Your Lawn Tractor Recommendations

Actually, the Farmall "C" might be a better choice for rebuildability--it has sleeves, whereas the Cub does not.

Couple of very generic observations I've made and things I've learned over the years.

Front engine riding mowers don't have the traction that rear engine units do. The rear is too light, so the rear tires slip, and the front gets pulled down the slope by gravity. Much less a problem with far heavier garden tractors. Those do often times have enough weight on the rear to get traction.

A 10 hp single cylinder Kohler engine is more powerful than a 20 hp Vtwin Briggs. A Kohler (or Kawasaki) engine is far better than any Briggs or Tecumseh.

ZTR hydrostat steering is nifty nimble, but I can't make them go in a straight line for anything. From the combine down to the riding mower, I zig and zag as I go along.

A ZTR stuck in the mud or in a creek is a real bear to get out. Those little front idler wheels get stuck real easily.

Big decks are wonderful for large open areas, but trying to get around the house and between the clotheline and shed, etc; man, it just doesn't work well. The bigger the deck, the more hand mowing is required.

I don't shift very often, so hydrostat transmissions are a feature I don't find necessary. They are also expensive to repair, and many don't hold you back going down hills. Wee! That said, a foot controlled hydrostat transmission that I could shuttle between forward and reverse sure was fun.

The ability to attach implements is neat. Don't use it often, but I like it.

Yanmar equipment is rough and crude, but it sure is effective. And a heck of a lot cheaper than Kubota.

The bigger the tires, the better. Little tires get stuck in groundhog holes, big tires bounce right over the hole.

Ergonomics matter. If I'm going to sit on this thing, I want to be comfortable. Remarkable how many of them really aren't comfortable. Who came up with the idea that I'd like the steering wheel down between my knees?

You can find good tractors in any model and crappy tractors in any brand. It mostly depends on how you take care of them. You can take a good tractor and not take care of it and it will break down in 2 hours or you can take the same tractor and take care of it and it will last 3 or 4 years.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

We have a Grasshopper 720K with the 62 inch deck. We will never own a "lawn tracter" for mowing, they are a time waster and in efficieng. Witht he Grasshopper we can mow around and under trees, turn quickly, and have the deck cutting grass a greater percentage of our operating time.

To address the chore issue we added a hitch to the rear, now we can pull a small trailer and small dump wagon around the farm. We have even used it to move empty hay wagons when we were in a pinch.

Jim

I have 300 hours on a Husqvarna 26 hp 54" deck and really like it. Plenty of power to mow pasture grass and weeds to make ATV trails for the kids. Never had any breakdowns yet. I think these are the same tractors as the heavy craftsman series only in a diff color. Might check that to make certain though. The only negative of this tractor is the reverse seems very week to me but functions fine for what I need it for. Any further questions about this model feel free to ask me.

I have to agree with Ohiogal. We mow almost 6 acres...some with significant hills. I used to use a 36 inch Exmark walk behind (Metro). I still use it and it's a great mower, but my wife and I bought the Sears 26 horse with a 54 inch deck. My wife and I can cut the entire 6 acres in about 3 hours, working together, whereas it took me almost 11 hours when I did it by myself using the Exmark. Very dependable mower, pressurized oil, tight turning radius. I think we got ours for around $1,900(new) last summer. good luck

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"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow the fields of those who don't."-Thomas Jefferson

I've actually got the remains of a Farmall "B" out in fencerow. Somebody put smaller rear tires on it than you normally find on Farmall A/B/C models and yea it would make a decent garden tractor. Didnt come with an engine, so I was going to adapt drivetrain out an old Datsun 210 to power it. Use both Datsun engine and transmission to get rpms down to what the tractor needs. Just was never big priority so there it still sets.

As to sleeves, if block in good enough condition, any automotive machine shop can sleeve an engine. Last I heard around $80 a cylinder, who knows what it is now. But I know what you mean, the old farm tractors were made with factory sleeves and rebuild kits come with new OEM style sleeves as part of the kit. Kinda like rebuilding an old air cooled VW engine.

My point however is that the cubs and other simular tractors came with low rpm pressurized engines. Last much longer than air cooled lawn mower engines.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

As examples of the used Kubotas with mowers out there. BTW there's lots of these if you start doing searches with the different Kubota model numbers. You can find a 30hp (pto) L3710, compact, and 30hp B7800, sub-compact, out there. All of these have three point hitches which means you can use all kinds of attachments. An L3710 will also run a square bailer. I wouldn't try that with a B7800.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/lis...A&MDLGrp=B7800


http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/lis...A&MDLGrp=B7200

Gottahaveagoat, are you able to get parts for all older Kubota's? The dealers in this area do not want to speak to you if you aren't about to buy a massive new machine every time you walk in their door. I love our Kubota and would love to own another, but this problem with getting parts is really holding me back.

Happy with our JD 54"deck lawn tractor after almost 3 years. Taking better care of it though than other brands we've owned and broken. Got it from dealer not big box store.

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US Army veteran, military retiree spouse, and military; civilian; British NHS; and VA doctor.

Small Kubota or John Deere 750 or 850 (Yanmar).

While a FEL is nice, one can do a bunch of things without one. Sure does lower the price...

