Lawn Tractor
 

I want to get one of those riding mowers that can haul a cart/wagon and a snow blade
We have 20.acres with about 3 acres to be mowed. We need help choosing one that will be good for us. The boys at home depot didn't have a clue any help or advice would be welcome. Thanks - Thea

we were in the same position 4 yrs ago. moved to acreage and mow about 3 acres and some trails through the pasture. We settled on a husqvarna 24 hp 54" deck mower and have not had one single issue with it. Plenty of grunt to cut trails through my thick, tall, brome grass pasture and haul the largest garden cart we could find even full of firewood, rocks, manure, etc. Mows like a dream and save a ton of time over what it took to mow with the 42" tractor we had before.
have no idea how it would do with a blade though. Seems like it slips on grass and hills that are dew covered. pretty weak in reverse and cannot imagine pushing any snow with it.
I bought an old Bolens lawn tractor with snow blower and blade($500) for that job and it has the low end grunt to haul a 20' boat on trailer with no issues:-) and powers through snow and such no problem even though it is only 14hp.Hope this review helps some.

I second the husq.
bought one 26hp, 54" cut earlier this year. but sold it after 2 months (was too big for our yard and didnt get used very often at all)
but I used it to pull a 15 cuft trailer full of sod, dirt, stone, etc plenty of times
strong machine, that is for sure

We find its easier to keep a 54" mower with the deck (we also mow about 3 acres) just for mowing and we bought an old Sears Suburban garden tractor that doesnt have a deck for towing a garden dump trailer. We find having the two available like that is very handy and the old Sears GT gets used all the time and olny cost us $200.00.

I can tell you what not to get. Any MTD (I think that is right all I know is that they are junk junk junk.) mower and be careful they make them for John Deere and almost all brands out there. They are junk. oh did I say that.

I recommend a lawn tractor, not a mower. You will pay more for them but they are serviceable.

Be very careful. Most stuff out there is junk because of the economic times. And of course our friend China.

Ask what the weight limit for the lawn mower is and if it is made to up and down hills.

If they cant answer your questions don’t walk away Run!!!!!

We spent 1600 for a mower and it is junk after a few years. When I was a kid my dad bought a rider mower and it and I grew up together I used it since I was 7 or 8 till I went into the navy.

here is what i think would work http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...SKU22128&tM=HO

I would look for a good used john deere 318. I just saw a nice one for 900.00

If you scroll to the bottom you will find some info on the 318. You can get a 50 inch deck for them too.

http://www.weekendfreedommachines.org/300/model300.html

not to try to start an arguement, but, it is an old wives tale that John Deere mowers are made by MTD. not so. JD still makes their own. But yes, MTD does make many many brands.
thing that might suprise you is Cub Cadet is an MTD mower, and many people swear by them.
So is Troy Bilt, and yeah, I agree that the troy Bilts are junk.

Husqvarna isnt though, Husq use to have their mowers made by AYP, but several years ago, they completely bought out AYP so now they make their own. they also make Craftsman.

But saying all MTD mowers are junk is like saying all Fords are junk. Yeah, the Festiva was junk, but the GT500 wasn't

You say that a $1900, or so, MTD tractor is "junk" and recommend a John Deere, instead, which has a list price, of over $6000.

Is that a fair comparison? Is it a matter of getting what you pay for and what if someone cant afford an expensive tractor?

That a good prices if it's in nice shape and has a mower deck.

I have had one for 6 years. I paid a high price then (I thought), but I could probably sell it for more than I paid for it today.

Starts instantly (year round) and mows for hours. I wish I had 4 more 318's, stashed in the barn. :)

Love mine.

We've been using a Craftsman GT to mow 5 acres for about ten years now. I've broken about everything there is on that thing, but I'm hard on riding mowers. I currently have a piece of nylon string holding the hood on, a hose clamp holding one wheel spindle together and the footrests are rusted enough I can hardly put my foot down without it going clear through. It's been a good mower, just time to put it out to pasture. No problems with the engine whatsoever. B&S. Just keep the oil changed regularly, change the air filter and...top off the turn signal fluid every now and then. :p

Paul (the other P of PNP) is retired and does small-engine repair here on the farm. He sees a lot of them, good and bad. Just go to a reputable dealer (not a big box for pete's sake) and get a good USED trade-in of the same brand as their main line. You should buy from someone who can do repairs in the future when you really need them, or at least know where to get it fixed.

Please don't get a nice-looking piece of junk at a yard sale and expect to be able to get it repaired cheaply. Doesn't usually work that way.

Also I would suggest getting something one size bigger than you think you need because you will love it so much and use it more than you plan on. JDs are well-made but hard to work on. Our personal machines are old Bolenses and Cub Cadets. We mow with them, plow and blow snow (half-mile lane), have a little trailer for hauling hay in the winter, and lots more.

Peg

Wildwanderer, we started with a Poulan Pro 42" cut and with bagger for composting. The biggest complaint I've had with it is that it doesn't allow a tall enough cut AND going over banks it scalps, even with the anti-scalp wheels on the deck. I cut about 2-3 acres with it. This is it's fourth season and we have had hidden dangers that break spindles. Someday I'll add up the bills for repairs. Good mower.

