Walker Mower

[daddy03w]

Does anyone have a Walker mower? Can you tell me pros/cons for it that you have found out since owning? and maybe post pictures on here?

[Steve]

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Were you looking at any specific model of the Walker Mowers?

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[daddy03w]

I am looking at the MT/MC/MD either one with GHS. what I am looking for is, whether or not it is a worth the cost even if purchasing a used mower.
I am looking at pro's and con's anyone may think comes with the walker mower.

[dpld]

Originally Posted by daddy03w

Does anyone have a Walker mower? Can you tell me pros/cons for it that you have found out since owning?

and maybe post pictures on here?

pros: they cut nice and they bag nice and they are good on hills, not all hills but respectable.

cons: ridiculously expensive, mechanical hydro system is costly to repair, deck height can not be adjusted on the fly to go over low objects, the blower that runs off the machine that helps vacum the debris and fill the bagger runs constant so you basicly bag all the time and even when you have the back door open and letting it fly the system runs and wears constantly.
they also have the gear drive blades that just love when you hit a root or rock by accident.
they are built for a manicured perfect lawn with no surprises.

i have had several over the course of 23 years and i still have 2 in service but i also have some exmark lazer z models with the vacum and bagger attachment and i recently bought a john deere 925A 54" mulch on demand deck with the vacum bagger attachment.
i probably will not be buying anymore walkers, they are good mowers and at one time was the best in the business but their design is old and tested but it is getting left in the dust of the newer designed equipment. the work i have dictates the type of machine i use and as time passes by there is less and less opportunity for the walker to excel against the other machines i have.

i will however be buying more of them johnny deere's, the dump from the seat clam shell bagger with the blower vac on it made this leaf season the quickest and easiest i ever had.
it smoked the walkers i have and it smoked the exmarks i have and the bagger is i believe 14 to 16 cubic feet. its big, and the fact that you don't even have to get off the machine to dump it speeds thing up big time.

i would also suggest don't buy a used walker because they only warranty the hydros for 3 years and they cost a ton to replace/ rebuild.

the walker is also a machine you don't want to be the community machine and you don't throw just anyone on it.
it is a good machine but it literally needs to be driven with love and care.

hope that helps, good luck.

[daddy03w]

ok look at this website and tell me if anything looks good

http://emmettequipment.com/used-equipment

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

The mowers have a lot of hours for the price.

Being the cheap bastard that I am. I would pick up the 52" Wright stander for $1250. Matter of fact if that shop was within a 100 miles of me. I would own it. I could touch that up real nice for a few bucks. At that price you could afford to rebuild the hydros or whatever else could go wrong.

[willshome]

I was told walkers cost like $800 for spring maintenance and have the most down time of any mower. I would talk to your shop/parts and ask what they like and stock parts for

[dpld]

Originally Posted by daddy03w

ok look at this website and tell me if anything looks good

http://emmettequipment.com/used-equipment

the only ones in that add that are worth buying cost 7 to 8 K and at that cost why would you spend that much money on a used mower?

for 7 to 8 k you can just about buy a new mower from most every high end brand out there and it comes with a warranty.
those machines listed have no warranty.

also, are you paying cash or financing?

unless you have a surplus of cash laying around and have more then you need to buy those machines on hand you would be foolish to make yourself cash poor for a used machine and financing sucks for used equipment, the interest is high and they would require a larger down payment.

from a tax perspective you would be better off having the payment to write off at the end of the year then the depreciation after paying cash for it.

there are a lot of good deals out there and now is the time to be buying if you can afford to do so.

the john deere i bought in early october came with 0% financing for 36 months with no payments until april.
in the past being my business is more established we used to buy our machines paid in full but after a few years of taking a beating from uncle sam my accountant has told me to finance everything big whether i needed to or not just for that purpose.

as i said, walkers are a good machine but they are for a specific type of property. they are not cut every lawn machine and if taken care of they can give you many years of service even though their design concept is older then other manufacturers.

but with that said if you are gonna buy a walker, you would be better served to buy a new one that comes with a warranty.
walker has had some issues with their pumps and gear boxes over the last several years especially from about 2005 to the present so getting a used 2009 machine for 7 K is not as good as a deal you would think it is.

that's just my two cents and take it for what it's worth, i have had several over the last 23 years and i still have 2 and i am not a walker hater and i was actually a big fan of walker for many years and even though i have no hard feelings or regrets from buying walker it is just hard to justify that kind of money for a machine designed for a specific type of lawn when there are dozens of machines out there that can do just as good of a job on every kind of lawn that comes your way for less money.

it's just a economical and practicality decision.
if you call up walker they will send you a DVD and all the information you could want from them and even they will tell you that their machine is not suited for every application.
the people that own walker are first class and dedicated and they do not make bold claims like the other manufacturers.

the DVD will tell you everything you need to know about the machine to compare it to others to make a educated decision and the walker DVD does a excellent job describing the machine and its applications without overemphasis.

if you like PM me with your address and i will send you one of the DVD and brochure packs that i have if you don't want to call walker.
the most recent DVD i have is from last year so it will give you up to date information.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Like i said get the wright it will pay for itself in a month. Wright makes a good stander. Its cheap to fix and is worth the asking price in parts alone. Youll have money left over to make payments on a new mower or get a used one with less then 500 hours.

I own a clone of the walker/wright stander and I paid $800. So far in 200 hours I put paint on it.

[daddy03w]

Do not like standers!
Around where I live you are lucky to find a mower with less than 1000 hours on it.