New Moto Guzzi Door Mats Available Now
As I head out the door to do the yards….I’ve got approx 60 hrs on my John Deere 931 with 52” deck. Kohler engine. Love it. Bought it new last year after years of tinkering big and small riding mowers & tractors. I looked at several brands & options and decided to go JD because the dealership has been in operation here locally in same location since at least the 70’s. Tired of the best new XXXX brand being “better” on spec sheet and maybe even price, then being swallowed up, parts/models discontinued, nearby dealer disappears, whatever. It was a big price jump to go entry-level commercial model from residential 500-series (iirc) top model at Lowes, but it’s also a big difference in details. The small ancillaries are not all plastic that are guaranteed to age and break like all do. Gas filler opening is not massive & pointing straight up, which easily allows debris to fall into the tank during, which that’s buried under the seat & impossible to easily clean…. Had a Cub Cadet like that for a while and it was awful if trying to fuel while windy. Debris then blocks fuel line/pick up in tank. Real problem. THe 930 series is heavier duty all around. My fuel economy has also improved significantly this season once engine hours got past about 40-45 hrs. The time saved mowing is hard to beat. A 60” deck would be less maneuverable and a 48” deck would mean more passes & slower mowing times. Lots depends upon your actual property, trim work & obstacles, etc. My only design complaint is the need to remove the seat belt receiver/latch that sticks in my butt/side while mowing. Even if you wear the belt, it doesn’t help.Being an actual commercial model, I figured it would be more liquid to sell later if needed after light(er) residential use than the consumer models that seem to depreciate like rocks to all except the seller…. Hoping that it will last as long as I need to mow lawns. Before buying, I looked at stand up/walk behind mowers as well. Many were sold out or had long delays and cost as much if not more for comparable dimension zero turn of same size. Glad I got this zero turn instead- think my back is happier than it would have been standing up. Much depends upon your budget.
Last fall we bought a Huskvarna zero turn, 48” or so. Good mower at a good price from a small dealer. He even gave me 2 hundred trade in on a twenty two year old Dixon stroke that I had gotten nearly new. Perfect timing, end of season and a decent mower to boot.
This could be a NGC thread, although there are a lot of 90 degree v-twin engines out there....I'm looking at picking up a zero turn, walk behind, or stander with a 36-42" mowing deck. New or used are both possible options.Personal opinions and annecdotes from the Wild Guzzi Think Tank members are most welcome.thanks in advance!
I loved using my friends zero turn at his farm, what fun they are. Makes mowing an event. I keep telling my wife we need to buy a place with a few acres of land and she always reply's "thats just because you want a zero turn" Probably true. The only thing I can offer is this. Talking to the same friend who was a brilliant engineer and into engineering details about different zero turns he commented that another friends one that he used to mow her lawns occasionally of a different brand had a "sealed" transmission unit unlike his 2 zero turns the brand of which escapes me. Anything goes wrong on the transmission of the friends zero turn and you can't disassemble the trans and replace parts, it will be a complete transmission assembly. That's all I got. Phil
I can talk about zero turns. They will go down hill whether you want them to or not. I mow about 3 1/2 acres with some 20 degree slopes down to a pond. See where this is going? 27 trees, so a zero turn saves more than 50% of the time involved. Gotta have one.The other Chuck in Indiana says he would like to have a mower that does it all. I have had one for 850 hours now.I called my first zero turn the Blue Beaver because it was always headed for the pond. It didn't swim well, though.The second was a used Ferris commercial with a dolly it pulled that you rode on. Good mower, but have you noticed commercial mower operators running these are in their 20s and 30s and built like football players? There is a reason for that.The third and final is/was built in Indiana, called a "convertible." A rider that converts into a walk behind. Outrageously expensive (not Guzzi content) but I just have one machine to maintain. When I first looked at it I thought, there is no reason I couldn't maintain it indefinitely. Built out of square tubing. No plastic. Two independent hydraulic pumps connected to the motor at each wheel. Poorly manufactured suspension seat, made in Italy of course, that I've had to make parts for and weld when the dealer wanted over $400 for a new one. It will see me out.. don't know if they are still manufactured somewhere. They aren't in Indiana any more.Edit:THERE IS NO REASON TO SHOUT, SRE. It shirley isn't that important. :)
When My time was worth a lot working, I paid someone to cut My 2 acres. It was well worth the cost. With mowers getting into the $10,000.00 range, paying someone $60 a week to do what took me a couple of hours to do was well worth it. No trimming, maintenance, trimming, gas, blowing, time. I came home to a nice yard. Plus I gave a young guy and His wife a job. Now I am cutting 4 yards a week, it sucks, I am older. Two with a Cub Cadet Commercial 42 inch cut, v-twin 750cc Kohler, two with self propelled push. I am ready to turn one of the rider jobs back over to a guy that will do it for $40.00 a week since he is doing two other yards next to mine. No more hooking up the trailer, loading, unloading, cutting, driving 30 miles a week. Giving me 4 hours of time back a week to ride the Guzzi. I would look at the Your cost to buy, maintain and lost time to cut as part of the buying process. For maybe a few more dollar a week, You can have some free time and a less abused body. I suppose to be retired, now I am doing maintenance on investment properties. That is in the process of ending, soon.
