89 Riding Mower Brands, 38 U.S. Mower Manufactures, | The Complete List Of Who Makes What Riding Mower, Lawn Tractor, Garden Tractor, Zero Turns
This article lists most of the riding mower, lawn tractor, garden tractor and zero turn mower brands sold here in the United States and to the best of my ability lists who owns them for the 2013 model year.
Many of the old independent names that have been around for years have now been bought and merged into huge corporations. There are even a couple of “American” names that are used solely by Chinese manufactures. Of the 89 brands I can find, many are owned by the same few companies, but some of those names have moved from one manufacture to the next making it hard to sort it all out. I know this list is not complete so feel free to leave a comment at the end of this article with the ones I missed.
Bookmark this page! I will update it as I get new info.
The “landscape” is constantly changing and I expect a few of these companies to disappear this year, a few new names to emerge, and a few to get sold to someone else.
The riding mower brands in this list include the manufactures for riding mowers, lawn tractors, yard tractors, garden tractors, estate tractors, zero-turns, and commercial mowers. It does not include the hundreds of manufactures of pull-behind and mounted agricultural equipment. If you are reading this list and make riding mowers and attachments aimed at the residential and/or commercial lawn care market feel free to add a comment about your product in the comments section.
I’ve included the smaller companies because many of these market locally at trade shows and county fairs. Just about all of them are high quality machines and they may be right for you. I also included the commercial mowers (mainly zero-turns) because some of you may be tempted to purchase a used “commercial” machine and it would be nice to know if you can still get parts. Commercial mowers can greatly reduce your mowing time, (as much as 80%) but you need to be aware that they are considerably more expensive to repair.
2011 Riding Mowers Sold in the United States By Manufacture:
Note: I have verified these relationships by researching the latest information on the Internet and talking directly to some of the manufactures. It is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
B&H Manufacturing: http://www.bhmfg.com/ Yard Shark: Yard Shark is now the Jazzer Terra Pro http://www.bhmfg.com/products/jazzer-lawn-mower/. This is a fairly unique mower and I like it. If you have a “problem” lawn and a good local dealer, take a look at this zero-turn. It has huge tires and will be good for sandy, wet or hilly properties. It is labeled “commercial” but is cheap enough for many residential owners.
Walker: Walkermowers.com Walker mowers are commercial mowers that have a specific purpose. They are designed to bag and bag well. These mowers will give you the best looking lawn in the county. If you have trees, trees, and more trees, berms, and many landscape beds to go around take a close look at this great brand.
Schweiss: Schweiss mowers It looks like the Schweiss is gone. The name is being used by B&H Manufacturing for a 3 point hitch snow blower. http://www.bhmfg.com/
Scag: Scag.com For many areas of the country when you see a small landscape contractor, he or she will have a Scag or three on the trailer. Scag makes a great line of high production mowers. Some models will mow well at 16 mph!
Ventrac: Ventrac.com If you own an acreage and want to do more than mow lawn with your equipment this may be the tractor for you. One of the unique benefits of this brand is the maneuverability.
Rich Convertible: Convertible mower.com Currently marketed by DR Power Equipment DRPower.com as the VERSA-PRO Z-Mower. If you have a large lawn with a lot of slopes and ditches take a look at this unique machine.
Lastec Articulators: Lastec.com No, you can’t afford one but it is one of the most unique mowers on the market.
Kut Kwick: Kutkwick.com/superslopemaster These are special purpose commercial hillside mowers. You will see these mowers out on the highways and parks mowing places you can barely walk on. These are big machines that weigh more than your 3/4 ton pickup! I owned a Super Slope Master to mow berms and hills that couldn’t be mowed any other way. Every once in a while you will see one of these show up on the used market. As a homeowner be aware that a repair to one of these machines will usually cost more than two brand new Craftsman Garden Tractors!
Kubota: Kubota.com When most people think of Kubota they think of the compact tractor series. But did you know they also make a great line of homeowner riders? The FZ2100 was one of my favorite mowers.
Sears Holdings Corporation: searsholdings.com/ Sears is the largest retailer that sells not only their own brand of mowers but also sells many other brands as well. I specifically am going to look at the Craftsman brand here.
