Commercial Lawn Mower

Dear All,
I have a small orchard with about 150 Asian pear trees on a steep slope. I have all the equipment I could find on TBN, but still need a commercial grade lawn mower. It will be used VERY hard for 4-6 hours every weekend for 6-8 months a year. I would like a professional to respond, or someone with experience who could give me independent advice on what the toughest mower is for my application.
I was looking at 2-stroke but now have been looking at variable speed 4-stroke. Toro and Snapper seem to lead the pace. Friends have recommended Honda. I had a terrible time with a John Deere (blew up the deck-cast Al but not really a true commercial mower).It did like the Kawasaki engine. Very tough.
I need something that is tough, can weigh a ton, but will only be used for hard-short durations. I like steel decks.
$1200 is my max budget for the mower.
Thank you,
"Buster"

Buster, need a little more info. How big 21" "push" mower or 36 / 48 or bigger "walk behind"?

Not quite sure what type of mower you are in the market for, however, you should buy yourself a commercial mower for sure.

If you are looking for a 21-inch mower, I would recommend the Bob-Cat or Bunton. I used to have a lawn care business and had two Bob-Cats (1 for each crew) and never had a problem with either one.

http://www.ttcsp.com/images/Bunton/b...h_mower_Lg.jpg

If you are looking at a bigger type of walk-behind -- I'd have to suggest the Scag 48". A new one would be out of your price range, but you may be able to find yourself a used one if you look.

No matter what you purchase, like I stated earlier, make sure it is a commercial machine.

Hi Hazmat,
I am looking for a 21" walk behind. Variable spped would be nice as would blade break(term?)
Thank you!

HI Gatorboy,
Thanks for the input. I have never heard of this brand but will certainly look them up!

We used to run a bobcat 21" push mower back when I mowed lawns proffesionally in the summer. The thing was nearly indestructable. It only failed when the boss had an accident (lost the trailer). One of the wheel supports cracked, & it kept visiting the welder after that. It was an aluminum deck.

The original 3.5HP briggs quit & was replaced with a 6HP kawasaki. What a powerhouse.

Here's what you want to look for. Metal wheels with grease zerks. The mower was not self propelled. With the large wheels (Not the bicycle ones) about 6" front & 8" rear +/- it was easy to push & didn't really need the power assist. Although if you have hills, you may want the power assist.

I don't know if you want to bag or are looking at a mulching / side discharge unit. If you are bagging, look for a metal screen bagger. It was the bomb, nice trap door on the back that made emptying a dream.

Shop around, check out toro, honda, exmark, scag & bobcat. I don't know what features are available on each these days. It's alway good to go touch and feel. I always ask the salesman why I should buy his brand over his competitor. Gives him an opportunity to highlight his product. If he just bad mouths the other options, you might consider shopping elsewhere.

Something else to consider is one of the "metro" 32" walk behinds. Don't know if it would fit your needs.

exmark metro

I own a semi-professional Troy-Bilt 33" walk behind that is in your price range. 4 speeds forward and 1 reverse. 8 hp Briggs and Stratton with more that enough power for what you are describing. The rear drive tires I believe are 16x4 pneumatic with a good agressive tread for those steep slopes you talked about. It has a steel deck and an automotive style transaxle that allows you to feather the drive handle and turn the mower on a dime while still maintaining power to the wheels. Hope this helps