need advise for a garden tractor

critterluv · #1 02/11/09, 11:14 AM

Ok, I had posted a gelding of mine on greigslist for sale or trade I got a response and these are the ridding mowers she is offering

1.) a Sears Surburban Mower...it is great for Pulling stuff around the house (most people turn these into Pulling Tractors for Tractor Pulls)it comes with a blade attachment for front...it runs and Plows and Pulls Good...asking $200

2.) have a Montgomery Ward with Mower Deck (45") I think is what I measured last time I measured...it will run & Mow fine..it is a pretty tough lil tractor too...$200

3.) a John Deere 68 Rear Engine Mower Cute Fast and Zippy Mower Works Drive Fast and Mows good...asking $300

These are Working Mowers NOT your City Lifed Prissy Looking Mowers these mowers have been used and well taken care of instead of sat in a garage and only taken out to mow a 1/2 acre lot...LOL

I am interested in something I can Use multiporpose, mowing, tilling, plowing snow, and pulling a cart with a bale or 2 of hay in it.

What would you think would be the best for what im looking for? I know Ill have to buy attachments so keeping that in mind how easy is it to find atachments for these?

Thanks Kimberly

PyroDon · #2 02/11/09, 12:30 PM

Out of those listed The sears .
we had a 67 sear 12 HP it was the only "tractor" we had for many years
as long as the tranny is in good shape its worth using.
you may not be able to find a lot of the attachments anywhere other than ebay. There were a ton of attachments though everything from dethatchers to a loader. the mower decks are heavy duty and can easily be rebuilt (they have more metal in the deck than most new lawn tractors do in the whole body)
with the three point option you can plant and cultivate a good sized garden .
we did about two cares worth.
I personally wouldn't waste my money on any of the New small lawn tractors . You'd have to go up to a medium sized or "utility" tractor to come close to the working ability of an old sears,cub,wheelhorse,or JD

critterluv · #3 02/11/09, 08:26 PM

Whats the minimum hp needed for just around the farm garden tractor work? what would be the biggest size engine I could put in one? Sorry im a newbie looking for my first "tractor"

EDDIE BUCK · #4 02/11/09, 11:23 PM

This site will tell everything there is to know about gardentractors,http://www.simplicityva.com/page-4.html I THINK

.......Eddie Buck

PyroDon · #5 02/11/09, 11:37 PM

In my opion the older "garden tractors" could do more with 8 HP than the new "lawn tractors" can with 25hp.
That is based on comparing the pulling power between a 2002 DGT6000 craftsman with 23 hp and a 1971 johndeere 110 with 11 hp .
with 4 ft blades on the front pushing gravel the craftsman doesnt have the guts where as the old JD will push right on through. in a hitch to hitch tractor pull the JD will drag the craftsman like its not even there .

critterluv · #6 02/11/09, 11:55 PM

Thanks for the advise everyone. At least this will be one less mouth to feed and Ill get a toy out of the deal that is hopefully usefull. Think Im going with the sears one.

thanks again all.

cowboy joe · #7 02/12/09, 04:57 AM

I bought a Sears garden tractor with a 46" mower deck in 2001 and have since added the hitch, moldboard plow and a disk. I just checked the prices at Sears for the attachments...wow, did they go up in price. The plow alone is $430+. The tractor has plenty of guts and has been used to break sod for the gardens. Get a good set of tire chains as the turf tires are basically worthless by themselves with the ground attachments.

The tractor has seen many hours of use. Service wise there haven't been many issues other than wearing out a front hub and normal maintence. Suprisingly, Sears doesn't carry the belts any more. On the up side, I've been able to find what I need on the internet for less than half of what I paid at Sears when they did carry the belts.

BTW, Sears has two versions of tractors:
- lawn tractor - light frame, not meant for pulling attachments (I'm not sure if the hitch kit for the ground attachments will fit)
- garden tractor - heavy frame, with very low gearing in the tranny for plowing / pulling

foxtrapper · #8 02/12/09, 06:05 AM

Of those, I'd also go with the Sears. Though none of them are what I'd really want, particularly for plowing and such.

The Deere 68 is a toy. Tiny front grocery cart wheels. Able to get stuck in mouseholes.

The Wards might be comparable to the Sears, but if it's rough, it's no gain.

The Sears could be one of the old tough machines. But with the engine up front, the weight is not where you want it for traction (unless you're reared up on the rear wheels, pulling a sled). But of the three, it's probably the best. Much less so if it's a later Muray unit.

Honorine · #9 02/12/09, 07:00 AM

Sears Suburban, if its one of the old ones. We have two, one is a workhorse, the other is pristine with all the attachments, its collecter material, and is in storage. We buy and sell garden tractors and parts, if you want a really tough garden tractor you want a Bolens large frame, we have three and you can do a lot with them. Something you might want to try and find for your Suburban is rear wheel weights and tire chains, will improve your traction and pulling power. Its actually not all that hard to find parts and attachments for the old Suburbans, they made a lot of them, easier than finding Bolens parts.

kruizeag · #10 02/12/09, 09:37 AM

My first farm tractor was a Sears Suburban SS14 I got for free. I pulled a 12in one bottom plow with it going 8 inches deep. It plowed my 1/2 acre garden with ease with 100lb wheel weights. I sold it and bought a JD 110. I swapped in a 13hp motor. It does the same job with less rpms and fuel use. Check out www.weekendfreedommachines.com. Its a group of people that use their garden tractors. Some even have loaders on them.