Scotts is made by John Deere but is still about 50% more expensive than a Murray (talking about a 17 hp, 42" cut).
Anybody got experience with either's reliability?
Anybody got experience with either's reliability?
Riding mower..what's better...Scott's or Murray?
- Thread starter conjur
- Start date
Scott's by far. Like comparing a domestic car to a Mercedes, you may get some really good years from the domestic........you may not. You KNOW you'll get good service from the 'Benz.
I had the choice a couple of years ago and bought the Scotts. I'm sure the Murray would have been fine for few years, but there's no way it will hold up as long as the Scotts.
Look under the front suspension (if you can call it a suspension on a mower) and look how the crossmember and spindles are made. That is the case on the whole machine. Not to mention the Kohler engine. Briggs and Strattons are fine, but they ain't Kohler.
It all depends on whether a few hundred bucks now is worth it to you or not.
Edit: Snappers are good, too. Their riding mowers are butt ugly to me, if that really matters. They don't hang with John Deere for reliability, though.
Toro is another good one, but they are also expensive.
I had the choice a couple of years ago and bought the Scotts. I'm sure the Murray would have been fine for few years, but there's no way it will hold up as long as the Scotts.
Look under the front suspension (if you can call it a suspension on a mower) and look how the crossmember and spindles are made. That is the case on the whole machine. Not to mention the Kohler engine. Briggs and Strattons are fine, but they ain't Kohler.
It all depends on whether a few hundred bucks now is worth it to you or not.
Edit: Snappers are good, too. Their riding mowers are butt ugly to me, if that really matters. They don't hang with John Deere for reliability, though.
Toro is another good one, but they are also expensive.
Damn, I wish you'd provide a link to that Scotts thing. Best I could find was this John Deere.
No doubt, I'd pass on Murray for sure. I think N8Magic is right. I'm a little perturbed that Snappers are no longer able to store standing on end. I bought my Wheel Horse 111-5 speed back in 1986. It was targeted at the Snapper and Ariens riders. The Ariens does still have an Upright Service / Storage Position, which is very nice. The Snapper can stand that way for a short time, but you have to drain the oil for storage. Both the Snapper and Ariens use a crude Disc-O-Matic Drive System. That system has been used by them for decades and is tried and true... but crude!
I opted for the Wheel Horse because of it's Peerless 5 speed transmission. The same type of tranny used on some garden tractors! I also like the way it's discharge chute came out the top of the deck, instead of the side. That way I can trim on both sides of the deck. The model was discontinued when Toro bought Wheel Horse a few years later. I just put a new Briggs engine on last fall, so it's like new again! That's 16 years of use so far and I expect it to last at least that much longer. It cost $1,650.00 back in 1986 including the rear bagger. When the engine died, I looked into buying a new Snapper. It would have cost $2,400.00 for a 33", Kohler model including the bagger. It bugged me that I couldn't store it upright, so I looked into fixing mine instead. So glad I did!
It's important to get one with a large single blade instead of multiple blades. The single blade has higher tip velocity for throwing wet grass or leaves all the way back into that bag. Get a demo on a Snapper, Ariens, and maybe even Yazoo. You'll be money ahead if you can buy one and keep it a few decades instead of buying a new one every five years or so. For that reason, it's a good idea to buy a brand that keeps parts for their old equipment. Snapper fits the bill there!
No doubt, I'd pass on Murray for sure. I think N8Magic is right. I'm a little perturbed that Snappers are no longer able to store standing on end. I bought my Wheel Horse 111-5 speed back in 1986. It was targeted at the Snapper and Ariens riders. The Ariens does still have an Upright Service / Storage Position, which is very nice. The Snapper can stand that way for a short time, but you have to drain the oil for storage. Both the Snapper and Ariens use a crude Disc-O-Matic Drive System. That system has been used by them for decades and is tried and true... but crude!
I opted for the Wheel Horse because of it's Peerless 5 speed transmission. The same type of tranny used on some garden tractors! I also like the way it's discharge chute came out the top of the deck, instead of the side. That way I can trim on both sides of the deck. The model was discontinued when Toro bought Wheel Horse a few years later. I just put a new Briggs engine on last fall, so it's like new again! That's 16 years of use so far and I expect it to last at least that much longer. It cost $1,650.00 back in 1986 including the rear bagger. When the engine died, I looked into buying a new Snapper. It would have cost $2,400.00 for a 33", Kohler model including the bagger. It bugged me that I couldn't store it upright, so I looked into fixing mine instead. So glad I did!
It's important to get one with a large single blade instead of multiple blades. The single blade has higher tip velocity for throwing wet grass or leaves all the way back into that bag. Get a demo on a Snapper, Ariens, and maybe even Yazoo. You'll be money ahead if you can buy one and keep it a few decades instead of buying a new one every five years or so. For that reason, it's a good idea to buy a brand that keeps parts for their old equipment. Snapper fits the bill there!
Geekbabe
Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
LOL,what is it with you dudes and things like riding lawnmowers ? ,this has got to be a guy thing or something 
Anybody ever tried a good old fashioned push type reel mower? They give you a good workout, probably better than an aerobics class.
Geekbabe
Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
<<
<< LOL,what is it with you dudes and things like riding lawnmowers ? ,this has got to be a guy thing or something
>>Well, duh!
I'd try to pony up the bucks for a real John Deere....or I'd buy a used tractor until I could afford the Deere
JC >>
Lol, the guys who live in the houses next to this one have like some sort of sick competition going
with their lawn mowers and snowblowers, they're out there at the first sign of a blade of grass or a snowflake revving their engines and giving each other dirty looks !!!
