You probably mean walk behind mower. The big mfg of walk behind tractors was Gravely. I think they stopped making them some years ago.

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A walk behind tractor has many attachments available. A walk behind mower just mows, rotary cut.

I think some other companies still make walk behind tractors.

Probably a couple of reasons that walk behind tractors sales have fallen is 1) price ($$$) and 2) not specialized enough. I have a neighbor who had a Gravely with many attachments... snow blower. The machine was huge, but the carb on the Gravely was setup for summer use. Get a driving snow in there, and the carb freezes up. As opposed to the very specialized Tecumseh Snow King engines, built for snow, never freeze up. Most of the snow blowers for sale at the big box stores have Tecumseh Snow King engines.

So first thing is to figure out if you are looking for a mower or a tractor.

Tecumseh went out of business several years ago; however, B&S has been providing "snow" engines since then.

I believe BCS still makes walk-behind tractors: www.bcsamerica.com

However, they seem to be rather expensive. I don't mind paying for quality, but I'm not sure their reliability record matches their cost. OTOH, they seem to be popular with rental companies, so they can't be too bad.

This post was edited by gdj204 on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 13:14

BCS is your best option in North America. They are expensive but very versatile. Grillo's are also available but more rare. Carrarino / Ferrari is available in California. There are also several Chinese walk behind tractors. Several brands from India Google walk behind tractors and you get lots of information. Finding a reputable dealer in North America may be be a bigger problem. All of them are imported.

Here is a link that might be useful: BCS Walk Behinds.

Thanks. I will look into the Grillo and BCS tractors.

A used Gravely might be your best and cheapest option. There are still some around. I just checked our local Craig's List and found one for $1400. It's really hard for a home owner to wear one out. I have a 5240 that I bought new and have owned for over 30 years, and I am sure now it will have a useful life long after I am pushing up daises.

I would check your local Gravely dealer as he might have an old one, or know of one for sale.

Thanks for the tip. I am following up on a couple nice leads. Thanks.