A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Riding Lawn Mower

I am thinking of purchasing a riding lawn mower for my home. I have a small yard, 65X135 and need to get a riding lawn mower due to my health. Is anyone familiar with the Ariens 1534? Is it a good machine, and one that will last along time? What about a small Snapper rear wheel drive? I am not familiar with any of these and want to make the right purchase. You help would be appreciated

I have a Simplicity, and I love it. I think the best thing to do is see if there is a place near you that sells and maintains lawn equipment. That way, you would have someone who would come out and service your tractor when you need it. I rely on my lawn equipment company for a lot. I would definitely NOT buy from a large place like Lowe's or Home Depot or Sears.

paula

A friend bought a snapper, and it seems to be a good mower, but the engine is in the rear and makes it easy to turn it over, which my friend has done already, so even though it is good mower, I don't believe it is built for safety.

hello ironside i can answer your original question
an Ariens/Gravely mower would last you a long long time with the proper oil changes and filter changes / greasing it when needed etc

ive run an older 60" zero turn model for over 8 years commercially so far i think ive replaced the spindles 4 times one of the hydro wheel motors and bent the deck running into a steel pipe that was about 6 inches outta the ground and the size of my arm .. but all this is from running the mower at least 20 hours a week for years.

just make sure you balance the blades every time you sharpen them or there will be added wear on the spindles and having the mower greased or greasing it yourself it should last for a long time.

toro is another brand of mower i would look into ive never had a problem with them.

a reputable service center should be able to keep any mower you purchase running great for a long time.

good luck shopping for a mower

If you have a choice between the Briggs motor and a Kohler, I would take the Kohler.

They cost a little more, but if you take care of it, it will run forever.

Kohler is the best small engine made!!

A Snapper is an excelent choice. Rear wheel is also a good feature because of the turning radius.