My dad has a 48" or 52" (can't remember which) John Deere ZTR that is on its last leg. He is either going go to have to put a new motor on it or rebuild the one he has. He's had the mower 7 years. He cuts 3 acres of yard and takes top notch care of his equipment. He's very good about regular maintenance and does not abuse the mower at all. With the number of hours on the meter, it averages out to 70 cuts, 10 cuts per summer. When I figured in what he paid for the mower, the few times it's been in the shop for this or that, gas, blades, etc..., he could have paid someone to cut his grass for the same money. Just seems to me the mower should have lasted longer. In your opinion, how long should a quality mower last?

How often does he change the oil and other filters? It is hard to say how long something will last when you don't know the environment it is being used in, or how it is being taken care of?

Which ZTR is it? Was it bought from a dealer or at Home Depot/Lowes? The dealer units are much better units. My Cub Cadet 48 Fab ZTR is 10 years old. It has a Kohler motor on it...runs like new.

I would expect more than 7 years out of a John Deere mower though.

It's why I buy a thousand dollar riding mower and replace it every 5 or 6 years. Small engines just don't last anymore.

I'm currently using a 14 or 15yr old Murray push mower...thing runs like a top, still cranks on the first pull every time. I don't even bother going to the trouble of running ethanol free gas in it. I know eventually I'll have to replace it, and I have zero doubt I'll be sorely disappointed in whatever I buy. Like Charlie said, things just don't last anymore.

I think a commercial grade small engine should go 1500 hours before rebuilding. I put about 10 hours a year on my mower. I cut about every 3 weeks (centipede)

Maintenance plays a huge factor in it so does which model he bought. I usually get 1500 hours out of a fx series kawasaki and usually around 1200 out of a kohler equivalent. I blow the air filters out every week oil changes at 50hrs instead of 100 hrs and they'd last. If yoy follow the book which says 100 hr oil changes i did two mowers like that when i started out and they didnt last but 700 on one and 680 on the other.

He changes the oil, filter, air filter and plugs about every 65 hours. Even has had the John Deere dealer perform carb cleaning and other things on it. Terrain is all grass (no rocks, stumps, etc...). I thought at first his hour meter had broken, thinking there HAD to be more hours on it but he said it was working properly.

How many hours? Maybe I missed it.

Approximately 560. I can't remember the exact number now.

It depends on if it's a commercial mower or not.

A "homeowner" model cutting three acres won't last long at all.

A "commercial" model will last as long as you take care of it correctly.

I hear yall on the small motors not lasting. I replace the motor on the plate tamp once a year. I bought a predator motor from Harbor Freight the other day for $130. If it lasts a year I will be happy. The new Honda motors are around $500. They don't last a year either.

Someone mentioned the hour meter bot working right. So of you know this from being ine lawn buisness but most mowers built in the last 5 years maybe longer then that the hour meter is hooked up to the pto so if you just drive your lawn mower around all the time its not registering hours until you turn the pto on. Our local gravely/grasshopper dealer likes to use the line"someone left the key on" is the reason a current year mower has 70 hrs on it already, which really what it is the mower was a demo mower.

After 1000 hours on the engine you are on borrowed time.