Budget help--buying a riding lawnmower

[mrsbornkuntry]

Our riding lawnmower died it's final death after 7 years and I need to buy a new one. To be completely honest here, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't even use it. Dh usually handles this, but he's deployed so all I really know is that I need one fairly small because we're a short family, my DS that usually mows is the same height as me, 5'4". My yard is about a half acre maybe, I'm not positive. I know I don't want a Murray again, we had nothing but trouble with that one from the minute we brought it home.

So my questions are:
Where can I get a good deal on one (plus delivery)? Lowes?
Anyone know of any coupons?
What is a decent brand, a good value for the price?
I see Lowes offers a repair service, is it worth paying for or would it be cheaper in the long run to just pay for repairs as they come up?

My options for chain stores would be Lowes, Home Depot or Sears (if they all deliver).

 

[ceecee]

We had a small 42" Craftsman for 17 years (just maintenance never had problem one with it) We only had 3/4 acre and we moved and now have 2 acres so DH wanted a larger zero turn. After much research he got a John Deere. Check reviews online once you find one you like. I don't think your height matters as to what size you get, more the size of your lawn and how big of cutting it does. My friend has a lawncare business and she uses the huge zero turns and she is only 5' tall and 90 lbs.
Most any place you get one will deliver. Check Sears and Lowes, we got ours at a local John Deere dealer as DH wanted a certain type of engine in his!

 

[ENSOCK]

I agree about the Murray, ours did not last and after 4 years the wheels fell off. For a riding mower, I would get a cub cadet. My dad had one for 12 years and you could not kill that thing. It did break down but was not really expensive to fix. He now has a bad boy mower and loves that thing! DH got an husquava (sp?) and we hate it. It is a zero turn but only 2 years old, and constantly having to repair it. He fell in love with DF's bad boy.

 

[cjnix29]

We just went through this search a couple a months ago when we bought a new house. We ended up with a craftsman, and they delivered. I debated long and hard between the cub cadet and the craftsman, but couldn't justify the extra cost. Right now, you may be able to find some good sales, since it is end of the season and they will start putting out snowblowers. But honestly, the first place I would check is craigslist. You may be able to find a good deal on a used one, and have someone bring it to you. Good luck and thanks for all the sacrifices your family makes to serve our country!

 

[sam_gordon]

I would look at:

Craftsman
John Deere
Cub Cadet
Husqvarna (sp?)

Craftsman will probably be the cheapest with Cub Cadet the most expensive.

Most of the riding lawn mowers I've seen have adjustable seats so your (or DH) height shouldn't play a factor.

One thing to think about... will you only use the mower for mowing? Would you possibly use it for towing or for scraping?

We had a craftsman for 9 years before it died (I was driving it around the house to get it ready for mowing season and didn't know it had run out of oil) and replaced it with another craftsman.

ETA: Being able to mow in reverse is important to me... many mowers will automatically shut off if you have the blades engaged when you shift into reverse. If that's important to you (or DH), make sure you find out before you purchase a new one.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Thank-you for all of your tips, I appreciate the help. We will only be using it for mowing, not anything else. I will have to ask DS about the reverse thing, I don't know what our old one did.

The brands everyone here has mentioned are consistent with the reviews I'm finding on Amazon and Lowes so that will definitely help me with my decision.

 

[lovemylife]

Don't order one from Amazon. We did this year and it broke after the 3rd use and it can't be returned and since they aren't the manufacturer, it is almost impossible to get it fixed. I have been waiting 7 weeks for the parts to get mine fixed. Amazon offered me $10 due to our hassle. Order from in town.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I ended up ordering a Craftsman from Aafes (a military site). I had a 10% off up to $50 which covered the oversized shipping and no tax. The only thing I'm not sure about are that the blades do disengage when you go in reverse and they didn't on our old mower, but I think we can get used to that. Crossing my fingers that this wasn't a bad decision.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Don't order one from Amazon. We did this year and it broke after the 3rd use and it can't be returned and since they aren't the manufacturer, it is almost impossible to get it fixed. I have been waiting 7 weeks for the parts to get mine fixed. Amazon offered me $10 due to our hassle. Order from in town.

Yeah, I wouldn't have ordered from there. I was really leaning toward Lowes, but the AAFES price was too good to pass up. I also ordered a 4 year warranty with it, it comes with a two year, but this covers parts and labor plus it has a lemon clause where if it's serviced for the same issue three times they will replace it.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I work at a tractor dealership that also sells lawn mowers. We do all the service work for the Lowes stores in the surrounding counties. Craftsman mowers are made by the lowest bidder that year, Husqvarna or MTD usually. Both manufacturers make good mowers. You would have been a little better off on the service side purchasing from a local dealer. Our customers always come before the box store customers.

 

[SYLVESTER7577]

I purchased a Toro from Lowes via my Discover card. The reasoning was Lowes had a 42" 17.5hp rider on sale for $995.00. It was bundeled with a trailer for free that I sold easily for $75.00. The reason I used my Discover card was I recieved 5% cash back ($50.00). Discover has Lowes as a partner via online. The rider was delivered and set up the next day free. Just a path to look into as I recieved at $1200.00 mower for $875.00 all said and done. It's a nice mower as well. Good luck!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I purchased a Toro from Lowes via my Discover card. The reasoning was Lowes had a 42" 17.5hp rider on sale for $995.00. It was bundeled with a trailer for free that I sold easily for $75.00. The reason I used my Discover card was I recieved 5% cash back ($50.00). Discover has Lowes as a partner via online. The rider was delivered and set up the next day free. Just a path to look into as I recieved at $1200.00 mower for $875.00 all said and done. It's a nice mower as well. Good luck!

I don't have a discover card, but wow, you got a great deal! And that might be useful info if someone else on here is looking at them, too.