John Deere 145 vrs Husqvarna 23-HP 48" Cut

[passgas55]

john deere
John Deere products for homeowners: Features for LA145 Lawn Tractor

Husqvarna
Shop Husqvarna 23-HP Hydrostatic 48" Cut Lawn Tractor at Lowes.com

In a couple of months we should be starting grass cutting season and I need a riding mower for my new country home.. I have close to 3 arces to cut , flat land, pasture type of grass. I have a Yanmar 2210 with a 5' land pride finishing mower for cutting the biggest parts. I want a rider to do all the trim work and to back up the tractor if it needs repair.The two riders I posted above should be close to comparing apples to apples. The John Deere should offer better warranty work but that will be a moot point after the warranty expires. The Husqvarna cost a little less than the john deere, I don't know how easy it would be to get parts but then again you can find almost anything on the internet. Which one would you get?

 

[jinman]

Have you gone and inspected both of these mowers in detail? I would look at every detail. Get down and see how the deck is attached and how easy/hard it is to remove and/or replace belts. The JD has greasable spindles on the deck. Does the Husky have those? Check how adjustable the seat is. If a man and woman both operate a mower, an easily adjustable seat is really nice. The JD has a ROI (reverse operation interrupt) switch that easily allows you to mow in reverse without the engine shutting down. What is the gage of the sheet metal in the deck? The JD is 12 ga. Does Husky publish it's thickness? What about the front axle? Is the Husky cast iron and fully greasable at the center pivot?

Just go over and over both mowers. If you'll be happy with the Husky, then buy it. If you want a mower you can easily service and one that is supported for parts and service at every John Deere dealer and also on the internet, go with the Deere.

Also, do yourself a favor if you decide on the Deere. A JD dealer sells the LA145 for the exact same price as Lowes. Go to a Deere dealer and tell them that you want to buy from them instead of Lowes. Lowes has nothing to offer you on that mower after the sale. Your JD dealer will remember that you bought from him because you will be in his computer as being a direct customer. It will make a difference in the attitude they show you.

 

[herd]

I bought a 54'' 26hp Husky last Spring and I had preferred a JD but the Husky was so much less in price and was toe-to-toe in quality and features. It has the switch for mowing in reverse, grease fitting on all mower pulleys/bearings (something my high dollar land cruiser Snapper does not have), a 10 gauge mowing deck, greaseable axles, and allaround a great mower.

But, I do like that green paint tho.Something about orange that doesn't sit well with me, maybe because that's Clemson's color,.

 

[SARG]

I purchased a Husky 2354GXLS last year cause it was a very good buy.... $2300. for the machine with 18 hours on it. Within the first hour of usage the little front wheel spindle and plastic bushings started squealing like crazy.

That just reminded me it was a lawn mower/tractor ............ not really a tractor.

If you're young enough to make it worthwhile ..... I'd save and get a machine like the Massey GC2400 SCUT. Costs three times more but will last a lifetime.

 

[jinman]

That just reminded me it was a lawn mower/tractor ............ not really a tractor.

Absolutely true! Especially in the lower price scale riding mowers. They are capable cutters and may pull a small trailer or seed/fertilizer spreader, but don't ask them to be a tractor.

Herd: That's great info on the Husky and how it is built. They still don't have the parts support of a JD, but maybe the average owner won't need much support anyhow.

 

[passgas55]

I looked at both of these mowers yesterday and I am leaning towards the Husqvarna because I have a Husqvarna authorize repair shop 5 minutes from my house. I talked to them and they said they would take care of any issues with a Husqvarna. Both lawn mowers seems to have the same features as for as grease fittings, apples to apples engine/transmissions, etc. It seems like the John Deere dealer did not want to talk too much about a LA145, had no 100 series in stock but said to check them out at Lowes.

Now I do like the 300 jd but the 42" cut was a tad too small and was a little over what I wanted to spend. If JD will be willing to deal with me and if I could swing it a 320 is what I really want. So now it will either be a Husqvarna in the low end or a JD 320 in the high in.

 

[b33b]

The key component you are buying is the transmission. The L series JD up through the X304 use the tuff torq K46. Numerous posts on the web about this failing and several offer tranny upgrade kits.

The X320 you mentioned uses a K58 tranny, a step up from the K46. For many it is the choice of spending the $1k or so for the X320 now or on a tranny repair/upgrade later. Hills and towing seem to hasten the problem.

Not sure what that model Husky has but worth finding out.

 

[mjncad]

I have a JD L(emon)130, and to me all of these lawn tractors regardless of brand are close to being throw away machines.

As I write this the Deere site was down, so I couldn't look at the LA145's specs; but I do see the Husky uses an electric PTO, and I'm going assume this Deere does too. My L130's electric PTO clutch puked at 56-hours and cost me around $150 in parts, plus the time to make a wrench to remove and install the clutch.

As Jinman said, if possible, buy the lawn tractor from the dealer as it's the same price as Despot & Doh's (Depot & Lowe's). However as you've noted, the Deere dealers may not be carrying much in the way of lawn tractors since D & D began carrying them.

 

[passgas55]

One more mower model to throw in the mix. A Husqvarna GTH26V48LS. I got to find out about the B&S Endurance engine and what trans they use. I plan on not doing any ground engaging but just grass cutting. Like stated above in my first post my Yanmar 2210 will do all the grunt work.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have an L130 riding mower with about 220 hrs on it, it has been okay for most mowing tasks. Had to change the pto clutch at 190? hours or so, but think most of these low cost mowers are similar in this regard.

Next time I buy a mower I will step up to a better quality mower, probably an X748 or X749 Deere. If you consider this a long term purchase it will be cheaper to operate over the years. I prefer to trim in close quarters with a small push mower ( Deere JS45) with caster front wheels, then cut everything else with the riding mower. Can't see racking up a bunch of hours on my tractors mowing a lawn, or damaging the lawn either.

Starting out with your new homeplace I would offer up the advice to use the tractor and implements to get the whole place smooth asap. This will make the mowing alot easier and will also make the mower of your choice last alot longer. I would use the small tractor and rear mower for now, put some time and money into preparing a nice smooth lawn first, then buy a new riding mower upon completion.