And if you get lonely... Wait, wrong part of the world. nevermind.
The dealer sourced models are solid. I grew up with them and they will easily last 10 years with proper maintenance. My mom swears by them. Not sure of the big box model quality.
They are of course nowhere what they used to be. But thats across the board.
I have a 30 year old Craftsman (Murray) rear engine rider. It's a cantankerous old beast, but it gets the job done year after year.
How do the products know when the warranty expires? Riding mower took a ........today spent a few hours just cutting the front yard with a push mower. I have had a cub cadet that lasted about 5 years then the deck rusted out. Then a Husk varna lasted about 5 years.Maintenance done kept inside.
What brand have you had good luck with? Thinking about going with a zero turn this time. Torn between buying a cheapo and a decent one, we had a tractor supply low end one that lasted 10 years.
I mow with a 1987 John Deere 185 Hydro, It was my dad's first mower when he and my mom built their house. It is 2 years older than me and still runs like a top. They just don't make mowers like they used to, With your budget I would try to find an older model John Deere before I bought a new cheap mower.
A female goat lives 12-20 years.
On a related note, those QD garden hose deck cleaners are a joke of a feature. They don’t do squat except make a mess.
I followed the instructions the first time I used it. Sure enough. A big pile of nasty wet clippings under the deck.
Turned the deck over and it was still full of clippings that had to be scraped out. Instead of having a pile of dry crust to throw away, I had lots of sopping wet clippings to try to get rid of.
I have had deere riding mowers that have lasted over 20 years. These were garden tractors, and not the lawn tractors that they sell at home depot. The garden tractors are much heavier built.
I have a 30 year old Craftsman (Murray) rear engine rider. It's a cantankerous old beast, but it gets the job done year after year.
On a related note, those QD garden hose deck cleaners are a joke of a feature. They don’t do squat except make a mess.
I followed the instructions the first time I used it. Sure enough. A big pile of nasty wet clippings under the deck.
Turned the deck over and it was still full of clippings that had to be scraped out. Instead of having a pile of dry crust to throw away, I had lots of sopping wet clippings to try to get rid of.