received. I am grateful for the opinions and opened minded to all options

Thanks for looking out.

[jdg13]

I wish someone would make a garden/yard tractor with a rear pto and attachments...

Farmall Cub, like a garden tractor on steroids

[BrianL]

Thank you for the input.

I am mowing about 2 acres around the house, flat, a couple of trees.
Been fine without a zero turn for the last 30 years, don’t get me wrong…I like them just don’t need the extra expense.

Nothing wrong with the lawn tractor, but a zero turn will cut your mowing time 50-60+%. I have a Scag and a great mower but it is their commercial line. For example, I can mow 2 acres in a little less than 40 minutes. If you really like to mow, that might not be an advantage.