HP 101: What is necessary, what is overkill?

[hrb111]

Many of you have offered great advice and comments, and I'd like to pose another question: In our search for a nice $2K-$2.5K garden tractor to mow our 3.5 acres, one thing we are still unsure of is: How much horsepower do we need without going into overkill? One dealer told us that for our needs, 18hp is plenty. He explained that 10 years ago the same yard would have been mowed with 10hp and that every model year seems to add a horsepower and that much of it is marketing hype, etc. Then we had another dealer tell us that she mows her acreage with hills and trees with 22hp and that she probably needs more. Our acreage is rolling land, with lots and lots of trees. As I said in an earlier post, my husband is currently using a Simplicity 13hp (I think, I can't remember now) so it won't be hard to improve that. Also, he plans to do some light utility work, as well. Maybe push snow, pull a garden wagon here and there, etc. It seems that the tractors in our price range are going to be 22-25hp. Is this more than enough hp, or do we need to shoot for the highest that our budget will allow? Thanks in advance!

 

[frank_f15]

until a few years ago i used and 18 hp GT to mow alot of gass, my lawn, my parents lawn and a few fields, HP was never the problem. now i have a CUT AND still use the same 18 hp GT to cut lawn. if all you are going to do is cut grass, pull a cart for yard work and the ocassional little bit of snow then u should be able to do well with a gt in the $2500.00 price range. in MHO they put way to much emphais oh HP.

 

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( One dealer told us that for our needs, 18hp is plenty. He explained that 10 years ago the same yard would have been mowed with 10hp and that every model year seems to add a horsepower and that much of it is marketing hype, etc. )</font>
SORRY! forgot to add , this dealer was probaly the most truthful. seems they add HP to cater to the TIM THE TOOL TIME type of folks.

 

[beenthere]

I used to mow my acreage with an 8hp kohler (wheel horse, belt driven 3spd transmission). It worked great, and was plenty hp for the 32" mower deck (two blades). Took me a while to mow the 5 acres however.

Then I moved to a 12hp Deere model 212. It had a 47" deck and I cut the mowing time considerably.

Then I went to a Deere 425, 54" deck, with 22 hp, and AWS (all wheel steer) with hydrastatic transmission and now mow 8 acres in ¼ the time I could mow the 5 acres with the 8hp Wheel Horse. Power steering, HST, bigger tires and can cover ground comfortably and faster. Go figure. The more hp just translates to mowing more acres in less time, and having fun doing it (at least that is that way for me). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Buy what you want and think you can afford, and then trade up (or down) after you get experience on the lawn you have, at the rate you want, and at the comfort level you want. You are the one to satisfy the most. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

I think HP in lawn tractors can be figured based on how long you let the grass grow between mowings, how fast you want to mow, and if you have a very thick lawn or a somewhat thin yard.

If you have a thick lawn that you mow down to two inches when it gets to 10 inches and you want to mow it at the same speed that the neighbor mows his yard every three days, you're going to need more HP.

So it depends on what you're cutting and how fast.

Cliff

 

[PhilNH5]

I'm with Frank on this one. My BX2200 is 22HP. The entry level JD 4010 I was looking at is only 18hp. Other than marketing I don't understand Sears, Lowes and HD selling 25hp lawn tractors.
I cut my yard with a Toro Wheelhorse 314-H with all of 14hp and I have never bogged it down.
I think the 22-25hp will be more than enough. But don't just go by HP. Lots of other factors to consider - deck size, gear vs HST, frame construction, weight, Dealer, Ease of use.
Phil

 

[db2]

We cut lots of grass with lots of hills, gardens and trees. We have a JD LX188 (17 hp, liquid cooled, hydrostatic transmission, 48" deck). It is more than adequate for my needs and I would not have a riding mower without the hydrostatic. Been there and it was a pain. Things go much faster with the hydro. I have no problem on the hills. Lots of power and it never bogs down.

Hope that helps.

 

[KiotiJohn]

I use a 14HP rider to pull a 10 cubic foot trailer full of whatever I can get in it, cut 3 acres and sometimes 5 with 42" cut with no problem whatsoever.
The dealer was right, the HP is hype, and unnecessary for your uses. Mine is a two blade cut for the 42" for which 14HP is plenty. If you get a 3 blade, I'd go for the 18HP. No more. John

 

[BB_TX]

This is overkill. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[slowzuki]

Used to use a 12 hp with a 48" deck. Would mow about 1.5 acres of lawn and field. Then got a 11 hp Craftman with a 42" deck I think and it could got faster but it rode rougher.

