<p>We currently live in the north - mid Atlantic region of the US. Our lot is about 3/4 of an acre.
We have a 25 year old Honda ride-on mower and it’s really showing its age. So hubby has tasked me with researching info on lawn mowers. He’ll be the one using it (and our teen aged son) but it would be very helpful to him if I got the ball rolling on the research. </p>
<p>I know nothing about lawn mowers so I expect I’m in for an education!</p>
<p>He’s willing to consider another riding mower or a walk-behind model. We did look into the reel mowers, but that will not work for our situation. So, a gas engine mower it will be. Price is a consideration; we don’t need to go super budget but I don’t think we have the budget for a professional landscape model either. </p>
<p>Can anyone make recommendations? Make/model numbers? Suggest a website like this one but just for lawn mowers? </p>
<p>We are shopping too, for a half acre lot, and I think we’re about to buy a toro recycler. We had a big professional model, but the previous owners of our home came back 8 months later and stole it out of our shed (!!!)</p>
<p>For us a major consideration is that our water table is very high and our clay soil is nearly always soggy. If it’s rained in the last two weeks, the ground will be too wet to mow. Part of the reason we are looking at the smaller toro instead of getting another giant professional walk-behind is because we are hoping the lighter mower might handle this better. We would love to have a riding mower but can’t get one for this reason.</p>
<p>oh and my husband isn’t very interested in catching the grass. We don’t live in a ‘manicured lawn’ neighborhood, so it just isn’t all that important. He removed the grass catcher from the mower we have as he got tired of having to dump the grass from the catcher. From his perspective, it just made the job take that much longer.</p>
<p>You could look at mulching mowers. Those are supposed to chop up the pieces of grass fine enough they’ll disappear after a day or two. It’s healthier for the lawn since the decomposing grass helps feed what’s still growing, too.</p>
<p>I have a tiny Los Angeles lawn and use a plug-in electric lawn mower. I kinda wish I had sprung for one that took a battery with about 25% of my time being me screwing around with the cord. Still better than gas for such a small amount of grass, though. Also way quieter and no fumes.</p>
<p>It’s good exercise mowing your own lawn if you have the time…helps keep your heart strong. Using a push mower for over a half acre yard is a workout, maybe try a push mower, and if it is too much, get a rider mower or hire someone to cut it for you.</p>
<p>My neighbors were on sabbatical last year and paid a service to mow their lawn. It didn’t rain for weeks, the grass was dormant and still the service mowed it like clockwork (and too short to boot). Waste of resources not to mention the noise pollution. </p>
<p>We got a new Honda mower a year ago. After decades of struggling with the old mower on the hillier parts of our 3/4 acre (probably less than 1/4 acre actual lawn) I am happy to have a self-propelled. We bought the model that Consumer Reports recommended. It is probably at the high end of the walk behind mowers but cheaper than many riders.</p>
<p>A mulching mower is nice because it shreds the clippings into small pieces which quickly decompose and “feed” the lawn.</p>
<p>3 or 4 gallons seems crazy to me. I don’t think my gas can holds that and I only fill a couple times a summer.</p>
<p>3-4 gallons each time is a lot. 3-4 gallons last me a whole year, our lot is just under an acre.</p>
<p>My present mower is a walk behind toro. I had a john deere last time. John Deere is more powerful, a bit bigger and heavier if you like it that way. I catch clippings and compost. I collect grass clippings spring through fall and top it with a layer of leaves in the fall. In a year they become excellent soil for plants.</p>
<p>It would be very nice to have someone else do the lawn for us, but for now, son #4 and DH do the mowing. </p>
<p>We have enough lawn that I think a push mower would be just too much work - esp on the hill in the front yard. My men are very fit, but there is a place for allowing a motor to do the work for you. Anyone want to drive a non-power steering car? I rest my case. :-)</p>
<p>For your lot size, I’d recommend a 42" deck riding mower. You can get basic one for about 1000 at Lowes or Home Depot. It should take about one gal of gas. Open or use store credit card will give you 5% discount in most cases.</p>
<p>1moremom
Can you share what model Honda you bought? Since our 25 year old mower is a Honda, I do know that they make good mowers (or at least, they did).</p>
<p>I don’t think Honda makes riding mowers. I am on my second 42" mower. I think 42" is a good size for anything under 2 ac or so. My current mower is TroyBilt which is not the best but it does what it’s supposed to do - mow. I don’t recommend anything bigger than 42" though. Larger deck mowers are more expensive and, for your lot size, you really don’t gain anything. Between 42" decks mowers, higher HP mowers will cost you more. 17.5-20HP should be more than enough for your lot. A lot of different mowers are made by the same company so be aware of that - MTD, YardMachine, Bolen, for example.</p>
<p>I resemble that remark. (I have a '74 Karmann Ghia.)</p>
<p>bookreader, the manual is out in the (detached) garage and it’s pouring here; I can check tomorrow. I did find the receipt; it was $400. I also found this–</p>
<p>Thanks for the link 1moremom. I’ll be reading it next. </p>
<p>I learned how to drive on a non-power steering car (oh my, that was a long, long time ago). I will admit that it would be a good thing for the tone of my upper arms to still be driving one!</p>
<p>We have a husqvarna riding lawn mower and have been very pleased with it. I can mow our yard in less than an hour. We have about 3/4ths of an acre in lawn. We have lots of trees to mow around. I have made the base of the tree bed wide enough so I can just zip around it. No need to come back and trim them.</p>