Craftsman: Sears Riding Mowers & Tractors Craftsman sells a riding lawn mower for every homeowner lawn in the U.S. Everything from a 28 inch rider to a 30 hp estate tractor. They have the largest nationwide service network and you can easily get parts for their machines going back 10, 15, 20 years old and more. But, they have never manufactured their own products and have always “spec’d” their mowers to the unique wants and needs of the Sears shopper. Because they are built to “Sears Specifications” they need to be included in the list. Some of the current specs that are unique to Craftsman for the 2012 model year are: Unique decks that are rated as some of the best cutting decks by Consumer Reports, Turn Tight Steering (6 inch) on the YT and GT models, Greasable spindles on the YT and better models, 7.5 mph on the GT and up to 30 hp in the Premium line.
Here are the manufactures for the 2012 year:
Craftsman LT: MTD
Craftsman YT: Husqvarna
Craftsman GT: Husqvarna
Craftsman Rider: MTD
Craftsman Zero Turns: MTD
Craftsman Premium: Briggs & Stratton, This line is discontinued for 2013 but you will find a few clearance models available.
Craftsman Professional: MTD, Briggs & Stratton, Schiller, This line is discontinued for 2012. MTD, Briggs & Stratton, Schiller
Textron/Jacobson/Ransomes: Jacobsen.com merged Jacobsen and Ransomes with the Jacobson name used here in the U.S. and Ransomes used in Europe. They primarily market to golf courses and large area mowing but you will find a large number of their out-front mowers on the used market. Don’t buy the 3 wheeled version. The rest are good machines, but expensive to repair.
Husqvarna: Husqvarna.com An all encompassing name that includes the following:
Husqvarna Residential: Husqvarna Residential Like John Deere, Husqvarna has a “big box” line and a “dealer” line. The dealer line usually features heavier (welded) decks and the new Husqvarna Rider.
Husqvarna Landowner: Seriously look at the landowner line of you have slopes or hills. These machine have heavy duty transmissions and the weight needed to work on hills. Read my review of the MZ5424S (see the menu to your right)
Husqvarna Commercial: Husqvarna Commercial. This is a new line of well designed heavy duty machines. If you have a large lawn seriously take a look at the 61 inch. Like The Yard Shark it has huge tires and a light footprint making it an ideal residential mower.
Dixon: Dixon Arguably the best “homeowner” zero-turn. The Husqvarna residential and landowner series came from this great line.
Poulan: Poulan.com.
Weedeater: Weedeater.com/
Yazoo/Kees: Husqvarna officially discontinued this line Oct. 2011.
Flymo: Flymo
Husqvarna, MTD, Ariens and Briggs & Stratton make most of the brands sold by retailers here in the U.S. John Deere still makes their own.
Acrease Kunzeng.com/ Gary Kunz and his son Matt have a great line of high quality, heavy duty finish and rough cut mowers. These mowers are designed to pull behind or along-side of your existing mower and reduce your mowing time and trimming considerably. For example, I used two or their 60 inch commercial wing mowers with a 60 inch Exmark Laser and could mow up to 17 acres an hour. I used one with a Great Dane Chariot and could mow about eight acres and hour. They are more expensive than the Swisher, Agri-Fab and Stanley wing mowers, but worth every penny in increased productivity and strength.
Zipper: Zippermowers.co Zipper Mowers’ design philosophy is to build high quality products that are focused on the needs and requirements of professional users where quality and function are more important than looks and price. They believe that by not trying to be all things to all people we are able to actually build an innovative, no compromise machine. Machines that large companies designing product to a price point, for every market segment, and by committee just can’t. Their use of domestically produced components is about being able to monitor and control quality, deliver products in a timely manner, and sustain our US manufacturing to enable building high quality products. Not about purchasing the cheapest part to better margins at the expense of their customer’s experience.
John Deere: John Deere.com. As far as I can tell John Deere currently does not use any other brand names to market their mowers (used Sabre in the past) I do want to point out that they have a specific line (100 series) that are marketed by the big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. The 100 series sold at the Dealer Stores IS THE SAME TRACTOR AS SOLD AT THE BIG BOX STORES!
John Deere is a worldwide organization and many of their parts and products are made outside of the U.S. They currently use Briggs, Kohler, Kawasaki and have their owned line of branded engines in the residential mowers.
