We moved from a 1/3 acre lot that was mostly moss and trees to an acre lot that's mostly grass. I did one mow late last fall with my old cub cadet push mower and while it still works well, it took me about three hours.
Yard details: A little over an acre total lot size, roughly square. Gentle slope, maybe six feet total drop from front to back. There are a few trees and beds in front, but no really narrow gaps. Backyard is wide open, with trees along the border. Grass doesn't reach the trees, so no real trim problems. No fences in play anywhere. I'm near Boston and the lawns grow but not crazy fast.
What I want: I'd like to find a healthy balance between the amount I spend on lawn care and the amount of time I spend on it. I roughly estimate I could get a lawn service for about $2k/year (not sure, just a guess). So that's one extreme, keeping my current mower would be the other. If I could find something that would reduce my mowing time to say an hour per week and cost under $2k I think that would be an improvement. I'd also really like something that would help with leaves in the fall. Other than that I don't have any big plans for the mower.
Should be easy, right? Unfortunately I've read too many sites and forums and am now totally confused. Some people say any old mower from a big box store is fine for the kid of light use I'm planning, others say cheap mowers are more trouble than their worth and a sturdy used mower is better. Some have suggested wide area walk behind mowers like the Toro Time Master or used commercial walk behinds from Craigslist. I went to a local dealer and saw the Cub Cadet XT2 and it seemed nice, but then Consumer Reports among others suggested that Cub Cadet wasn't very reliable and should be avoided. Another website liked the Craftsman mowers but I'm concerned that Sears isn't going to last very much longer.
I know way too little about mowers to know what to listen to and what to ignore. I'd appreciate suggestions and buying advice for my situation. Thanks.
Yard details: A little over an acre total lot size, roughly square. Gentle slope, maybe six feet total drop from front to back. There are a few trees and beds in front, but no really narrow gaps. Backyard is wide open, with trees along the border. Grass doesn't reach the trees, so no real trim problems. No fences in play anywhere. I'm near Boston and the lawns grow but not crazy fast.
What I want: I'd like to find a healthy balance between the amount I spend on lawn care and the amount of time I spend on it. I roughly estimate I could get a lawn service for about $2k/year (not sure, just a guess). So that's one extreme, keeping my current mower would be the other. If I could find something that would reduce my mowing time to say an hour per week and cost under $2k I think that would be an improvement. I'd also really like something that would help with leaves in the fall. Other than that I don't have any big plans for the mower.
Should be easy, right? Unfortunately I've read too many sites and forums and am now totally confused. Some people say any old mower from a big box store is fine for the kid of light use I'm planning, others say cheap mowers are more trouble than their worth and a sturdy used mower is better. Some have suggested wide area walk behind mowers like the Toro Time Master or used commercial walk behinds from Craigslist. I went to a local dealer and saw the Cub Cadet XT2 and it seemed nice, but then Consumer Reports among others suggested that Cub Cadet wasn't very reliable and should be avoided. Another website liked the Craftsman mowers but I'm concerned that Sears isn't going to last very much longer.
I know way too little about mowers to know what to listen to and what to ignore. I'd appreciate suggestions and buying advice for my situation. Thanks.
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