Our middle plays field hockey at a school that relies on the district to mow the field, which means it gets done every 2-3 weeks. Field hockey needs the field cut every 3-4 days really, so myself and a couple other dads were planning on doing it with our pushmowers (we live in the Highlands in Louisville, small yards) which would be 3-4 hours every time.
So, I started looking for a cheap riding mower to save myself and the other guys HOURS and DAYS of our lives over the next 3 years of middle school. I figured $200-300 would get something that would work.
I ended up calling a guy about a New Holland 38" (it's a rebadged Toro Wheelhorse) that wouldn't start for $75. He gave it to me for $50 since he went to the same middle school and practiced football on that field.
I got it home and had it running in 20 minutes. Add a battery for $30 and I have a running mower that's not a rust bucket for $80. Everything works too! I had to adjust the shifter linkage to get 6th gear and will replace the spindle bearings, but other than that it's good to go for a long time I think.
This is what it looks like, not mine though
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