Which lawn tractor to buy?

[NoTrespassing]

forgot, that 36K hours on the one and 11K hours on the other, both bought new.

36K hours on a 15 year old lawnmower?

2400 per year?

Almost 7 hours per day, 365 days per year?

 

[TreePointer]

I have a Huskvarna LGT- 2654 which I bought at Lowes about 9 years ago which has 348 hours on it. About a month ago the frame on both sides broke and I have just finished welding and reinforcing the broken areas.
View attachment 882462
Starboard side


View attachment 882464
Port side

Turns our the frame on these tractors is stamped steel and I guess not too strong. Granted the ground is very uneven and hilly here but I never expected such a break to occur. According to my research almost every brand tractor is made by MTD so there are few choices. I also found out that the transmissions in these tractors are weak so don't try to tow anything.

After fixing the frame and reinforcing the break area I tested the mower out and after a while the tensioning spring for the mower deck belt broke. I am wondering what is next.

Sorry for the rant.

Guy

Unfortunately, that looks familiar. The frame broke on my 2009 Husqvarna 2354GXLS, which at the time was their high end model for this type of lawn tractor. If I recall correctly, the lesser models in their lineup had been MTD clones, but this model was made by AYP. At the time, Husqvarna provided a repair kit for the frame, but it had to be during the warranty period.

I had to weld the stamped deck back together, the sway bar bent easily, and the transmission bit the dust well before 500 hours (no steep hills, no heavy carts/trailers, 2 acres regular mowing, meticulous maintenance). It had a 23hp B&S Vanguard that blew a rod around 300 hours (bad luck, repair shop agreed). At the time, this tractor also was available as Craftsman's high end lawn tractor.

Even though I bought it at a Husqvarna dealer, it was a big box store model, and I have since vowed never to buy this level of tractor again. It was replaced with an eXmark ZTR that I can buy parts for very easily, mows better than anything we've ever had, is much faster, and very comfortable.

 

[kozal01]

36K hours on a 15 year old lawnmower?

2400 per year?

Almost 7 hours per day, 365 days per year?

Right! Something is off there. Some hour meters will clock key on time, not just engine or PTO time. My neighbor had a Cub Cadet ZTR that hey left the key in the on position all winter and by spring it had thousands of hours logged.

 

[BobLewis]

Who makes one anymore ? Everyone has a zero turn

Husqvarna?

I have a cheap Husqvarna that I paid $200 for with ~50 hours . It's got over 650 hours now and it's falling apart.

I have a Husqvarna LTH142 I bought in 1996, although there have been a few incidents in 28 years, I've been able to repair them all and parts were available. Biggest mistake was misdiagnosing a miss in my original Kohler, a loose coil and I sold it and put a Briggs in it. But, that runs great and I put a new deck on it 4 years ago to replace the rusted out one and still use it weekly. I used to use it to spray/mow fence lines and it's seen a lot of miles and hours. I would tell you how many, but the engine change made the hour meter useless.

 

[AndyMA]

I've been using Deere X748 for over 10 years. 60" commercial deck, Yanmar 24 HP Diesel No issues

 

[ritzal]

HI,
I bought a Sears Craftsman DGS6500 26hp, which was made by Husqvarna, back in 2008 and it now has over 600 hours on it. It's been a great machine except for the coil which I had to replace with a better one that the manufacture recommended. Other than that it's been working and cutting like a charm. Of course I had to replace the mower blades a few times over the years. I just started my third set of blades this spring and the belts are still all originals. My next tractor will definitely be another Husqvarna.
Hope this helps you out with your search.

 

[Flogger]

I own nothing but John Deere!!
Of course the newest on is a 1958. I might suggest your luck will not be comparable to mine. LOL

 

[Flogger]

I own nothing but John Deere!!
Of course the newest on is a 1958. I might suggest your luck will not be comparable to mine. LOL

Of course with the new Deere your number one objective should be not getting sued!!

 

[Yander]

Something like this used. Or a used SCUT with just a mower you can find them for $6k.

 

[Grumpycat]

I'm not sure that the electric clutch's are more problem free. I have seen a lot of reports that the way the clutch slams into motion tends to break belts.

Oddly it will if the engine is spinning too slowly.

Read the owner's manual, YMMV. My Country Clipper zero turn specifies 2/3rds to full throttle when engaging the PTO. My dealer has a collection of belts on the wall from customers who ripped the belt by starting the blades too slow.

 

[Grumpycat]

I forget which brand lawn tractors I saw at Lowes a couple years ago that had the plastic transaxles in them. Wonder how many hours they actually rate the life expectancy on them?