The 100 series Deere’s are made in the U.S. by John Deere.
The independent John Deere Dealers also market the “standard” Deere that includes residential, and commercial mowers. There are also Golf and Commercial Divisions that cater to those customers.
Toro: http://www.toro.com Toro is also another huge, worldwide corporation like John Deere, but they mainly market lawn care products. They have Homeowner, Commercial, Golf, Irrigation and Sports Field Divisions. It looks like the homeowner models are made by MTD.
Toro also owns ExMark: http://www.exmark.com/, and Hayter: http://www.hayter.co.uk/ (British) ExMark is the mower of choice for independent landscapers and mowing contractors. Hayter is one of the oldest names in Britain and prides itself in “makers of the finest mowers”
The Toro Grandstand and ExMark Vantage are my favorite mowers. If you currently own a Craftsman, Cub Cadet or John Deere Garden Tractor and it is taking you say, 6 hours to mow and trim your yard, you can easily cut that mowing/trimming time in half with one of these mowers.
It looks like the Toro Tractors are being made for them by MTD. As far as I can tell the rest of their products are made by Toro.
DEK, Beast, and Stanley: www.gxioutdoorpower.com GXi Outdoor Power is a US based company who manufactures their products in China and completes final assembly in the US. They manufacture zero-turns, walk-behinds and wing mowers under the names DEK, Beast, and Stanley. The Stanley logo looks identical to the old U.S. name that has been around for years.
MTD: http://www.mtdproducts.com. MTD has always had a mixed reputation among homeowners because they make a complete line of residential mowers from the cheapest sold to some of the best quality available. For every homeowner MTD makes a mower in a quality/price range that you will be comfortable with. I’ll leave all of the opinions for the tractor/mower forums. MTD makes and sells mowers under the following brand names. They also make spec mowers for Toro, Craftsman, Lesco and other retailers.
Bolens: http://www.bolens.com Primarily sold in Canada.
Cub Cadet: http://www.cubcadet.com At one time – one of the best lines of homeowner mowers here in the U.S. My uncle was part of the design team for the first model produced by International Harvestor. MTD purchased Cub Cadet in 1981.
Cub Cadet Commercial: http://www.cubcadet.com The Tank is very popular for homeowners with large lawns and “two guys and a truck” mowing contractors. I like the application equipment for fertilizing and weed control.
Troy-Bilt: http://www.troybilt.com The tractors are mainly sold through Lowes. The rest of the line (tillers) are sold everywhere.
White Outdoor: http://www.whiteoutdoor.com It looks like the White brand name is being phased out here in the U.S. There is still a website up, but no products are listed. You may still see some of these riders at dealers.
Yard-Man: http://www.yardman.com Yard-Man is MTD’s economy line. The focus of these products in on price. Most homeowners get many years out of these products.
Yard Machines: http://www.yardmachines.com is another economy line manufactured by MTD. I would not be suprised to learn that there are more 38 inch Yard Machine tractors produced than any other.
Arnold: This is MTD’s parts division. These are the factory/OEM parts you need for MTD made products.
GardenWay: The GardenWay corp originally made Troy-Bilt and MTD bought all of the company years ago. You will find a few products under that name in smaller retailers and garden centers.
MTD Pro: This name seems to be targeted to the “two guys and a truck” lawn care businesses. These little guys don’t have enough lawns to warrant a large commercial mower but need something a little better than a residential lawn tractor. The products tend to have less features and more value than MTD’s residential lines.
MTD Gold: In my opinion this brand is just a different name so MTD can sell at both of your local hardware stores.
Huskee: Primarily sold at Tractor Supply Stores. The current models are made for them by MTD
Schiller Grounds Care: http://www.schillergc.com/ Schiller is a diversified lawn maintenance manufacture that produces some of the best quality products on the market. Mantis and Steiner are two names that you know and trust. Their BobCat division made the Craftsman Professional Zero-Turn.
They make products for the commercial and residential markets under the names: Ryan Turf, Steiner, Bunton, BobCat, Brouwer, Mantis, Little Wonder, and Classen
Honda Honda has not made a tractor since 1997 for the U.S. Parts are getting hard to find for the ones still running. John Deere has discontinued their walk-behind mowers and snow blowers and will be selling Honda products starting in 2012.
