Buying Advice Need Advice on purchase - Garden Tractor

[HappyValley]

Hello. New to the forum. Looking for a little advice. I have a couple acres in the burbs - (just about 3), have a couple little hills here and there, some uneven terrain from a terrible regrade after septic tank/field replacement a couple years ago, etc. Looking for quick, nice cuts, probably put a mulch kit on whatever I get. Reliability a factor too.

I am looking to spend no more then 3K on a lawn mower. Currently have a CC 2166 42" that I bought used from the previous home owner. Always something wrong with it - but more importantly, kinda slow and small. Finally decided to sell that one, and buy something new.

Here are the options i'm considering (only buying new, anything used, you have NO idea what the heck people were doing to it before).

Husq LGTH2454 (has a kawasaki engine) - $2300
Husq GTH27V52LS (ground engaging)- $2900
Craftsman GT5000 - $2600
Craftsman PGT 9000 - $2900
CC GTX 1054 $2900

Any recommendations? Have researched all and of course you find plenty of pros and cons for all. Read that its better to get garden tractors even if you only use it to mow - better longevity and stronger on hills, frames stronger, etc.

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank you. :thumbsup:

 

[hawkeye08]

If you're just mowing (no snow blowing or other work), have you considered a zero turn mower?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I just bought a 52" Craftsman ZTR with 26 HP engine that mows much faster than my brother in laws GT5000 and I love it. IT was on sale for $2999 a couple weeks ago. The tractor model was the same price so I went with the ZTR. I love the way I can mow around trees and such with hardly a grass blade left standing. It also climbs hills better than the tractor model that I have and handles mowing on slopes with ease. I had been cautioned about anything over 8 degree slope and so far it cuts with only a little finesse on the controls on my slopes very well. It is a little difficult to make a tight turn at high speed up hill, but other than that I have no problems. The attached photo shows the slope ,prior to grass, which my tractor model has trouble climbing due to traction. THe ZTR will mow it up down or sideways without a problem

 

[HappyValley]

I had thought of zero turns, but from what I read, the ZTRs in my price range (under 3K) seem limited. The only one I saw was the CC RZT 50 for 2999. Wasnt too sure about that one.

Besides, I've always thought that your yard needs to be very flat/smooth for a ZTR or it will bounce you all over the place. No?


Anyone have any thoughts on the CC RZT 50 in comparison to the other mowers I mentioned?

Thanks again!

 

[Mike Costello]

Check out the Toro ZTR's, especially the Timecutter series. The Titan series is also available, but is more expensive because of its heavier construction. I would think for your needs, the Timecutter series would work well. Another thought is to check out the "end of year clearances" for demo models at attractive prices. Mike.

 

[dbear]

If you're open to a ZTR (which it kinda sounds like), it might be worthwhile to look at the Beast line being carried by Home Depot. There's two models: a 54" for $3799 Beast Z 54 In. 22 HP Subaru Commercial Zero Turn Mower, Free Rollbar and Headlights - 54ZB at The Home Depot and a 62" for $4999 Beast Z 62 In. 31HP Kawasaki Commercial Zero Turn Mower Free Rollbar and Headlights - 62ZB at The Home Depot. More money than you were looking to spend, but they might be a lot more mower too. I can't attest to their build quality as I haven't laid eyes, nor sat butt, upon an actual unit, but they do use quality engines and components.

Or if you have a TSC store in the area, they carry a couple of entry level units from Bad Boy: a 48" for $3499 Tractor Supply Company - Generic Error and a 60" for $4999 Bad Boy 60 in. Zero-Turn Mower - 4457259 | Tractor Supply Company

As far as how smoothe your yard is, I wouldn't worry about it. My Z gives a better ride at twice the mowing speed, than my GT ever thought about giving. Yes, there are a couple places where I cannot utilize all of the Z's speed, but these could be made better with some aeration and rolling.

 

[Carl_NH]

HappyValley

ZTR from the big box stores or Sears are lighter duty and you can step up to a Ferris IS500 with suspension or John Deere Z445 in the $4K range as dealers want to offload them now towards the end of the season (in the north).

The other choice is going to more of a garden tractor, and JD324 with a 54" deck is about $4K too, and they always get high scores in consumer reports and Cub also makes a GT3000 series similar to the JD.

For the extra $1500 for either a decent ZTR or GT they will last a long time (15+yrs) and be more comfortable and with the 0% financing for a 12-24 months its not a lot of $ to step up.

 

[HappyValley]

Thanks for all the info! Really does help. I understand stepping up to 4K would get me more tractor/ZTR - But thats 25% over budget. I'm really trying to stay at or under 3K. I understand 100% you get what you pay for.

I'd be interested in a ZTR if thats the best option - but again, only one I've really seen is the CC RZT 50" thats 2999. Any opinions on that one? If I get it from a dealer maybe I could get the 54" for 3K (think its listed at 3499). Does come with a 24hp Kawasaki, which i've heard is pretty good.

Thanks again.

 

[dbear]

...I'd be interested in a ZTR if thats the best option - but again, only one I've really seen is the CC RZT 50" thats 2999. Any opinions on that one? If I get it from a dealer maybe I could get the 54" for 3K (think its listed at 3499). Does come with a 24hp Kawasaki, which i've heard is pretty good.

Thanks again.

No personal experience with the CC RZTs, but I think maybe a couple folks on here do have them. Did you search around in the General Lawn & Garden or CubCadet L&G topics further down the page?

 

[jinman]

Husq LGTH2454 (has a kawasaki engine) - $2300
Husq GTH27V52LS (ground engaging)- $2900
Craftsman GT5000 - $2600
Craftsman PGT 9000 - $2900
CC GTX 1054 $2900

The Husqvarna and Craftsman mowers are manufactured by AYP (American Yard Products) while the Cub Cadet is manufactured by MTD if that makes any difference to you.