Your Lawn Tractor Recommendations

[salmonslayer]

I am looking at lawn tractors to mow about a 2 acre yard area on my farm (mostly level with some gentle slopes) and I have looked (on-line) at new John Deere, Craftsman, Husqvarna, Troy Built, Bolens, and Cub Cadet. The reviews on all of them are really mixed. One guy will say its the greatest machine alive and the next will post that it broke down after 2 hours of use. Lots of complaints about belts shredding, transmission woes, safety shutoffs etc.

I am looking for a machine that has a cast iron front axle, pressurized lubrication, and at least a 42" deck but I dont know whether dropping a couple grand on a new machine is worth it in light of all the problems I am reading.

Anyone care to share your recommendations or experience with your machine? I am particularly interested in your hp recommendations, durability, ease of maintenance, practicality, 1 cylinder or 2, and whether a hydrostatic transmission is worth the extra cost, is synthetic oil the way to go, are you just paying for particular brand names etc. This will be just for grass cutting and maybe for DW to tow a small garden trailer (I will have a larger tractor for dirt work).

I am almost to the point of just buying an old used mower every couple of years but I have had a separate savings account set aside for this purchase for a couple years now and I am finally able to buy something new. I take care of things mechanically and I want something to last but I just dont know if I am only being drawn in by the shiny paint!

[geo in mi]

Have you looked at Simplicity? I like mine, most of the bearings, deck parts, and blades use the same parts on all models, so availibility should be pretty good in the future. I also think I may look at the Husqvarna line next time--dealer near me with a complete repair shop for warranty work, and I like his attitude, too.

[Danaus29]

I've got a Toro zero turn but I paid more for it than any car setting in my driveway. I LOVE that mower! I've got less than an acre to mow but I just cannot do it with a pusher. The zero turn is easy to maneuver and it does a great job on the straight areas. I haven't used it to pull a cart yet but it is rated for pulling a small one. I can't remember all the technical specs. Dh wanted one that would hold up well and I would be able to work with. It takes me 45 minutes to mow what used to take all day with a pusher. We do have other lawn tractors but it hurts my shoulder too much to shift the lever for all the back and forth moving it takes to turn them.

[Callieslamb]

We have a cub cadet zero turn. It is great....but...you can't hook a wagon to it to haul other stuff around, which I think would work out better for me now.

[Ohiogal]

I've got the Craftsman lawn tractor (26 hp) model. I've had it about 3 years now, and the sole reason why I bought it was a 54" deck and the 26 hp. I have never regretted it - it gets some hard use on my farm, and yet, mows the grass around the house in surprising speed and comfort. The only problem I've had with it was when I ran over a branch that flicked the belt off of the transmission. I used my warranty and they came out and replaced it. I've got about 100 hours on mine, and I've even used it to drag crap in and out of the pastures. Very strong machine.

[Curtis B]

I have only really looked at comercial units, but I will second the toro zero turns. The ease of maintenance was allways big to me, and alot of machines are horrable to work on. The Toro's are easy to maintain, and when mine finally dies that is what I am getting.

[Cabin Fever]

I love my mower! But, you're gonna have to ask her how she likes her Cub Cadet.

[Macybaby]

Are you looking for a small tractor or a riding lawnmower?

I have a Craftsman that has held up pretty good (almost 10 years) but a bit over a year ago I got a Dixon zero turn. Now I have to fight my husband to mow the lawn - he use to leave it up to me as much as possible.

I have a bit more than 2 acres to mow, and once I got this machine I find I mow even more. It cost quite a bit but cuts 2 - 3 hours a week of the time I spend mowing, and I mow even more now.

This is one machine I wish I had bought years ago. Seriously, I love my Dixon. I do have a small cart I can pull behind it and a 30 gallon spray tank setup for weeds. Took a bit to get use to the zero turn but now if I need to use the Craftsman I feel like I need to get off and push the thing to make it go faster.

I tell my husband if he wants to mow, he can take out the 8' brushhog with the tractor and hit the back - the yard is mine to mow.

Cathy

[wwubben]

I have had a craftsman 6500 for three years now and would highly recommend it for your case.I bought the mulching attachment with it and I like that also.I think I paid about 2700 dollars for it at the time.

[WisJim]

our John Deere STX38 that we bought used 10 years ago or more does a great job for us with no repairs needed in that time. We mow yard, garden paths, orchard, paths through tree plantings, etc., with it and have only done regular maintenance, such as belts, blades, spark plug, and tubes in the tires.

But homesteaders shouldn't be mowing lawns, should they?

[ladytoysdream]

We have 2 acres and own a Kubota garden tractor.
We bought it a year old with a blower and the deck. We bought a blade for it about 3 yrs ago, for $ 1200. He uses the blade a lot and yes we have gotten our money's worth out of it.
It has a pto which was one feature he really wanted. He told me it should last 20 yrs or more. I told him it better
He had the money and we did paid cash for the tractor. He's still very happy with it. Thank goodness. We have had the machine 5 yrs now.

[Homesteadwi5]

I have the John Deere stx38 too,has been a great mower overall.Had some steering issues but other than that it's been great.

[salmonslayer]

Thanks for all the replies.

Have you looked at Simplicity?

