Is there such thing as a premium 42" mower?

[TractorGuy]

I'm afraid gone are the days of the good ol gear drive transaxle.

There doesn't seem to be any rime or reason why or when the K46 hydros fail but they definitely won't pull a trailer full of rocks.

I picked up a fairly heavy Husqvarna with a "Garden Tractor" designation that had a blown transaxle. I found another Husqvarna lawn tractor with a blown engine that had the EXACT same transaxle so I put the two together and made one for my daughter. So far it's holding up and she will kill anything. That one has a 54" deck and the first thing she did was tear out into a field of knee high weeds with it.

The moral of the story is you can't trust a "Garden Tractor" to have the heavier transaxle. You have to look at the ID sticker.

 

[fried1765]

I got out my trusty, 20-year-old White Outdoor lawn tractor today to pull some stuff in a wagon, and while it was idling in the driveway it made a horrible noise, stopped running and started spewing oil and smoke. Upon inspection there was a hole in the side of the cylinder wall that didn't used to be there, and pieces of cylinder in the driveway. I haven't done an autopsy but I think it threw a rod.

So I need a new mower. I've used and abused this mower a lot. Typically I burn out each of the three belts about once a season. I mow in high grass, which burns out the mower belts, and I pull heavy loads in the wagon, which burns out the drive belt. I have rocks all over the place, and I've broken blades, bent the deck more times than I can remember, and welded the deck several times. Worst of all my teenage son has been the principal mower the past couple of years.

While my recently departed mower has performed beyond expectations -- I never thought it would go out idling in the driveway -- I'd like to see if I can get something a little tougher so I don't have to fix it so much. A locking differential would also be nice, so would something a little faster. The catch is that it had a 42" deck and there are several spots on the property where a 42" mower just barely fits. Looking at things more in the garden tractor range it seems like 48" is about the smallest they go and most are in the 54" and 60" range. What I'm seeing in the 42" range is basically versions of what I have now.

Any thoughts on where I should be looking?

Thanks.

I live a hundred miles or so East of you.
Many things to mow around, so I need a 42" mower also.
I still have my dad's 42" Sears rider that is now 48 years old, still runs just fine, but it needs a belt pulley, thus has been retired for a while.

To have a standby mower, I bought a big box store JD 42" mower 12 years ago, and it has been doing just fine.
I paid $1200 for the JD (10% Vet. discount), so that works out to $100/year, if it were to quit tomorrow.

I know those are not "premium" machines, but we live in a throw away society.
At nearly 80 years old, if it quits,....I will buy another.... $1600+ now.

 

[tomplum]

You'll find that it is a tough slot to fill with a new mower. The best Deere 42" is their Accel Deep deck found on the X series of the last 4? years. You can, however still bend the housing if you find the right rock. To get a locking dif, you need to go up the food chain and up goes the $$ with it. Your White / MTD deck was a tough one, but don't let it fool you that one of the new 42" will give you the same service. Very light on the deck. A Husqvarna stamped steel deck is a notch up, but using it roughly you'll likely need to weld the rear supports back on in a few years. They do make heavy fabricated decks, don't know if you can couple that with a locking dif in a 42" though. The frames that hold the whole shebang together are the same as the standard rides though.

 

[Richard001]

I say, if the transmission and gear box are in good shape, find a new or used engine to replace the broken one on your tractor. Then remind your son to always check the oil level on the engine before starting.

Connecting rods don't just fly out for no reason. I suspect that you engine was low on oil.

Richard

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I just looked at Craigslist RI for Garden Tractor and there are a lot of good choices on there - several JD 235, 345, and x300, one liquid cooled Kawasaki, several Wheelhorse 264, several Cub Cadets with 42 and 44" decks. Most of these are 1995-2005 vintage with shaft drive, some are hydro too, weigh 700-900 Lbs, and last a long time - just get one that has been taken care of.

I would favor these over the newer machines for the $.

Thanks. What do you think of this one?
https://providence.craigslist.org/grd/d/coventry-john-deere-345-garden-tractor/7033540442.html

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I say, if the transmission and gear box are in good shape, find a new or used engine to replace the broken one on your tractor. Then remind your son to always check the oil level on the engine before starting.

Connecting rods don't just fly out for no reason. I suspect that you engine was low on oil.

Richard

I have repowered mowers before but I don't think this is a good candidate. I always thought the transmission would be what killed this one off, it's been balky for a while. I rebuilt it a few years ago which helped but it's never been quite right. The front end is loose, the deck is pretty beat up and the body looks like ****. Probably the cheapest replacement engine is the Predator from Harbor Freight and that's $770, with a new engine I doubt my mower would be worth $300.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Thanks. What do you think of this one?
https://providence.craigslist.org/grd/d/coventry-john-deere-345-garden-tractor/7033540442.html

Must have been a good deal, it's gone already.

 

[MF2604h]

If you are looking for a great 42in cut that can pull a load. Look at the snapper spx 42 in. Mine is hydrostatic. It has a 23 hp commercial Briggs and Straton engine and a fabricated deck. I have pulled a ton of loaded trailers. I pull an aerator with cement blocks on it all the time.

I own a lawn care company so I have used and abused this lawnmower. It is the best tractor style lawnmower I have ever owned. It cost a little more than the entry level mowers, but is well worth it.

If you look at one make sure it痴 the commercial engine and deck. They also have a entry level model.

Good luck

 

[two_bit_score]

I got out my trusty, 20-year-old White Outdoor lawn tractor today to pull some stuff in a wagon, and while it was idling in the driveway it made a horrible noise, stopped running and started spewing oil and smoke.
So I need a new mower. I've used and abused this mower a lot. I mow in high grass, which burns out the mower belts, and I pull heavy loads in the wagon, which burns out the drive belt. I have rocks all over the place, and I've broken blades, bent the deck more times than I can remember, and welded the deck several times

-- I'd like to see if I can get something a little tougher so I don't have to fix it so much. A locking differential would also be nice, so would something a little faster. The catch is that it had a 42" deck and there are several spots on the property where a 42" mower just barely fits. What I'm seeing in the 42" range is basically versions of what I have now.

Any thoughts on where I should be looking?

Thanks.

Suggest you at least look at the Grasshopper line, it's a little pricey but Ive been studying them and they seem like the best made out there.

FrontMount 5V Series | Grasshopper Mower

They aren't like anything you already have.




TBS

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Suggest you at least look at the Grasshopper line, it's a little pricey but Ive been studying them and they seem like the best made out there.

FrontMount 5V Series | Grasshopper Mower

They aren't like anything you already have.




TBS

That actually looks really interesting. Unfortunately Mrs. Quicksand uses the mower a lot, to tow around a garden cart, and she insists on something with a steering wheel.