Ariens rideon lawnmower - any experiences??

[Swedishchef]

Hey guys

I am in the mood to get a rideon lawnmower. I have about 12000 sq feet of lawn to be mowed. I just seeded the back last fall (about 5000 sq ft) so until then I would push. BUt now I see that if I push mow the entire thing I am guessing it will take me 3-4 hours (PLUS my front and sides are so thick that I need to mow it twice a week). No thanks.....I want to have a life on days off!!

I am looking at the 20Hp Ariens rideon mower. In Canada they offer 0% financing (might as well take them on the deal and pocket the $2400). Does anyone have ANY experience with an Ariens rideon?

If the quality of the mowers are anything compared to the blowers, it should be a great machine.

Thanks!

Andrew

 

[velvetfoot]

I've had one for several years now and it's been fine. It's actually a Husqvarna and was made in the Carolinas. I bought it from Home Depot online and had a coupon. They dropped it off in front of my house. I've been using it a lot with a garden cart to haul firewood. It has the B&S V-Twin motor. Haven't had any problem, except that now everytime I put it away I plug in a trickle charger. I got it stuck on a hill at a corner a couple times and filled the tires with windshield washer antifreeze and put some wheel weights on the back; Craftsman weights worked. I'm not sure if you can buy a lot a accessories for it, and you're not going to drag a plow behind it, but it does the job for me.
PS: This is my first lawn tractor and I have to say that the hydrostatic transmission is very nice.

 

[gzecc]

I personally would consider a high quality used machine. Realize that machine will loose probably 40% of its value the day you bring it home. Probably another 25% a year later. Buy the same machine lightly used and it will retain its value for a few years then start to decline if you maintain it well.

 

[bassJAM]

I personally would consider a high quality used machine. Realize that machine will loose probably 40% of its value the day you bring it home. Probably another 25% a year later. Buy the same machine lightly used and it will retain its value for a few years then start to decline if you maintain it well.

That's be my choice too. Maybe find an used garden tractor as opposed to a riding mower, you'll be passing that on to your children!

Or a used commercial walk behind. A 36" cut would probably do you pretty well.

 

[Highbeam]

If the ariens is the same as husky then it is the same as craftsman and poulan. They're all MTD and I have the craftsman version. I mow about 3/4 of an acre with mine and bag the clippings.

It's great. I do NOT recommend a hydrostatic transmission as they are weak and will be the first thing to fail. Get one with a clutch and manual blade engagement. Basicly, their economy model. Less stuff to break. Honestly, the first significant thing I expect to fail is the deck rusting through which is pretty decent.

Mine has the 19 HP single cylinder briggs engine which is fine except it is known for blowing headgaskets. I replaced the head gasket a couple of months ago. Easy and cheap to do but inconvenient if it pops during mowing season and even worse if you don't notice the oil burning and run it low on oil which leads to blown up engines.

 

[maple1]

I've got a JD LA135. My wife won it in a raffle of all things (oh happy day), so not sure what I would get if I was buying new. But it's been great - at least compared to our old Yardman 12/38. B&S twin, hydro. No complaints.

I think if I were to go looking for a replacement - I would look for a blower/mower package. Lightly used & well maintained. Able to do more than just mow. Sized to everything you think you might be able to use it for. I can't go too big for a mower here due to tight spaces and very hilly terrain.

 

[Highbeam]

Oh and on the wasted time thing..... Get a big mower. As wide a deck as you can work with. I waste dozens of hours (and fuel)mowing the lawn during the best hours of my life. It's fun for awhile but when it is summer, daylight, and dry outside isn't there something else you would rather be doing?

Make efforts to reduce mow time as much as possible.

 

[jeff_t]

I had an Ariens 42" ZT for about ten years. It was okay, but too light duty for what I mow. I was replacing the cast aluminum spindle housings almost anually, and the BS crapped out in year 9. But for a smooth 12000 sq ft, it would probably last forever.

I replaced it with a Gravely HD 60. It is supppsed to be in between a commercial and homeowner model. It has a lot of commercial features, but is priced right. Though Ariens owns Gravely, the lines are pretty much separate. And I'm pretty sure Ariens doesn't rebrand anything MTD.

If you have a good OPE dealer nearby, don't leave them out. I was looking hard at the Bad Boy mower at TSC, but got the Gravely for the same price. They look similar on paper, but there really isn't any comparison. And I got 48 months, 0% financing.

 

[Jags]

Oh how I wished I could "like" highbeams post about a 1000 times.

 

[jeff_t]

Oh how I wished I could "like" highbeams post about a 1000 times.

Amen.

I used to hate mowing. What took me 2.5 hours with the Ariens now takes about 45 minutes. I look forward to it now. That, and I don't worry about what's gonna break next.

 

[Jags]

I mow 5 acres.

 

[begreen]

If the ariens is the same as husky then it is the same as craftsman and poulan. They're all MTD and I have the craftsman version. I mow about 3/4 of an acre with mine and bag the clippings.

