I bought a used riding lawnmower on a whim recently. $250 and it was a mistake. There were many more problems with it than met the eye. Long story short, after a couple weeks of ownership i gave it to a neighbor who likes projects and decided to increase my budget.

I'm thinking $1k range used. I want a bagging system. I'll be mowing about 3/4 acre of very healthy grass.

Brands/ features I should be looking for? Tips? Common problems to avoid or issues to look for when inspecting the mower?

We had some good discussion here, except that Jagerbomber35 posted so I understand the desire to start fresh:
Advice need for a riding mower

Thanks Steve! Dan360's comment at the end of the thread was especially helpful!

I will say 1st off that I full understand having a budget. But in this case it really is you get what you pay for. I get wanting to only spend $1k, it is not easy for come up with a big chunk of change, and some of the really high end mowers are more than a cheap used car.

However I can tell you without hesitation or reservation that it is worth it. The last mower I bought was 1996. You read that right, 1996, back then I spent a buttload, with bagger it was around $3600. The mower has take care of me with nothing but belt changes, did a few blade changes. Didn't change the oil often enough or clean under deck enough. My teenage son has been using it mostly the last few years and the wife. Finally this year it has given out due to the abuse. In that same amount of time my neighbor has replaced his mower every 2-3 years with another $1k mower. My mower could have lasted much much longer if I had done better weekly/monthly maintenance on it.

This year due to mine failing I just bought a new mower. Give the size and layout of my property I jumped the budget up again and went with a big almost pro class zero turn. Thankfully the big mower companies all have financing these days and I was able to get 48mos 0% interest on it.

Grass around here is a royal pita. Like it seems everything else the constantly wet weather makes what we face here unique. Grass is always damp and heavy, and growth is off the charts in the spring. I have been seeing over 6" growth in a week in a number of sections of my yard. This makes it very hard on a mower in general from packing in clippings under the deck, bogging the blades, and clogging baggers.

Given my lawn and what I have dealt with, here are my recommendations.

• My initial advice would be to see what you can do to increase your budget, take advantage of any 0% financing you can get. Mine does have a min monthly payment, but it lets me get the mower I need rather than just the mower I can pay cash for right now. The higher price points will get you into units that are actually servicable and have the ability to do basic fluids maintenance that will greatly increase their life. Engine filters, hydro filters and drain ports, etc.
• Get the highest HP and biggest deck you can. This is important it most of your land is open grass as it really can cut down on time to mow. The higher HP will let you mow a faster compounding the time savings of the larger deck. My new rig is 10hp stronger and a 6" wider deck, being new and strong I have cut mowing time by more than 1/2, probably almost 2/3.
• Make sure to measure the narrow spots you need to mow, make sure you do not get a deck so wide that it cannot fit. Be sure to take into consideration the discharge chute and bagger assembly.
• Look for a fabricated deck if at all possible, this will require a higher budget, but a fabricated deck is heavier steel that cannot be stamp formed. It is just a stronger more durable deck.
• clean out under your deck at least once a month if not after every mow. I am terrible at this and because of that after 18years my deck has rusted thru. Getting the the clippings out of there and not letting them set and harden is HUGE, and not only stops rust, but keeps the deck flowing and cutting better. I do not know if the flush ports on some deck really works or not, I am still trying to figure out a way to clean under the new mower to protect it for the long term.
• Get a powered bagger. The grass here in spring is far to heavy to mow effectively without power assisted bagging (at least mine always has been). If not for the power, I could mow faster with a weed eater when the grass gets tall and thick. If yours does not get crazy thick each week a normal bagger may be fine. Or remove it and mow normal then put bagger back on and mower over it the next day when it has dried some (bump deck height up one notch when you go back over it).
• Get a hydrostatic drive system. This is convenience, but the time it saves and convenience is worth every penny. No gear shifting, infinite mowing speeds, hands free direction changes.
• Take a real look at the roughness of your property. mine is very uneven, 18yrs ago I bought a Kubota as it was even worse then, and only Kubota had true suspension front and rear. I believe that has added greatly to it's life as both myself and the mower take less beating. Unfortunately for a normal rider Kubota is the only one I know of with suspension and you are probably in the 3K range. But there are some very good suspended seats out there that come on some units as well that can be added if you have rough land.
• Get a drink holder. I am not talking for beer to do the redneck thing (enjoy it if that is what you enjoy though), but with larger property you do spend a bit of seat time, making sure to drink fluids is just a good idea when out in the sun for long periods. My last unit did not have it, but most if not all of the newer ones do, so might not be an issue.
• Maybe consider zero turn, though they tend to increase the $ for a given HP/deck size class. They really do speed up mowing though after a short learning phase.

Realize if you buy from a box store you have zero support, they have no technicians or shop. But buying from a mower shop will be much more expensive due to the higher over head and usually higher caliber of equipment, so it can compound the price.

Unfortunately many of the formerly top tier brands like JD and Cub Cadet have largely abandoned the brick and mortar stores and focused on box store level rigs. I know of at least one local dealer that was a cadet dealer for decades that dropped them in the last year because of it. 18yrs ago I would have said go JD, CubCadet with zero reservations, Now they are no better than the other cheap brands and many of the boutique stores will tend to have more zero turn rigs than traditional riders. Even Toro has moved into the big box store market. Snapper I believe is still a dealer only brand, and traditionally been a good brand. Kubota rigs are just solid, however when I went looking this last time I was less than impressed with the salesperson at the dealer here in Pierce Cty. I think he was new, but I knew more than he did about the units after a few days of internet research comparing brands/models. Kubota you also tend to pay a bit more for the brand, though as said they are rock solid and I find overall the ergonomics of the setup are typically better than other brands. Little things in fit finish and layout just set them apart, things that seem minor or trivial when you are looking but a year later you look back and realize, wow, that 2 seconds and less motion to change deck height really makes a difference.

Hope my rambling helps some.

^ Holy hell.

That is some fantastically detailed input!

I have a little over 1/2 acre to mow and do it with a Honda push mower. Takes about 90 minutes to do it right. It's good exercise.

That's an oxy, moron. .

Wow, thank you! I really appreciate your insight!