Hello Everyone,
My name is Steve and this will be my first post on this forum. I am looking into purchasing my first lawn tractor in the coming weeks as my old push mower is currently starting to fall apart and I would like to cut my mowing time down to something more reasonable. My current lawn is just under an acre and is pretty much flat, but due to a combination of good sunlight, frequent rainfall, and fertile soil needs frequent mowings to keep it in check (about once every 4 days).
Were I going to be using the tractor for just mowing the lawn I would say that a simple light-duty lawn tractor would be sufficient, but I would also like to use the tractor to assist in snow removal during the winter. I live in northern Connecticut and it is pretty common for us to get 12+ inches of snow in a single storm here. This happened a few times this past winter and it was NOT fun clearing the driveway by myself using just a shovel. As a result, I would like to purchase either a snowblower attachment or small plow blade for my tractor.
I am wondering if I would be justified in moving up to the garden tractor class. Most of the new "lawn tractors" I have seen appear to be downright flimsy (frames appear to be only 14Ga. !!!), which concerns me. They definitely aren't built nearly as solidly as the old Gravely lawn tractor I grew up with.
I have been entertaining the idea of buying an older tractor and restoring it, however the majority of the used tractors I have been seeing in the classified adds and craigslist just haven't been what I was looking for so I think I will primarily be looking at only new equipment.
If anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated. I will be visiting a couple of equipment dealers later this week to see what they have to say, but it's always nice to have an opinion from someone who isn't trying to sell you something.
Thanks,
Steve
My name is Steve and this will be my first post on this forum. I am looking into purchasing my first lawn tractor in the coming weeks as my old push mower is currently starting to fall apart and I would like to cut my mowing time down to something more reasonable. My current lawn is just under an acre and is pretty much flat, but due to a combination of good sunlight, frequent rainfall, and fertile soil needs frequent mowings to keep it in check (about once every 4 days).
Were I going to be using the tractor for just mowing the lawn I would say that a simple light-duty lawn tractor would be sufficient, but I would also like to use the tractor to assist in snow removal during the winter. I live in northern Connecticut and it is pretty common for us to get 12+ inches of snow in a single storm here. This happened a few times this past winter and it was NOT fun clearing the driveway by myself using just a shovel. As a result, I would like to purchase either a snowblower attachment or small plow blade for my tractor.
I am wondering if I would be justified in moving up to the garden tractor class. Most of the new "lawn tractors" I have seen appear to be downright flimsy (frames appear to be only 14Ga. !!!), which concerns me. They definitely aren't built nearly as solidly as the old Gravely lawn tractor I grew up with.
I have been entertaining the idea of buying an older tractor and restoring it, however the majority of the used tractors I have been seeing in the classified adds and craigslist just haven't been what I was looking for so I think I will primarily be looking at only new equipment.
If anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated. I will be visiting a couple of equipment dealers later this week to see what they have to say, but it's always nice to have an opinion from someone who isn't trying to sell you something.
Thanks,
Steve