Vineyard maintenance Mower question

[wood1954]

So I was going to work out today, but decide to mow the grass in the vineyard Instead. I have a self propelled lawn mower that decided to break its drive belt after 5 minutes, my vineyard is on a pretty good slope so it was quite a workout. Does anyone else use a self propelled mower that is reliable? Mine has broken three times in one year. It’s a Dirty hand tools brand and is poorly engineered, grass gets wrapped around the transmission and stops the belt which then breaks.

 

[sour_grapes]

I have a Husqvarna whose drive train has been pretty reliable. Don't get me started on the carburetion, however!

 

[Sage]

John Deere, get the better version, not small homeowners model.

Side note: I have a 23hp 1978 model 400 that will crush rocks. 72 in 3 blade deck, it's almost bullet proof. 2 speed hydro tranny. Purchased from the city after they destroyed it mowing a very steep cemetery ran it low on oil. I rebuilt it and it's still going.

 

[user 36973]

I'll second the John Deere. My 2009 Z445 is excellent for vineyard mowing and can take the random rocks and such that inevitably end up in the row

 

[HillPeople]

The DR trimmers work well for vineyard whacking.
https://www.drpower.com/power-equipment/trimmer-mowers

 

[Johnd]

Hell, I’ll give you the third for JD. Mine‘s a year old, brought my first one up to my property after 17 years of home service, still going strong. Love my new one too, JD X350.

 

[wood1954]

I meant a walk behind mower with self propelled option. Unfortunately I placed my fence too close to get my rider into the vineyar

 

[KevinL]

I only recently broke down and bought a riding mower for my acre. When I get the cash I'll spring for a Deere.

Before that i was using my Honda. I'm not sure if this is the exact model, but it's really close: Honda HRN216VKA Model Info | 21" Walk Behind Mower | Honda Lawn Mowers

Mine's got the Honda GCV160 Engine. Looks like this one is the GCV170.

2-3 hours of walking each weekend. I always mulched, never bagged. Depending on how efficient I was, 1 tank of gas would do the whole acre. Still runs great and starts in one pull. I use it for the tight areas now. Variable speed self-propulsion allows for you to set it from a leisurely stroll to a fast power-walk. I highly recommend.

 

[wood1954]

Thanks , I’m leaning towards a cub cadet with caster wheels to make turning easier

 

[wood1954]

The cub cadet is great, it works very well.

 

[sremick]

I meant a walk behind mower with self propelled option. Unfortunately I placed my fence too close to get my rider into the vineyar

If you'd like to think outside the box... after my push mower crapped out, I got one of these:
https://egopowerplus.com/power-mowers/
Works great, less maintenance, and cheaper to run. I also got the chainsaw that uses the same battery. They have other tools too.

My riding tractor is Cub Cadet and I love it, I use it for the majority of my lawn. I did space my rows of vines so I could ride the tractor right down between them but honestly sometimes I prefer to use the push mower as I have that set to mulch and it only takes me a few mins.

 

[wood1954]

Maybe next time,

 

[stickman]

I've been using the Sutech 33" walk-behind for 18yrs on my property, the drive belts for the wheels have been replaced once, the rest of the belts are original. Rebuilt the carburetor and replaced the breather valve 2yrs ago.

http://www.sutechusa.com/products.php

 

[Rice_Guy]

If a walk behind, I would vote for Toro 48 inch.

Have been running a 15 year old craftsman which means a mower built by MTD which seems to do a number of private label brands, basic parts are interchangeable, Example today’s project was putting the hydrostatic drive from a 42 inch in my 46 inch mower. Very little maintenance required.