Wright: http://www.wrightmfg.com/ I would recommend any of the mowers Wright sells. The Stander X is my third choice for the best mower on the market today. The Stander ZK is one of the fastest, high production single deck mowers on the market. I also like the Sentar series. If you have a large lawn, with a lot of slopes seriously look at this brand.
Howard Price: http://www.howardpriceturf.com The website has not been updated for a while and only looks to be up for historic reasons only. These mowers are big, slow, but mow well. Beware, they are very expensive to repair.
Heckendorn: I can no longer find a website for this brand. They were the mower of choice for cemeteries in the 60′s but never got into the zero-turn market well.
Ariens: http://www.ariens.com The “other” big brand that makes a complete line of mowers. They are one of the oldest names in the mower market and make a great line of mowers under various names.
Ariens Tractors at Home Depot: The 2011-2012 models appear to be old Craftsman units made by Husqvarna for Craftsman back in 2008 and 2009. It looks like they just changed the paint and name on the hood.
Ariens: http://www.ariens.com Homeowner Products.
Gravely: http://www.gravely.com A Great name and Ariens has maintained the quality this name has always been know for. They currently have a line of homeowner, commercial, golf and large area mowers. If you have a local dealer, take a good look at these brands.
EverRide: http://www.everride.com as of 2011 the Everride name is being discontinued and the products merged into the Gravely Name.
Great Dane: http://www.greatdanemowers.com/ This name is also going away. The Great Dane Surfer and Wright Stander’s were the first stand-on mowers available. I was influencial in designing the Super Surfer back in the late 1990′s http://standons.com/?page_id=2
National: http://www.nationalmower.com/ National mowers are designed for mowing golf courses. They mow too low for most homeowners.
Locke: http://www.locketurf.com/ This is the mower they use to get the stripes at Yankee Stadium.
Stens: http://www.stens.com/ The parts division of Ariens. Trust this name for parts for all your mowers.
ByNorm: http://www.bynorm.com.au/ Arien’s owns this great Australian company.
Countax: http://www.countax.com/ Sold in England but the “go anywhere, mow anywhere” mowers are a product we could use here in the U.S. Hopefully they will bring over the high grass cutting decks.
Hustler: http://www.hustlerturf.com/products.html Hustler focuses on Zero Turn mowers and have the only working electric right now. They have a line of great quality residential mowers.
Encore: http://seriousred.com/ Encore has been struggling for a while now and it looks like they have been bought out by Worldlawn Power Equipment Inc, a Chinese Company. UpDate: http://www.worldlawnpowerequipment.com/ It looks like worldlawn has kept the factory in Beatrice and is promoting the line under the World Lawn name. Encore always had a good mower, just a poor dealer network, so don’t be afraid to look at this mower.
Dixie Chopper: http://www.dixiechopper.com/ Known as the “world’s fastest mower” Great line, high quality zero-turn mowers.
Deweze: http://www.deweze.com/deweze/atm.html Dedicated hillside mowers. As a homeowner you probably can’t afford one of these. Be careful buying a used one. Most of the used ones I have seen need a lot of work (and expense) to get them back into great shape.
Bush Hog: http://www.bushhog.com/product-line/zero-turn-mowers.html and Woods: http://www.woodsequipment.com Ag companies that also sell lines of zero-turn mowers. You will see a lot of these in rural areas.
Briggs & Stratton: http://www.basco.com/Our%20Brands.aspx The other big mower manufacture. Go to this page to see all of the companies they own. They also make spec mowers for Craftsman and other brands including Massey Ferguson.
Murray: http://www.murray.com/na/en/index.cfm The website currently shows no products but you can get parts through any Briggs & Stratton Dealer.
Snapper: http://www.snapper.com/ Brett Farve’s favorite mower. The RER is one of the longest lasting mowers on the market.
Snapper Pro: http://www.snapperpro.com/ Snapper’s commercial line.
Simplicity: http://www.simplicitymfg.com/ Conquest series, great lawn tractors. Prestige series, REAL Garden Tractors. Legacy series, I would buy one of these just because it has an available bucket loader.
