Recommendations for first lawn tractor

[tman77]

I have just over a half-acre yard.

I wanted a tractor with the following specs:
Hydrostatic, 42 inch cutting deck, foot pedal, and if possible V-Twin engine, because I've heard they are smoother and generally offer more power.

My yard has several trees, and only a couple of slopes, mostly flat. I may aerate and mulch, but doubt I'll ever bag

I've found 3 tractors that meet most or all of these requirements:
John Deere LA135
Craftsman YT4000 (husqvarna makes them)
Cub Cadet LTX 1042 (Its the only one that is a single cylander).

Of the requirements, I'm least set on the V-Twin. I mowed the yard with my fathers 42 inch hydrostatic Cub Cadet that is about 4 years old, and it did fine and its got a 19 hp single cylinder engine. I didn't really notice any issues with it being rough or having troubles getting up the slopes.

I'm looking for recommendations of these 3 tractors. All 3 are priced in the $1500 to $1700 range, with the Deere being most expensive, but I've got 10% off coupon for it, so really its a wash.

I would post on a brand specific thread, but it would take 3 posts.

Thanks in advance,
Taylor

 

[JoeinTX]

Taylor, save yourself 1/3 or more of that money and just get one of these:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_288803-270-...URL=/pl_Riding+Mowers+_4294821016_4294937087_

I've been cutting a one acre lawn/lot with one of these every week for the last 4 years. I have rocks, gravel, stobs, steep inclines, etc and it's been a fantastic mower. I just replaced the drive belts and I've gone through about 6 sets of blades (I do have a pretty rough little acre but then I discovered the Severe Duty blades and I'm still on my first set.)

The brands you mention above simply aren't worth the extra cost.....they do not cut grass any better or last any appreciably longer justifying the additional cost. Seriously. They have shades of paint that are trendy and recognizable for the novice. That's pretty much all. None of them are "tractors".......they are lawn mowers that you can ride on.

 

[American Bulldog]

Don't know what you plan on doing with it besides mowing, but the zero turns are much better cutting machines. They have ZT mowers at Home Depot and Lowes that are in the same price range.

 

[LBrown59]

I have just over a half-acre yard.

I wanted a tractor with the following specs:
Hydrostatic, 42 inch cutting deck, foot pedal, and if possible V-Twin engine, because I've heard they are smoother and generally offer more power.

My yard has several trees, and only a couple of slopes, mostly flat. I may aerate and mulch, but doubt I'll ever bag

I've found 3 tractors that meet most or all of these requirements:
John Deere LA135
Craftsman YT4000 (husqvarna makes them)
Cub Cadet LTX 1042 (Its the only one that is a single cylander).

Of the requirements, I'm least set on the V-Twin. I mowed the yard with my fathers 42 inch hydrostatic Cub Cadet that is about 4 years old, and it did fine and its got a 19 hp single cylinder engine. I didn't really notice any issues with it being rough or having troubles getting up the slopes.

I'm looking for recommendations of these 3 tractors. All 3 are priced in the $1500 to $1700 range, with the Deere being most expensive, but I've got 10% off coupon for it, so really its a wash.

I would post on a brand specific thread, but it would take 3 posts.

Thanks in advance,
Taylor

These are basicly 3 of a kind all for nearly the same money .
Just pick out the one you like best.

 

[dmay]

I have just over a half-acre yard.

I wanted a tractor with the following specs:
Hydrostatic, 42 inch cutting deck, foot pedal, and if possible V-Twin engine, because I've heard they are smoother and generally offer more power.

My yard has several trees, and only a couple of slopes, mostly flat. I may aerate and mulch, but doubt I'll ever bag

I've found 3 tractors that meet most or all of these requirements:
John Deere LA135
Craftsman YT4000 (husqvarna makes them)
Cub Cadet LTX 1042 (Its the only one that is a single cylander).