It's great. I do NOT recommend a hydrostatic transmission as they are weak and will be the first thing to fail. Get one with a clutch and manual blade engagement. Basicly, their economy model. Less stuff to break. Honestly, the first significant thing I expect to fail is the deck rusting through which is pretty decent.

Mine has the 19 HP single cylinder briggs engine which is fine except it is known for blowing headgaskets. I replaced the head gasket a couple of months ago. Easy and cheap to do but inconvenient if it pops during mowing season and even worse if you don't notice the oil burning and run it low on oil which leads to blown up engines.

Agreed. I have had the same mower but with the Kohler 18hp motor. It is a workhorse.

 

[begreen]

I mow 5 acres.

Hopefully with a tractor and a field mower.

 

[Jags]

Hopefully with a tractor and a field mower.

 

[Highbeam]

I can mow about an acre per hour with the tractor but it weighs 4500#s and would be too rough of a cut for the lawn. An acre per hour doesn't sound long but when you have 10 acres to do it gets real long.

 

[begreen]

One can let a field get knee high before mowing. Usually a couple times a year is sufficient. I mow our small fields (.5 ac.) with the Craftsman about once every couple weeks during spring. There is no way I would be mowing acres of lawn. Takes too much time and uses too much fuel to be practical.

 

[Jags]

The back part (2.5 acres) gets mowed at about 1:3 ratio of the "yard". I started doing that a few years ago.

 

[Highbeam]

I love to mow deep fields. So long as I know there are no stumps, cars, wads of barbed wire, or holes to fall into. My favorite height is eye level when seated in the operator station so about 6 feet tall. At that depth you're really accomplishing something and you see much more wildlife, though it is often chopped up. The eagles and coyotes seem to appreciate the lunch.

It is mowing season and I plan to spend all day on Saturday spinning the blades.

But yes, three or four times a year. If I wasn't trying to sell the woodlot, I could mow once per year and that would take care of all the trees and undesirable growth. The mowers can mow anything thinner than your wrist without slowing down.

 

[Retired Guy]

Ariens is a top brand in the states. However the brand name products sold at big box stores are sometimes not the same as those bought from an authorized dealer.

 

[Highbeam]

And I'm pretty sure Ariens doesn't rebrand anything MTD.

Turns out they do. If not MTD it is the HOP/EHP/ AYP megacorp. Like so many brand names, the low end products are typical mass produced made by the same factory that makes husky, craftsman, etc. That's a good thing in my mind since replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.

 

[AK13]

I'm a Simplicity guy myself. I think they have the best decks. I used to get a terrible mow with my Craftsman (MTD) because my yard is uneven the deck was always hanging off to the side.

I also LOVE the quick release deck. I wouldn't own a mower without it again. I can drop my deck in about 2 minutes and wheel it away which makes the machine able to go out in the woods to haul wood!

I also wouldn't want a mower without the "positrac" feature. I forget what its called, but it lets you lock both rear wheels when one spins. Its great.

Lastly, I love the "pedal drive" and would want that from now on as well. One pedal for forward, one for reverse. I vote to buy a used, high quality mower.

 

[jeff_t]

Turns out they do. If not MTD it is the HOP/EHP/ AYP megacorp. Like so many brand names, the low end products are typical mass produced made by the same factory that makes husky, craftsman, etc. That's a good thing in my mind since replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.

Yeah, I don't know anymore. I know there used to be a couple of Ariens models that were rebadged by Gravely, and even New Holland, so those dealers would have a cheap, low end unit to sell. Surprised Ariens would have to go cheaper yet, but I guess that's what happens when you play the box store game.

 

[jeff_t]

Turns out they do. If not MTD it is the HOP/EHP/ AYP megacorp. Like so many brand names, the low end products are typical mass produced made by the same factory that makes husky, craftsman, etc. That's a good thing in my mind since replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.

Yeah, I don't know anymore. I know there used to be a couple of Ariens models that were rebadged by Gravely, and even New Holland, so those dealers would have a cheap, low end unit to sell. Surprised Ariens would have to go cheaper yet, but I guess that's what happens when you play the box store game.

 

[Swedishchef]

Wows...tons of awesome replies.

I believe ariens have 1 model that is made by husqvarna. I think All others are made in the US and not with plastic parts. Not too certain. When it comes to blowers I know that Poulan, MTD, Yardworks, etc are the same company but ariens are not part of it.

As for buying used, I would love to. But I can't. There is no market for used mowers around here.........it sucks. So I figured I would go new, 20 hp Kohler engine. With a dumping tailer to tow..........

 

[BrotherBart]

Husqvarna, owned by Electrolux at the time, bought Roper's lawn equipment division in the states in 1988 and renamed it American Yard Products (AYP). They make a majority of the stuff here under different labels now. They made my Husqvarna garden tractor which is exactly the same one as the Craftsman GT5000.