Which is better riding mower, JD or Husqvarna?

[Pilot]

OP here:
I mow about 16000 sq. ft. at home and haul the mower to some property we have for sale and mow 18,000 sq. ft there. Lots of mole mounds at the second place. I plan to rig something to flatten the mole mounds by dragging it behind the mower. Except for the mole mountains, it's all flat ground.
At home I load a little trailer with firewood and drag that with the mower. Also put a 15 gallon spray rig in the trailer and haul that around.

I've had a Cub Cadet for11 years and it has been OK until the drive belt broke 2 months ago. Dealer fixed that, but I replaced the spindles, blades and pulleys. I must have screwed up the deck somehow because it won't keep the blade belt on. After it threw the belt about 5 or 6 times I took it to the dealer for them to fix.
So and MTD built Cub Cadet served me well for 11 years; I'm just looking for something else after it threw the belt the last time. At least something that will hold a belt better--easier to put it on right.

Current options on CL are
a 2007 Husqvarna GTH2448T, 48 inch deck for $1,400 (a garden tractor, not just a mower, hours unknown at this time),
a Husqvarna LGT2654 with 126 hours, 54 inch deck for $1,800,
a Cub Cadet, same model as mine for $700,
and a few JD's for $3,000+ used.
The garden tractor (GTH2448T) is tempting at this time; I haven't seen it yet but the Husky dealer is 30 miles away while the CC dealer is 10 miles away but they work on anything. JD is 20 miles. But I have time to watch for more options.

 

[tomplum]

Should you look at any of these that have a Briggs twin with an air filter that looks like a suitcase-(Google 499486s) remove the cover and look if dirt has passed into the air box or that the sump shows any signs of an oil leak. Bad on either count.

 

[RSKY]

Just got my 92-year old mother her second Husqvarna. The first lasted thru more than ten years of mowing three to four acres a week. I replaced the drive belt once and the deck belt once. A front wheel bearing went out and she continued to mow without telling me and ruined the left front wheel. We pressed a bearing in, about every other time she mowed, and made it thru last year. Replaced the mower this spring. Her new mower has a 54" instead of 48" deck. It also has the Kohler engine. It is much faster than the Briggs powered old one. She has mowed "from the pond to the road" in one day this week. That is about four acres and took her two days on the old mower.

We had some issues with the Briggs powered one. The choke was engaged by pushing the throttle all the way forward and holding it while cranking. I could not keep this set and would have to go crank it for her at least once a month, resetting the cable and tightening everything as much as possible. The new Kohler powered mower has a separate choke knob. This is a much better set up. Also she said the new one burns about half the gas?? Don't know how she arrived at that but she filled it up before starting to mow and only filled it once after lunch.

The Kohler powered mower was on a 'factory sale' and $300 off regular price. I do a lot of business with this dealer and have sent others there. He pushed and pushed for Mom to buy the more expensive Kohler powered unit. He made it very clear that is was worth $200 more than the same unit with a Briggs engine. The separate choke knob, wider tires, and wider deck made the difference. Mom was hesitant at first but is now thrilled with her mower.

And at 92 mowing the yard is the high point of her week.

RSKY

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Going on my 7th yr with my husqvarna, no major issues. Had to replace belt once when a stick got jammed up in it, but that wasn't the mowers fault.

I did buy from dealer, with welded deck.

 

[xring100]

OP here, we are looking for about 46" deck minimum (that's what we have) and up to 54", willing to go for used to get over 46". Price limit is $2,000 and can get either JD or Husky at HD or Lowes for $1800 after vet. discount.

For that price you might as well roll the dice to pick the brand. I will never again buy this kind of equipment sold at any big box store. I spent 10 years hating my price point turd cadet. Finally replaced it with a commercial unit and could not be happier. My only regret is spending the original $2900. Good luck with your quest i hope you dont regret it like I did.

 

[Oldtractorfixer]

We just bought a JD D160. No, it's not commercial grade. It does have large (22") rear wheels. Got it from the JD implement dealer for $2349. Best I could find in that price range with larger rear tires for rougher ground and traction. Claims is built in USA so far so good. We don't beat this size mower up on rocks and stumps, It is our edging mower and around some trees in an area that gets soft in the winter so ground gets rough. For the heavy stuff we have an old Steiner 525. This replaced a 15 year old L130 that was having carb problems. That will happen to whatever you buy. I like the JD because parts are available for a long time.

 

[RSKY]

You but what you can buy. As I stated above my mother is thrilled with her new mower and could care less that it isn't one of the name brand do-all high priced mowers. She will probably be on this one mowing when she passes from this earth and she will be happy right up till the time she passes.

Don't let "mower snobs" turning their nose up at the cheaper brands discourage you. The purpose is to mow grass. If you have a level yard with few obstructions then by all means get a Husky or MTD or whatever. If you have money to burn to be seen on a $9000 John Deere mowing your 1-acre lot go ahead.

Personally I think it is a waste on money.

My Bad Boy was bought because I was mowing between five and seven acres a week. Not bought to impress.

RSKY

 

[Pilot]

O.P. Again. Looking at the JD website at a D155 mower & they show the same price as HD. So I call the dealer & ask if that is exactly the same mower that HD sells and they said yes. I also asked if they could meet the HD price that gives a 10% vet discount and she said they can't.

So, not all dealer mowers are better than all big box mowers. Compare model numbers to know what you are buying. Big box stores probably just carry the cheaper models--models that the dealer also sells.

 

[Deere Dude]

You but what you can buy. As I stated above my mother is thrilled with her new mower and could care less that it isn't one of the name brand do-all high priced mowers. She will probably be on this one mowing when she passes from this earth and she will be happy right up till the time she passes.

Don't let "mower snobs" turning their nose up at the cheaper brands discourage you. The purpose is to mow grass. If you have a level yard with few obstructions then by all means get a Husky or MTD or whatever. If you have money to burn to be seen on a $9000 John Deere mowing your 1-acre lot go ahead.

Personally I think it is a waste on money.

My Bad Boy was bought because I was mowing between five and seven acres a week. Not bought to impress.

RSKY

I have bought higher end Deere mowers since they started making them and don't regret that for one minute. It is not to impress anyone because if I wanted to do that I would just hire a lawn service to come out with bikini clad girls and let them go to town mowing.

I bought them because I know in 10 years they will hold a high resale value. In thirty years they will still sell any part on them and easy to get. They are rugged and stand up to abuse and a very rough lawn for years. They are ergonomically superior to any I have checked while pricing, at least to my standards. Any decent store still has John Deere green paint for sale to make them look very nice even when older. They can be used for ground engagement and with a 3pt hitch can be used for a ton of attachments and as a handy trailer mover.

Yes, a $9000 unit for an acre is a little overkill because it would only take 10 minutes to cut the lawn.

But, if someone would give me a better deal on something comparable, no problem. I could be swayed. But I would probably sell it soon and buy another Deere.

But I digress. If I measured my lawn in square feet a bigger mower might be overkill.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I have bought higher end Deere mowers since they started making them and don't regret that for one minute. It is not to impress anyone because if I wanted to do that I would just hire a lawn service to come out with bikini clad girls and let them go to town mowing.

My next business plan....


Great thread.
If your yard is flat, and you don't weigh 350 lbs, you can probably get 5 - 10 years out of the D160 without major problems, unless you mow acreage.