"...what is it with you dudes and things like riding lawnmowers?"
Some of these guys put more thought into their damn CPU HS/Fan than they do their mowers. The HS/Fan might cost all of $30.00, the mowers run up to and over $3,000.00! It's worth the effort to get it right the first time!
"...buy a used tractor until I could afford the Deere"
I think those things are over hyped where the rear engine riders are concerned. If you're talking true garden tractor, Wheel Horse blows away John Deere in every category for less money. That's why Toro bought the company.
"Anybody ever tried a good old fashioned push type reel mower?"
They'll give ya a workout for sure. They'll give you a coronary if you're doing more than a postage stamp size yard. They're expensive to sharpen and won't do squat for picking up leaves.
Some of these guys put more thought into their damn CPU HS/Fan than they do their mowers. The HS/Fan might cost all of $30.00, the mowers run up to and over $3,000.00! It's worth the effort to get it right the first time!
"...buy a used tractor until I could afford the Deere"
I think those things are over hyped where the rear engine riders are concerned. If you're talking true garden tractor, Wheel Horse blows away John Deere in every category for less money. That's why Toro bought the company.
"Anybody ever tried a good old fashioned push type reel mower?"
They'll give ya a workout for sure. They'll give you a coronary if you're doing more than a postage stamp size yard. They're expensive to sharpen and won't do squat for picking up leaves.
silverpig
Lifer
- Jul 29, 2001
- 27,703
- 12
- 81
<<Anybody ever tried a good old fashioned push type reel mower? They give you a good workout, probably better than an aerobics class. >>
We have one. It's way better for the grass to use a reel mower than to use a rotary... You might as well be using a friggin weed whacker on your lawn...
We have one. It's way better for the grass to use a reel mower than to use a rotary... You might as well be using a friggin weed whacker on your lawn...
shiner
Lifer
- Jul 18, 2000
- 17,112
- 1
- 0
<< Anybody ever tried a good old fashioned push type reel mower? They give you a good workout, probably better than an aerobics class. >>
There's a 85 year old man a few houses down from me that mows his entire lawn with one. The truly impressive part is that we live on a hill overlooking a lake and his yard is on the side of the hill. DOn't know how he does it.
As far as mowers go. Scotts & Deere are the head of the class for common use mowers. Murray, MTD, and a couple of the other "minor brands" are all built by the same company and are ok but it's true that they wear out faster and don't seem to cut as well. My neighbor has a Murray and I have Scotts and my yard always looks better cut than his. His mower is brand new, bought it 3 weeks ago, and it cuts uneven as hell and he can't get it adjusted correctly.
Hands down the three best
1. John Deere
2. Cub Cadet
3. Simplicity
I own John Deere lx172 for last 9 years absolutely no problems! Best design eveything needed for annual maintanence is easily accessible. I wish the cars I have owned were this well thought out!
Tony
1. John Deere
2. Cub Cadet
3. Simplicity
I own John Deere lx172 for last 9 years absolutely no problems! Best design eveything needed for annual maintanence is easily accessible. I wish the cars I have owned were this well thought out!
Tony
"You might as well be using a friggin weed whacker on your lawn..."
Only true if you don't keep it sharp. I sharpen mine before every cutting, do you? That's why it's nice to have the rider standing on end. Easy to get at the blade for sharpening. Yes, I have to sharpen mine a lot due to the sticks and twigs that get mulched. That's another thing reel type mowers couldn't "hack".
Reel type is the best cut, or shear as the case may be, but not practical for most lawns. Even golf courses don't use reel type mowers for everything.
Only true if you don't keep it sharp. I sharpen mine before every cutting, do you? That's why it's nice to have the rider standing on end. Easy to get at the blade for sharpening. Yes, I have to sharpen mine a lot due to the sticks and twigs that get mulched. That's another thing reel type mowers couldn't "hack".
Reel type is the best cut, or shear as the case may be, but not practical for most lawns. Even golf courses don't use reel type mowers for everything.
silverpig
Lifer
- Jul 29, 2001
- 27,703
- 12
- 81
Even still, a sharp rotary isn't as good for your lawn as a reel mower. Take a look at the grass when you're done cutting. You'll see damaged ends to the plant with a rotary, but a clean clip with a reel.
Every golf course uses reel mowers for greens, aprons, and fairways for sure. There's no doubt about that. And depending on the height of the rough, most also use reels for that. The course where I work uses a couple toro triplex reel mowers for banks, and pull gangs (reels) for the rough on most days, and we only use rotary lastecs pulled behind a tractor for cleaning up the course after a windy day. It mulches really well, but the rough doesn't look as good as when it's mowed with pull gangs.
Every golf course uses reel mowers for greens, aprons, and fairways for sure. There's no doubt about that. And depending on the height of the rough, most also use reels for that. The course where I work uses a couple toro triplex reel mowers for banks, and pull gangs (reels) for the rough on most days, and we only use rotary lastecs pulled behind a tractor for cleaning up the course after a windy day. It mulches really well, but the rough doesn't look as good as when it's mowed with pull gangs.
RossMAN
Grand Nagus
- Feb 24, 2000
- 79,032
- 439
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Riding Lawn Mower Reviews
Check out their reliability and repair history at Consumer Reports online (free for 1st month - no cc required).
Check out their reliability and repair history at Consumer Reports online (free for 1st month - no cc required).
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