What do you own? Happy to help you get parts. If you know your part number I can let you know if I have it in stock. If not I can order them for you. If you don't have part number you are welcome to call our toll free number and ask for my parts man Darrell, he will find the part number for you. He is a great guy. If you ever need sales or just want to price something Rick can help you with that. Happy to help any way we can.

Good point John, money is certainly an issue for me and I really like the looks of the old Farmalls and Ford 8ns and you can pick them up for 2 or 3 K in pretty good shape still. My concern though would be my wife and MIL being able to functionally use them. But that is still an option I am considering.

Foxtrapper, you brought up some interesting points. I have always liked and thought of the Briggs and Stratton being a more long lived engine but I do understand that a HP rating is far different from being able to put that HP to effective use.

Darren, I like those Kubotas and that is something we are also considering, i.e., instead of a garden tractor and a utility tractor, just getting a compact or sub-compact tractor that has a FEL and can cut grass. I am also not particularly wedded to gas or diesel and would consider either.

Thanks for all the input.

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www.salmonslayer-simplelife.blogspot.com

why I suggested a Cub, they are one of smallest "real" tractors ever made in USA. Maybe old Allis G simular size, but cubs are plentiful, G's bring crazy prices. Farmall As and Cs little bigger but plentiful (B's kinda rare) as are Allis B's and C's. John Deere "M" also a mini as is Massey Harris "Pony". I liked the Pony but its not super plentiful. Then there was something like Power King? also a heavy duty mini, though it used like 12hp Kohler engine. Of course take look at the mini Japanese tractors of simular size. Some of the older ones cheap, especially the rarer gasoline engine ones. Japanese tractors or cars have poor parts availability after they go beyond what the manufacturer considers a normal life span. Easier to find parts for antique American tractor than say late 60s, early 70s Japanese.

Cubs do have idiosyncracies. If I remember seems like pto turned reverse to everything else and the hydraulics can pick up a belly mower but not much else. No 3 point hitch either though I suppose one could be added along with a more powerful hydraulic pump.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

The rules say you can, as long as the livestock get the first shot at it. I then mow about a 30 foot square every night with a push mower with bagger, then throw that to the cows. I am being tempted toward a riding mower/bagger, but then I'd probably have to buy a treadmill to go with it to get some walking in.

Doesn't everyone mow their lawn like this?

I have been using our 92 John Deere 318, with a 50" mower for 3 years now. The only problem we have had, was the engine valve seats coming loose, which was common in some Onan brand engines. About a $240 fix 2 years ago.

The tractor starts instantly and mows for hours without a sneeze. It's hyrdraulic drive, with external hydro ports, for implements. We have the 4-way 54" front blade. The biggest downside for these tractors, are that since they are valued by collectors, any attachment to fit them is sky-high.

It also has power steering, something that no garden tractor should be without.

I am cheap. I go to rural king and buy their brand in a 42 inch cut with hydrostat for about 1300 bucks. Change the oil and park them in a shed and we get about 7 years out of them mowing over 1/2 acre and our son using it to mow a little less than 1/2 acre. Never had to have one worked on. The best solution if you have room is to fence it and run a couple lambs on it. Cuts your grass and you get some tasty lamb chops.

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Dear Math, it is time you grew up and solved your own problems.

When we first moved here some 19 years ago, we started out with a used lawn mower from Simplicity. It served it's purpose but we wanted something with a bigger deck so mowing wouldn't take so long.

So we bought a brand new Cub Cadet lawn tractor. It worked great - for the first year or two - and then it turned into the lawn tractor from HELL! That thing would not start or would break down at least three times a year.

I'm not a handy man in any way, shape, or form - and the repairs were always MAJOR repairs, no simple, cheap fixes for it. After dealing with this Cub Cadet piece of CRAP for years and it wouldn't start yet AGAIN, we said "That's it!" and went out looking for new mowers.

We wanted something that would last, something that would start EVERY TIME we needed it to, and something yet again bigger. (We have steep hills here.)

We ended up buying a Mahindra tractor with a pull behind finishing mower. This is our third year with it, and while it was expensive, it's also nice to know that we have a product that will work for us for the rest of our lives! And so far in year 3, we've had 0 trouble with it. ZERO!

I'm quite certain whomever bought our Cub Cadet piece of CRAP (we traded it in upon buying the Mahindra) is either cursing themselves everytime they try to mow with it, or else it's been scrapped.

Cub Cadet USED to make good mowers. They don't now!

And for those saying I got a lemon. I probably did. But my complaints to Cub Cadet went totally unheeded and I will NEVER deal with them again!

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

Old tractors like the Ford and others make awful mowers, IMO, if they do not have live PTO and hydraulics. You will be fighting to keep the mower blade turning and set at the right height, while constantly working the clutch.

Your DW and MIL, will have great forearms, from horsing the non-power steering for a couple of hours.

The 3K would be better spent on a used quaility garden tractor, with a decent sized mower deck, power steering and hydro drive. It is is well cared for, it should have many more years in it. JD, Cub and Kubota have some great models that would fit in this price range.

Yea thats my fear. I have been on several sites looking at compact tractors and sub-compact/garden tractors and I think I will buy the tractor and also get a relatively cheap used garden tractor or riding lawn mower to start.

All this internet searching has also brought me into the world of...golf carts for garden use. Maybe thats the way to go for DW and MIL to tool around the property (UTVs are way to expensive for my tastes), they could even ride in it together.

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www.salmonslayer-simplelife.blogspot.com