Your favorite lawn and garden tractors Past and Present

[Fordlords]

This goes along with the collection thread- List your favorite lawn and garden tractors and the ones you admired the most, or favorite pieces of any type of yard equipment.. Here is my list:

1. Late 70's to mid 80's John Deere 200, 300, and 400 series tractors. Owned 214. I feel these were among the best tractors ever made with generally uncompromised components- many thousands still in use today.

2. Any International Harvester built Cub Cadet, I especially like the 682, 782, and 782D. Own 682. Built like rocks, work like mules, and styled like IH farm tractors of that time in early 80's.

3. Jacobsen Chief 800-1000-1200's and their Ford counterparts from mid 1960's. My grandpa had 800 and it was first GT I ever got to mess with, made me gain appreciation for the Kohler K series engine.

4. Old Lawn Boy push mowers with OMC 2 stroke engines. I used to steal these from the junk piles behind local mower shops, replace the lower crankshaft seal and decarbonize the jug (about the only things that failed on them) and resell them. Had quite a booming business as a teenager.

-Fordlords-

 

[MT372HERE]

I like all well built tractors..They all have their high and low points...

The old 1960's wheel horse tractors- Simple in design, built like tanks, versatile, fun to work on. But they were relatively light, and with a max if about 8hp..they hwere limited on implements.

The JD 300 series, 300, 316, 318, 320, 332. Well built, designed to last a lifetime. Endless power, traction is NOT a problem...but rather complicated. Not alot of fun to work on, anything under the dash requires almost completely disassembling the pedastal. Thankfully, repairs are few and far between.

Wheel Horse 300, 400, 500 series. Coming with Onan Performers, or Kohler Twins, or Cast Iron Kohler Singles, power isnt a problem. Transmissions being an 8 speed Unidrive CastIron tranny, with hardened gears and shafts, and needle bearing avel bearings. These trans. were built heavier than most any ever built, still using the same design first made back in the Early 60's, The frame was Angle Iron, but flex is non existant, the Tach- a- matic is positively ingenious. Only drawback is that they are Narrow. Only being about 40" at the rear tires.

John Deere 400 Series- 1993-2004?.
Powered by a Liquid Cooled 20hp Carbed. Kawasaki, the 425 was the bottom of the line. But one of the best built Tractors of the time.they were super heavy duty, with 2 spools of hydraulics, with 4 optional aux. ports. Power Steering, and 23X12X12 Tires, made it one tough customer.
445 was the same as the 425, but the Kawasaki was 22hp, and was Electronically Fuel Injected, and the rear Tires were 26X12X12, and thr 4 AUX hydraulic ports were standard.
455 was same as 445, but with a 3 cylinder Yanmar Diesel.

All the IH cubs were well built machines. Im familiar with the Quietline series. 1200, 1250, 1400, 1450, 1600, 1650. Only problem I have with them is they dont weigh enough, and the dry plate clutches were the pits.

Tommy-

 

[billbill1]

My Dad had a Cub Cadet that I think was bought new in 1959, 7 hp, the front end was cast iron and was used to push vehicles in and out of the shop all of the time. Had an actual 3 speed transmission. Got overhauled in 1998 for the first time (Kohler), toughest little machine I've ever seen. I have a C175 Wheelhorse that was given to me. 17 hp V-twin Kohler that I still use to this day. Have a cab (light flexible), snow blower, Brinley plow. front blade-been a good one too. Only downside, it came with a 36" rear discharge deck, great for using a lawn sweeper though.

 

[Mith]

(100 and 200), 300, 400 and 500 series Wheelhorses. Great bunch on Wheelhorses. Built like the old ones, but up to date.
As Tommy said, one of the very few modern tractors that are as well built as the older ones. You could buy a new 300 series up until about 2-3 months ago.
I changed mine to make it 52" wide with duals, not tippy atall now. It takes a beating and keeps chugging along. It's starting to show its abuse, but its OK.

