As a farmer or rural homeowner, you have a busy, hectic lifestyle and a big property to maintain.
Whether you’re a farmer, rancher or hobbyist vegetable grower, each day is all about routine, and every day will start the same -- early. You don’t have a lot of time to dilly-dally because there are chores that need to be done. You also have a lot of lawn to maintain and not a lot of time to get the work done after managing your work and family responsibilities.
Having a neat, clean property is something you take pride in, but you don’t have a lot of hours left in the day to keep up with it. You want that job to be done well … and fast. What you don’t need is equipment that will constantly need to be fixed, horribly uncomfortable, or doesn’t deliver that smooth, clean cut you need with one pass.
Each day as you make a run into town, you notice your neighbor’s yard. It always looks perfect, and you wonder how he has the time to keep it looking so good... This time, though, you notice his riding mower.
He looks pretty comfortable. His stripes are meticulous. And most importantly, he seems to get the job quickly with immediate, eye-pleasing results.
You think about stopping to ask about that mower, but you keep driving; heaven knows you wouldn’t want someone interrupting your busy day to chit-chat, and besides, you have your own schedule to keep.
But, you keep thinking about that brown and beige machine, and you tell yourself the next time you see him out mowing, you’ll just stop and ask him about it.
This is where this blog post comes in. We’re going to go over everything you might want to ask your neighbor about their Grasshopper Mower but are afraid to ask. So, the next time you're mowing your lawn, your other neighbor will be the one slowing down his truck to see how you’re getting such a clean cut.
You have enough aches and pains from the hard work you’re doing from sunrise through sunset, and you rarely get to sit down to relax. And when you do, you’d rather it not be on a mower that is going to beat you to death.
You want a smooth, comfortable ride. A Grasshopper mower has a seat with coil-spring suspension, lumbar support and foam cushions and armrests that include technology aimed to keep you cooler during those hot summer days. This will help reduce your fatigue; you certainly don’t need more of that. You can adjust the seat to your preferences and go.
Controls are right in front of you––no need to twist or turn to get things going.
The dual-steering levers are quick and intuitive, making them 80% less strenuous than conventional steering. This means you won’t be fighting with your mower to get the lawn mowed.
Those clean, even, perfect stripes you see on those large, neighboring lawns don’t just happen by chance.
It takes a blade system that offers superior cut quality, minimal grass buildup and optimal airflow. Even at a faster mowing speed, sharp ADI MARBAIN® blades help Grasshopper get the job done in one pass. These blades last two times longer and need sharpening less frequently than aftermarket blades -- saving you more time you don’t have.
After your long day of work on the farm, the last thing you want to do is more work.
Your mower needs to perform for you when you need it. It can’t be stuck in your shed or at the dealership. You want a service-friendly design.
Fewer grease points and easy access to belts and filters mean less maintenance and less additional work for you. For instance, the M1 MidMount™ only has five grease points: the three spindles and two front wheel bearings. A FrontMount™ Grasshopper only has four more grease points: the two pillow-block bearings on the PTO shaft and the tail wheel bearings.
In addition to being manufactured with low maintenance in mind, a Grasshopper mower only requires a few simple tasks to keep running its best week after week:
Remember to check the engine oil before starting the mower. Change the oil at recommended intervals with the proper oil grade and use OEM filters. Your operator’s manual will give you guidance.
A mower is the sum of all of its parts, and Grasshopper has them all. It starts with a high-grade steel tubular exoSkeletal™ frame with I-beam reinforcement. The deck is made of double-layered, heavy-gauge, formed steel and a ½-inch thick, reinforced, angled leading edge.
From a filter system that traps 74 out of 75 micro-particles for a clean drive system environment to industrial-grade belts for long life to other components designed to maximize performance and extend mower life. Instead of ineffective, aftermarket pieces, your ideal mower will have high-quality OEM parts.
For Grasshopper’s zero-turn riding mowers, you have MidMount, FrontMount and Stand-On options. The mower you choose will depend on your property type.
MidMount mowers enable you to handle a medium to large property with expansive turf. Stand-On mowers are similar to MidMount mowers, only you’re standing, not sitting.
But if your property has fence lines, many trees and other obstacles, a FrontMount mower has a deck with the maneuverability to slide under them.
Mowing your lawn can feel like a chore, but there’s something about investing in a more comfortable and ergonomically friendly machine that takes that feeling out of the equation.
That focus on comfort can make a world of difference in how you physically feel. No more neck, back, or knee strain as a result of bumps and jolts -- especially mowing a larger property.
And a high-end blade and deck system means a faster, more precise cut, so you’re saving time on the task too.
If you read Grasshopper testimonials, you’ll find that many users who have properties like yours believe these mowers are more dependable and worth the cost compared to other zero-turn options.
And the fact that you can add attachments -- from an edger to a sprayer to a leaf collection system -- means your one machine can do more than just mow, making it a multi-use addition.
Many say they’ve put 500 hours on their Grasshopper mower and only have had to perform regular maintenance, or they’ve cut their mowing time and diesel fuel use down considerably. One user used to spend three hours mowing, but he cut it down to 30 minutes with his Grasshopper. Another spent up to 12 hours mowing many acres and has cut that time down to three ½ hours––a huge time saver.
One user says, “Our Grasshopper has been the best investment that we have made in equipment for our five acres. It used to take me about 8 hours to mow our acreage, but since I purchased my mower, the job is done in two hours, giving me more time to spend with my family.”
These are all time and cost savings that add up, giving you more for your initial investment. It’s not a question of how you can afford to buy a Grasshopper, but how can you afford not to buy a Grasshopper?
Grasshopper works with authorized dealers that also provide customer service and technical support after your purchase.
The company also works with its dealers to distribute parts for the machines they sell.
Now you know the secret to your neighbor’s large, perfectly manicured, striped lawn.
If you want to ask more questions about Grasshopper mowers, give one of our local dealers a call. They can help you navigate your purchase and match the perfect machine to your property needs.
Take back your already limited free time or turn your farm or rural property mowing from a chore into a breeze. Then you can sit back and take pride in that neat and tidy property you’ve worked hard to build and maintain.