Of the requirements, I'm least set on the V-Twin. I mowed the yard with my fathers 42 inch hydrostatic Cub Cadet that is about 4 years old, and it did fine and its got a 19 hp single cylinder engine. I didn't really notice any issues with it being rough or having troubles getting up the slopes.

I'm looking for recommendations of these 3 tractors. All 3 are priced in the $1500 to $1700 range, with the Deere being most expensive, but I've got 10% off coupon for it, so really its a wash.

I would post on a brand specific thread, but it would take 3 posts.

Thanks in advance,
Taylor

Glad to hear your not asking for what 35hp tractor w. cab is best suited for your 1/2 acre. :laughing: Honestly I would pick the brand that offers the best local parts and service choice. Many retail department or home building stores sell but do not offer any service. So you buy a Cub Cadet or John Deere at the box store but have to seek parts and service elsewhere. If I was interested in Cub Cadet or John Deere I'd visit my local dealer and say, I'll do business with you if you match the retail store price. Of your choices mentioned I favor Sears. They usually have a local parts and service center, plus their entire riding mower line is currently on sale:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/c_10153_12605_Lawn+&+Garden_Riding+Mowers+&+Tractors

 

[VABlue]

Can't really go too wrong to cut 1/2 acre on a rider... Its small enough that you won't unduly stress the machine, even with mulching and pulling a cart/dethatcher/areator/etc... I had an 18hp Craftsman hydro (new = ~$1200) for ~8 years with no problems whatsoever. I beat the living crap out of that machine - seriously - and now my neighbor owns it. It still cuts fine and has plenty of power.

In short, don't stretch your budget too far. Pretty much any machine will handle your lawn and work well for you.

 

[k0ua]

I have the JD 135, and love it. I had a cub 1040. that has the shift on the go, and sold it. not good on extreme hills we have.(having to shift for reverse was not good) would have been a good flat land mower. but you mentioned the 1042 which is hydro so no problem there. The cub turns sharper, again not so good on hills, can get you into trouble, but again maybe a nice feature on flatter land. Also Cub was a little light in the front end, wanted to scub tires sideways on hill turns. Both worked well from a cut standpoint. Both seemed heavy enough in the deck, with maybe the cub a little heavier. JD has smoother engine, V-twin that you mentioned. Sure like the JD. Time will tell on how long she holds up. I bought from a Dealer same price as lowes.
Oh and the cub has a little better thought out Reverse Safety Switch, but you know that may or may not be a problem for you
my 2 cents, hope that helps a little
James
K0UA

 

[travis potter]

I vote for Snapper. Its simple easy to use and I have had very good service with one. The first one cut 3 acrs for 8 years. Moved from La. toTexas and Left it with freinds. The one we now use has cut 2 + acres for the last 8 years and is still going strong and we have lots of rocks and sticks to cut. It still has the same drive belt ( only 1 ) and the simplest transmision on the market.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I vote for the Deere. I have an L118 and whenever i need parts, i can just go down to Deere and get one. I dont know abou the other 2 brands but John Deere has good parts availability.:thumbsup:

 

[tsteahr]

I vote you shop the dealer. Specifically the parts and service department. These mowers are all very similar. Differences between the machines is like comparing a Big Mac vs. a Whopper. I would suggest you make your choice based on the most available service department. Three years from now, on a Saturday afternoon when you are in a rush to get the grass cut and something goes pop, you want to be able to drive over to the shop and be able to talk with the repair tech. It won't help you if the only response is to take your name and make an appointment.

Just today I went through something similar with my Stihl trimmer. I had it in for service, got it back and it was not quite right. Called them back just before closing and they said "Bring it back down, we'll be closed but come around back, we'll still be here. We'll figure it out." It turned out to be a intermittent coil problem. Not totally obvious to track down. They had a new coil, put it in and I was back up and running. The tech said go out back and run it for a bit. When you are satisfied we'll all go home.

That type of service department is it what you should look for, IMHO. The color of the machine does not really matter.