my next lawn mower?

[GaryS]

I got my Craftsman LS4500LE over the weekend and cut the yard with it. It did a good job but my hills are going to kill this machine. I cut about 1.5 acres and a good portion is hills. The hills are steep enough to really cause the machine some distress. I cut them vertically and the tractor strains making it up. Being 2wd and lacking a limited slip differential is also a problem.

I think that I need to get a 4wd machine with a low center of gravity and some decent HP. I've been keeping a sharp eye peeled for a used JD318. I know it's 2wd and I now wonder if I should be looking for something like a JD2210 or a Kubota equivalent. New/used, brand and color are all unimportant.

What about the walk-behind mowers? Safety is really important. I'd sure hate to have "cutting grass" be my cause of death

 

[MrJimi]

I got my Craftsman LS4500LE over the weekend and cut the yard with it. It did a good job but my hills are going to kill this machine. I cut about 1.5 acres and a good portion is hills. The hills are steep enough to really cause the machine some distress. I cut them vertically and the tractor strains making it up. Being 2wd and lacking a limited slip differential is also a problem.

I think that I need to get a 4wd machine with a low center of gravity and some decent HP. I've been keeping a sharp eye peeled for a used JD318. I know it's 2wd and I now wonder if I should be looking for something like a JD2210 or a Kubota equivalent. New/used, brand and color are all unimportant.

What about the walk-behind mowers? Safety is really important. I'd sure hate to have "cutting grass" be my cause of death

please excuse me, a acre and a half with a walkbehind???
Your kidding ? right or your 20 years old or less
Jim

 

[slowrev]

I mowed 1.6 acres all last year with a self propelled walk behind. I am 52 yrs old.

 

[GaryS]

please excuse me, a acre and a half with a walkbehind???
Your kidding ? right or your 20 years old or less
Jim

Until now, I've been using a 15yo Craftsman push mower with broken back wheels

What I had in mind was the "float behind" mower something like this: Husqvarna WG4815P. There's a little platform that can attach behind the mower and the operator appears to float along the yard.

 

[MrJimi]

OK!! you guys are tough ( smiley face here ) I am 59 and this is a NO WAy thing for me, power to you and be very careful with this mowing thing.
Jim

 

[Fordlords]

I'm sure it's just personal preference and the exercise thing, but I find any walk behind mower good or bad is just too hard to use and drink beer at the same time Reason enough not to want one LOL!

I don't recommend the smaller belt driven hydros such as those found on the inexpensive LT's for moderate or very hilly terrain. If you got a used JD318 or used shaft driven Cub Cadet or other true garden tractor with heavier duty hydro you would notice the difference right away, that being they don't bog down nearly as much on the hills, and in fact many will bury their rear tires into the ground long before the hydro will come to a stop. Even an older gear driven JD or Cub won't bog down much, and the heavier rear ends and larger rear tires are much less prone to spinning. The, "sucks on hills," comment is very common from owners of the tractors equipped with light duty hydro trannies. Those hydros also don't hold much oil, and when you put your hand on the casing after is has been bogging and feel how hot it gets, you know it's being overworked.

-Fordlords-

 

[Gatorboy]

What about the walk-behind mowers?

Walk-behinds such as Scag, Exmark, Hustler, are the best value in my opinion. You can cut just about as fast as a ZTR for a fraction of the cost. The quality and reliability is excellent. There is no effort in walking behind these bad-boys and if you want a sulky, you can add one of those for just standing and taking a ride.

I'd say anything below 2 acres is a good candidate for a walk-behind. You should be able to cut an acre in an hour or less with a 48"-deck and less time with a 52" or 60"-deck.

If you have never tried one, I suggest finding a dealer to let you give one a try. They are sweet!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Walk-behinds such as Scag, Exmark, Hustler, are the best value in my opinion. You can cut just about as fast as a ZTR for a fraction of the cost. The quality and reliability is excellent. There is no effort in walking behind these bad-boys and if you want a sulky, you can add one of those for just standing and taking a ride.

I'd say anything below 2 acres is a good candidate for a walk-behind. You should be able to cut an acre in an hour or less with a 48"-deck and less time with a 52" or 60"-deck.

If you have never tried one, I suggest finding a dealer to let you give one a try. They are sweet!

