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

bought it, wouldn''t start, put 2 batts in turned over wouldn't start, left it came back 3rd time carb had to be taken off and cleaned then it ran. took it home would not mow in reverse as was told, backed fired serveral times. the grass is dead right now and mowing on 3 was killing and jerking engine, pully broke off of belly pan. i mow same amount with push mower set lower in 30 min took 1hour with this 46" cut. i am laughing no really.....

Mower was delivered in a pallet, requiring minor assembly. Don't forget to follow the instructions for getting the transmission primed before using! Otherwise, solid, reliable mower. Has tremendous power, cuts beautifully, and is easy to use. The hydrostatic drive is definitely worth the extra cost over geared mowers. Gas tank could be bigger, but it mows for about 2.5 hours at full throttle on one tank. Mine has a slight rattle or vibration from the deck when I kick in the mowing PTO, as though something were out of balance. Still mows fine and doesn't seem to affect functionality, but it is a little annoying. I am hoping it is simply the blades out of balance, and can be easily corrected. Otherwise, happy with the purchase!

Engine will flood out on long grades (40ft or so) of 15 percent or more going up or downhill, took hours before engine would start again. Engine was leaking oil upon arrival. After two days, about 1hr of grass cutting time the battery died had to jump start to get mower back in garage. Returned to store...too many headaches for me. On level ground operation only, with no oil leaks and a new battery, this would have been a good mower.

I would have given 5 stars if the mower was not so loud.

Have had this mower a month and am very pleased with it so far. Dont have any complaints.

If you look to buy this tractor and it has the Kohler engine run away as fast as you can. I bought this tractor 2 years ago and it has spent more time in the shop (5 times and has to go back again for the same problem), than have gotten use out of it. I see now they have changed engines so this might help. When I have gotten to use it the deck keeps needing adjusted as it cuts uneven. Also I can only cut for about 1/2 hour at a time then must let engine cool down before I can finish my cut. I would not recommend this lawn tractor

after unboxing, it was easy to assemble the seat and steering wheel and off you go. so far I have used it 3 times and I love it. You'll never sneak up on anybody though, this baby is loud

This tractor is very well built and does a great job on the lawn. We also got the trailer and it had no problem hauling landscape rock. We are very pleased with this purchase and would certainly recommend it.

easy start, ease of use, easy on the pocket! simple to assemble out of the crate. the best feature (to me) is the hose connection. it makes clean-up a snap! looked at a ton of mowers, and for the price/feature ratio, this joker couldnt be beaten. pair it with the mulch kit & never rake, bag, or look at another cut grass blob again. satisfied with my choice & would do it again.

Like the steering over all other tractors I have owned.

Easy minimal parts to assemble....I have named it lil cujo...runs like a charm....comfortable..and my husband has yet to even sit on it!....

Wow, started up instantly. Plenty of power too. Hydro trans is the bomb. I really like this product. Cuts in reverse when needed also.

A decent machine. The 46" deck and hydrostatic transmission is a step up for me from my current mower with 42" deck and gear drive transmission. So far, I've used it maybe half a dozen times to cut approximately one and a half acres. Cuts my grass and weeds just fine. Seems to be pretty decent on gas consumption. Filler for the gas tank is in a bit of an awkward position and the hood seems a little flimsy. The wash out port is totally useless, as far as I'm concerned, and I don't really need a beverage holder, but I would consider these minor issues. The mower was ready to go right out of the box after installation of the steering wheel and the seat and adjusting the tire pressure. Just gassed up and I was cutting grass. I'm content with this mower so far.

this is a great lawnmower. it is big enough to do the job without sinking in. it has the larger tires a cup holder and it can even have a sun shade if you want it

For the very reasonable price I paid, the Ariens mower is all I could have hoped for and more. It cuts very well, is easy to adjust, handles well and has a good smooth ride. The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is that its engine is a bit noisier than I expected. I wear ear protection, so that problem is solved. For a good solidly performing mower without the price-increasing flash, this is the one for you.

Our mower arrived in great condition, and was easy to assemble. We are very happy with it.

Mower was delivered on time & trucker put the crate right into my garage. First use of the mower didn't end well even though all items in the instructions were followed to the letter including filling the gas, bleeding the trans. & engaging the rear pin for trans.drive. Mower started fine & mowed one pass then it started slowing down & wouldn't rev higher than an idle speed. tried to restart but battery would not crank engine fast enough to start even though i charged it to full. Called "On Line Services". They called the local Home Depot & I had a brand new mower delivered to my house within an hour, great service! New Ariens worked excellent, no problems with this one. All well that ends well!!

I've mowed about an acre and 1/2 twice now and this mower runs very well and starts right up, The hydrostatic trans works very well. I like the metal cowling and headlights as opposed to some other makes that use plastic and decals where the lights should be. I think overall this is a very good choice.

