Buying Advice My first lawn tractor for my 2 acre yard

[ajd187]

Hi all,
I'm a new member, looking for some advice on buying a lawn tractor.

My wife and I are buying a house with a 2 acre yard (mostly flat, no trees) and I'm looking for something to cut that grass with, as well as help clear a 150' driveway of snow in the winter. My 24" push mower and our snow shovels that we use for our house in the suburbs now aren't going to cut it anymore.

I went and looked at John Deeres today on the recommendation of friends. Before I did that I looked the Deere website's product configurator. They recommended an X320, which is what I tested today at the dealership.

It seems like a nice sturdy machine, but is it too much for what I want to do? Is it too little? It's at the upper end of my price range. We certainly CAN swing it, but if it's too much tractor then I won't. Also

I'm a suburbanite moving to the country, and even as a kid I always mowed with push mowers.

Our house is just east of Rochester, NY so we get plenty of snow here, although not as much in recent years. I would probably buy the blower attachment for anything I purchased.

Thanks for all the help! Deere makes SO many products and there are about a zillion diferent configurations.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have a Cub Cadet 2500 and I bought it because it was cheaper and had a stronger rear end. It does not cut as well as my neighbors JD. I have have several minor problems with mine as well as a couple things just break. He has had zero problems. My last JD served me for 10 years with zero problems. Huskavarna and Craftsman have good reputations in their garden tractor series (better to deal with snow).

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Sounds like a fun shopping opportunity. If you are thinking of pushing or blowing snow when it is absolutely cold out you may want to consider something with a cab option although you wouldn't be spending hours out there if it is only 150'. Myself I am partial to Kubota's. But there are several brands and models that are going to work for you. As others will tell you get the biggest that you can deal with so you don't have to step up later after you find out how much a tractor can help you with.

PS: Welcome to TBN!

 

[coobie]

I would also look at ingersoll/case tractors(new & used)very stout garden tractors.coobie

 

[Johndeere3720]

Welcome to TBN! The X320 is a good little Deere. I have a L118 which is perfect for our yard and use my Yanmar to plow the snow. In your case, the X320 with a MMM and snowblower would get the job done. :thumbsup:

 

[ajd187]

Thanks all for the help so far!

I think the X320 might be slightly outside the budget when the blower is added. Would one of the other smaller Deeres do the job? Or maybe one of the other brands? The area I'm moving to is slightly rural so we have all the big brand deallers out there.

 

[ragkar]

Don't make the mistake that I did last year when I bought a church owned Sears tractor. Institutional machines maned by volunteers are subject to all sorts of abuse. Guys and teenagers that have never used one will drive as fast as they can for the thrill. They will mow land without checking for obstacles and hit rocks and branches.
In my case the axle was bent. Seems someone hit a boulder at full speed. The transfer crankcase was completely dry. And the blades were completely rusted and dull. They were little more than clubs.
Luckily it came with a manual and after about $150 I was able to resurrect it.

 

[Thomas]

"although not as much in recent years."
Don't trust ole man winter,might be wise to go couple models heavier for snow drifts also long range projects etc.

Don't forget tractor should feel comfortable for Mrs.

 

[MESSMAKER]

What you are hearing is true, but you can get to $10,000 in the blink of an eye. A used lawn tractor is easier to find than most things since a lot are heading for zero turns and abandoning a good machine. You might want to look and see what's out there.

 

[timswi]

Growing up, we had a snow blower on a GT275 JD...It worked great. It cuts grass really well too. Very dependable tough machine. The snow blower was sold, but the tractor still remains. I cut 3 acres with it every week.