Derby: Now part of Simplicity
Ferris: http://www.ferrisindustries.com/ A unique line of commercial zero-turns.
Beeline: http://www.beelinemowers.com/ A work in progress.
Bad Boy: http://www.badboymowers.com/ Look at the MZ series. Great mower at a competitive price.
Country Clipper: http://www.countryclipper.com/index.html This is another of my favorite zero-turn mowers. I like the single joystick steering.
Recharge Mower: http://www.rechargemower.com/ Recharge is an American Company that makes an electric riding lawn mower. The mower is made in China. They got a lot of press in 2010 because it is an all-electric machine. Watch this company in 2012.
PowerTrac: http://www.power-trac.com/ A heavy duty line of commercial multi-purpose machines.
Grasshopper: http://www.grasshoppermower.com/ Like Dixon, these mowers have always been very popular in the rural areas. Good, heavy duty mowers that will last you many years.
Swisher: http://www.swisherinc.com/ Make a great, high quality residential zero-turn. If you are looking for a wing mower please take a look at the Acrease mentioned earlier before you by Swisher’s Trailmower.
The rest of these listings do not have riding mowers but you will find their accessory products at every dealer and retailer.
Kawasaki engines: http://www.kawpowr.com/ American made!
Kohler engines: http://www.kohlerengines.com/home.htm American Made!
Briggs & Stratton: http://www.briggsandstratton.com/ American Made!
Ohio Steel:http://www.ohiosteel.com/lawntest.html A complete line of Lawn & Garden products for you lawn tractor and garden tractor.
Agri-Fab: http://www.agri-fab.com/ Tools and Attachments. The snowblower or utility blade on the front of your tractor was probably made by this company.
Smithco: http://smithco.com/ I only list this company because I am looking for an old Smithco Bandit. Also was named PUG Badlands. Any Condition. This is the articulated version I am looking for. I would like to buy one cheap and rebuild it. Email me if you find one laying around at a golf course, university, or other commercial building.
Smithco Bandit
Pug Badlands
Smithco Bandit/Pug Badlands
Click here to submit your review.
Land pride also built a gondo which you might look ay also
Response: I don\'t remember that Land Pride had a ride on mower. But they have always made a great pull-behind for large areas.
@Jason, I completely forgot about Deines. I haven’t seen a “Marty J” anywhere for about 20 years. They are a great mowing mower, but I always felt like I was riding a horse when I tested them years ago. I’ll get them included in my next revision.
Why is there no information for Deines… anywhere… Been around for about 40 years now
@MowerGuy, Please tell us where you are getting this information. It looks like all of the U.S. Products including the zero-turn are made by MTD. The low end push mowers are the same as MTD is selling at the other retailers. According to the Briggs & Stratton website, the name Murray is still owned by B&S.
What about Murray? they were closed down by Briggs & Stratton in 2005, in 2012 they came back to making mowers, but the rider’s are now as of 2013 made by MTD. the push mower’s with no bag are made by Husqvarna and the higher end Murray push mower’s are made by MTD.
@Walt, There has been a short review up on this site since Oct. R 120S ReviewYou can buy the 4WD version at your local Husqvarna dealer the R 120S with free shipping at Build.com online. (get the link on the review page)
My local Husqvarna dealer has a dozen of the 2WD and 4WD out on lawns but I am not ready to write a performance review yet. I want the owners to get a few mowing’s before I get their response. The machine is not for everyone, especially at $2999 to $4999.
It’s funny how outdated information and out-right lies hang around on the Internet. MTD has never made the 100 series Deere. They are made by Deere in their Georgia plant. The 300, 500 and 700 series are made here in Wisconsin. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BOX-STORE 100 SERIES AND THE DEALER VERSION. If a dealer tells you there is – I would run away as fast as I can from him.
Oh,,, I have owned both the original Yellow articulated Bolens with the gearbox steering and the later white version with the cable steering. I’ve also owned the Heston and Smithco articulated’s. Like you I would love to own the new Husqvarna 4WD!
Great site, lots of good info. Folks might like an update on new stuff however. Husqvarna has just started selling their articulated rider with an out front mower deck. I still have an old Bolens lawnkeeper of the same design and can’t wait to get my hands on Husqvarna’s version. According to their web site the top end model has AWD. The old Bolens was always more stable than ANY zero turn, hence my desire to upgrade from my Snapper Z-rider. You also say Deere makes all their own, but I am under the impression MTD makes the Deere product sold at the box stores.