I just took a look at their web site. They are a bit pricey but they really look well made and it looks like there is a dealer in Springfield.

Are you looking for a small tractor or a riding lawnmower?

I am looking for a garden tractor I think more than a lawn tractor. From what I can tell the garden tractors have heavier frames and even though it will be used primarily for mowing, I like the versatility that DW and the MIL can use it for various chores with their gardens and animals. Its one of the reasons I am not looking at the zero turn models.

But homesteaders shouldn't be mowing lawns, should they?

I have been informed that in fact they should and that it is my responsibility. If it was up to me I would just bush hog the place a couple times a year but the CEO nixed that idea. I just figure since I will be mowing I ought to have a skookum machine to do it with.

[gottahaveagoat]

Consider a Kubota. They cost a little more but keep in mind they do not break down as much. They keep there resale value too. We own a Kubota dealership (as well as other brands) we also sell parts and do service and this is one brand that you do not see come in very often with problems. If you pretty much do regular service on them they last forever. We have one that is 16 years old and mows my yard, sister in law and mother in laws and our business. We pretty much have only had to change oil/filters, sharpen blades etc to it and never have had a bit of problems with it. LOVE IT, even if I didn't sell them. If you have any questions about them feel free to pm me. Kubota Corp stands behind there products. Can't say this about all of our equipment brands.
If you get a chance you are welcome to check out our website. We have some used Kubotas right now. http://www.boothmachinery.com/

[Beeman]

With all of the foreclosures and loss of jobs there are some real deals out there on used mowers.

[james dilley]

The best lawn/garden tractor , I wish they still made was the Speedex brand. You can still find used ones. They are A decent servicable unit that lasts for decades. And yes they have tons of attachments for them too

[Darren]

I second the recommendation to look at a used Kubota. You'll get a diesel engine that will be running long after a gasoline engine bites the dust. The small older models of say 16 hp or so will be built far heavier than the sheet metal and pressed steel garden tractors you find today. You'll also get a rear PTO. Those 16 hp diesels ran 50 to 60" belly mowers. Try running a 60" belly mower with a 16 hp gasoline engine.

You can also get a loader for the Kubotas if you need something like that.

Another website to search for info on a small compact tractor is www.tractorbynet.com The website is the best source for that information.

[salmonslayer]

I have been busy checking out all the recommendations and sites! The Simplicity Legacy XL with diesel engine and FEL and the Kubota BX series with diesel and FEL would be my dream machines but boy they would be up around 15K. It actually brings up another dilemma, right now I am contemplating a garden tractor for mowing and other light duty tasks and a used compact tractor with a FEL for bush hogging, plowing, tilling etc. I could combine both budgets and get a new or fairly new subcompact tractor like the Kubota BX or Simplicity but would those actually be useful for mowing and are they durable enough for general farm utility tasks like post hole digging, plowing, FEL work etc?

I am really enjoying researching this and I am leaning towards a new smaller garden tractor in about the 3K or less range and then purchasing an older compact tractor with a FEL (I got about 6K set aside for that). Right now for the garden tractor I like the looks of the smaller Simplicity/Massey Ferguson and the Husqvarna though I still need to check out the Kubota GR series (I may have some questions for you Gottahaveagoat once I get my notes together).

I will warn you if you havent looked at some of these manufacturers sites lately you can eat up a lot of time dreaming. They all have a "build your tractor" feature and the list of options and attachments is amazing. I also found a bunch of videos on YouTube for each brand and in the case of Simplicity, it led me to sites where people collect and restore old Simplicity lawn tractors which led to old WheelHorse tractors...you get the picture.

3 months to retirement and our permanent move to the farm; we have been saving and dreaming of this for years and we are having a blast finally getting to this point. Thanks again for everyone's input.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

If it was up to me I would just bush hog the place a couple times a year but the CEO nixed that idea.

One of benefits of being a hermit, I am the CEO. I tend to agree with only mowing up around house and brush hogging everything else.

However after those idiot electric company people tried to burn down the neighborhood twice when restoring lines after big ice storm last winter, decided to mow late fall with lawn mower to have everything super short and no fuel for a fire to whip across my field like it could of with all the dead standing grass. And thats with an ancient Yazoo 19 inch push mower. Lot better in rough than any modern yuppie mower but still lot work with that small of a mower. Once a year though and its doable. Every week, no thanks.

If you really want riding mower and are bit handy and willing to do maintenance, then cheapest way is to look for bargain used machines and replace it when it goes to mower heaven. I've even seen some cheap genuine Honda riding mowers (not just Honda engine) though they dont stay on market long. John Deere mowers always go high even their cheapo crappo models. Must be something magic about that shade of green paint that makes people lose their common sense.

Really want long lasting and bargain, look for an old Farmall Cub (not cub cadet) with a Woods belly mower. Take care of that setup and it will last forever and the Cub engine is rebuildable. Allis and others made simular size tractors in that era just as durable if taken care of. Giving many thousand just to mow a lawn is pure nuts from my view point, but then I guess some people dont have to work very hard for their money.

[mammabooh]

We have a Steiner and absolutely love it. However, since they retail for about $13,000 new, we bought one that was a couple of years old from a commercial mowing service.