lawn tractors

[walaa]

hey all! You were a big help last question I asked, now another! Im buying a lawn tractor, because I am so tired of hooking up a 6 ft finish mower to mow the 2 acres around the house! I have mow every 3 days and its just not worth using the big tractor for. so I am looking at lawn tractors, preferably not 0 turn, too much for what I need, but just a good one, in the 1000-3000 price range. That much of a difference because there are so many different ones. Which one should I go with, as far as reliability, warranty, durability, etc. again I am a middel aged woman, I dont want anything that wont last or has to be worked on every 6 months besides tune up. looking at John Deere, Husqvarna, toro, etc Thanks somuch, Im going today, so quick replies, as I cant get the **** mower hooked up to the pto today!!! somedays I just cant get it lined up right or something. No problems for a year and a half, today when the lwan is huge and more rain on the way this week, no hookup!! Thanks again, I will be at Lowes in about an hour!!

 

[shakin]

if they sell cub cadets they are a good rig just remember most of them are rebadged i believe mtd makes the cub cadet lawn tractors. i had a poulan pro prior to this and electrulux made that.

 

[greenmule]

I just bought a snapper LT200,50 inch cut 22 hp b/s,it would be about right size for your yard. you need to find a snapper dealer,less than 3 grand. seems like a good mower.

 

[flusher]

hey all! You were a big help last question I asked, now another! Im buying a lawn tractor, because I am so tired of hooking up a 6 ft finish mower to mow the 2 acres around the house! I have mow every 3 days and its just not worth using the big tractor for. so I am looking at lawn tractors, preferably not 0 turn, too much for what I need, but just a good one, in the 1000-3000 price range. That much of a difference because there are so many different ones. Which one should I go with, as far as reliability, warranty, durability, etc. again I am a middel aged woman, I dont want anything that wont last or has to be worked on every 6 months besides tune up. looking at John Deere, Husqvarna, toro, etc Thanks somuch, Im going today, so quick replies, as I cant get the **** mower hooked up to the pto today!!! somedays I just cant get it lined up right or something. No problems for a year and a half, today when the lwan is huge and more rain on the way this week, no hookup!! Thanks again, I will be at Lowes in about an hour!!

Get one with hydrostatic transmission and the "mowing in reverse" feature. Home Depot has John Deere's with these features in your price range.

 

[GreenWannabe]

I would recommend at least a 48" mower, even 54". I have a 38" JD LX176, 15 years old. It does real well, but it takes me about 60-90 minutes to mow 1/2 acre. Lowes does have both a JD and a Husqvarna that are 54" in your price range. That being said, a lot of posters have said that the box store mowers do not have the expected longevity that the higher priced mowers do, but then a JD X324 with a 48" deck is also more than $4500 list price.

 

[walaa]

thanks I just talked to a dealer, and they said that the ones they sell at stores are made differently than if you buy from a dealer and said nobody buys 2 from Lowes. And that alot of dealers wont service ones if you dont buy them from the dealer

 

[flusher]

thanks I just talked to a dealer, and they said that the ones they sell at stores are made differently than if you buy from a dealer and said nobody buys 2 from Lowes. And that alot of dealers wont service ones if you dont buy them from the dealer

I'm on the 5th season using a Huskee riding mower that I bought from Tractor Supply for $899. It has a hydrostatic transmission and mow in reverse. I bought a 5-year maintenance contract for $125 when I got the mower. Had to use it once for an electrical problem. The local Husqvarna dealer did the service work and sent the bill to the outfit handling the maintenance contract. No muss, no fuss.

 

[JoeinTX]

I think it's best not to over-think and over-pay on riding mowers.


Went to Lowes a couple of years ago and paid $1000 for the Troy Bilt Pony model (17hp/42") and it's been a great mower. I've used it to mow a 1 acre lot roughly 1-4 times a month about 10 months out of the year since I've had it so do the math. Put severe duty blades on it due to stems/stobs/rocks that were chewing up two pairs of mulching blades and year and haven't looked back. Had to get a new battery for it this spring, but, that's about normal for these little batteries.


So, in 2+ years of regular weekly use on a semi-rough lot the total cost has been $25 for a battery and the wear-and-tear costs of 4 sets of blades. I wash it after every use and keep it stored inside and it still looks nearly brand new.


This is after getting 14 years out of a Yard Machines 13hp rider bought at Wal-Mart for $600 in the early 1990s that was used and treated in a similar manner. Thus, my experience with riding mowers has not come anywhere close to justifying the cost of the $3000 JD/Kubota/CC/etc. riders that don't cut the grass any better but, I suppose, look a whole lot more impressive sitting in the yard when the neighbors drive by..........

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

thanks I just talked to a dealer, and they said that the ones they sell at stores are made differently than if you buy from a dealer and said nobody buys 2 from Lowes. And that alot of dealers wont service ones if you dont buy them from the dealer

Thats a bunch of bull, it is the same model tractor (If you mean the JD 100 Series). Either that dealer is an idiot or he needs to do some research on what he is selling. That being said I would buy from a dealer before I bought from Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[thatguy]

thanks I just talked to a dealer, and they said that the ones they sell at stores are made differently than if you buy from a dealer and said nobody buys 2 from Lowes. And that alot of dealers wont service ones if you dont buy them from the dealer

At least around here that is not the true.. Around here the dealer has their label on the mowers at Lowes/Home Depot and even a drop box for your warranty card.. There are several other threads on this topic around.