IIRC John Deere was talked into that and recently had a recall to replace the transmission with a metal cased unit.

 

[Williy]

IMHO the new stuff is no way as good or will last as long as the old
My neighbor has a husqvarna he hardly ever uses it and he has been
having problems with it. I personnaly will never purchase a john deere
riding mower or anything john deere. The mower decks on the jd riding
mowers are pure crap! the supports that lift the deck up and deck pull
out of the deck and mech at jd said you had to have special welding equipment to weld the deck back to gether again. A striped new deck
over a year ago was $800+ for the jd riding mower. also the seats for
the jd riding mowers are crap they have a very short life

willy

 

[Richard001]

Oddly it will if the engine is spinning too slowly.

Read the owner's manual, YMMV. My Country Clipper zero turn specifies 2/3rds to full throttle when engaging the PTO. My dealer has a collection of belts on the wall from customers who ripped the belt by starting the blades too slow.

Interesting information. I have heard this story before, but still is amazing.

The only thing I can think of why this would happen is that with the engine spinning over at top RPM, the clutch is overcome for a few moments by the inertia of the deck components. So the energy is being absorb by the clutch material and wearing away in the process.

 

[Vmax540]

Who makes one anymore ? Everyone has a zero turn

Husqvarna?

I have a cheap Husqvarna that I paid $200 for with ~50 hours . It's got over 650 hours now and it's falling apart.

600 hours for $200.00 is quite the mowing bargain ! In 2009 I bought a new DYS4500 leftover for $1250.00 and just, this spring with over 700 hours sold it for $900.00. Like anything with an engine, maintenance is a priority for longevity as well as using a lawnmower for just that (these mowers are not built like garden tractors).

 

[tradosaurus]

36K hours on a 15 year old lawnmower?

2400 per year?

Almost 7 hours per day, 365 days per year?

I caught a fish so big I woke up in the middle of the night and called myself a liar.

 

[TractorNoob85]

I caught a fish so big I woke up in the middle of the night and called myself a liar.

Some people like to mow. Some people don't have a car to drive to work and all they got is the lawn mower.

 

[tradosaurus]

Some people like to mow. Some people don't have a car to drive to work and all they got is the lawn mower.

I joke but I would bet the number given by "elviscaretaker" was a misprint.
Unless I had a cabbed tractor with A/C I would not want to be on any mower more than once per week.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

600 hours for $200.00 is quite the mowing bargain ! In 2009 I bought a new DYS4500 leftover for $1250.00 and just, this spring with over 700 hours sold it for $900.00. Like anything with an engine, maintenance is a priority for longevity as well as using a lawnmower for just that (these mowers are not built like garden tractors).

And I have beaten it to death.

Just Sunday I was rolling in some dirt I spread on a hillside with it, slid off into a fence and tangled it up. Drug it back up the hill with the tractor and kept going.

The engine runs great even tho it's some cheap Kohler. Oil change and air filter change every year.

Someone who just mows a "yard" with one should get a lifetime out of it

 

[AndyMA]

IMHO the new stuff is no way as good or will last as long as the old
My neighbor has a husqvarna he hardly ever uses it and he has been
having problems with it. I personnaly will never purchase a john deere
riding mower or anything john deere. The mower decks on the jd riding
mowers are pure crap! the supports that lift the deck up and deck pull
out of the deck and mech at jd said you had to have special welding equipment to weld the deck back to gether again. A striped new deck
over a year ago was $800+ for the jd riding mower. also the seats for
the jd riding mowers are crap they have a very short life

willy

Willy

Thats not my experience. The deck and seat on my X748 which is 14 years old are fine.

 

[tonys55]

FWIW, I have had a JD X360 for quite some time and do all maintenance including valve adjustments. Not difficult stuff and I can easily get parts. That is really important to me. Having said that, I would probably have gotten an X500 series based on what I have come to use this lawn tractor for over the years. If you are just cutting grass and maybe pulling a heavy cart on flat ground, no problem for an X360. I have a leaf and lawn vac from DR. From a dead stop on steeper hills there is barely enough power to move up hill. I would imagine a fully loaded cart might present the same issue. Yet, with this kind of use it has held up nicely on 3/4 of an acre. There are other times I get wheel spin, so 4 wheel drive on an X500 might be a consideration next time around. It's all about your specific situation. Budget, use and terrain.
As for Made in USA, I'll buy US made whenever I can. I have purchased well-made US products and I have purchased poorly-made US products. I'd stick with what gets decent reviews and a dealer that backs their product. My local JD dealership has given me no reason to switch to another brand.