JD G110 vs L130

[FC_Racer]

Been lurking here for a while and this is my first post so be gentle /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Background info: new lawn on former corn field, approximately 2 acres hydroseeded. Lawn is not coming in too well so it will need lots of seeding and fertilizing. I'm also looking to plow snow off of the 150' driveway this winter. So, I'm leaning toward a lawn/garden tractor for versatility rather than a ZTR. I'm considering the JD L130 and G110.

I have searched the archives and see very little discussion of the JD G110. Obvious differences over the L130 are a wider 54" 11 gauge deck compared to the 48" 12 gauge deck on the L130. Engine is 25hp Kohler vs the 23hp Kohler on the L130. The axles and transaxle on the G110 seem beefier.

List price for the G110 is $3700 and for the L130 $2600. Is it worth the extra $1100 for the G110? That's a 42% premium over the L130 /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks in advance
Dennis

 

[Nasty135]

FC_Racer, Hi and Welcome to TBN, You want gentle huh? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Well first you mention corn fields and snow , IN what part of the country? Little snow or lotta snow ? The G will be much more useful doing anything better than the L except for cutting grass where they should be equal...

If you have been lurking awhile you probably have read about the possiblity of buying a used larger diesel tractor for much more versatility and longevity, but it depends on also how much ground were talking about?(profile not filled out,Hint ,hint /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

You can always have too much tractor for a job, which is better than needing more tractor and not having it /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[FC_Racer]

Thank you Nasty135 for your reply. I was hoping this post would generate more replies before responding.

BR
Dennis

 

[bontai_Joe]

The Deere G110 is their entry level garden tractor. It's not a bad tractor, but still over-priced in my opinion (Deere thought so too, as they lowered the price from last year, which was over $4000!). However, it will be more durable than the L130 you are also looking at. Would you consider other brands? Husqvarna makes decent garden tractorS (GTH2654 & GTH2754), that are cheaper than the Deere G110. And I'd also check out the Cub Cadet GT1554, and the Cub 2000 series. One of the things you should be checking is the max height you can cut at. With your lawn being a former cornfield, I would think a 4" or higher cut would be desireable until you can get it smoothed out some.

 

[slammer]

I would recommend staying away from the JD 100 series, CC 1000 series, any Husqvarna, and any Craftsman. The Husqvarna and Craftsman are AYP products and the JD 100 series is a very light machine compared to their other equipment. The 1000 series Cubs are equally light weight and of course made by MTD.

2+ acres of semi-rough yard is gonna beat the tar out of these entry level machines IMO. I am not an elitist, before anyone accuses me of being a mower snob! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I just think that a feller needs to be honest with themselves and buy the right piece of equipment for the job.

If you are looking at mowing and just light snow removal I would take a peek at the Kubota T or TG series or as posted before the Cub 2000 series. The JD's are always a good choice as long as you avoid the 100's.

 

[Stanb]

FC_Racer, I would pay close attention to what bontai_Joe said about mowing height. I’ve had a JD210 for about 30 yrs and when the engine gave out on me I looked in to the “so_called” garden tractors of today as a replacement. To my amazement the max. up position of the decks where less than 4 inches, whereas my JD210 raises 6.5 inches and I mow a good deal of my place at 1st notch down or about 5 inches. This need made all of the “GT” mowers I looked at useless. The only thing I found that would mow at the height needed was on “Compact Tractors”. These would be nice to have, but out of my budget, so I am ordering an engine replacement. Another thing that I noticed in my hunt was that my JD210 is built like a tank compared to these new things that are masked as Garden Tractors.

Stan