54 inch mower Husqvarna vs Troy-Bilt vs JD vs Club Cadet

[lcantu]

Hey,

Just joined the forum but i have been a long time reader.

Im in the market for a replacement Riding Mower for my very old 42 inch Pulan Pro that did not make it thru the winter. I have a 4 acre property which is mostly flat but with 1 or 2 steep hills and some trees all around. It took me like 4-5 hours to mow with my old Poulan (considering some emergency repairs that i had to do on the middle of almost every session, quite annoying) and im looking to cut back my mowing time this season and also to get a fabricated mowing deck as the stamped on the Poulan got beaten so bad that is unusable now.

My budget is around 2,800, i guess i could go 3,000 but i would seriously try to avoid it. After some research i have found the following Riding Mowers that may fit the bill but i would like to get some input from you guys on pros/cons and recommendation of which would be my best bet

1. Troy-Bilt XP Super Bronco 54 (2,799 at Lowes)
26 HP engine seems to the (marginally) higher HP of all my options
K58 Transmission seems to be better than the K46 of other models
Turning radius of 16
Not sure if i can trust this brand, my only experience with it is a weed eater that lasted like 1 hour before going bad

2. Cub Cadet*XT1 Enduro Series ST 54 (2,399.99 at Tractor Supply)
I like the brand, a neighbor has a club cadet and has nothing but positive things to say about it
Price is the lowest of all my options
24 HP engine seems to be the lowest HP of all my options
Turning radius of 16

3. Husqvarna LGT54DXL (2,799 at Lowes)
25 HP engine
The deck seems to be slightly thicker at 10 Ga vs the 11 Ga of other options
Turning radius of 18

4. John Deere E180 25-HP V-twin Side By Side Hydrostatic 54-in(2,799 at Lowes)
25 HP engine
Turning radius of 18
I like the green paint

So what do you think about the 4 options above? What would be the best for my usage? Is there any other option that would be worth to consider?

 

[Tractorable]

Are you only going to be mowing? Any other chores for the machine? Do you mow the entire 4 acres?

Many on here will steer you towards a zero turn which may be better around your trees, but your budget may exclude getting a good one. I personally prefer riding mowers because I think they have a better ride and are more versatile for pulling a dump cart, lawn aerator, seed/fertilizer spreader, and for pushing light snow, etc. ZTR's are the best at mowing but are one trick ponies.

The Husqvarna's have a good reputation on here. Probabaly the most important factor when considering a riding mower is the transaxle. The cheaper K46's are unservicable and have a reputation for failing on properties with lots of hills. Get a riding mower with at least a K58 or preferably a K66 or K72. Also consider whether you need a differential lock for extra traction when needed.

I did a lot of research and ended up biting the bullet and getting a John Deere X590 with a K72. It has a diff lock and the transaxle oil/filter is easily changed. If you could stretch the budget a hair you could probabaly get yourself into a good Husqvarna with a beefy transaxle.

I'd recommend against buying from the big box stores. You want to buy from a place that has a service department and will perform warranty work or repairs after the purchase. Most shops won't work on mowers that were bought from the box stores.

 

[paulfun9]

I'd recommend against buying from the big box stores. You want to buy from a place that has a service department and will perform warranty work or repairs after the purchase. Most shops won't work on mowers that were bought from the box stores.

Everything I see at the big box stores is lacking compared to the shops that specialize in mowers. The only machine I have seen that remotely interests me was the Bad Boy zero turns that I had sometimes seen at Tractor supply but again it seems that the ones advertised elsewhere had a little more to offer for not much more money.

I would recommend spending the little extra no matter the brand and buy a better mower by staying out of the big box store

 

[fishheadbob]

I think all of the mentioned mowers sell for the same price at box stores or local dealers. They used to call that fair trade, but it levels the playing field and protects the smaller guys from the big box stores. If nothing else you can always tell the little guy that you can buy it for $2799 at Lowes and he should price match. You might get better assembly at a small store and maybe something like free delivery from a little guy, plus you keep the smaller guy going. Buy local and all that stuff.
I have beat the daylight out of a larger Husqvarna for 11 repair free years. I buy a lot of equipment from the small, local guy who is also a LS dealer and former New Holland repair tech. It never hurts to be known in a place like that.

 

[oosik]

I've had two riding mowers in the 36+ years out here. Both have been/are John Deere. Currently I have a 2005 JD G100. Specs are exactly the same as your option #4. Its thirteen years old now - still has the same set of blades - sharpened every year, once - and it is strong as ever. I knock on wood as I say this - - never had to replace a belt of any kind on this unit or had to have any repair work done on it.

I abuse this G100 terribly - use it as a bush hog. Mow a one acre pasture - mow buck brush - mow wild rose bushes - actually I mow anything less than 1" in diameter. I also mow one and a half acres of meadow grass which over the many years has - more or less - become a lawn.

For me it is the IDEAL mowing machine. It will go places that the M6040 would find difficult & it will mow at times of the year(early spring) when the M6040 would tear the place up and leave deep ruts.

Without ANY reservations - I can recommend your option #4.

 

[RandyT]

I think all of the mentioned mowers sell for the same price at box stores or local dealers. They used to call that fair trade, but it levels the playing field and protects the smaller guys from the big box stores. If nothing else you can always tell the little guy that you can buy it for $2799 at Lowes and he should price match. You might get better assembly at a small store and maybe something like free delivery from a little guy, plus you keep the smaller guy going. Buy local and all that stuff.
I have beat the daylight out of a larger Husqvarna for 11 repair free years. I buy a lot of equipment from the small, local guy who is also a LS dealer and former New Holland repair tech. It never hurts to be known in a place like that.

