Recommendations for a lawn tractor for my Dad.

[johndeereg]

I've been shopping John Deere lawn tractors for a bit now. I've been wanting to buy one for my Dad who is around retirement age. He currently has a 107 Cub Cadet. Looking for something with a faster blade speed that cuts better, and easy steering. I just bought a 175 for myself and that's steering is pretty tough. Any recommendations? He owns about an acre with hills. I did look at new, but then I just didn't know if they were built for the use of his property without spending 5000.00. Are there any models around 3000 or less that are heavy duty for small hills, cut well and steer nice and easy?

thanks!

 

[Teddy1973]

I know this is a little more than you want to spend but the John Deere X310 would make a very nice mower for him. List price is $4000 but I think you will be able to find a dealer that will let one go for $3500, especially when John Deere starts their end of season $500 off sales, you may even be able to do better than that. The X310 has plenty of power, and power steering and power deck lift with a very good transaxel. Take one for a test drive, I think you'll like it.

 

[murphy1244]

I know this is a little more than you want to spend but the John Deere X310 would make a very nice mower for him. List price is $4000 but I think you will be able to find a dealer that will let one go for $3500, especially when John Deere starts their end of season $500 off sales, you may even be able to do better than that. The X310 has plenty of power, and power steering and power deck lift with a very good transaxel. Take one for a test drive, I think you'll like it.

What trans is in that machine?

 

[Wagtail]

For what it's worth, JD has has recently come out with their 'least expensive' D105. My BIL recently bought one & my 81yo Dad has no problem using (and steering) it. Bloody inexpensive (Canada) compared to what I paid for my D110. I had to purchase the D110 as the D105 isn't available in Australia yet 'cause JD Aus wants to sell their stock of D100's first.

One suggestion though is haggle to have them replace/swap the existing seat with the higher-backed one off of a D120 or D130 (which I did) as it makes for a more comfortable & stable ride.

 

[BBO]

Are there any models around 3000 or less that are heavy duty for small hills, cut well and steer nice and easy?

The local dealer here has trade in's that will be $1500-$3000.
Some are decent machines with ~300 hours.
I would look for a slightly used one in the newer series.
If you can confirm it's been serviced and kept in the dry, it should still last for years with some TLC.

 

[XSKIER]

A cub 107! That tractor is over 40 years old, so I'll assume you guys are not opposed to some ongoing maintenance and repairs. Look for a 10-20 year old JD 335-455. All of those will have power steering, power lift, hit your budget, be a huge upgrade from the 107 or 175, and last for a long time.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I'm quite partial to the 4 series. If you can find a creampuff 425-445-455 in your price range would be pretty sweet.

The decks were so-so as far as cut, but VERY reliable. The 475-495 had a better deck but will probably blow the budget.

I super overkilled Ma's machine going to a new x750 but now my Brother actually enjoys mowing plus I have him doing the cabin lawn weekly which would give a lesser machine absolute fits.

 

[Teddy1973]

The X310 comes with the K58 transaxel which is a heavy duty serviceable transaxel that has a replaceable filter, drain, and filler holes that extends the life and capabilities of the transaxel. It is highly regarded as compared to the more common transaxels found on less expensive models. But as the other contributors to this thread have pointed out, if you're open to looking at used lawn tractors there is a lot of good options to consider, at very reasonable prices.

 

[BBO]

JD has made lots of good mowers over the years and I like some of the older ones better than the newer ones.
I have an LX188 that is still my favorite mower if 48" cut is ok. They also made a GT series that seemed pretty nice.
The problem I have with the 500 and 300 series is the size. I actually like the smaller frames, with a lower seat height.
I like being able to reach down to pick up sticks without getting off and seems all the newer mowers sit too high for this.
A cup holder for a bottle of water is a must for me but they do sell these as an optional add on.
The LX188 is slower than I would like but it does a super job mowing the yard.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would consider the x310 with the k58H transaxle if buying new or a good used model depending on what you can find.