Ride-on Lawn Mower Recommendations

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  CheapAzChips on 27/11/2021 - 23:22

  We moved to a rural property just over a year ago and bought a second hand Husqvarna TS242 after several recommendations, it was probably a couple of years old but in near new condition. We love it, it's been 100% reliable and we're expecting to get many more years out of it.

  In case you're new to ride-ons, we got a bit of advice that has been really useful:
  - If you have any steep parts, be sure to get one with diff lock. It gives it a lot more traction, especially in the wet.
  - Clean the deck completely after every mow and let it air dry. Leaving grass clippings on it will speed up corrosion. We bought a jack to lift up the side so you can hose it off, that's been useful.

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    Bill on 28/11/2021 - 20:56

    thanks for your advice. Could I ask how much you bought yours for and from where? Were the recommendations you received for all Husqvarna ride ons or just the TS242 specifically? How many hours were on it when you got it? I'm not new to lawn mowing per se, but new to ride-ons. Other than diff locks is there anything else I should be aware of, belts, chains, engines. My worst fear is buying one and the engine crapping out, then getting a $5000 bill to fix it.

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      CheapAzChips on 29/11/2021 - 07:01

      Understand, I had similar concerns. We have a local dealer/repair guy who only deals with them, he was fantastic, if a little fanatical about them. He had a couple of second hand ones in stock, can't remember the price but I think they were about $5000. I was watching some trade me auctions at the same time and decided based on feedback to take the plunge there instead.

      Paid a tad under $3700 for it, had about 300 hours on the clock. This was the seller: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?member_listing=1987865

      Picked it up from Milford, Auckland and the guy was genuine and looked like he really knew his stuff. He does say that he doesn't offer warranties but if you have any problems after you get it, he'll fix it for free. If that's not enough piece of mind then go to a dealer where you'll probably get a warranty in writing, even for trade-ins. I wouldn't buy from any private sellers on TM, a lot of them are stolen I hear.

      Belts are fairly easy to replace, just did my first one the other day after the blades hit a cobblestone :/ Engine is pretty hardy, we need to service ours about now I think, and it's several hundred iirc. Might see if the oil change is easy to do myself…

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        Bill on 29/11/2021 - 11:41

        Thanks, your advice has been really helpful. I've spent a whole morning looking at ride-ons. Your price has given me a good idea of what these should cost. Looks like you paid around half price for 300 hours. I will be watching trademe for something similar.

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          CheapAzChips on 29/11/2021 - 17:04

          @Bill: Yeah, it was a good deal, $1 auction that didn't go as high as it could have. Still more than I wanted to pay at the time but I'm glad we did it rather than get something older or a cheaper brand. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

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  jac on 28/11/2021 - 09:44

  we bought a JD140 for mowing between the trees on our orchard. I wouldn't recommend John Deere. It is really difficult to clean the mower deck - even with a blower. the clippings all get stuck under the fan belt housings. I blow it out one side and it just goes into the other side. Also ours is a 3 blade and we get a row of uncut grass between 2 of the blades. Probably just an adjustment but very annoying as its been serviced. Ignored advice from family not to buy JD and to get a Husqvarna. Wish I had listened. Previously had Briggs & Stratton and a Rover on lifestyle block with no issues.

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    Bill on 28/11/2021 - 20:50

    thanks for your advice. Will be looking at Husqvarna now and won't be considering JD