Ride on mower - need some recommendations

One of my lawns (more like a small paddock) is rather on the large side (maybe 75 feet square, that's a guess though, I haven't measured it). It's always a major chore to mow it with a conventional lawnmower and can take two hours to finish. This isn't helped by it being very bumpy in places, mainly because of mole hills in one area and also a few small dips where one of my dogs has decided to dig a small hole.

What ride on mower would be strong and sturdy enough to cope with such conditions? Naturally I would fill in any small holes first but levelling the mole hills in a major task.

Any ideas please? Best/most reliable make and model?

 

I've got a sigta 16 park, only had one problems which was the fuel tank wasn't glue together properly
Not very good for very long grass

 

I have a John Deere x300r. It's not bad, has a very big grass collector which is a bonus and is pretty sturdy which is needed as our grass is more like mown meadow than lawn. It is very stable for going up and down hills and is easy to manoeuvre/good turning circle which is needed to go round trees etc. Does the rather awkward bit of grass (see below) without difficulty.They are not cheap but I managed to get a nearly new 1 of Ebay so not hellish on the bank balance. That said it needed a new belt earlier on this season and that set me back nearly £75 Not helped with the exchange rate with the $. I often can find a non JD equivalent for needed spare parts but this belt is shaped specially for JD so no luck.
It is not nearly as good as my old Wheelhorse but that was really more of a tractor that cut the grass than just a sit on lawn mower. She was absolutely brilliant but eventually gave up the ghost to be economically fixed when she was 35 years old! The nearest equivalent to her today would be 1 of the Kubotas which I believe are great with an equally "great" price tag of around £8000. I did try a Countax before getting the John Deere. Appeared really flimsy and doubted it would do the job unless it was cutting nice flat bowling green type lawn which sadly I don't have.

 

Many thanks for the advice. How good is it at cutting wet grass? I ask because I live in a damp area and it's often the case that the grass is wet when cut.

Also, how is it on bumpy ground?

 

If you are asking me? then my sit on is reasonably good with wet grass. I live in Scotland where it has been known to be on the wet side! The grass as it is cut is blown up a shoot into the collection box. This shoot can block but poking around with a bamboo cane (well that's what I use) unblocks it. If the grass is very wet and needing cut then I cut it without the collection box on and the mower copes very well. Re bumpy ground, well mine isn't totally flat. Obviously if you have the deck really low then you are likely to skelp the high bits. it's a bit of trial and error to find the compromise between cutting the grass short enough but not too severe to allow for the bumps.
If you do go down the sit on mower route it is a bit of a case of getting what you pay for unfortunately.
Having a huge garden I have learnt buying cheap garden tools be they manual or powered is a complete waste of time. I've bitten the bullet and bought good brands and ok the costs aren't attractive however they do last and aren't continually breaking down which is a pain in the posterior if you have a good spell of weather to get jobs done and the tools decide to leg up.
The John Deere I have is now about 8 years old. It has never broken down, it's been serviced every other year (I'm a skinflint!) but does get a sort of home DIY service on the alternate years. The good news is because it's been looked after and is kept in a dry barn I would get a good price for it if I decided to sell it.

 

Thanks again for your reply, much appreciated.

 

The sitga will cut wet short grass no problem but you get a slight line of grass in the middle of were you cut (this one is a mulcher)

 

Thanks, I've never heard of them but will do some research.

 

What dealerships do you have close to you.
John Deere do a range of sit on mowers and if you have one local then it's a plus as they have a good name for spares and back up when needed.
75ft is not too large and there are walk behinds that would make easy work but their price may be a problem.
If you are not one for cutting regularly and it's long wet grass you need to check to see how easy the deck is to clean out. Some have hose points to clear the deck as the grass builds up on the deck and then you get reduced lift and blocks the chute more often.
The trouble you will have is when you start hitting the mole hills and all those lovely stones and grit hammer the blade.
As it's a small area how about this as an alternative.
Lawnmowers PRO 53 LH2 | Etesia mower
It's a heavy mower made to make easy work of paddocks or long wet grass.
If you have an Etesia dealership near you they offer a demo on their machines. It's also available with a kawi engine offering more power.
Just thought I would throw in a different mower that might be of interest.

 

I already have a walk behind mower and, bearing in mind it takes two hours to mow that lawn (with the mower frequently clogging up), it's something that I am extremely keen to replace with a sit down mower. Perhaps my 75 foot square estimate was something of an underestimate! Not sure about nearby dealerships as I haven't looked lately but will do so. Thanks for the general advice and tips.

 

Have a look around, a local dealer is always handy.
Don't under estimate that Etesia, it will work at a fast speed. Most domestic walk behinds are shall we say not very good. Etesia are nothing like your run of the mill stuff. They also do a super range of sit on mowers but the price will be high so it's really down to what you want.
Purchase the wrong sit on and you may be cursing as it's just not what it's cracked up to be so a demo when spending a lot is a must.
I use Hayter, John Deere, Viking and Etesia and for wet grass on a walk behind you will not find better than Etesia.
Take your time, ask about cleaning decks, maintaince, parts and demos then see what prices you come up with.
Don't rush into it as a poor sit on that clogs every few feet will soon have you swearing.

 

Thanks again. Speaking of ride ons, this Mountfield gets some great reviews and is good with long wet grass:

Mountfield 1530M Lawn Tractor

 

I have a similar area to that around my property that I have to maintain. Its about 500 or so square metres in area, bumpy, and often wet. I've found out over the years that the best thing to use is a wheeled strimmer rather than a mower.

@Jiffy dont you mean Stiga Park?

 

Been doing some more reading about John Deere ride ons - apparently they all seem to clog a lot with wet grass. Etesia are apparently great with long wet grass but are damn expensive. Hayter no longer seem to produce ride ons (???) - besides, and I forgot to mention, I used to have a Hayter ride on and it was forever clogging. Will look into Viking and Stiga next.

 

Yep, i'm good at spelling
don't forget that there is some ride on's which are made by one company and other's buy the right's and the same machine can be under other names and colour