I tell you, the tractor is the way to go. My little diesel tractor has hummed perfectly mowing our 5+ acres. It sits there for months sometimes but starts right up. It is much more comfortable to ride on than a mower and mows a much wider path. It will also mow a foot tall grass, branches up to an inch thick, areas of blackberry bushes, etc. And oh, if you are not watching, it can take off part of the shed roof without you even noticing!I've just come off a rainy few months and the grass got too high for me to clear it on my normal schedule so I hired a tractor to come in and clear the land. This works well and has great benefits.
This is not mine but it is the same model:
All the grief with gasoline engines comes from them being so small. Once you go to larger sizes, they become almost trouble-free like cars.