Neighbour has a newish 20 something hp and it can't go any faster than us (too bumpy) but it has a wider cut.

We just stopped mowing the field and swamp and bushhog it in the fall now cutting it down to a half acre. If we could get some more trees and such planted we could get rid of half that too.

Sharpening the blades frequently lets you go way faster with still good cut. Big hp lets you spin dull blades.

 

[Darren]

I agree with the dealer. We used a Bolens with a 10 hp Wisconsin to mow two acres in the 60's. That lawn tractor probably weighed at least 50% more than the stuff sold today. It was heavy enough to skid an oak log out of the woods even with the turf tires.

 

[EastTexFrank]

HRB111, you can dig a ditch with a spoon, it just depends on how time and effort you want to put into it. I think you are trying to cut down on the time your husband spends doing it so it would seem that you want as big a deck as possible and therefore enough horsepower to drive it. It would also depend on how often he is going to cut it and how tall the grass will be. There's no sense in having a 54" deck if the grass is so tall and thick that you can only use half of it without the machine bogging down. I cut my rolling 4 acre yard with lots of trees using a John Deere 318 (18hp) and a 42" deck (I think???) for years without any problems. In fact, at times, I wish I still had that machine. It's just that with a 24 hp diesel and a 5' mower, I can get it done a lot faster and easier ... and therefore I tend to cut it more often. If someone actually needed a 25 hp gas yard tractor to cut their grass, I think they are on the verge of needing to step up to something a lot more serious and expensive. Personally, I think that something in the 22-25 hp range with a correspondingly sized deck would be more than sufficient and that 18 hp would probably be adequate.

 

[BRIGUY]

PhilNH5,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I cut my yard with a Toro Wheelhorse 314-H with all of 14hp and I have never bogged it down.
)</font>

Phil I believe it and here is why You must have a Kohler Magnum, or a Kohler K series. Either way the fly wheel on your engine weights twice what newer models. Your engine it's self is like 130+ pounds.

If you check the manufacturers specs you will find that these style motors also have a lot more torque than some others.

I haven't looked at the specs in a while, but if you don't look at the HP #'s and just look at displacement and torque specs it will be obvious which machines can do more work.

A 25 HP motor on a light sheet metal lawn tractor with small torque #'s. Is marketed to be deceptive.

My BX 23 is only 22 hp

 

[DaMadman]

Well so far I agree with what most everone here has said. If you are going with a GT and want to cut the grass in record time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (just want to do it and get it done quick) get the big mowerdeck with the extra HP.

That is all the HP does for you on these Gardne tractors. The HP doesn't transfer well to the wheels (ground) because they are too light and do not have the torque. The HP is only there to make sure those big 54" mower decks do not bog down when in heavy or wet grass.

When I first got my MTD years ago it was a 20 or 21 HP with a 52 or 54" mover deck and when I turned the deck on the nieghbor commented that it sounded like a space ship getting ready to take flight.

I liked the fact that I could cut the grass once a week, instead of twice (when I had the smaller HP) and it cut the grass just fine whether it was wet or not.

I think if you get the 18, stick with the 48" deck, if you get the 20-22 HP you can safely get the 54" deck if it is offered.

Either/or, should push snow just fine with a set of chains on the rear tires and maybe a set of wheel wieghts.

 

[DaveInColorado]

Forget about HP. It doesn't matter nearly as much as the rest of the tractor. A cheesy lawn tractor with a 25hp Kohler will die sooner than a quality 14hp Briggs tractor with good maintenance. I went through four cheesy lawn tractors in four years. I blew an engine, bent a deck, broke a transmission case, and jammed a starter gear on MTD's and Sears (and John Deere). Now I have a 15hp diesel Kubota BX1500 that I expect to outlast my grandchildren (my oldest is 16 - youngest 4).

Personally, I would rather spend $2500 on an old JD318 than on a new Craftsman 25hp lawn tractor. The bonus is after 10 years you can still sell the JD318 for $2500. You'll be on your third Craftsman by then. The same logic does not hold true for the JD tractors in Home Depot.