I have .9 of an acre, split level. The Lower 40 is a intermittent stream bed in steep valley which gets mowed 2-3 times max, it's deep shade. The upper is about .4 acre sunny on the N and shaded on the S. Go figure. I use a self propelled 21" push mower around all the trees, flower beds etc, and a Troy weed eater with extensions for chain saw trimming. Went from 2-3 hours with a manual push to less than one hour straight thru. Did I mention the yard slopes 8 feet in 50 along the side of the house, front door is street level, behind is basement level.

About $250 up and while Hondas get a lot of respect here I find parts for Briggs are much more common and cheaper. I now just replace the blade every spring, it gets no oil changes per the manual, and feeding it non alcohol gas is the real trick.

IF COMMERCIAL IS A POSSIBILITY: you will pay triple the money and you then have to use it three times more to pay for it, too. Been there done that, the county is filled with brodozers hauling twin zero turns with half a dozen trimmers hanging off them - and then they just park dead in the middle of the street and get all pissy when you try to get around them to your house at the end of the lane. Zero Turn = $XXXX.00 @ plus Trailer at $XXXX.00, it's easy to blow $10,000 on the rig.

Just to mow the grass under some trees at the house while your neighbors are having it done with half a dozen mower guys blocking you in on Saturday morning.

Small zero turn if you can afford it.  If not a rider will do a half acre no problem.


ETA... I'd do a nice used ZTR over a rider  if money is tight.

Just got an S240

X330 is a k46, same as the s240. You dont get an upgrade in tranny until you get a little higher in the X-300 series nowadays. And at that point you may as well upgrade to whatever is the cheapest X model with power steering. This info was as of a month ago when I got my mower.

X330 was more expensive than s240. S240 has same tranny (k46) s240 has Kawasaki motor, x330 has briggs.

I went with the s240. I have 1 acre, probably. 5 acres of lawn.

Also watch out because the e series (not all but most) have the JD quick change system so unless OP wants to spend 40 bucks each time to only change less than half the oil, get a conversion kit.

Honestly I probably would have been just as well served by a BB store JD, or even a 1000 dollar craftsman mower. After all, we are mowing .5 acres of lawn, not a Trump golf course. If I could do it again I probably would have gone cheaper, but I really like the Kawasaki engine, personal bias is a thing, regardless of how important that bias may be.

With the x series, you get the k46 until you get to x370 or higher (x370 has k57)

JD doesnt list what tranny the e series has. I thought it was k46 but idk. Just says "hydrostatic two wheel drive", whereas their other models says the actual tranny model number. I'm sure there is a reason for this but I dont know what that reason is.

I wish I spent the extra 600 and got a zero turn.

OP,,,Buy a 42" or 38" ZT mower with serviceable drives. If you take care of it will last under your conditions for years and years. I mow a TON in under two hours with mine and in addition I mow the area around the pool almost daily because we enjoy the look and feel of the grass. I carry it into my dealer in October every year and he does a FULL service on it and then it's ready for another year. I use non ethanol fuel in it and have from day one.

I am very happy with my Hustler Raptor.  It has been a workhorse.  I use it for mowing, and I also use it as a small tractor to move a cart filled with wood or dirt.

The only thing is that is does not work well on slopes.  I read the limitations, and figured I would accept a little less safety.  But that's not it way it works.  Since turning is just through differential torque to the rear wheels, and since the front wheels are castering, you quickly reach a point where the traction of the wheels does not prevent the mower from sliding sideways. You can't exceed those limitations even if you wanted.  You can get a little more by turning the other cheek, but it's not much.

What's nice is that the hydrostatic drives can be disconnected by pulling a pin, which allows the mower to freewheel.  I wish my Bobcat had that.

