Customer Reviews for Ariens 46 in. 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Front-Engine Hydrostatic Riding Mower-DISCONTINUED

It exceeds my expectations for the features and performance.

This is a great lawnmower but wish you had the extra wheels on front on the 42" model. The 46" is really a lot bigger than what I need. But it handles wonderfully and I would definitely recommend it.

I've mowed with this machine 3 times now since I received it a month ago, and have noticed a lot of vibration when engaging the blades in the deck. This is my first riding lawn mower, so I don't know if this is normal. Other then that, I like that it cut my mowing time down to a third, and that it cuts the grass as nice as my walk behind. The engine feels very powerful and looks to be durable for a one cylinder motor. I'm a 230 lb guy, but this thing hardly even notices that I'm there, other then, I'm the one in control. I gave five stars, really I have nothing else to compare, but the price is good for the quality that I think is there. I've ridden a green and yellow JD X300, but have not mowed with it. That seemed like a heavier machine and they both have the TT K46 transmission. The only down side I can mention is that you must remove your right hand from the steering wheel, to operate the accelerator. I have a hilly property, with slopes no greater than that which are of the maximum capability of this machine. It handles these slopes well, but having to remove one hand from the steering wheel, going across the slope, as I must do in one area, is slightly disconcerting. Saves me time, what more can I say.

So far it has served me well. I have a very uneven mowing surface and the deck maneauvers over the surface with ease

I purchased this mower online and had the product shipped to my house. During the first use the supports holding the mowing deck came loose, fell under the deck and were launched by the blades through the grass guard. The mower was sent for repairs (a different mechanism was installed to support the deck), and was returned about two weeks later. During the second use the blades stopped rotating after about forty minutes of use. I have yet to hear a response from Ariens in respect to my request for service. I assume I have merely received "a lemon," but to date I am very displeased with the mower I purchased, and given the lack of concern and attention on the part of Ariens, could not recommend this mower, or this company to others.

First of all the cost is very affordable in comparison with many other mowers of this type out there. The assembly was very simple, consistenting of putting on the steering wheel and the seat. The owners/Parts?Assembly manuals are easy to understand and get going. The battery came needing a charge, so I did by a cheap 30 dollar charger at Wal-Mart, which was needed anyway. This is my first "modern" riding lawn mower and it is has some extra features compared to my granpa's old one back in the day. Main point is it is a great price for a great mower and is easy to operate. Happy with this purchase.

Well built and the only assembly when delivered is the steering wheel and seat. Make sure to hook up cutoff switch under seat.. Engine has oil in crank case when delivered. Starts easy and easy on gas. Hydrostatic Drive makes this rider very easy to use on long stretches and in tight places. Does not leave clumps when mowing wet grass. I also installed the Mulch Kit from Home Depot for this rider. Works great!

Missing hose connector for clean out. Called CS and the shipped it right away.

I've owned several products from competitors in the past. I thought I could mow/vac my ~2/3 acre with a push mower and rake, but found 3.5 hour yard sessions to be a time sink. Knew I couldn't afford a premium make this time around, and settled on this. Several differences: On the Ariens to smoothly control its motion requires manipulating the forward/reverse lever on the right side of the tractor. On the other lawn tractors I've owned, this function was done with your right *foot* on the hydrostatic models. Didn't seem intuitive to me, but I've gotten used to it. Another difference: mower has a cyclic sound and vibration when in use, especially when the blades are engaged. The "cycling" is visible, noticeable as shaking of the mowing deck housing. I think it relates to the load on the single cylinder engine. At first I was concerned, but the blades seemed to be in order from the factory, so I've driven on, and, gotten used to it. This is an area that probably could have been corrected with design, but wasn't. The unit cuts well. It was set up correctly from the factory. I like the owner manual that aids in setup. I'm looking forward to sucking leaves with the bagging attachment, instead of raking them. The steering assembly and frame don't seem quite as heavy duty as the other "premium" brands I've owned, but should be fine for how I'll use it. Oh yeah, a 3.5 hour push-behind mowing went down to 45 minutes. Yeah.

i bought this mower in 10 for a 2 acre flat lot.right out of the box the mower would not go backwards ,i brought it to the repair shop and they said it was the belts ,no luck they were wrong mower still wont backup unless i get off and push it with the motor running .this mower has a 19.5 hp b&s motor on it and it has no power or speed it cuts awful and goes through blades like water.i owned a murray for years and thought i was getting a better mower than the murray but i was wrong.i think a poulan pro would be better.oh yes i also bought the bagger and the amount of dirt and leaves blowing out of the bagger onto the driver is unbelieveable huge design flaw

The shipping was fast and customer service was excellent.

This is a great machine am very satisfied with it.

The mower fits our needs perfectly. Had to get use to the transmission. Great product.

Comes equipped as advertised. Added gas and took off after some minor assembly. According to some reviews it is relabeled older high quality machinery. That does seem to be the case. Not state of the art, but a workhorse nonetheless.

This mower works great on my wooded acreage. The hydrostatic transmission works very well on my property.as I have to change speeds and direction a lot. The low profile hood on this 20hp 46in model offers great visibility, and it has plenty of power going through tall brome. The gas tank isn't especially large but it since it's very fuel efficient I can mow for a couple of hours before refilling.My only complaint is the rear fender location for the cupholder is pretty useless as dust and debris gets in your drink.

