Buying Advice Sick and tired of low quality riding lawnmowers

[Richard]

Don, I've not read through every post....

My mower also died. I am also sick & tired of buying (what amounts to be) trash.

Maybe I did it again....but I decided I wanted to get away from gasoline and consolidate everything to diesel.

I stumbled onto a John Deere 430 garden tractor. 3-cylinder diesel engine, belly mower. Has front hydraulic outlets (which I'll never need) and a small (cat 1?) rear hitch (something else I'll never need......I only need a lawn mower)

On reason I mention this is my (now deceased) father in law. He had arthritis .... "of the body" and was stff as a board. He bought a mower for his house that specifically had a hand control to power it forward/reverse. So there was NO foot control on the right side to control movement. He couldn't have used that type of setup.

I bought this 430 diesel. Hydraulically powered lift for the mower deck. On the right side is a hand control lever to control forward/reverse. There are ONLY foot controlled brakes on the right side AND, there's no clutch on the left. (something which has made me look comical as I zip along, need to "stab" at the clutch and there's nothing there!!

As I've used this mower, it does a great job.... and I've often thought of my Father in Law while I'm using it thinking it would have been utterly perfect for his needs.


Though I wish this had the traditional foot controls, I decided to make a comment here in case something like that might work better for your father or.....perhaps even you in a number of years.


I'm SO glad I got rid of the 5-10 gallons of gas I used to keep in the garage. (I keep my diesel out by my tractors)

 

[atsah]

JD 420, 318, 316, 332, are all the same setup as the 430.. The one that shares the diesel with the 430 is the 332.. They are well built and are tanks compared with garden tractors built today.. The Onan gas engines in the 420, 316, 318 are durable as well..

 

[Doofy]

Buy a $1500 Cub Cadet riding mower from Home Depot. When worn out, sell on Craig's list and buy another. Any brand mower should be trouble-free for at least 10 years.

 

[atsah]

Any brand mower should be trouble-free for at least 10 years.

400 hours and they are junk.. Depends how much it's used in the heat..

 

[4get gto]

400 hours and they are junk.. Depends how much it's used in the heat..

That's pretty sad if you think about it.
If it were a person and work 160 hours a month you'd be done in less than 3 months .....:wave:

 

[radios1]

400 hours and they are junk.. Depends how much it's used in the heat..

that's why I mentioned the IH Cub Cadet, many are still going strong with the original engine and transmission, and the frames will never break.. these can be found restored for less than the price of a new junk lawn or garden tractor..

 

[arlen4720]

13 years ago I was sick of the disposable riding mowers and I sprung for a jd x748se. Fully decked out with 3 point, pto, and front quick hitch it was about 13K. Seemed like an obscene amount of money to pay for a lawn mower, when the tractor supply units were going for 1500. In hind sight I am glad I went the route I did. I would have buried 10 of the el cheapos by now, and it is showing no signs of giving up. It is also much more capable and comfortable. I have averaged 200 hours a year and I have absolutely tortured the poor thing.
For anything beyond flat acre (or 2), I think the lowest cost of long term ownership is with a quality, high dollar machine. Finding a good older one is good too.

 

[arlen4720]

400 hours and they are junk.. Depends how much it's used in the heat..

That is a fact!

 

[Doofy]

400 hours and they are junk.. Depends how much it's used in the heat..

The old 19.5hp B&S in my '94 Craftsman Rider has never given me an ounce of trouble. Probably has about 2000 hours on it. I run Mobile 1 in it and change it every 3 years. I blow out the air cleaner each Spring before I start to mow. I've busted 3 blade mandrels mowing the forest and have replaced the blades a few times. Never, ever had to replace a belt. Sometimes, I wish it would die so I could get a new, more comfortable rider that wouldn't get high-centered as often in the woods. Oh well, I'll ride her until she dies.

 

[atsah]

The old 19.5hp B&S in my '94 Craftsman Rider has never given me an ounce of trouble. Probably has about 2000 hours on it. I run Mobile 1 in it and change it every 3 years. I blow out the air cleaner each Spring before I start to mow. I've busted 3 blade mandrels mowing the forest and have replaced the blades a few times. Never, ever had to replace a belt. Sometimes, I wish it would die so I could get a new, more comfortable rider that wouldn't get high-centered as often in the woods. Oh well, I'll ride her until she dies.

The key in you're statement is 1994..