Dropped $2,400 on a used riding mower for a quarter acre lawn, and my push mower is still sitting in the shed

Sage Burns · 2026-10-02T04:00:03.836527+00:00

So about 8 months ago I got it in my head that mowing my little quarter acre with a push mower was beneath me, mostly because my back was killing me every Saturday. Found a used John Deere on Marketplace for $2,400, guy in Rockford swore it ran great and only had 300 hours on it. Got it home, and within two weeks the deck belt snapped, then the blades needed sharpening, then the battery died because I left the key in it like a genius. I've put maybe another $600 into it since, plus a trailer hitch for my car to haul it to a repair guy twice. Meanwhile my $180 push mower starts on the first pull every single time and takes me 40 minutes, which is honestly less time than I spend fiddling with the rider. My wife keeps asking why the big mower is just parked under a tarp while I'm out there sweating with the little one. Anybody got a used mower story that doesn't end with you wishing you'd just kept the cheap one?

Guest Forum

Loading…

Dropped $2,400 on a used riding mower for a quarter acre lawn, and my push mower is still sitting in the shed | Dumb Money Moves - Guest Forum