Get what you want. 48" is a large deck and not without it's own set of quirks. 1/2 acre with a house on it? 4 hours? what do you do?
Anyhoo, any 38 to 42 in deck mower will do the job in under an hour. The smaller the deck size, the less problems with leveling. I mow an acre+ and was usually 1.5 hours or less with a 42 inch. The box store models are pretty good these days, and less than 1/3 the cost of dedicated shops.
You don't need 25HP, and a 60 inch deck to mow that. The new garden tractors will turn on a dime.
Happy obsessing

I would suggest choosing wisely. GD will have you spending $300 per cutting between machine cost and maintenance. I've seen some $15K units suggested, add $1K every year or two for upkeep and things get pricey in a hurry.
If you are that opposed or inept, hire it out, it will be cheaper in the long run.
Cheers

I have 1/2 acre and I use a 30” toro Timemaster. I love it but on real hot days like today a zero turn is always in the back of my mind.

I have 1/4 acre to cut. Cub Cadet ZRT SX42. Few trees, flower garden, vegetable garden, and storage building. Taking my time It takes about 35 minutes to mow. Chain link fence slows things down.

ZTR’s make mowing fun. There is no reason ever to get a rider again. Gump mowers are kinda neat though.

My house sits on 1/2 acre in NE Texas, I've mowed it with a Snapper rear-engine rider (28" and, later, 33" cut) for the last 20 years.  Went from 3.5hr with a push mower (first year we were here only) to about an hour with the Gump mowers, a little more if I let the grass get tall.  I sold a boat earlier this year and took some of the money and bought a Hustler Raptor 42" zero turn.  Very happy with my decision, mow time is down to about 20 minutes total, no longer have to time mowing for the first or last of the day on the weekend to escape the heat (90 to 105 degrees + where I live in the summer).  I can mow whenever I have time, weekend, weekday, etc., and the heat doesn't bother me so much if I'm only out in it for 20 minutes (I've become more heat-sensitive as I've gotten older).  I can also mow and trim the same day on a hot day if I want to.  

Plus, mowing with a zero turn borders on actual fun..........

You can get a nice ZTR for residential use for under $3k, what is your time worth?

My yard takes 4 hours roughly to cut by push mower calculations.   Nothing is easy lots of trees, bushes.  Turns etc.    I was paying close to $600/mo back in 2012 on lawn care

It adds up quick

I now have a toro grandstand 48” deck.   After 1 year it paid for itself.   I don’t mind using it.  I don’t exert any effort.   I can cut my main yard in 15 minutes.    It’s real benefit is time savings.   It will smoke a Home Depot riding mower in both speed and turning.   And my legs do the comfort not my ass getting pounded by some shitty riding mower seat

If you mow at 11-13mph bumps become real issues

This guy gets it. ZTR's, standers, they are so much faster and easier. Makes it a pleasure rather than a chore. The thing people tend to not get is the cutting speed is way faster on most commercials, so you can go much faster and that's on top of the agility, so you get a cleaner cut and can cut your mowing time down to 1/4 what a slower tractor will get you.

I used to mow 3 acres when I lived in Ohio. Took me 4 hours with a 60" tractor. I could do the same yard in 25 minutes with a ZTR with the same size deck.

That's worth a lot, because my time matters. Tractors are handy for other stuff, but they suck at mowing.

1/2 acre? You can push now it in 30-45 minutes.

I ended up with this

This was going to be my recommendation too.

I do 1/2 acre of lawn, broken up in 4 different yards around the property, takes me 2 hours with a self propelled Honda and Stihl trimmer(I blow daily). It would be a huge PITA to use a rider or zero turn, I'd end up either have to trim more or still use a push mower in spots. I hate mowing so i go fast..and don't stop till I am done....my head is usually steaming at the end.

If I had just one large area, without stuff to mow around, it may be a different story, but I need one more thing with a motor to take care of like a hole in my head

Yep, but what was suggested there was almost $7k.

This.  I went from a 28-inch Snapper ride on to the 30" Timemaster for .38 of a hilly acre.  Works great.

mikeuniform: Originals did not have zerk, replacements do, and have lasted 2x better with greasing every so often.