Yard Man lawn/garden tractor...

[KatoMike]

Need to get a new tractor for the Church to mow with. We typically have 4 tractors and now one is on its last legs. We mow about 5 acres and occasionaly pull a small trailer and a small sprayer.

I have a chance to get a new Yardman w/ a 22 hp 22 HP Briggs & Stratton Twin Intek engine (I am fairly certain the tractor is model #U804H). I believe it is a garden tractor (larger rear wheels/tires) and it has a hydrostatic transmission. I can get the tractor for $1600. I like the idea of it being a garden tractor (thinking that the heavier duty transmission will hold up better). Any thoughts?

Thanks!!

 

[Bob_Skurka]

You might want to spend considerably more money and buy a sub-compact diesel tractor with a mower deck. It will last 20+ years and mow the entire 5 acres with ease and will cost you much less to maintain 1 diesel than it would to maintain a whole fleet of gas powered lawn/garden tractors. You can sell the other 3 gas powered tractors to help defray some of the cost.

The downside is that a small sub-compact diesel tractor is very expensive compared to buying a lawn/garden tractor.

 

[Molerj]

It sounds to me like a good deal. The cheaper tractors can't be abused as much as a more expensive one, but if they are taken care of should last for a long time.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

The folks up the road has a Yard Man. She mows faster than I have ever seen anyone mow and grinds up things I didn't know you could grind with a mower.

It's been 7 years now. It is starting to show it's age.

Moral of the story: if you take care of the equiptment and teach those who use it to take care of it, it will last a while.

I do agree with buying a heavier piece. The Diesel will, as said, save a lot of money on fuel. You just have to train the ones who use it and don't let it get loaned out. A CUT with a Front End Loader and a 3 Point would do so much for your Church.

 

[slowrev]

I would say to go with the Yardman rider or something similiar. I have had good luck with yardman stuff. About 8 years now on a Yardman self propelled walkbehind and still going strong. No repairs other than routine maintenance.

As to the fuel savings mentioned if you bought a diesel tractor. Well you would save some money, but it would take many years to use the fuel savings to offset the additional cost of the small diesel tractor.

Of course if you have other uses for a small tractor around the church, then it might be worth the extra expense. Of course many church members might want to borrow the tractor too /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
This could be bad from a liability and abuse standp

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Regarding the Diesel versus Gas as a fuel saver, I did not mean to imply that switching to diesel will save in fuel over gas. I was trying to point out that 1 diesel engine is cheaper to maintain that 4 gas engines, and that is more than a fuel savings issue, it goes to plugs and tune-ups and all sorts of things that have to be maintained on 4 tractors versus just one slightly larger more heavily built unit. I also tried to point out that a sub-compact diesel is a lot more expensive than lawn tractor but might be more useful in other ways and much more durable too.

Sorry if my earlier post caused confusion on the fuel issue. There is no way that saving 10 or 20 cents a gallon on diesel will ever pay for the cost of the added diesel engine in a lawn tractor. The cost savings will come in multiple way, not the least of which is the longevity of the heavier built equipment.

I suppose it could also be easily argued that going up from a Yard Man (built by MTD as their mid-price/mid-quality brand) and upgrading to a Cub Cadet (built by MTD as their premium price/premium quality brand) could also be used as substitute where 1 large Cub "garden" tractor could probably replace all 4 smaller lawn tractors. With the virtually zero maintainence of the drive shaft on the Cub, versus the belt drive of the Yard Man there would be a little bit of savings on that one point alone. But you'd still (very likely) have a gas engine (but I believe Cub does offer a diesel in one of their garden tractors) and you'd have a heavier, more durable frame than the Yard Man, etc. However, it is doubtful that the best lawn or garden tractor is going to be as durable as a sub-compact diesel. I was simply trying to point out that fact and that he might want to consider it.

 

[Carl in CT]

I did not have good luck with the Yard Man I had for two years but it was a lawn tractor, not a garden tractor (I didn't know Yard Man made a true garden tractor). It was a gift from my in-laws when they stopped mowing their own lawn. My tractor was laid up with a bum Kohler Command motor so I was very grateful to have it and it was not too bad to use. It was almost new when I got it and after two years of mowing while dragging my 235 pounds up and down my hills the transmission was shot (not a hydro but one of those that work like one with the forward and reverse pedals and variable drive). The mower deck was literally coming apart in pieces, more than once I found myself with the sawzall chopping off chucks of metal that had broken loose and were hitting the blades. The Briggs 20hp motor was still fine, ran really well and the seat and tires/wheels were still good, that's about it.

I think it really matters who will be using it, what terrain they will be usinig it on and most importantly who will be maintaining it. I do a lot of work around my church too and some of the tools and equipment they have, well I just have to shake my head at they way they are treated. People want to help which is great and they mean well, most of them just don't know any better. I'm big on the theory of pay more for quality now, less for repairs/replacement later. You come out ahead and you get to use a much nicer piece of equipment or tool. When you are talking about equipment that might be abused and/or not maintained properly it becomes hard to decide if the extra cost of quallity will be wasted because it will be trashed anyway or will the extra cost pay off even more becuase it can stand up to the abuse better.

As far as the Cub Cadets someone mentioned, I have heard that the shaft drive on newer ones do not use regular universal joints like the older ones did and they are not nearly as reliable and very expensive to repair. That is just what I heard so take it with a grain of salt, I'm just saying find out before you buy one if you consider a Cub Cadet (and let us know what you find out if you do). With a hydro transmission I don't think there is much stress on the drive belt anyway since it is really just spinning the hydro pump, not trying to drive gears directly connected to the wheels. I have never had an issue with a belt driven hydro, even at 235 pounds going up hills for 13 years. I'm not a mechanic that's just my personal observation.

The price sounds pretty good on that Yard Man though so it's a tough decision. If mine was a heavier duty garden tractor with a beefier, hydro transmission it probably would have held up better. If people use the one you are looking at and maintain it properly it will probably be OK for a few years but I still wouldn't expect to get 10 years from it. Heck, if you only got 5 years from it that's only $320 per year which I don't think is too bad. Anything beyond that is gravy.

I wish you the best of luck and good for you for being willing to help out at your church, that's a blessing to others that you will surely be blessed for too.