We added a used White lawn tractor - 20hp with a PTO and 50" cut, which is great and sturdy. But the icing on the cake is the used pull behind finish mower - Ranch King by Swisher 60" cut. This setup is doing an additional 3-5 acres, but it goes so much quicker. We didn't know about the pull behinds initially but even so it would NOT have fit in the budget. http://www.swisherinc.com/trail_mowers.asp

For the snow blade I have no experience using it......... we have one, it's big and heavy, just getting it on the tractor looks like a nightmare.

I have an LA 150 and when I need parts I go to the local automotive parts store and buy parts for a MTD mower. They match part for part and cost 2/3 less than JD parts. All except the Oil Filter. Around 7.00 for a small filter. I am not sure if JD makes there own mower but all the folks around here say they are MTD

Yes the bigger lawn tractor grade type of mower is very expensive. I just can’t afford to spend 1600.00 every two to three years for a mower. It is my hope to keep someone else from getting taken. I am not cutting grass this year. Can’t afford a mower.

I bought a Craftsman YT4500 (made by Husqvarna) two years ago. It has a 26 horse Kohler engine, hydrostatic transmission a 54" cutting deck. I pull a wagon around much of the time with dirt, mulch, firewood, leaves, rocks, and water (to water trees and shrubs). My property is quite hilly. I'm around 240 lbs, so the 26 horse engine was the largest in the price range I could find. I read good stuff about this mower in Consumer Reports. I have had belt issues with it twice, and I wish Sears would employ Americans in their phone operations to make repair appointments, but aside from that it has been a great mower. I think I paid around $1700 for mine. I got the poly molded trailer that has no seams, so I can haul water in it. I would give this mower a thumbs up. I mow around four acres with it. I don't have a blade for mine, but they do make them...however I'd consider getting the snow thrower and snow cab they make for it.

I'd recommend you look for a Power King.They're not made anymore,but used ones are easy to find and tough as nails.I have a 1614 (16" rear wheels,14 horse motor) that has hydraulics and 3 point hitch,it'll pull a plow or disk all day.Snowblowers and blades are available as well as all kinds of implements.I believe the decks go up to 60" and I'm looking for a deck for mine.They'll even handle a front loader.Prices run from a few hundred to a few thousand,depending on degree of restoration and included implements.I wish I had a barn full of them.

A simple way to tell if you are buying or looking at a lawn mower or a lawn tractor is to look at the rear wheels if there are no bolts around the wheel hub it is a lawn mower (Light duty). If it has bolts around the hub it is a lawn tractor.

-If you can, find an older, well kept John Deere X475, X485, or X495. They have a liquid cooled Kawasaki V-Twin engine that puts out around 23-25 horses. Plus they have a PTO and a cast iron rear end/frame. I'd stay away from anything that the rear end and frame are basically stamped sheet metal. You can get away with buying cheaper, but durability is where it counts. Also with a Deere, it doesn't matter what model it is or how old it is. Any Deere dealer can get you the parts you're after if needed.

L8R,
Matt

We only have 8 acres and mow about 3 of it. We have a compact tractor, it's a John Deere 4310. We like it a lot and love all the different implements it runs. Those really come in handy. It's pricy but worth it in our opinion.

I cleared 5 acres with a used john deere 111. After 3 years I broke the deck, sold it, and they are still usung it. My new place came with a brand new Lowe's mower... toro or troy or something...less than 6 months into it, just mowing a yardn not a mountain...it sits in the repair shop and my grass is up to my knees.

If I had 20 acres and 3 to mow I would get a small old farm tractor with a belly mower. Farmall Cub, A, B, Allis Chalmers B, C, CA. Massey Harris, Minneapolis Moline, Oliver or Avery. They are built strong and will last for ever. And fun too....James

My neighbor gave me a Cub Cadet 1600 14.5 hp lawn tractor. Low end for sure. Cub Cadet and MTD wanted $60 for spindles ( No blades). I got em from Pat's Small Engines for $45 each (Oregon with blades) which are greasable, while CC and MTD's are not. The front wheel bearings are plastic bushings, not ball or roller bearings, so they must be kept greased. Actually, I got two front wheels and tires (Arnold) from Lowe's which i had to slightly modify to get them to fit right.The owners manual says to pull the rear wheels and grease the axles yearly and after destroying one wheel to get it off the axle, believe what they say. I got two MTD rear wheels from Lowe's for less than CC or TSC wanted. MTD belts are cheaper then CC belts. In a nutshell, the mower is a cheapo, but with some TLC and internet searching for parts, it is a viable machine. Of course if the transaxle goes or some other high cost item goes, and I can't get it at a good price new or used off the web, then it is a lawn ornament. CC dealer wants $9 for a can of CC paint while Lowe's has Valspar CC yellow and cream paint for $5 a can. Neither CC or Valspar exactly matches. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you are diligent about routine maintenence, then a cheapo could be a good choice. If not, then get something quality.

