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What commercial lawn mower to get? -Lighter is better

14 years ago

Hi,

My dad has a mini lawn mowing business where he does about 10 lawns / week. He wants to get a new lawnmower and is looking into the Toro / Honda models. His budget is up to 1000 but he would like something less expensive. Also, he transports his lawnmowers in a van meaning that he has to lift them up each time he takes them out / puts them in.

Is there any good commercial mower for under 1000$ (less expensive is preferable) that he will be able to "easily" lift in/out of the van? He went to a honda dealership and looked at a model that was about 1k and told me that it was really heavy; I can't remember weight but it was like 50-60 lb or something.

Thanks for any advice.

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Comments (4)

rdaystrom
14 years ago
If he wants to spend the rest of his life with pain and agony just keep lifting mowers into his van. He needs to buy or fabricate a ramp for getting them in and out. 50 to 60 lbs is extremely light for any mower so I figure your weight estimate is wrong. I would avoid Honda mowers in general because the replacement parts are outrageous. Toro aluminum deck models with the better engines would be a good choice or a Snapper. Snapper Hi-Vac is probably the one I'd choose because of it's versatility. He may need a trailer for this job. Transporting gasoline (for the mowers) in a van is extremely dangerous too.
alby
14 years ago
Regarding fabricating a ramp for this purpose, I have a couple of 1X10s lying around that I use for just that purpose to load my mower into my SUV. It works very well for me. Just insure that the lip or bumper is wide enough that the "ramps" will hold when wheeling the mower in and out. Or maybe he could attach a clamp of some kind to the boards to hook over the lip to hold them in place.
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I guess I'm the Dad in this case! I do remember having an el cheapo power mower (person propelled) when I was a kid (red and perhaps Western Auto) and using it for everything - a field at the rear of the house comes to mind... one day it was 3 feet high, the next it was "lawn". Anyway, everyone is always dumping on Craftsman tools and power equipment. I'm still using my Craftsman Eager One, 5HP, Tecumseh engine, that I purchased in 1984. I don't recall it ever failing to start except when the switch I installed to replace the dead-man handle died. It smokes, uses oil, but still cuts better than my $500 Troy-Bilt. At the beginning of the summer, I ran over a rock and bent the blade so that it was actually digging into the ground. Had to replace the blade plate and blade, but didn't faze the crankshaft or the upper crankshaft shear pins. The only maintenance I've ever done is occasionally replace the air filter, less occasionally replace the spark plug (do clean it annually), and change the oil. I think it is coming to the end of its long life and really hate the thought of getting rid of it. It really needs a total engine rebuild (chassis, etc. is still fine - no rust but lots of scrapes), but I just don't have the abilities. JimC
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Colorblind - If your husband owned a lawn service, he must know that a residential unit cannot compete with commercial. Residential units have lower blade speed for safety reasons. I have a Massey Ferguson (aka Simplicity) with a 50" deck and a turbo bagger. It also has a 20HP mower. It has plenty of power and cuts well, but the commercial units cut better. I used to have a Deere LT150 with a bagger that cut very well. My neighbors' landscaper uses an Exmark with a 60" deck. He does bag it and it looks AWESOME when he is done. Much better than mine :(. My other neighbor has a Toro spin steer (possibly residential cost about 3 grand). Cuts very well and he mows once a week with NO BAGGING. That appears to be a great model. I drove it once and did not feel comfortable, so I bought another tractor. Even a used commercial unit might be a good option. I swear the higher blade speed makes even a crappy lawn look better. My next unit will be a commercial or I will pay a service.
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scagmanjosh
14 years ago
Have a look at the Kee aluminum deck mowers. I have an older one that my dad and I refurbished/restored and it is NICE. Extremely well balanced and works like a small bushog yet leaves a smooth cut everytime. It has a rough circular deck discharge which may be why it can cut such thick grass, but Kee still sells similar models with rough or side discharge.
1saxman
14 years ago
You're looking at 80 to 100 lbs on a commercial mower. Perhaps you should consider finding a couple of 2-cycle Lawn-Boy 10323s. At about 65 lbs they're not too bad. All LB 2-cycles (from the '80s and up) were rated 'commercial' because of roller/ball bearings and iron cylinder sleeves. A LB commercial 2-cycle would be even better with it's greaseable steel wheels, but they are hard to find now.

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