@Mary, The Bad Boy is a good choice. A Grasshopper may also be a good fit because the out-front deck will let you get under the trees better. With a mid-mount like the Bad Boy you may be spending a lot of time bending out of the way when trying to mow around all those trees in the orchard.
If you can walk under your trees without bending over the Bad Boy will work. If you walk through your orchard and have to duck under the branches consider a front-mount zero-turn like the Grasshopper.
We have a fairly flat yard, approx. 1/2 acre, maybe a little more since we keep expanding it. We have a LOT of trees – about 100 or more since it’s an orchard. We have 3 greenhouses, 2 sheds, 1 house and a workshop building that we mow around. There are 2 ditches that we mow but we do that with a push mower because of the slope. Most of the brands are available to us within 50 miles. We are looking at the Bad Boy mower. It seems to be made well and the reviews we have read are mostly positive.
Mary, I need more info before I can give you suggestions. How large is your lawn? Do you have slopes to mow? Will you be using it, teenagers or someone who can be rough on equipment? Are you just mowing around the house or will you also mow around the farm buildings, fence-lines and waterways?
Farmer’s lawns tend to be a little rough and a heavier duty machine is usually called for. What equipment dealers do you have near you? What brands do they carry?
Let me know and I can help you better.
Great site, but lots of info. Looking for a reasonably priced zero turn. What would be your top three.
@michael, Thanks for letting the readers know about Sarlo. There are about a dozen walk-behind manufactures that I did not include on this list of riding mowers. Sarlo is one of the best. Bachtold, MeanGreenProducts, Havener and Billy Goat are a few more heavy-duty American machines that come to mind.
How about Sarlo mowers? Bases on Florida they make a line of push mowers that are some okf the best. Their primary customers are State and Federal prison systems, bjt they can be purchased, or oddered thru northern tool, or you can call and order one and have jt delivered. I called 3 YEARS AGO and got mine , the president of the xompany answered the phone, small company. If a prisoner who really doesnt want ro be pushing a mower cant tear it upn then then it is tough. They have bewn building these since1926, the oldest family owned lawn mower manufacturer jn the US.
@B&S I remember the first year he had one at GIE-EXPO. I liked it a lot but ended up buying Great Dane Surfers instead. I had 2 Toro walk-behinds for areas I couldn’t mow with a zero-turn.
I mow professionally. I purchased one of the “Convertible Mowers” from Rich Manufacturing. Although some are re-branded under the DR Power name, heavier, commercial duty mowers are available from Rich Manufacturing through their dealer network. The dealer network is not big though. I love the thing. One mower works for every situation on every property I mow. I did add liquid ballast to the rear tires to improve traction, made a day and night difference. Great blog, keep up the good work, thanks for putting in the time.
@R.Irwin, Yes Walker is very committed to their dealers but there are areas of the country where they don’t have many dealers. I suggest you go to their website and request your local dealer info. You may find one you didn’t know about.
Walker thinks that Virginians no longer need a dealer close by. They have a traveling salesman from Denton NC . I can’t see how they will provide service or parts so I’m going to buy some other manuf. mower . Too bad . Looks like a good product with no dealer here in Northern Virginia.
All Husqvarna,Poulan,Poulan Pro and the Craftsman YT and GT Riders are made in Orangeburg,SC, the push mowers are made in i think McRae,GA.
@Allan, I am not going to review Walker Mowers this year. They are simply the best mower on the market if you want the best cut. I recommend all of the models but please take some time with your dealer and pick the right size for you and your property. You have a choice of side-discharge or bagging, a choice of deck size, a choice of engine size, tires and accessories.
Here is a form to fill out. Walker will send this to your local dealer and they will get in contact with you. If you are really interested ask for a test drive.
Contact Walker Mowers
Feel free to ask any questions about them. I have owned a few and they have a lot of good points and a few features you have to get used to.
Have you completed any reviews on the Walker Mowers including the 2013 Models. If so please advise how I may acess same, and at what cost. Thanks.
