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"

[hazmat]

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

[Gatorboy]

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.



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!

[hazmat]

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.

[hazmat]

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

exmark metro

[Kevin_in_Mi]

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