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Wider Walk Behind Mower

15 years ago

I have a 3/4 acre lawn with a fairly steep area, maybe 30 degrees. I want a mower that is wider than standard and designed to handle the inclines (without oil-starving the engine). I found a commercial dealer that had multiple used Ferris and Bobcat units, 36" and 48" models. They were all in the 1200-1400 price range. To these I compared similarly priced 33 inch residential MTD models- Craftsman and Cub Cadet. The Ariens 34" model at Home Depot looked a little beefier, and had the same engine as the MTD made models. I am leaning toward a used Feris model 36" wide. Much better features,quality, and cut than the new models I mentioned, but of course this is used. Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

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Comments (4)

canguy
15 years ago
Are you looking for a walk behind or a rider? Snapper has a 26" WB that might work for you. The larger walk behinds take some skill to master, they are a handful for an inexperienced operator.
jim98520
15 years ago
Check out the Craftsman Professional walk behinds. When you add in the repair agreement offered, you may pay a little more than the Feris you were looking at, but it is well worth it. Not only is it covered by the manufacturer to be suitable for even commercial use, but the repair plan will cover anything wearing out prematurely because of the aggressive stance you have to take with your lawn. If your lawn can survive another week before getting the mower, make sure you are signed up for the Craftsman Club, as the May sale starts on May 3, and will help ease the initial cost of the mower. Better yet, talk to your local Sears salespeople and ask about the upcoming "VIP Night." It should be scheduled for the evening of May 3, right on time for Craftsman Club sale prices to work with you as well!
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I just got a Cub Cadet CC550SP and it is a great mower. My yard looks much better after one cut. The suction on this mower is outstanding when using the bag. It's amazingly quiet and its the easiest thing to start. Starts on first pull EVERY TIME! Did not or would not ever buy from the big box stores. I did some comparison shopping and even though the models had same numbers the mowers had small differences. First being the wheels. Home depots mowers had these narrow hard plastic wheels and the one I got had 2" wide heavy duty wheels. At box store your new mower is sure to have loose bolts on it somewhere. At the store I bought mine, DEWYNNS in San Antonio Texas, they set up my new mower serviced it and step by step showed me all the features. Try finding someone at a box store who could even find where the lawnmowers are. In closing, don't rush out to lowest or home depot to try and save money. I spent the same amount of money at a store that just sells lawn equipment and the service was outstanding. I've bought a couple pieces of lawn equipment there and will only go there in the future.
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metal
15 years ago
Craftsman Professional? That is an oxymoron if I have ever heard one. Also, NEVER buy the extended service plans Sears (or anyplace else, for that matter) sells. They sell them because they make money off them, actually more money then they make by selling the mowers. I would be surprised if pays off for 1 in 10 people who purchase them. The used models you mentioned will still be mowing years after anything Sears sells has been sent to the dump.
jim98520
15 years ago
Yet another of the misinformed or otherwise ignorant masses lumping the Sears Repair Plan in with all the Extended Warranties that cloud the market. If it were simply a case of extending the terms of the manufacturer's warranty, I would agree with the stance of "do not buy." You have to remember that, as with any warranty, an extension of the manufacturer's warranty will only protect the manufacturer. If all Sears offered was one of those piece of crap policies, not only would it be not worth your time to consider it, but it would not be worth my time to inform you of it. On the whole, people who buy the repair plan at Sears spend less on repair and replacement than those who don't. And for the person who said that Craftsman Professional was an oxymoron, he obviously didn't do his homework to realize that Bobcat actually designed the first Craftsman Pro Zero Turn Tractor.

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