$1499 vs $3500 (Deere D105 vs. X300) Worth it?

[Tennsawdust]

I understand fully Mossy... At my age, just getting up can be cornfusing...

I think the OP's prime motivation is he wants to be cheap but have it last and in reality cheap and quality and longevity don't marry well together.

Additionally, all the box store JD branded units are, in reality, built by MTD and have been for a while. Same with TSC Husky and some others and cheap gets you, well..cheap throw away machines.

He should probably post on the sister Lawnmower forum. There he will get all sorts of replies, most, mostly worthless...:laughing:

I don't believe that is correct. JD builds them themselves in Greenville, TN. The deck may come from MTD, but they do not assemble the mower. John Deere used to use Murray decks until Murray went belly up. (The Murray brand has been re-introduced, but the company itself is long liquidated.)

 

[Blue14]

I understand fully Mossy... At my age, just getting up can be cornfusing...

I think the OP's prime motivation is he wants to be cheap but have it last and in reality cheap and quality and longevity don't marry well together.

Additionally, all the box store JD branded units are, in reality, built by MTD and have been for a while. Same with TSC Husky and some others and cheap gets you, well..cheap throw away machines.

He should probably post on the sister Lawnmower forum. There he will get all sorts of replies, most, mostly worthless...:laughing:

John Deere D series lawn tractors are made in a John Deere assembly plant in Greenville Tn. by John Deere employees. The same ones you see at Home Depot and Lowes.

 

[5030]

John Deere D series lawn tractors are made in a John Deere assembly plant in Greenville Tn. by John Deere employees. The same ones you see at Home Depot and Lowes.

Sure about that? I hauled JD tractors for a number of years way back when.

You could be right in as much as I don't do green anything, well, I have a JD mower conditioner but that is ag equipment.

 

[crazyal]

I have a Wheel Horse (MTD) rider that's probably 12 years old now but hasn't been used in the last 4. It also has a lever that shifts from forward to reverse. My father bought it for about a grand from Lowes and h used it for it's first 4 years. The CVT transmission (belt drive) worked great. But it fed a secondary transmission that had gears in it that also had the brake disc. The F/R transmission was the weak link. Since my yard is hilly and uneven the frame started getting weaker and twisting. As it did the shifting linkage would move the full distance so it would pop out of reverse. I also have lots of rocks and one of the original blades got bent up and ripped a hole in the mower deck. Basically I was using (free to me) a rider that wasn't built for what I needed and it wore out much quicker than it would have for someone who stayed within it's limits. I ended up buying a less than one year old Deere X500 (still $4k). But it's a tank compared to the MTD. After 4 years and countless rock trimmings (frost pushes them up so in the spring ones that wouldn't be hit before now are) neither the deck nor the blades needed repairing or replacing. I would of rather sat in a dentist chair for 8 hours than spend that much but, as others always say, you get what you pay for. Because of that I wouldn't get a bottom end rider or zero turn and expect it to be running great in 10 years. I think Husqvarna has some higher end riders that are built with good parts for a reasonable amount (I don't know much about zero turns). Just look at the brand and model of the engine and transmission and then post the question here to find out if they are good.

 

[radios1]

I understand fully Mossy... At my age, just getting up can be cornfusing...

I think the OP's prime motivation is he wants to be cheap but have it last and in reality cheap and quality and longevity don't marry well together.

Additionally, all the box store JD branded units are, in reality, built by MTD and have been for a while. Same with TSC Husky and some others and cheap gets you, well..cheap throw away machines.

He should probably post on the sister Lawnmower forum. There he will get all sorts of replies, most, mostly worthless...:laughing:

mine says made in Greenville, TN. on the sticker on the back.:laughing:

 

[Diggin It]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

A ZTR is the way ...

How much money are you willing to throw at it is really the question.

My question is how far will a ZTR toss a rock without damaging the machine?

 

[Diggin It]

He should probably post on the sister Lawnmower forum. There he will get all sorts of replies, most, mostly worthless...:laughing:

He's posting on the 'friendliest' place too and getting similar replies.

 

[4570Man]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

My question is how far will a ZTR toss a rock without damaging the machine?

I’ve hit an obstacle and sheared the blade bolt on my mower several times. It’s never broken or bent anything else.

 

[coobie]

Update.

I hit a rock and caused $1000 worth of repairs.
Mower deck was damaged. Also, it would not go in reverse.
I will post details of the estimate later today.

I don't want to invest $1000 into a $1500 mower that is 6 years old.

I have decided to scrap this mower.
Lasted 7 seasons. 147 hours.
Very disappointed.

Buy once cry once.Used to buy cheap riding mowers for years they lasted 3-5 years(got ruff terrain to mow)Got my wallet out in 2011 best choice so far.JD X740 diesel.

 

[coobie]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

Zero-turns are the way to go. Closest thing to a flying carpet! Bob

Not really..My Jd x740 rides a ton better than my kubota ZTR