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In Reply to: Husqvarna rider 155 for 1/3 acre lot posted by Jim on Monday, March 10, 2003:
Jim, I don't know if you've made a decision on buying the Husqvarna Rider 155. I just purchased one at the begining of July. I currently have a lot about the size you're speaking of. It will depend on how much "stuff" you have to manuver around, but it shouldn't take you more than 30 mins. That doesn't include trimming of course. Although the Rider isn't a zero turn machine, you'll be amazed at how agile it is. The mulching ability of this mower is terrific. Of course the secret to fine mulch is frequent mowing when the lawn is growing fast.
I have had a lot of questions and concerns since my purchase that I thought I would share with you. As you can see by my finding this forum I am still looking for additional info about this mower. Let me say this to start with, I love this mower. Now. I had to return the first Rider I purchased. Lowe's was more than happy to replace it without any lip. I bought the floor model at a 10% discount, which may or may not have something to do with the problems I had. First, I had a drive belt slip off, damaged to the point of needing replacement (easy job). Second I noticed that the cables and wiring harness that went to the transmission was catching on the threads of a bolt under the mower during tight turns and was cutting into them. I asked Lowe's if they could do anything and they reccommended me going to the local Husqvarna Dealer for service as they cannot perform any work on the mowers themselves.
The Husqvarna Dealer couldn't get to my mower for a couple or three days. Because of where I bought the mower? Who knows. At any rate I chose to make the fix myself. I simply purchased two nylon lock nuts (metal nut with nylon cap built in) and replaced the factory nuts. The new nuts were deep enough to cover the threads that were causing me problems. The Husqvarna dealer didn't have much good to say about the Rider 155. He says that he doesn't carry them because they are problematic. This prompted me to call the Husqvarna Headquarters to inquire why a "Dealer" would have negative things to say about his product.
Husqvarna explained to me that this is a Swedish built mower and the US dealers haven't been exposed to them much. Supposedly, they have been in service in Europe for around 13 years. Acclaimed for their manuverabilty, reliability, and durability. Okay, what else did we expect from the manufactorer, right?
Here is the last thing that happened to my Rider that caused me to exchange it. I had the steering cable break on me. Needless to say I was upset. I'm going to give this mower a second chance, because it is such a joy to use.
A couple more things I picked up along the way. This mower is not designed to be a bush hog. It is for cutting an established and maintained lawn. The blades are timed to be 90 degrees out of sequence so not to collide. They also have shear pins that are designed to save the bearings and deck should you hit something with them. Of course when the blades go out of time - you have to replace them all because they end up crashing into each other. The blade kit (all 3 blades, washers, and shear pins) runs around $34 and Lowe's carries them. Someone asked about cutting slopes - my lawn is basically flat (I live in SC), but the manual says that the maximum angle this mower should be used to is 15 degrees, this is for lubrication reasons (oil pick up).
Sorry about the long post, but I hated not to share what I have found out about this mower. Hope this helps.
P.S.
Jim, I felt like a wimp giving up my push mower for a rider too. I am looking at buying an acre sized lot to build my wife a new house on and when my 20 year old snapper died, I figured this was a "smart" thing to do. Right? It sure makes cutting my little lot a breeze now.