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My what I thought was trusty John Deere l118 has finally given out. :( I need a new lawn tractor but do not know what to buy. I was thinking something like the Craftsman yt3000 or the Husqvarna ytk2346, or the John Deere d 140. Any comments on any of these machines?
John Deere used to have an interactive web page to assist residents with this, but I no longer saw the link.Quote:
Originally Posted by JD3203
I do not know if anyone can really honestly answer your question on what you "need" vs. "want" without knowing what you "have" and what yu might expect to do with the machine other than mow grass?
How big is the area to mow?
How many hours do you expect to spend mowing a week?
Do you have few, some, or a lot of obstructions in the yard to "circle" around?
Is your land completely flat, rolling terrain, or "challenging" with steep slopes or areas were you get stuck because of poor traction?
Do you plan to haul a cart, lawn sprayer, etc?
Do you plan on doing heavy hauling on slopes, tilling, snow blowing, plowing, etc. with it?
In general, the X300 line of equipment is far superior to the "D" series, which JD sells to compete with other brands sold in big box stores. They have the heavier K58 instead of the K46 hydrostatic drives found in the ligt weight versions.
If you have very hilly terrain and use the machine to haul firewood, etc, maybe look at the X500 series?
They usually have winter-sales on the X300 and X500 series, but not yet this winter.
If you have many obstructions, the all-wheel-steer versions are available.
A lot of folks swear that they will never go back to a garden tractor once they have used a zero-turn mower, as their mowing time was cut by half. However, these are tricky and sometimes dangerous to use on steep slopes.
Hope this helps.
Wait a little while to see if the X300 series go on sale before Spring.
I have to replace an old LX188 that still runs but is getting "tired". I use it to haul wood and pull sprayers, as they put the heavy K61 transaxle in them 20 years ago. I am thinking about the X320, the all-wheel-steer X324, or going to the beefy X500 and making payments for a year. I bought an X520 for my dad's place to mow the woods trails and we love it. They don't have that one new, anymore, with the liquid-cooled Kaw unless you go to the top of the line X540. If I bought a D-series, the tranny would be out within a year.
SC
I have a 1.5 acre lot with many hills. I pull a cart regularly but if I need to pull something big I have my tractor...... Hope this helps
Since you have many hills and pull a cart on them, I wuld look at the Select Series X320, if you can afford the hefty price ($4,299.00).Quote:
Originally Posted by JD3203
If it was the transmission that gave out on the L118, I would not go with any of the LA or D series machines.
If the T40 transaxle held up OK on your hills, on the L118, then you might be OK with a John Deere D140. The D140 also has a puny 9 amp alternator, compared to a 15 amp alternator on the X series machines.
As far as Craftsman, Husqvarna, etc., look at the transaxle specifications, as it is a $1,000 replacement cost if you burn one up.
There is also an outfit that sells a K66 ground-engaging transaxle for the old L and LA series tractors, if the engine is still running strong on the old L118.
SC
My transaxle is not the problem. My engine is done only at 235.7 hours.
Wow......that's not many hours. I have over 400 hrs on my LT180......still running strong. Change oil, filters, plugs once a year. I have lots of hills.....run chains almost all year. I am pretty tough on this machine. Replace the trans. two years ago after 7 years. Figure if new trans goes 7 more years.....got my money's worth. Why do you think the engine wore out so quickly?? Sound like you need something stronger than the D series.Quote:
Originally Posted by JD3203