When I lived in Southern California I had about 5000sf of st. Augustine and always used a front throw reel mower. Now living in New Jersey, but still brought two reel mowers (20" Trimmer and 25" Locke) with me for old times sake.

You have three practical choices: At the high end, the Trimmer 20" Original or the Tru-Cut 21" Professional would be excellent choices. Both are front throw, the Trimmer being a roller drive, and Tru-Cut being a wheel drive through a differential. Both are all chain drive, and were usually fitted with 3 to 3.5hp Briggs engines. You might see one with a Honda GX120, which is a premium engine.

Down market a little would be the McLane 20". It is a lower cost knock off of the Trimmer. Has roller drive, but belt drive from the engine. Also cheaper construction in some areas, such a self-tapping fasteners (rather than nut-and-bolt construction).

Ironically, both Trimmer and Tru-Cut produced lower cost "homeowner" models. The Trimmer "Home Model" was a reverse knock off of the McLane, replacing bearings with bushings and using belt drive. The Tru-Cut copied elements of the King O'Lawn and substituted bushings for bearings.

Priced new, the Trimmer and Tru-Cut professional 20-21" models are about $1400. The McLane costs about $900 on their website and is found for about $200 less on-line. The Tru-Cut homeowner is about $1100. The Trimmer homeowner was out of production for many years, but apparently is available again for about $1000.

I personally prefer the roller drive Trimmer, but the Tru-Cut is also an excellent machine. Since you are looking at used machines, there is a lot more to look at mechanically than a rotary mower. There should be several shops in Alabama and Georgia handling Tru-Cut and a lesser number with Trimmer. Suggest you visit a couple of shops to get familiar with the machinery, and then start looking on Craigslist.

McLane is a also a good pre-owned choice, although be carefully as many mowers were poorly maintained. Even if the engine runs well, you've got the complexity of the drive system, and whether or not the blade and bedknife have been properly sharpened and back lapped.

I would avoid the 17" McLane. I think their junk, and you're likely to be disappointed. They use a hokey friction drive to the rear wheels and have been cheaped even further than the 20". Also, I would avoid any old King O'Lawn's which may turn up. They were very cheaply made, and the company has gone bankrupt at least twice, for obvious reasons