How are you guys doing with your Husqvarna TS348XD?

[jprzybilla]

I'm considering the 2018 Husqvarna TS348XD. I haven't been able to find many reviews online for this model. My son purchased the 2017 model GT48DXLS, saying it's a great mower so I threw this one in the ring also.

I should add, #960 43 02-42, this one has the Kawasaki FR 730 engine as well as the K66 transmission.

 

[jprzybilla]

I went to my dealer this past Tuesday to order the 2018 Husqvarna TS348XD mower, the next day it was in, brought it home on Friday.

 

[shooterdon]

Good luck

My Husqvarna bought at Lowe’s has not been a good machine. But it is bottom of the line so I guess that i should not expect much.

 

[4get gto]

Good luck

My Husqvarna bought at Lowe’s has not been a good machine. But it is bottom of the line so I guess that i should not expect much.

What model did you get...?

 

[Gem99ultra]

Good luck

My Husqvarna bought at Lowe’s has not been a good machine. But it is bottom of the line so I guess that i should not expect much.

I think you've explained that very well, i.e. bought a YTH at a box store. Comparing a price-cutter YTH with a TS348 is like comparing a Chevrolet to a Cadillac. Two completely different mowers. Both serve their purpose, i.e. economical purchase vs long term working machine.

Not intending to slam anyone for their choice... my son bought a YTH thinking that he had a bargain compared to my GTH. Sure, he save about $1200 or more, but his YTH has been in to Lowes for repair 3 times in the first 3 years. My GTH, after 3 years, hasn't been in for repair at all. He lives in the "throw-away" life style, and I, and old-timer, lives in a buy it right once, or buy it wrong again and again. Life is full of choices, sometimes by necessity and sometimes by lack of information. I can vouch for that with my history of buying lemon automobiles

 

[shooterdon]

Yep...got the YTH. It came with the house and saw the Lowe’s sticker....knew then it was bottom of the line. Has the Koehler engine. It is 7 years old now and still runs but engine surges and is hard to start.

Will likely have it looked at this year and try to get a couple of more years out of it. I used it to pull a Handozer to maintain the drive so it has done more than cut grass.

 

[s219]

Well, Husqvarna's lawn/garden tractor lineup is complex, so you can't always say it's an issue with a box store model. Gets even more messy if you start including the Sears models they made. They have about three common platforms and then the rest is all parts-bin engineering of options as to what separates a box store model from a dealer model. Seats, engines, transmissions, decks, and diffs are mixed and matched to create an insane number of models and it may vary year to year. They can make the same tractor a Chevy or a Cadillac but the fundamentals are identical.

I remember a couple years back comparing them, when the GT48 was all the rage, and the only difference between the dealer model and one at Lowes was the engine (Kawasaki on dealer model, Kohler on Lowes) and a couple hundred dollars. That is of course a significant difference and I'd prefer to have the Kawasaki myself, but the rest of the tractor was identical! I seem to remember at the time we had a big long thread about the GT48 on TBN, since the dealer model was in short supply and perceived as a special limited edition, but it was truly just an engine tweak on the same box store model Lowes had in their lineup for 2-3 years prior.

I think the more likely issue is that the YTH is probably the wrong model for your needs. They are a bit spartan.

 

[Teachu2]

Well, Husqvarna's lawn/garden tractor lineup is complex, so you can't always say it's an issue with a box store model. Gets even more messy if you start including the Sears models they made. They have about three common platforms and then the rest is all parts-bin engineering of options as to what separates a box store model from a dealer model. Seats, engines, transmissions, decks, and diffs are mixed and matched to create an insane number of models and it may vary year to year. They can make the same tractor a Chevy or a Cadillac but the fundamentals are identical.

I remember a couple years back comparing them, when the GT48 was all the rage, and the only difference between the dealer model and one at Lowes was the engine (Kawasaki on dealer model, Kohler on Lowes) and a couple hundred dollars. That is of course a significant difference and I'd prefer to have the Kawasaki myself, but the rest of the tractor was identical! I seem to remember at the time we had a big long thread about the GT48 on TBN, since the dealer model was in short supply and perceived as a special limited edition, but it was truly just an engine tweak on the same box store model Lowes had in their lineup for 2-3 years prior.

I think the more likely issue is that the YTH is probably the wrong model for your needs. They are a bit spartan.

My recollection was that the dealer-only had the manually-locking diff, and the Lowe's had the auto-locking, which was problematic. But I could be wrong...

 

[Sysop]

I just picked up a TS348D today. Not quite as nice as the XD, but still a dandy tractor for my lawn mowing needs.

 

[PAKraig]

I just picked up a TS348D today. Not quite as nice as the XD, but still a dandy tractor for my lawn mowing needs.

Pretty sure the only difference is the engine. XD is Kawasaki and D is Kohler, if my dealer has correct info. Does yours have the locking differential on the dash?