We love our new Ariens mower. We did NOT love that it arrived with a big dent in the hood and without the hose nozzle adaptor for the washout port that was supposed to be packaged with the manual. However, I called Home Depot and they are making it right by shipping a new hood and the missing nozzle adaptor. Good customer service! As for the mower, it has tons of power on our hilly yard, and makes a clean, smooth cut. I love the deck wheels, since parts of the yard are bumpy and uneven. It is able to get very close to our fence, reducing the need for filling in with the push mower. Now, instead of mowing being a chore, we look forward to it!

I love the tractor, it delivers as advertised. Very easy to operate.

The only thing from keeping this tractor from five stars is the flimsy hood.

The mower has plenty of power and does a good job mowing but seems to have a couple of problems in the design. First off it is very loud, it seems the exhaust from the manifo to the muffler do not line-up correctly allowing noise, heat, and fumes to escape. The other flaw is in the location of the gas tank. It is very difficult to get to since it is located under the hood and mostly under the steering wheel. The use of a funnel is a must and since it begins to shut off way before the tank is actually empty, too much time spent refilling gas.

This deserves a 4 so far, but I gave it a 3 only because of the delivery. The delivery process was a nightmare. It took the delivery company an extra week longer to get it to us. : ( Other than that, the assembly of the steering wheel & seat were easy to install. The instructions are lacking information about the pin in the rear that needs to be pushed in to engage drive so you can move. lol Followed all the other directiions but it wouldn't go forward or reverse. Then I noticed the pin.... So far, so good.

I just got this tractor and it worked great. Great product for a great price. Just as good as any other tractor. I love it and recommend it, unless you want to pay for the name on some other tractor.

I am extremely happy with this mower. It has features only more expensive mowers usually have. The 20 hp engine has more than enough power and the hydrostatic trans. works great. I would reccomend this tractor to anyone.

Thanks to the New England weather of rain, rain and rain, I have used this tractor twice. Each time I was impressed. I love that when you engage the mower, it starts smooth and runs great. READ THE DIRECTIONS... there is a lot to do BEFORE your first mow...like getting air out of the tranny. I put gas in and it started on the second crank...each mow started on the first crank. The seat is very comfortable and I love how you can adjust it. This mower has a lot of what the john deere has (minus the hour meter) and costs much less...does a great job too. The 46 in cut allows me to cut my lawn in about a half hour. I have a flat front yard and hilly back yard....this tractor did well in the front and in the back. I have a man made pond near a hill...you have to run the key to reverse mow to get at the tricky spots...but you can leave it reverse mow forward and back if you need too. There is a lot of leg room. Set your mow to high, then adjust as needed. I love that you can adjust the mow height with ease. I tried a craftsman and nearly threw my back out trying to adjust the mow height. The Ariens is very easy to adjust...no need to go to the gym to adjust your the deck height. I would recommend trying it out on your driveway first…or in your yard BEFORE you cut. The brakes work well…almost too well. They are very touchy. I would put it in gear at the slowest level and then adjust as needed. Slow down first and then stop. I put it in high and almost lost my glasses….it jerked forward like you read about. It takes a little getting used to...but an awesome tractor and I am very happy with it. My Ariens came damaged in shipping and missing parts. Home Depot was AWESOME to deal with. Parts were mailed out to me ASAP. The throttle cable handle was damaged in transit and unable to be replaced by Home Depot. They offered to replace the entire tractor, but due to work..I could not afford to take more time off to wait for delivery...so they gave me 10 percent off. Thanks Home Depot!

Very affordable and gets the job done and came within a decent time frame

I did quite alot of research and thank many of the people who have written reviews on products. With out people leaving comments, future buyers have very little information to reley on. This is a great tractor I have used it 3 times to cut lawn and a few times to haul wood in my trailer. I have made a discovery on the reverse comments goes too fast. Well the reverse is like the forward trottle speed all way back is fast but move it up and it slows to a controlable speed. My comment its a great tractor everything I was looking for and what a great place to shop Thanks Home Depot

Got this tractor because my old one just couldnt make it up the hills i have. This one has plenty of power to get up any hill. I did find that if your trying to turn sharp up a hill it will spin out but a gradual turn works perfect. The only thing i was disappointed about was the blade engagement. My Friend has the same tractor but a huskavarna and it has a hydrostatic blade engagement rather than the crank style this one has. And that it didnt come with mulching blades and depot didnt stock the blades so im waiting for them to ship. But other than that im extremely happy with my purchase.

So I received this mower yesterday and was excited about getting my lawn mowed. I mowed 1/2 of the lawn and the drive belt for the blades broke. Home Depot is being helpful and sending out a replacement mower... but now I have to wait another 10 days! It's frustrating! I'll chalk this up to a faulty drive belt... if the next one comes in a similar condition, I'll be back on here and lowering my rating.