Our church bought a used EXMARK ZTR mower 3 years ago. It became a community project TRYING to keep it running. (Church lot is 2.75 acres) This spring, we traded for a SCAG walk-behind, with the stand-on sulky. It's just as easy to operate, cuts just as fast, (faster when you don't need to overhaul it every time you cut) and was about 2/3 the cost of a comparable ZTR. Add to that, it's a ton more convenient cutting around and under shrubs and small trees. I'd recomend one in a heartbeat.

 

[slowrev]

Some ZTR's do not handle hills very well. Are they really a good choice for someone with hills ?

 

[MT372HERE]

Well, I know from experience about those inxpensive little hydro units...they arent any good after a couple years. Just cutting grass, mine was on its way out, just cutting 1 acre of flat grass.

They dont hold much fluid, and they arent sealed up all that well. The little fans do a poor job of cooling one off after it gets grass built up on the fins.

They have pressure releafs inside to prevent blowing the little pump to bits. If you ever latch onto something solid, and you put the lever all the way forward and the tires dont move...the relief valve is open, bypassing oil.

If you can try to imagine, comparing the pumps in these mowers, to those i nthe old John Deeres, 140, 316, 318, 425 and so on.. Is like comparing a 90's Toyota pickup to a Big Demag dump truck.

They have their own special uses, but if you overexert the little one, trying to do big things with it, you'll destroy it!

 

[GaryS]

Well, I know from experience about those inxpensive little hydro units...they arent any good after a couple years. Just cutting grass, mine was on its way out, just cutting 1 acre of flat grass.

I've been looking for a used 318 for a while now and wanted to make sure it had the power I will need. It would be near impossible to ask someone to demo a used 318 on my property.

I knew the Sears was a short-term solution and it will certainly serve it's purpose.

How does one tell if a machine has a belt-driven hydro? For example, what about the Deere x300s? From the Deere web site, it's simply listed as a "K46 automatic".

I also gotta check out the walk-behinds that Gatorboy suggests. I think they have to be the safest things on hills.

One last question - how do you figure a good price for a 318? I see them on ebay for ~$1500 - my local dealer says they go in the low $2k range and I saw one while in Maryland and the guy was asking $3400!! What should I expect to pay for a good, used 318?

 

[Lindblom Lawn Care]

How fast were you trying to climb the hill? With a hydro the more speed you need to make up the hill the more power needed more heat generated. (like an auto transmission in a car or truck.) You might have to reduce speed to make the hill, and in theory make up for it on the downhill side .

For your needs the craftsman should be okay as a short term solution. It is also new. As for a JD 318, yes they are well built but 20, or more, years older, but you might be in the same boat as far a solution. A new engine for a 318 can run anywhere from $1200 to $1800. With a new engine you are still left with a 20 year old mower.

I think (but cannot verify it) JD x300 uses a vertical shaft engine, one belt drive to the deck and one the transmission. Thus being called a belt drive hydro.

I, if given the choice, would rather run a 20 year old John Deere than a brand new craftsman. But that is a personal preference.

 

[Fordlords]

Generally speaking, if the tractor has a vertical crankshaft engine, it will have a belt driven hydro. One must go all the way up to an X700 for $10k in the JD lineup to get shaft drive on a new JD today.

A good used 318 will be around $2k. They have a heavy duty shaft drive hydro much like the one used in my Cub Cadet and they have no problems tackling the hills. (The 318 can pull it's heart out!) The stock P18 Onan engine used in the 318 is no longer made, but it can either be rebuilt or replaced with one of a few retrofit kits available if needed so it will be many decades before you no longer see JD 318's roaming the Earth Running a 318 or bigger brother 400 series are like riding in a Coupe De Ville while cutting the grass- very smooth and comfy, and the power steering is effortless.

-Fordlords-

 

[JJT]

Some ZTR's do not handle hills very well. Are they really a good choice for someone with hills ?

My Kubota ZD21 handles the hills just fine. It would be serious overkill for your 1.5 acres.

 

[lowerAla]

Some of the discussion has been on belt driven "light duty" hydro transmissions. Questions: Are all belt driven sure to be "light duty"? Would all of that class be expected to overheat under a load? If there are belt driven that are not "light duty" what brands? Would one be better off with a belt drive non-hydro tranny compared to one of the light duty hydros?