Hello, my name is Travis. I want to start my own lawncare business.
What is the best used mower to start with? I'd love to be able to get new to start just for warranty, but I'm on a tight budget.
I want something that will hold up for a while till we get going good. Thank you for your help!
Best mower on a tight budget is the one you already have — sharpen the blade and you're in business. That's literally how I started.
I don't mow much anymore — I kept one client this year — but I'm running a mower someone gave away for free because it wasn't working. Before starting my lawn care company I had a hobby fixing small engines, picking up dead mowers for free or cheap and learning how to clean carburetors and get them running again. Some I resold for profit.
If you're tight on cash, you don't need new with a warranty. Learning basic maintenance — carb cleaning, blade sharpening, oil changes — will save you more money than any used mower deal ever will, and it means breakdowns don't shut your business down for a week waiting on a shop.
Thank you all for yhe advice. I had an epiphany. I had a 4 wheeler sitting around collecting dust. I pit a new battery and fresh gas in it, traded it for a **bleep** Turf Tiger with the 61 in Advantage deck. It needed some work which me and my 13 year old son were able to perform, and this evening I cut my first customers lawn. Well, my mother's lawn as a test yard. But still, I mowed my first lawn with my new to me mower!! Now to fix my truck so I can pull my mower to the next job!
I personally rely on Honda self-propelled push mowers. They are bulletproof; even the older generations cut quality is unmatched.
Hey Travis, Travis here!
Listen, if you’re on a tight budget but want something that will actually hold up without a warranty, do not buy a new residential riding mower from a big-box store. Daily commercial use will burn out those cheap transmissions in no time.
Instead, take that exact same budget and hunt down a used commercial stand-on mower (like a Wright Stander) or an older commercial zero-turn (like a **bleep** Freedom Z) with a Kawasaki engine.
If a dedicated rider stretches the budget too thin, here is the ultimate pro-tip: buy a used commercial walk-behind and slap a two-wheeled sulky (velke) on the back. Boom—you're riding, saving your legs, and keeping your upfront costs dirt cheap.
Here is why you buy commercial used:
Keep your overhead low, buy commercial quality, and save your boots. Best of luck from one Travis to another!
