Buying Advice Which Lawn Tractor is the best to buy?

[Soundguy]

yep.. oil, changes, filter servicing.. plug cleaning.. belt sharpening tires.. deck cleaning.. etc..e tc.. all it takes is a lil maintenance to keep em going.

i went over to a horse buddies ouse one time to hog his parsture.. i noticed a ford 1220 and 4' hog in his barn.. 1 tire flat.. etc. I asked him what was wrong with it.

he said he hadn't ran it in years.

I changed the tar int he crankcase and put a filter on it that i found that fit from the auto store.. put some utf flid in it since it had leaked out from a quarter sized hole in an axle housing where he backed into something ( i cleaned and patched with epoxy stick ).. drained fuel strianer and cleaned.. blew out air filter.. aired tires.

asked him when he got it.. NEW in 1984 I asked him when it last had it's oil changed.. same answer.. when NEW in 84 (sheesh! ).

i got it started.. it smoked a bit but not terrible. probably form no servicing for 20ys.

anyway... he helped me mow his pasture.. ( oh yeah.. put dome oil in his ford 951 4' mower.. it was near dry after 20ys of setting...

 

[canlis]

I have owned a Snapper 8hp rear engine rider mower for 28 years and it finally went bad on me. I am currently shopping around for a new lawn tractor to mow 3/4 acre yard which is primarily all flat. Thus far I have looked at entry-level Snappers, John Deere,and Husquvarna. However, in reading some user reviews, it appears that these brands have had a number of reliability and durability problems ranging from engine,transmission,belt breakage/slippage,poor deck welding, and poor manufacture support. I understand that Toro is now produced by MTD instead of wheelhorse and as a result quality has suffered. Can someone suggest a brand to buy because it seems that all of the above have some issues. I need your help. I initially was thinking that maybe I should stick with the Snapper products but it appears that now they are owned by Briggs and Stratton, they too have suffered from poor quality .Thank you!

In talking with a landscaper who has been in the mowing business for over 30 years, it is his opinion that a Zero-Turn Riding Mower would offer more durability/reliability than the current generation of lawn tractors. He said I should look for a Zero-Turn that is for homeowner use and not the commercial version because that would be too expensive. I know that both Snapper and Simplicity offer entry-level models in the $2500-$2700 range and other brands must have something as well in this range. Please offer your feedback regarding these Zero-Turns. Thanks for your help!

 

[Soundguy]

wow.. 2600 (avg) entry.. that's more than 3 economy riders.. if you can get 10-15 ys out of an economy rider, banking the rest of the money to make ( 1% ? ) interest between purchases.. I think I'd rather go economy rider.. and get a new one 3 times in 30-40 ys.. gvs 1 ztr that is gonna likely be as ragged out as the rider in 15ys.. and be out more $$ to boot, and still have more years of mowing to do.. but having exhausted all the $$ first.

maintenace is the key. I just swung my 14yr ( just verified .. was guessing before ) murray from my laoder for a full deck cleaning and lube and steering lube and blade sharpening. deck is getting worn.. but still good. she's on her 4th set of blades and 2nd or 3rd batter and oem drive belt, but has had the deck belt repalced oem tires.. but they have a few plugs and FAF in them. yearly oil and filter and plug service. so far I estimate cost of ownership at 71$ per year if my records are correct.

soundguy

 

[JoeinTX]

Gotta agree. I bought a cookie-cutter Troy Bilt Pony built by MTD at Lowes 6 years ago for $1k and the thing won't die. Regular oil changes, new belts and blades, good wash after every use and it just mows and mows and mows. I've never changed the plug on it but the B&S motor runs just like it did new.

I mow around 40 acres a year with this rider and I'm regularly sawing through stobs and branches and launching rocks with it. Anyway, I don't think $5k on a riding mower is a great idea. If you take care of things, the average Lowes/Home Depot/Tractor Supply/Wal Mart/Sears rider can do a lot of mowing for minimal purchase dollar if you take care of it. If they were so horribly bad, then the market would have killed them by now. They haven't been, so, I must think they have some quality and value to them.

 

[Fordiesel69]

I know you say you need to buy new, but I have very familiar with Wheel Horse and even when buying a used one, they can and will last us forever. Anything can be fixed or rigged should parts become NLA. It was overbuilt, buy also over simple. So John Deere and Cabcadet may have been built more durable, but they are also overly complicated so when they break, it can be a nightmare to repair.

I would never buy any of the retail garbage tractors today. I watched a heavy guy sit on one at home depot and it sounded and looked like it was going to break.

I also owned a scotts 18HP hydro and it was one of the "cookie cutter" pieces of crap. Within a few yrs the spindles siezed up, the belt broke by bad design, the engine pulley cracked and was a wreck to replace, the linkage for the parking brake got bent just by setting it and required hours to take apart, and also the plastic steering column cracked away from the tractor body. It required me to rivit some metal around it and even though I took my time it still looked hacked up. Battery terminals fell apart, and the wire going to the solenoid was too small which made the starter weak and ate up solenoids every 2 yrs. Engine was an opposed twin briggs and was the best part of the tractor.

Take the time and find a nice 1990's wheel horse with a kohler magnum that is 12HP or better and an 8 speed manual shift tranny and if it is in near mint shape, you will have it until you die...............

I still have a 1965 model 875 and although I have rebuilt the little 8HP twice, and welded one spot of the frame it still is perfect and cuts grass well to this day..... Just normal routine stuff done to it.

 

[canlis]

Out of all of the research that I have done based on the good feedback that I have received from all of you, I believe I will purchase a lawn tractor from either Snapper or Simplicity. The Snapper models that I am considering are: Snapper LT2342(23 hp),Snapper LT2446(24hp),Snapper SPX2042(20hp), Snapper SPX2246(22hp). The Simplicity model is the Regent or Regent Ex.It appears the other brands especially if they are sold at both the Big Box/dealer stores and made by MTD, seem to have many reliability/durability problems whereas Snapper/Simplicity tractors seem to hold up better over the long run. Can anyone provide feedback on this based on your experience? Thanks

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

this last year Cub Cadet came out with a dealer version of the lawn tractors. The model numbers end in KW. They are $150 more than their box store counter parts, but have a better KAW engine, Tuff-Torque transmissions, and a nicer seat. We've been pretty impressed. Its nice to see a mower that does not have the pricing pressure of the box store enviroment.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have found that the weak points on the entry level mowers are the tranny,steering,deck and front end. If you have a flat lawn, they tend to do fine. Hills,ruts and tree roots will send them to an early grave.

 

[Gittyup]

You want the "best"? Answer is JDX749. Best used JD455 AWS.

 

[MtHam]

I've read that most of the big box mowers are made by MTD. My MTD tiller ( new ones today are still basically the same) died (drive train) and I attempted to repair. I concluded it was basically designed to be not repairable. I will stay away from anything made by them. I am currently looking to buy a used Kubota mower as I believe a new $1800 mower will be junk by comparison.