This mower works great as long as its parts don't break. I had to replace 3 parts and repair a tire in the first 2 months.

The lawn mower works fine WHEN IT WORKS. Has to be charged everytime we use it and the company doesn't back thier own product. Had to have the fuel line replaced after a month. UUGG. Very Frustrating. Should ahave stayed loyal to John Deere...

I have a large rural yard that I take pride in it's appearance because I feel it is a reflection on me. This mower has impressed me with the quality of cut I get. The design of the deck does not allow for clogging like every other mower I have used on the back side of my yard which tends to hold moisture and has a fast growing thick carpet of grass. I am hoping that with a rigid maintenance schedule and care, this mower and I will have a long life.

Just picked this tractor up today to replace a 42" Scotts that is falling apart piece by piece. Easy to put together the seat and steering wheel, all of 5 minutes with a 9/16" and 1/2" wrench. Checked the oil, fueled it up and started on the first shot. Let her warm up and I was cutting 8" tall wet grass like a champ. The engine doesn't bog down and the deck seems to handle the wet grass well, no clumps. I shopped around for a long time going to the other two big box stores, and the local dealers. Simply couldn't find a better tractor at this price. Husqvarna makes these for Ariens. The deck seems much stronger than the MTD makes, and the little things like the rolled over steel body (which the D100 JD's don't even have) makes this seem like a good quality tractor for a good price. The 46" deck is a plus, which I had no idea how much difference in cut time on 3 acres there was going to be. Fast and smooth, I'm impressed. I'll update in a few months after a good cutting season, but so far, so good.

never worked right,would not charge battery,lawnmower would quit have way though mowing ,then had to charge battery.you say warranty lowes said after 30 days its over.

Transmission failed at delivery; required 1 week to repair. Blade v-belt failed at 4 months, approximately 30 hours of operation; required 6 weeks to repair. If you get this product plan to do your own service and keep v-belts on hand.

So far I am very pleased with the lawn tractor. However, the delivery process was a big hassle.

i mowed about 3' tall grass/weeds with this sucker...knocked it down with ease and left no clumps!!! i tried a cub cadet 1050..left sick clumps and the yard wasn't even as bad... took 2 weeks to have it delivered, was left at the end of my driveway in a crate on a skid..an hour before i had to be at work...oh yea, no seat or steering wheel attached either...letting air out of the tires was a non issue though.. all in all...excellent mowing machine..knocked the snot out of my yard..was dang near 3' tall at the time in most spots..the ease of the hydro drive is great!! i even left the grass deflector shield on and still had no clumps...can't really take it off though, like a mulching mower, the blades are too exposed... reverse mowing is a must, and is a great feature on this -vs- other brands too.. more than worth the price!!

Plenty powerful and I love how sharp it will turn versus other mowers. The hydro transmission is great in that it lets you choose your speed without hitting the clutch. That's a very nice feature. Only concern is that the blade deck vibrates some at lower RPMs but that does not seem to affect performance. Money well spent!!

Mower arrived as scheduled. It was a challenge to remove from wooden shipping crate; plan to have a helper if you can. Setup took a little while, mainly reading all the directions before doing anything. This was smart, because there are a number of little things you don't want to miss, like letting the extra shipping air out of the tires, leveling the mower deck, adjusting the anti-scalp wheels, etc. Once set up, it started and ran beautifully. And it did a really nice job making smooth cuts on the lawn. The hydrostatic transmission and its speed lever made driving really easy, even though my lawn has a lot of weird shapes and obstacles. Money well-spent on that transmission! This is my first upgrade from a pull-start push mower, and I am really happy with it! I'd give it 5 stars, except I know it's not as good as a (more expensive) zero-turn mower, and, I haven't had it long enough to judge the overall quality & value just yet, although it appears to be excellent in those categories. Fit, finish, solid construction, quick easy electric start, all meet expectations. For features & ease of use, you'd pretty much have to go zero-turn to beat it.

At first it ran like a charm! And then 30 minutes later the belt broke off.

I bought this mower from HD, but I got mine with a Koher 20hp engine. I have been useing it now for 3 years and I can't think of anything to complain about it. I live in Hawaii, on the Big Island, my yard is composed of crushed lava and very little dirt. For the last 1 1/2 years I have been cutting my lawn,3/4 acre, my neighbor's lawn,3/4 acre and the lady down the road,3/4 acre. My neighbor's lawn is all grass, but the other two lawns are a lot of weeds and grass. The lava is really hard on the blades, and I have to do a lot of maintanance on them, sharpen & balance. But the mower runs like a champ! I really enjoy cutting the lawns! And the fact that I live in Hawaii, I'm cutting the lawns all year long.

After a rough go with a mower they bent over backwards to re establish a customer. The Managers from lawn/garden ( Andy) and store manager Dante were very helpful and made things right. Good job and Thanks.

Very happy with this mower. For the price it is a pretty good bang for the buck. Picked up at local store, just had to add gasoline. Like the fact you can cut in reverse with key switch over-ride.

Well before i mowed my place with a push mower it took like and hour + to do all ! With this riding mower it takes like 20 minutes + wow big difference. As for reviews i read . YES the battery is dead upon arrival and you have to go buy a charger to get it started . And make sure all the adaptors are there for wash clean out and hose to drain your oil mine wasnt . But for everything else all good . Haven't tried the bagger yet to wet still. As for delivery service of tractor EXCELLENT company calls an confirms arrival and drivers very friendly and courteous .