jayhawkRoy
Silver Member
My family is kind of running an experiment in lawn tractors, quite by accident. We own a Murray (5 yrs old), a Craftsman (3 yrs old), and a JD 325 (7 yrs old). All are in the 17-18 HP range. Hands down the JD 325 wins, on lower aftermarket cost and ease of operation. It also cost three times as the other two, but it is our point of comparison.
Murray: B&S engine, no oil filter, hydrostatic trans, similar foot pedal arrangement to the JD 325, 46" deck. Warranty issue: mower deck came apart (sheet metal screw held deck together). Warranty repair was nuts, bolts, washers, all well done and still holds the deck together. Also purchased chains and blade from Murray and freighted to our door. Blade works great for snow, and mower deck is removable, but it is not removed very often. Parts are purchased on line. Overall annual costs about $30 per year.
Craftsman: Kohler engine w/oil filter, "automatic" (has clutch, brake, and hand throttle control -- how automatic is that?) trans. Sears does not recommend removing the deck, and blade replacement is done from underneath. Also, blades are recommended to be replaced and not sharpened. Have done both and have problems with home-sharpened blades. Deck appears to be fairly well made, so long as you don't remove it. Costs approx $80 per year for replacement blades, Kohler air and oil filter. Except for oil filter, have not found aftermarket replacements. No Warranty work done, but steering wheel is getting loose, now it is out of warranty. Took it apart and cannot determine problem, so will use it until it breaks.
In our big picture, we would keep the Murray and sell the Craftsman. The Craftsman is more suited for one acre or less. The Murray mows two to four rough acres and has held up fairly well. It's parts are fairly cheap when you do need a repair. The Craftsman could not mow where the Murray mows without serious running gear problems, not to mention beating up on the driver's rear end. The best part of the Craftsman is the Kohler engine, but it is too small a tractor for us, and I would not purchase another. I would consider replacing the Murray with another similar Murray, but I think we will go to a small subcompact diesel come replacement time. I would also consider some of the cheaper JD offerings, knowing my past JD experiences with their garden tractors.
Before you purchase, recommend taking a close look at Consumer Reports. In one of the past two month's issues, they tested garden tractors. They track performance and offer reliability histories. Hope this helps out in your purchase decision.
Murray: B&S engine, no oil filter, hydrostatic trans, similar foot pedal arrangement to the JD 325, 46" deck. Warranty issue: mower deck came apart (sheet metal screw held deck together). Warranty repair was nuts, bolts, washers, all well done and still holds the deck together. Also purchased chains and blade from Murray and freighted to our door. Blade works great for snow, and mower deck is removable, but it is not removed very often. Parts are purchased on line. Overall annual costs about $30 per year.
Craftsman: Kohler engine w/oil filter, "automatic" (has clutch, brake, and hand throttle control -- how automatic is that?) trans. Sears does not recommend removing the deck, and blade replacement is done from underneath. Also, blades are recommended to be replaced and not sharpened. Have done both and have problems with home-sharpened blades. Deck appears to be fairly well made, so long as you don't remove it. Costs approx $80 per year for replacement blades, Kohler air and oil filter. Except for oil filter, have not found aftermarket replacements. No Warranty work done, but steering wheel is getting loose, now it is out of warranty. Took it apart and cannot determine problem, so will use it until it breaks.
In our big picture, we would keep the Murray and sell the Craftsman. The Craftsman is more suited for one acre or less. The Murray mows two to four rough acres and has held up fairly well. It's parts are fairly cheap when you do need a repair. The Craftsman could not mow where the Murray mows without serious running gear problems, not to mention beating up on the driver's rear end. The best part of the Craftsman is the Kohler engine, but it is too small a tractor for us, and I would not purchase another. I would consider replacing the Murray with another similar Murray, but I think we will go to a small subcompact diesel come replacement time. I would also consider some of the cheaper JD offerings, knowing my past JD experiences with their garden tractors.
Before you purchase, recommend taking a close look at Consumer Reports. In one of the past two month's issues, they tested garden tractors. They track performance and offer reliability histories. Hope this helps out in your purchase decision.