 

[jcmseven]

I really do not think one can leave out the older Gravely four wheel tractors. My dad replaced a Gravely two wheeled walk behind with an 8123 12 hp tractor and then again we replaced it with an 8179 with a Kohler twin. My dad does not use it too much of late, but it has well over 3000 hours I believe and has never been overhauled. If one was good at changing the friction clutches for the instant forward and reverse and changed the oil in the engine and tranny regularly, these machines would last forever. We had (still have) a 48" front plow for snow, which has not gotten use recently, and wheel weights and chains. In the winter when I was young we would run to the grocery if the weather was snowy on that little tractor. In the 1980's the area in which I was raised would get 12" of now at least once yearly and the little Gravely would go and go through the tough stuff.

John M

 

[ike]

I would say the most valuable tool for me has been my 1995 Wheelhorse 314-H. It has served me well the last six years (bought it used). My brother-in-law is on his second Craftsman tractor (since I bought my tractor) and my 314-H is barely broken in!

I have cut lots of high grass, plowed multiple two foot snow storms, hauled lots of stuff and the tractor still performs excellent! Unfortunately, the demand for ZTR's is reducing the Garden tractor market. I wish the 300 series Wheelhorses were still sold with hydro's.

I read multiple posts about Toro ending production on the 300 series. I have spoke to people at Toro and they would not confirm or deny the rumors. It's interesting how the tractor market demands ZTR's but when a low hour classic wheelhorse is advertised for sale in our local newspaper, it is sold before I can even check it out.

My Wheelhorse dealer said he sells the used classic series tractors as fast as they come in on trade. Either people don't realize the classics were still available for sale new or people just didn't see the value in paying so much money for one when they could find a good used one for half the price!!

 

[MT372HERE]

I was offered another 310-8 for 500, in bad shape, running, needing a total dash.

and


a 312-8, in good to great condition, with 42" deck for 1200..but I couldnt justify that much.

Im looking right now for a Nice WH GT-14 to restore right now.

I would say the most valuable tool for me has been my 1995 Wheelhorse 314-H. It has served me well the last six years (bought it used). My brother-in-law is on his second Craftsman tractor (since I bought my tractor) and my 314-H is barely broken in!

I have cut lots of high grass, plowed multiple two foot snow storms, hauled lots of stuff and the tractor still performs excellent! Unfortunately, the demand for ZTR's is reducing the Garden tractor market. I wish the 300 series Wheelhorses were still sold with hydro's.

I read multiple posts about Toro ending production on the 300 series. I have spoke to people at Toro and they would not confirm or deny the rumors. It's interesting how the tractor market demands ZTR's but when a low hour classic wheelhorse is advertised for sale in our local newspaper, it is sold before I can even check it out.

My Wheelhorse dealer said he sells the used classic series tractors as fast as they come in on trade. Either people don't realize the classics were still available for sale new or people just didn't see the value in paying so much money for one when they could find a good used one for half the price!!

 

[Lindblom Lawn Care]

Cub Cadet 129 (Hydro) was a good machine. Lots of abuse before I got to run it. Grew up running it.

Sitting behind dads shop, needs tires and a motor.

Also like anything with John Deere on it.

The big debate with the ZTR mowers and the fact that they are so popular. I like a piece of equipment that can do it all. and with a minimum of fuss. Looking for a JD 317, or 400 series with a mower, blower, blade or loader and cat '0' 3 point.

The subcompact JD tractor (the ones that replaced the 400 series) cost as much or more than a commerical ZTR.

 

[Egon]

I had a 1975? Sears with a twin 16 hp. Onan, belt drive and 3 speed 2 range manual transmission. Rototiller with its own 8 HP. engine, 48 lawn mower, front mounted snowblower, Regular disk and homade back blade.

Terrific machine. Really liked the belt drive.

 

[MT372HERE]

I had a 1975? Sears with a twin 16 hp. Onan, belt drive and 3 speed 2 range manual transmission. Rototiller with its own 8 HP. engine, 48 lawn mower, front mounted snowblower, Regular disk and homade back blade.

Terrific machine. Really liked the belt drive.

MY parents had one of those too. I think it was a SS16, but ut had a single cylinder Tecumseh. IT had the plow, disc, Powered Roto-Tiller, all the goodies. They farmed an acre for years and years, and never had to anything but oil and filters. Ended up trading it, and a smaller late 80's JD lawn mower, for a New 1991 JD 318 with hydraulic front blade, 3pt hitch...and all the goodies ot it.