On the Deere website it says that they are the same mowers, I dont have time to search for it right now though..

b

 

[Gittyup]

I would look for a used JD 425 or similar (445, 455, 400, 420, 318) before plunking down $3K on a cheap mower. This breed is shaft driven (meaning no belt issues) and is way better made than the cheapies. They are very quiet, sip fuel, and are easy to operate. You can find 425's for right around $3000.

 

[walaa]

well, just around the corner from me I found a neighbor that works on all kind of stuff, and I got a JD sabre, 15 Hp, I know it is belt driven but still... 500 bucks, looks great seemed to run okay around my yard, and cut alot lower than a tractor and finish mower He also lives right here, and gave his name , # and said he will fix anything if it ever doesnt do me right, so I think I got a pretty good deal compared to what I was looking at Thanks I love this forum!!

 

[rdbrumfield]

I just bought an Ariens 20hp 46inch cut for 1499. It has hydrostat drive and can really cut some tall grass. I am really impressed with it.

Like some have said above, Just look under the hood, engines are mostly the same, tin on the outside except for the hood are the same, just color is about the only difference.

I looked around the web and the same rig was around 2g. Personally, I would get one in the price range I have, wear it out and get another. Be farther ahead than getting one at twice the price. Mower decks usually are the parts that wear out first. Just be sure to maintain the engine.

The hydrostat drive is filled and sealed at the factory, it never needs servicing.

 

[3RRL]

This is a timely thread for us.
Not to hijack the thread, but we are also considering a lawn tractor/mower.
We have less than an acre of real lawn. (I do the rest with the rotary cutter). What about steep hillsides? Can those lawn tractors handle some of that? Besides hydrostatic drive, What else should we look for? what are the key things if you could list them?
Thanks, Rob-

 

[mwb]

The main thing that I would look for (in addition to hydro) is a floating deck with anti-scalp wheels / rollers. This is not usually found on the cheap machines.

I bought a cheap MTD 42" eight years ago and I cut over three acres; it is still running strong - the finish is not perfect because of the fixed deck (non-floating) but one day after cutting and the lawn looks good. I am almost done rebuilding an old National Mower reel mower with an 84" cut then my lawn will look good

 

[doxford jim]

This is a timely thread for us.
Not to hijack the thread, but we are also considering a lawn tractor/mower.
We have less than an acre of real lawn. (I do the rest with the rotary cutter). What about steep hillsides? Can those lawn tractors handle some of that? Besides hydrostatic drive, What else should we look for? what are the key things if you could list them?
Thanks, Rob-

Hi Rob,

Can't answer on the finer points of the rider mowers. i have a 14 year old Sears 42" cut rider mpower. i don't know if these are any better than other makes, but the parts aren't too bad. I have recently rebuilt the mower deck on mine (was orignal) and it works just fine. The only thing that will need attention soon is the steering - the worn part is about $110 to replace. There are some places where parts are about 1/3 of dealers price - like anything else, you have to look around.

I have a good two acres or more to cut and some of it is a bit hilly. It is fine going straight up and down, but going crossways is asking for trouble. Yes, these rider mowers are a bit tippy and it pays to be careful. And of course, if you go the rider mower route, you won't have a roll bar as you have on a small tractor. Maybe another small tractor with a belly mower would also do you Then augment your "stable or fleet" with a push type mower for the tight spots

Cheers

J.

 

[Gittyup]

My 425 with AWS is virtually impossible to tip over. You'll fall off before it'll think about coming off the ground. Traction is excellent on slopes, up/down or sideways. The AWS allows the drive wheels to push in-line with the front wheels, which really helps when turning on slopes. Unlike convention steering, the drive force is always applied 100% in the same direction as steering. I mow some spots where I have to sit up on the edge of the seat just to keep from falling off. Tractor never even hints at tipping. But, then these tractors are almost as wide as they are long (maybe wider with the mower deck).

Heres a picture of a 455 from the rear so you can see how wide they are (most have turf tires). http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=3671

 

[vaskeet]

Husqvarna and craftsman are made by the same company. I have a 2005 sears gt5000 garden tractor 27hp 54inch deck cost 2700 and i so wish I had gotten a zero turn instead. If you realy want a gt then i would recomend a 48inch deck as if I want to put my mower in the truck to take it somewhere I have to pull off the deck. I cut most of my grass with my 72 inch finishing mower behind my kubota l2250 Randy

 

[greenmule]

Well it takes about 5 min to take deck off,so wouldn't let that make up my mind as to deck size,guess if you moved it every week or something in back of truck.

Yeah,huskys make sears,cub cadets are now made by same people who makes those real good new troy bilts= junk.

Those 100 series deere they sell at box stores are no better[maybe worse] than all of the above.

So,if you want a good one,be ready to spend 5-7 thousand dollars.

If you want a not so good one[cheap],than go buy the cheapest one you can find in the deck size you need.Cause they are all about the same.

If you want middle of the road,money for your buck[well,],I bought a 200 series snapper 50 inch cut about 3 grand,simplicity makes good ones too.

If you got hills,you probably want a gear lawnmower.