Recommend a Ride-on Lawnmower

Hi,

I've started looking for a ride on with a budget of around €1500 cash and I'm told this is a good time to buy. I've almost 0.75 acres including our house. I've heard good stories about mulchers only but read some stuff about moss. Also eager to know about transmission types. At the moment I have a self propelled walk behind and I just have enough of it. These are what I've been looking at:

[broken link removed]

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardenequipment/4066595

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardenequipment/3791014

Any advice greatly appreciated,

Nickyk

Few things I found when looking for a ride on mower - blade cut size, discharge location, grass collector size, transmission type...

I find the rear discharge for the cuttings is less prone to blockage than side discharge. For such a large garden, you should be looking ar a 42"cut, with a large collector. Ease of "dumping" grass also - if you can empty the collected grass without getting off the mower, all the better.
I've an automatic which works a treat (forward / reverse), haven't heard of issues with the manual gears though... Height adjustable cutting is a must... more levels to adjust to, the better is what I've found & also "ease" of changing the cut level.

What I would also recommend is for you to look at your grass area - can you get a mower into the corners, easy to maneuver around the garden. How often are
you planning on cutting the grass - we've had a lot of wet weather this "summer", wet underfoot in the grass, so heavy mower may leave indents in the garden,even though grass is "dry enough for cutting"...

Have you secure storage for such? Can you transport it if issues arise or if you aren't servicing it yourself... I find sit on mowers great if you miss a cut or two
during the growing season as it gets through it quicker / easier, but I'm back to the self propelling mower again as grass is quite low, and manageable...

If buying second hand, then make sure you get a demo of it, & it actually cutting. Most have sensors which you should test ...

BTW, I think the Jonsered one is a bit "overpriced" at €15K.

I'd go for the Castlegarden/Alpina ( GGP in Italy manufacture Castlegarden, Alpina , Stiga, Mountfield and Atco) which gives you a choice of collection or mulching - just clarify that's it's hydrostatic as it says in the description, but says further down that it's manual . Hydrostatic is the way to go imo, having experienced both transmission types. I don't like mulchers because you are plagued with clippings all over the house and paths ( kids !! ), and they will leave trails behind if the grass is long. You will also need to cut the grass more often with a mulcher.

Had a 8.5hp Castlegarden and as Jazz01 says, the rear discharge is much less likely to block than the side discharge.

Only problem we had with the Castlegarden was the battery wasn't easily accessible and if the mower was left standing for any length of time, the battery went flat and we couldn't charge it. We ended up getting a mechanic to put terminals through the housing so we could recharge it ourselves. Check the location of the battery to see how easy it is to charge.

Thanks for the advice. The Alpina's price is set in stone, there's no way he will come down. The others I assume are open to offers. What kind of price are mowers going for these days and what would you offer for the other 3 linked?