Buying a used riding mower?

  • tight-lines
    Posts: 65
    #1358324

    We just moved into a new house with a yard thats to big for a push mower. The price on a new riding lawn mower is awful high (cuts into my fishing budget ), has anyone bought a used mower and been happy with it .

    Tim Reszler
    Kenosha
    Posts: 182
    #1415513

    What are you looking to spend? I am currently moving off a property where I cut 3 acres. I have a year old 50″ commercial exmark zero turn for sale. Great mower. I went from a 42″ rider to this mower and it cut my mowng time down 2.5 hours

    super_do
    St Michael, MN
    Posts: 1089
    #1415514

    How big of a mower you looking for and where are you located?

    carroll58
    Twin Cities, USA
    Posts: 2094
    #1415516

    Check with some of the Big Box stores, for their scratch and dent aisle.

    Got a 30% discount on a Toro Lawn Tractor a few years ago due to a few scratches from shipping or careless staff.

    Anyway, they had a limited selection a few aisles over from the rest of the new mowers. Mine just had a gouge scratched in the plastic grill.

    Other than that, There is a guy that lives on 169 just North of Jordan on the East side, always has a rider or two sitting along the highway forsale. Usually John Deere’s, but never stopped on checked any out.

    Another option is reduce the Lawn area by planting a bunch of trees and shrubs, Mulch the whole area out to the drip lines of the trees. This reduces your weekly mowing, brings in birds and other wildlife, improves property value, increases fishing time.

    Good luck

    erick
    Grand Meadow, MN
    Posts: 3213
    #1415518

    Talk to IDO member Tim Miller at M&M Lawn an Leisure in Pine Island, MN. I just bought a Gravely zero turn from him and it was PAINLESS over the phone. Hands down best customer service I have had in some time!

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1415519

    Ol’ Timmy delivers as well.

    Not only is he NOT a sponsor…
    He’s NOT a member…

    But I’ll x2 what Eric said, awesome service. At least give him a ring to check him out.

    Here’s my personal line to his private Bat Phone 651-380-7661

    TheFamousGrouse
    St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 11646
    #1415525

    Quote:


    We just moved into a new house with a yard thats to big for a push mower. The price on a new riding lawn mower is awful high (cuts into my fishing budget ), has anyone bought a used mower and been happy with it .


    I bought a used John Deere a few years ago and it’s been great. It has a Kawasaki engine. You can’t kill those engines, it doesn’t burn a drop of oil.

    My theory is to look at the original owners lawn to determine if the tractor is crapped out and has been worked to death. I bought mine from a older gent in Edina that had a lawn that was 10 feet by 75 feet. The tractor was total overkill for that lawn.

    But if you go to see a tractor and the guy’s mowing 3.5 acres with lots of hills and trees and is looking to sell because he needs to “upsize”, don’t walk away. Run! That tractor has been beat like a rented mule.

    There’s a LOT of good used equipment out there for sale that’s got plenty of life in it. I wouldn’t hesitate to look at used, you just have to be patient and buy smart.

    Grouse

    tight-lines
    Posts: 65
    #1415527

    I posted too soon and thank you guys for the replys. A guy at work overheard me talking about mowers and he has a couple year old one that he just wants out of the garage. It was given to him by a family memeber when they moved. Talk about a score on a Thursday.

    Randy Wieland
    Lebanon. WI
    Posts: 13478
    #1415544

    regardless of what you buy, make sure it is suited to your terrain. If you have a yard with a lot of hills on it, stay away from the “L” series (like the john Deere LXXX) or basic lawn models. If you have any steep grades, get a GTH or Garden tractor model. They put the weakest POS trannys in the basic lawn models

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