SMITTY wrote:Got to dig this one up from the dead. I think I'm gonna jump & get one of these suckers. Been shopping around the past few days, and WOW do they get some damn big cash for these things!! Way out of my league. I;ve been hoping to come across one that needs a little work, but those seem few and far between and STILL command over 3 LARGE ...
There's a few on Craigs and eBay close by I might check out. Right now the decision is ... do I get a beat up Exmark .... or a newer homeowner special job? I know the answer to that so don;t know why I asked it. Need some sleep! Been on Craigslist and eBay all night!
I see some only do 6 mph. My current tractor does that, so I need something quicker. The faster the better. Power bagger and 60" deck ... all for under $3k? Wishful thinking ... I've got champagne taste on a Sunny D budget ....
I have some experience on this subject... exmark is built for homeowners or landscapers that wont spend the extra couple $ to buy a Walker... for production, speed, reliability you cannot beat a Walker (its the John Deere of lawn mowers), I wound up with a Bobcat Z-100 which is good but if I was doing this again I would opt for a Walker. I also had an Exmark (you might as well just go get good craftsmen rider or scotts brand JD at home depot and put your money in the bank).
Scag is just a Beast and will tear up your lawn. On a machine like a walker or a Bobcat z-100 the deck size is not all that critical (42-60") because these things are like the Formula Racers of the Indy 500 for lawns and they will vacuum & shred every last needle, stick and grass blade along the way! No more fall clean up or spring clean up with these machines as its done simply by virtue of mowing the lawn! Ohhh and did you know you can mow your lawn in the pouring rain (try that with exmark!
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after reviewing this entire thread I cannot believe nobody even mentions a Walker
This is the style mower that is far and away the fastest and most productive for cleaning, mowing & dumping (here are some photo's of my machine which is identical to the Walker design (a lil less money because it does not have the name "Walker" on it). with most other machines like a Scag or Dixie you will tear up your lawn with the weight & tires if you fly around thinking your in a Walker, with a mid mount machine your more apt to scalp unless you have a nice flat lawn with no hills & bumps, machines that are made for golf courses should not be purchased for homes (triple decks, no dump system, cant get close to borders or through arbors, etc. is just ridiculous... I would spin circles around one of those doing a typical yard with half the deck size).
I paid about $4k for this machine about 10 years ago and Its still worth about $4k today, a similar Walker would be about $5-$6k, You can see in the photo's how it collects and dumps and how easy you can access engine/electronics/PTO and deck compartments (just flip N flop), this machine can effectively cut N suck wet grass with no clogging and I can dump and continue mowing in literally less then 2.5 seconds (just flip and go!). Im sorry but this question is what we call a "no brainer" if money is not a factor....