Buying Advice Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor....

   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #1  

GaryFr

New member
Joined
Feb 2, 2013
Messages
8
Location
Riverwoods, Illinois
Tractor
Honda
I am actually here looking to help out my husband who is trying to decide on what to buy to replace the sorry excuse for a lawn tractor that he has (my opinion)...lol. Around 1999 he purchased a honda riding mower with an attachment for snow throwing. It did seem to be a good machine until it began to eat the belts at an alarming rate. Every season, he is in the garage taking the darned thing apart to change the belts. I feel that this is happening way too often and I feel badly for him having to spend so much time and energy swapping belts. It seems that each time he changes them he is able to either mow or remove snow once or twice before he smells the familar rubber burning aroma.
I am all for just getting rid of this "lemon" and buying something else to make his life easier.
We are just not sure what to consider. We only own a 1 acre property with a rather large driveway. This particular Honda snow thrower attachment is very difficult to swap out. He spends hours on just the swap out.
Does anyone have any thoughts on which tractor has the best and easiest snow thrower assemby?
I don't think that we need to consider the larger models since it is only a 1 acre property but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts on just what you would do in this situation.
Thanks so much for your help with this. I do think that I have found a wonderful place to get answers from actual users of these machines so thanks for any thoughts you may have.
Are any of you familiar with the summer to winter attachments and which ones are the best and easiest?
I'm sorry that I am not all that familar with terminology so I hope I made my question clear.
A loving wife in Illinois.. *s*.
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #2  
:welcome: to TBN!!!
I've almost never seen snow, so can't help.
But, your description of the problem and your various needs will surely get you some good info. Seems you are a great asset to your hubby and a supporter...yep, behind every good man is a great wife!!
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #3  
You could look at the John Deere X700 series of tractors. Or you could look at a subcompact in the JD, Kubota or Massey Ferguson(like the one you see in my avatar), you can get Front End Loaders(FEL) on them and throw away the wheelbarrow.
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #4  
i replaced my mowing belt on my john Deere and wasn't 15-20 minutes the belt was shot retraced the routing and i made a mistake,installed a new belt correctly never had a problem in the last 5 years.have a diagram with you and check it twice.
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #5  
Just some general advice. You can find equipment in all size and price ranges. Skip over the "riding lawnmowers" you see at the big box stores like Home Depot, etc. They might be OK if all you had was mowing, but you also want to handle snow removal and that makes it a bit more of a challenge. As others have said, John Deere makes some excellent equipment for what you want to do. Again, the John Deere stuff you see at Home Depot is not what you're looking for, so you'll need to visit a real John Deere equipment dealership. And it doesn't sell for bargain prices either. There are some other brands (Simplicity, for example) that reportedly offer good equipment also, so it pays to do some shopping. The higher quality equipment should hold up well if given good care.

By the way, if that old Honda has held up for 14 years, you probably can't really call it a "lemon", but it is probably due for a replacement. Good for you for thinking of him!
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #6  
Sounds like theres more to the belt issue...He should get more than 2-3 mows b4 burning up a belt. I'm thinkin a pully or idler is locking up. Or as said in earler post he's not routing it correctly.
Might want to take it to someone and have it checked out.

But if you do decide to go new, DONT go to a big box store. Go to a dealer that can answer any Q you ask, and spec a unit for your needs.
Also any Issuse u may have, the dealer has the staff to fix. The box stores only sell, they send stuff out to get fixed, so you really dont know whos going to be
working on your equipment. Good luck
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor....
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Hi guys. I must say that I am very very thankful for all of the replies that I have received. Thanks for taking the time to reply and all of your suggestions are good ones. We do have a John Deere dealer in the area and hubby has visited there to check out some things. I was just wondering if there were other units out that there that are equal in durability but maybe less expensive. I usually like to buy better and spend the money if it is for something longterm but one never knows what you get these days. They sure don't seem to make things the way they used to.
My husband is somewhat of a McGyver type and always fixes and does things himself. He's quite good at it too so that is why I wondered why the belt issue keeps occurring. Of course it is possible that he used generic belts and/or routed it incorrectly but that is just not like him so that is not usually my first thought. I hear ya on the big box store thing as I have heard over the years that even though they get brand name products, they are not the same really so I'm sure we'll just go to John Deere and be done with it.
I did ask him about just using a push type attachment as opposed to the snow blowing but he said that we sometimes get way too much snow for his comfort in just using that so we'll be looking for a tractor that he can get that attachment. Well that should serve us well until the lottery checks come rolling in, then we'll go somwhere tropical anyway...lol. It may not be a bad idea to just take the Honda into a dealer and pay to have it looked over as it is possible that there is something as stated like an idler or pully just out of line. That sure makes sense to me.
Ance again, thanks ever so much for all of your well thought out ideas and tips. I am going to print all of this conversation out for him to read. A lot to think about but this does help sort things out some.
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #8  
belts, there are different grades of belts, cheap belts and expensive belts. expensive belts can withstand higher temp range, and less stretching as they heat up. having right tension on them also helps. i never bought into the "snake oil" of the spray on or like "belt saver" stuff. just good old maintenance and checking on things and keeping oil full and filters changed.

brands there is a huge variety of brands, and then multi "re-branding" same machine different name it seems when ya get into the smaller size riding lawn mowers.

as much as i hate to say it, but when ya get down to the smaller riding lawn mowers. and having to deal with belts as primary way to get power to snow blower, mower decks, etc... it is a pain in rear to deal with, but they take up least amount of space. compared to other ways to get power to and from things.

in larger tractors you start getting into hydraulic pumps, and hyd motors, and hyd cylinders, were belts become more of a con vs plus for sizing things. but 1 acre property....

=========
about only suggestion i might have, is getting into more of the "garden size" riding lawn mowers. so there might be some extra clearance under the frame, some more engine HP, and perhaps ability to toss on a rear scraper blade, or tiller or like.
your talking a few hundred bucks more. but *shrugs*

as soon as you jump up into SCUT (sub compact utilty tractors) ya talking a couple thousand plus more in cash. and getting more into a real tractor, vs staying with a smaller riding lawn mower.
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor.... #9  
1 acre... could you define larger driveway..., gravel, paved, length and width. I would hate to see you spend 15k on a subcompact tractor with blower if you don't need it. Do you have a need for other attachments or just mowing and snow removal?
 
   / Help in selecting a multi purpose tractor....
  • Thread Starter
#10  
1 acre... could you define larger driveway..., gravel, paved, length and width. I would hate to see you spend 15k on a subcompact tractor with blower if you don't need it. Do you have a need for other attachments or just mowing and snow removal?

Hmmmmmm....size of driveway. If I had to guess, the area that would need to be plowed out is about 60 feet wide by 25 feet excluding the drive area coming off the street which would be an additional 10 ft by 20 maybe?? It is actually our home and our 3 car garage that stands next to the house in front. That would have to be cleared of snow and then there is the 1 acre property out back that needs to be mowed in the summer. It is a corner lot so of course there is the front and side that also must be mowed. Oh boy...I'm started to get tired for my husband as I type this...lol. Funny but whever he does a lot of work and/or a project I jokingly tell him "ok....I guess you can stay another week"...lol.
Again, thanks for the thoughts. I was also considering checking out Craig's List for maybe a used tractor. I sometimes see things there that allow for purchasing better quality items for less. Hubby is not a fan as he says he doesn't like to buy other peoples headaches. The way I see it, you can sometimes luck into really good bargains. I spose this is not a time to spare the coin so to speak.
 
 
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