@Rick, As far as I know the Titan is made by Toro and all the zero-turns are made by Toro.
Only the tractors are made for Toro by MTD.
Is the new Tore Titan ZX4820 (74841) made by Toro or MTD please tell me Toro it looks to strong and heavy to be made by MTD Thank`s Do you have any ratings for Toro products
@Jesse, Yes, you purchased the least expensive Craftsman and it is what I call a “price point” tractor. 90% of the customers who look at it because of the price end up purchasing a higher priced machine because the 28881 just does not have the features and creature inemities that most people want. From what I can tell most people end up buying the YT3000 42 in 21 hp Model 28851 because it does not have the issues you identified.
Husqvarna also makes a 38 inch 18.5 hp tractor that is the quality you want. Both Sears.com and Lowes.com carries that tractor.
Both of these tractors have a better bagger available. These baggers have a heavier chute than the one for the 17.5 hp and a little indicator that tells you when the bagger is full. They are also easier to take on and off. Here is the bagger for the 38 inch through Lowes and the 42 inch bagger from Sears.
Unfortunately there is only one hard shell bagger left on the market and that is for the YT 3000 Craftsman 42 inch hard shell bagger. Why because most people feel the mesh bags are not as dirty because the air exits out of the bag instead of out by your head with a hard shell bagger.
Finally, a decent machine at a decent price today is around $1400. The days of a good $1000 machine are gone……………………..
p.s. Sears also has a great machine with a great bagger for around $3000. I know that is a lot of money but it is one of the best 42 inch mowers on the market today Craftsman CTX9000
Hi,
I need some advice. My property is just 1/2 acre, fairly flat. I just bought [and am returning] a Craftsman 17.5hp, 42″. It is a terrible machine; I can only keep deck on highest setting to avoid scalping in many spots [my old 38" never did at lower settings]. The side chute design is cheap; bagger is held on with rubber bands and paper clips, its in 3 sections and falls apart often when opening to unload clippings. All the Craftsman tractors are like this now! The mesh bag creates a cloud of grass & dust surrounding me. I could go on…I think all these machines are made very cheaply.
And, I write to you because I see that many others Troy, Yard Man, Snapper etc all seem to have the same design for this deck chute to attach the bagger. It seems they cut and vacum well but…again, most with the mesh bags only.
Isn’t there a decent small machine out there made well at a reasonable price?
Please reply to my email address as well as this post. I will try to find this site again and am hoping to get a reply.
Many thanks, Jesse
@Rich, Woods is listed right above Briggs along with it’s twin, the Bush Hog Brand. Yes, the Snapper and Simplicity lines are melting into one. This also includes the red Craftsman Zero-turns.
I also just noticed this. Ferris, Simplicity, Snapper and Snapper Pro are all owned by Briggs and Stratton. As such there is a lot of cross branding of the same mower between the 4 lines.
I also noticed that you left out Woods too. In addition to belly mount and bush hog type tractor mowers they also market 4 different ZTRs. 1 out front and 3 mid mounts. http://www.woodsequipment.com/productPhotos.aspx
Both Schweiss and Yard Shark are made by B&H Manufacturing. B&H owns Schweiss and builds the Yard Shark in that plant.
@Eric, You got me on this one. Do you have a picture of the mower? Maybe I can get an idea of what it is then.
Have you heard of a Hampton Brand deck mower? I am trying to get info on model XM 3604. Who makes it? Where can I get info or manuals on it?
Thanks
Eric
@ Chris, All the Husqvarna and Craftsman mowers are made in the USA. The Husqvarna and YT 3000 and YT 4000 are made in South Carolina. The LT1500…and smaller Professional models are made in Georgia.
Great website and lawnmower reviews. I have been shopping for a new mower about 2 weeks now. Been to all the stores, Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc… I am replacing an old Snapper YT12 TwinII Hydro drive with 42″ deck and dual bagger, payed $300 for it 14 years ago. Its cut my 2/3 acre yard well for 14 years. All these new tractors are very expensive for what my old snapper could do at a fraction of the price back then.
I would like to BUY AMERICAN. I apreciate the “Who makes What” site great resource. Question: Is there any Mower SEARS sells that is made in the USA? I am seriously considering the Husqvarna at Sears. Just wondering where its made?
Thanks