ok, have to chip in here, to help the guy with the original question. You are in central Florida? Bahai and St. Augustine are some of the toughest grasses in the world to mow. And the fine sand in your soil has ruined many a good mower.
I was in commercial mowing for several years and still do it part time. All the people recommending Deere product blows me away, as I don't know many commercial operators who'd waste their money on it. Simplicity? Just bought out by Briggs and Stratton. That's not going to go over well in the long run. Simplicity does own Ferris, however, which is a much higher grade of mower.
My advice is this: Florida is the biggest market in the world for commercial mowing equipment. The turnover of commercial mowing equipment is phenomenal there. You should be able to pick up a good, used commercial unit for your 1800 bucks, and have the most comfortable, reliable and finest cutting mower you could ever hope to own.
G> *This is strickly an observation as my yard is much larger than > average... >
Monitoring your group I see alot of folks looking for longevity from > a lawn
> tractor. None of the machinery suggested will come closs to matching > the
> longevity of a compact tractor. I mow 8.6 acres of burmuda and
> bushhog
> another 9 acres. I own a 1967 Ford 3000 deisel that is still running > strong.
> I'll sell it for what I paid for it IF I ever sell it. The same can > be said
> for nearly any compact tractor built before 1980. These machines are > built
> for farming and will last forever mowing large lawns. Look at what > the
> highway dept in your area uses. Those guys have more grass than all > of us
> combined!
>
> As for manuverablity, that's their weak point. If you must mow
> around
> obsticles, a larger zero-turn commercial mower is faster but I can > guarentee
> it will be a pile of junk or heavily serviced (rebuilt) while my old > Ford is
> still running strong. I also have tha advantage of a PTO shaft which > I use
> to drive attachable emplements.
>
> These tractors can be had for $3000 to $5000 in rebuilt condition. > There is
> an entire industry centered on rebuilding and selling them. They > weigh as
> much as a small car and are not sheet metal junk like most mowers. > Large
> turf tires allow them to have a footprint with similar lb-per-sq in > as a
> small mower.
>
> Anyways...something to consider if you need to do large scale lawn > and > garden.
>
> Bill in TN
>
>
>
> > > > On 14-04-03 14:09, in article[/color][/color]
> snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com,[color=green][color=darkred]
> > > > " snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com" wrote:14-04-03 14:09 > > > >
> > > > > On Mon, 14 Apr 2003 15:14:14 GMT, "Tim Fischer"
>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Good luck with your Sears Crapsman, er. *Craftsman* mower. > > > > >
> > > > > Yeah...my neighbor cheaped out and bought a Craftsman last > year.
> > > > > Within 2 weeks the transmission crapped out, and he actually > had to
> > > > > fight Sears to get them to stand behind it.
> > > > >
> > > > > Finally, he had a relative fix it, because Sears was giving > him
> > > > > problems.
> > > > I guess all that I can say is 'Vaya Con Dios' should you
> purchase a
> > > > Craftsman and expect longevity in using it.
> > > >
> > > > You get what you pay for...
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > I'd put my old 1983 Allis Chalmers 914Hydro(Simplicity) up
> againt a[/color][/color]
> green[color=green]
> > > machine any day of the week! 20 years old and it still thinks > it's a[/color]
> pup.[color=green][color=darkred]
> > > >[/color]
> >
> > I whole-heartedly agree with you on this one. I have been working > on
> > lawn-mowers since I was about 12 years old. I have customers who
> > bought a Simplicity in the '70's and only bring it in once a year > to
> > be sharpen and tuned. Amazing machines that with the proper care > will
> > probably outlast your desire to mow your own grass. Also when > they
> > break down, the company is still around and parts are available > for
> > them. That is a very important think to be mindful of. Also > looking
> > for a unit with single piece steel deck is a good thing. Tend to > last
> > longer and do not rust through like the craftsman.[/color] *