Price match may not always be an options I have a case in my area where the local box store sells poulan Z turns for $200 under my dealer cost.

 

[cphilip]

Maybe so but your local dealer can offer a free first service and maybe a hat! You'll come out better spending that $200 I bet you on that. He'll treat you a lot better if a problem arrises as well.

 

[oosik]

I bought an electric razor at Wally world. Took it back a month later - it wasn't working correctly. After three months of pissing/moaning/no resolution - I gave up and got a refund. Can you imagine what that would have been like if I had purchased a riding lawn mower from Wally world.

You save a little on the initial purchase from a big box store - you get exactly what you deserve when needing service.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I bought a troy bilt rider from lowes, for my dad. Took it home, tried to mow, it was terrible, cut was terrible. I immediately took it back, where lowes gave me the biggest hassle over returning it.

Buy from a mower shop. You will get a better price, and better mower assembly.
Not sure what transmission is in ny husqvarna, but i take it up some steep slopes. My only problems has been ethanol and safety switches going bad.

 

[CMV]

I like Lowe's in general, but would not buy a riding mower there again.

I got the smaller Husqvarna YTA 24V48, 48", 24HP Briggs, they have for $2k. Reason I chose was I was tired of anything made by MTD and the very limited lifespan associated. I also got the extended warranty just in case.

Well 4 hrs into it, it was having issues and would not pull a slight incline in reverse. I don't mean hill, I mean very slight incline. Engine was also dropping RPM down to idle speed, running rough, and starting hard hot intermittently. All these issues hit at once and after just a little use. I tried to get Lowe's to just exchange it or return it - they wouldn't do either. I had it there on my trailer and asked them to take for repair - they wouldn't and said I had to call Husqvarna. So I did and Husqvarna told me to take it back to Lowe's - they would take it and handle repair! So back to Lowe's, talked to outdoor equipment dept manager, and he said Husqvarna told me wrong, under their warranty, they would coordinate getting it fixed. But still wouldn't budge on exchanging it or letting me return.

Was really upset now I had a $2k machine that wouldn't work, grass to cut, and 2 companies pointing finger at each other, but neither willing to help. Called Lowe's corporate and ended up after a long conversation getting them to fix under the extended warranty - for something 2 weeks old.... So local repair shop came and got it a week later, brought it back 2 weeks after that. Put a new transmission in it which kind of fixed the pulling in reverse but still wouldn't pull a steeper incline in reverse - like backing up a landscape trailer with a 5' drop mesh gate. Wouldn't spin the rear tires - just wouldn't go. The erratic engine was the air filter. Apparently it just kicks so much dust up into the engine compartment that the filter immediately clogs up. Shop installed a pre filter which literally needed cleaned with compressed air every few hrs or machine wouldn't stay running.

After that it ran and cut fine, but also just kicked up tremendous amounts of clippings, dirt, and dust as it cut. After 2 AC, the deck was entirely packed with clippings. On dry days, I was mowing in a cloud of crap. Remember Pig Pen from Charlie Brown and that cloud of funk around him? That was me using this machine on a dry day Just miserable to use.

So as others have said, I would simply avoid ANY of these machines from a big box store. They cost way too much for what they are, and all brands have cut so many corners to sell the lowest possible quality at the highest possible price that no matter what brand or model, it is junk in a pretty shell.

When I asked at Lowe's - both before I bought and when I took it back trying to get fixed - "Do you have a lot of problems with these?" answer was "No, everyone loves them and no trouble at all". But the independent shop who came and got it, they told me they are covered up with the Husqvarna mowers from Lowe's. Lots of issues like mine where they are fetching brand new machines for serious defects and all from Lowe's. He said there is a HUGE difference in a Husqvarna model sold only thru dealers vs what they sell in big box stores. The trailer he returned mine on was huge and had 8 other husq mowers - all with blue Lowe's stickers behind the seat....

And as a note, friend's JD mower from big box store - it is 95% the exact same mower as my Husqvarna was. If they weren't painted different colors and you removed the front grills you wouldn't tell them apart. So that told me each company is NOT making these themselves - someone is making both, badging them, and selling big box. They are not nearly the quality of a machine you'd buy from either brand's dealer network.

Inherited my dad's 2 y/o, <20 hrs Cub Cadet that came from Home Depot. It is plagued with issues as well.... None of these are worth half the price they sell in big box stores. Honestly if I needed another I would buy the cheapest MTD brand rider at Walmart and just expect it to be disposable, but definitely not pay more for a "name brand" like Cub, JD, Husq from a big box since it's the same junk parts as the low end Walmart one.

Local clist is littered with newish riders from the big box stores. Obvious many people are unloading these things after being disappointed with them in first year or two.

IF YOU DO decide to buy any brand from a big box store, buy it with an American Express card. That was my biggest mistake - just using debit card. It was so frustrating dealing with Lowe's and Husqvarna just to get the brand new but broken machine fixed. Would have been so nice to just have amex deal with that for me. Would have been able to just charge it back and force Lowe's to accept return - amex really sides with you in situations like this and does a great job protecting you when companies won't back up their products! Would have walked away from it much cleaner, less stress, and not at a $1000 loss had I used amex to buy it.