Rashers wrote:

I am not sure if the John Deere is a rebranded product (i.e. has no actual resemblance of the big green tractors). I did look at JD before I got the Ariens. They look ok.

Other point, I have a mulch kit on my mower. I had a mulching deck on the last Westwood. If you get a mower that mulches, you need to cut little and often. Don't expect the mower to cut five inches off the top of the grass and for it to look neat. It will be a mess.

If you need to pickup your clippings, nothing much beats the Westwood / Countax powered sweeper collector. It will pick wet grass up with no issues. Anything that blows grass up a tube into a bag has the ability to block up, especially when wet. The only mower that has a tube and bag collection system that I have seen work in the wet is the Kubota. Back to my previous comments about Kubota and why I like them

I think the newer John Deere ride ons are a rebrand - the L105 and X166 that I used did not seem to be up to the job and felt very cheap and plasticy - despite the fairly expensive price tag.

I did hundreds of hours on a old Kubota G1700 - it blew the grass up the tube and into the bags which did a really good job but it struggled in long wet grass, not so much blocking up but the blower unit zapped a lot of power from the engine - though it was 25 years old with over 2500 hours and little to no servicing so not surprising. It would cut through any grass in the paddocks discharging out the side of the deck without the blower.

Sadly the grass in my garden can be cut with a Flymo, but if I needed one it would definitively be a Kubota, but probably out of budget. BORG - Bucks & Oxon 4x4 Response Group