I have a Cub with a belly mower. Installing it and removing it each season is really tough at my age. I modified a rear Kub Klipper to run off the rear PTO and it works great. If one decides to do this, remember the Cub pto runs the opposite direction of regular 540 pto's and the pto shaft is spinning at engine rpm. My tractor was built in 1956, has no brakes to speak of, has to run slightly choked and has been running like this since I got in 1986.

I have an older MTD and love it. I also have a John Deere and Cub Cadet. The MTD is rated at a lower HP but still outmows and operates with fewer problems that the JD or Cub. Both the Cub and JD were bought new and are a pile of &^*% comparable.

Its not what you have but how old. The older stuff was built better. I had a MTD rototiller for 20 yrs plus. When it died I should have bought a new motor for it. Like a dummy I bought a new tiller, then another, then another and still have a piece of junk 5 yrs and 3 tillers later.

I sould have listened to this advice (that someone else gave me on HT) far sooner than I did. The old Sears Suburbans/STs/SSs from the late 60's and 70's are absolute beasts. They are snow plowing machines and can also pull a dirt plow, disc, cultivator, trailer no problem. They are all around 40 years old, so things do need work occasionally, (but so do newer machines) but they are simple to work on. They do not make most of the parts for them anymore so you either have to find a substitute or know one of the many people who maintain GT junkyards (or pay premium prices off of ebay, which is still cheaper than the parts store parts (for newer machines) most of the time). There were several other manufacturers of quality GTs from the same time period including Cub Cadet, John Deere, Wheel Horse, Bolens, MTD among others. But I prefer the Sears as they made the largest number of them and parts/attachments are pretty easy to come by. Here are a few pics and videos of mine in action. Just note that any GT you want to use for plowing snow/dirt is going to need extra weight (in the form of wheel weights, fluid in tires ect) and chains (or ag style tires):

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...gBamboo003.jpg

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...ay527/Z010.jpg

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...HaulingHay.jpg

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...n12Plowing.jpg

Absolutely Mike, I agree with you 100%. When we bought our place I ordered a new and expensive Dixon to be delivered so it would be here when we arrived and though it has a great engine (26 hp Kawasaki) and lots of bells and whistles I have had lots of things I have had to constantly repair, the quadrant steering is cheap and not very durable, I have had to replace the electric lift motor already and the frame flexes so much I am having to beef it up as its starting to develop cracks. The $200.00 1967 Sears Suburban 10 we use as a yard mule is still purring right along and is built like a tank. If I had a do over I would have bought an older mower (and a JD 318 would be close to the top of the list).

Lots of companies advertise and sell what they call Garden Tractors and though you can do some light ground engagement activites with them they really arent built strong enough for true ground engagement. One of our sons became another victim of the economy and is staying on the farm with us for awhile and we just got him a 1983 Murray 11 hp lawn tractor for $40.00 that runs great and cuts as good as my Dixon (just a smaller deck). It doesnt have the shiney paint like the Dixon but there is about a $2500.00 difference in price and for that...I could have foregone the paint.

You have a great looking Sears there Matthew. Ours is the best $200 we ever spent

http://i52.tinypic.com/106h374.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/309uczp.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/207uw43.jpg

And our newest $40.00 cream puff -

http://i51.tinypic.com/bjcp09.jpg

you guys are great thanks for the advice and pictures I think we need to change what we were lookng for, my dad will be able to work on it and is patient enough to teach hubby so we need to look beyond the shiny green machines. Thanks alot we appreciate the help - Thea

Oh man if money wasn't a little tight right now I would jump on it. If he still has it by the end of the summer I will buy it. Solid tractors.

May I reccommend that you try for a 3 blade mower of any brand. The 3 blade cutting system seems to do a better job of cutting. In our experience, you can run a 2 blade faster than it will cut cleanly.

We have a 3 blade JD [very old] with a very poor vaccumn bagging system. Frustrating to operate in our rainy climate, as it will plug at the drop of a hat.

Our newer 2 blade zero turn Toto, with a pull sweeper, runs over as many tough weed stems as it cuts. Of course the Toto operator, is a closet Tim the toolman jet propelled lawn mower man.

We mow about 4 acres, and that particuliar expense needs to stop.

What others have said, buy a garden tractor and not a lawn mower. What they sell at the big box stores are typically mowers, not tractors. Get a real frame, not stamped sheet metal. Also, think of your own weight. I weigh in at about 240 pounds, within a month of buying a $2600 Cub Cadet (MTD) back in the late 90's I was beefing up where the seat was attached to the sheet metal with some steel plate. I had an old Allis Chalmers garden tractor for a while, from the early 70's, that thing was great but getting parts was getting difficult. I finally bent the crankshaft and got rid of it. By far the best I've ever had is my current tractor, a JD GT245 with a 54" deck. Kawasaki motor and built very sturdy. I bought that used for a very reasonable price, I couldn't afford a new JD that would replace that model.

But, whatever you buy a 54 or 60 inch deck is pretty nice.