Hello, looking to buy a lawn mower that will be good for small to big gardens! Would be used on evenings and weekends so not looking to break the bank but on the same hand need something fairly large and good quality, So I can offer customers good value and service. If someone can point me in the right direction I would be greatfull. Thanks, James

Are you using this to mow lawns for money? If so, I would go with whatever brand has a dependable service department near your home. Cub Cadet XT series is what my family uses and, other than owner maintenance, in 5 years it has only needed to be repaired/serviced once. We purchased it at an independent local dealer (not at Home Depot).

I wouldn't go for a rider mower, for your first machine. It would be fantastic for big areas but if you needed to get into tight spots or, like my daughter's garden, there is simply no way to get a rider down the steep slope with stairs to the backyard, it might limit which customers you can work for.

Greene's point about where the service facility for the brand is, that's important too. We've had two Hondas and they have been extremely dependable. You can't take them to a Honda car dealership for parts or service, though.

I think riders do not give a very polished look. I've always used one, but my lawn does not look anything remotely like a golf course - it is uneven and weedy. We've also always had a second walk-behind for either a final sweep (for special occasions) or to get around the tight corners. Those have always been free or near-free, just kind of random machines. If you are looking for something as an income producer, I'd do a bit of research first. Sears Craftsman have been good for the riders. We still use our first one (30 plus years old) as a 'lawn tractor' - the deck is long gone - and it still fires up reliably.

This is a duplicate post. On the other thread he lets us know his budget in UK pricing - roughly $600 US.
Can we merge the two threads?

Or...who really cares?

greene said:Cub Cadet XT series is what my family uses and, other than owner maintenance, in 5 years it has only needed to be repaired/serviced once. We purchased it at an independent local dealer (not at Home Depot).

I don't remember the series off hand, but I bought a Cub Cadet this summer and it's the best mower I have owned.

His other question was better !!! Maybe he is confused 😕😕😕
Hay dude !!!
use your best judment!!!
Dont confuses us ###
Say want you want #!#!!#!

Hey Jamesbed;

I work as a groundsman in our local school district, and I can say this with the utmost surety, there's lemons in every batch! The only brand that served us well for a surprisingly long time were the Jacobson 22" aluminum deck ( which was discontinued years ago), just keep in mind most mowers sold in America are now in line with California emission standards, which means that if there is ANY grit, dust or the smallest speck of something in your gas, then you'll have your work cut out for you getting it going again, also the horse power is less than stated for the same reason.

IMO, as long as you stay on top of the required service ( oil, filter and blade to name a few ) any one should suffice. And if you decide on self propelled , keep in mind that its MORE moving parts and service.

Bonehead said:Or...who really cares?

Who really cares? I'll assume that is a serious question so I will answer it.

The people who are answering the two questions on the two different forums seem to care. Here are the two posts which are slightly different and offer different information and therefore will generate different answers.

Hello, I garden in evenings and weekends for people. I started at the beginning of this year and have now built up buissness a bit and have own van tools etc. I am looking to buy a lawnmower for next year and would like to know what would be the best I could get for under £500? Is for small to large size gardens and would ideally be quick and efficient to keep my prices low and customers happy! Thanks, James

Hello, looking to buy a lawn mower that will be good for small to big gardens! Would be used on evenings and weekends so not looking to break the bank but on the same hand need something fairly large and good quality, So I can offer customers good value and service. If someone can point me in the right direction I would be greatfull. Thanks, James

Not having seen the post with the information about £500 I offered my answer which suggested a Cub Cadet. Clearly if I had seen both posts I would not have given that answer as the Cub Cadet costs about 3 times the amount which makes my answer useless to the OP. Having all the information in a single question will generate better answers for the original poster.

Not knowing about the UK element I was giving answers based on US brands and my own experience. If I had the extra information I would have suggested other, less expensive brands or models. I have friends in the UK and would have asked them to chime in with answers for moderately priced mowers. Perhaps something like this:
http://www.mowdirect.co.uk/law...

Hope the original poster can find an affordable machine and make his customers happy.

Ah, sorry, didn't mean to start a turf war (...couldn't resist...). It's been my experience to often run into duplitous threads in different forums - started by different or the same folks. I just let it all swirl over my head and pluck out what information I find useful, and/or respond as I can. No offense intended to anyone.

Doesn't look like James came back anyway, so no harm, no foul.

are you using a mower before? or it's your first purchase?
if you don't use a mower before you must need to know to exact requirements of your yard. make sure your selective mower fulfills these requirements.

Thread 6 years old, from Dec 2016, original poster never replied, locking thread.