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

[check 6]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

I second the vote for a zero turn and like another said don't go cheapest as many of those at the big box stores cut costs by using less sturdy hydraulic systems. Good ones will last. I traded my 13 year old Kubota ZD 1800 in this spring not because it had a problem but I needed a larger one. They gave me just under 80% of what i paid 13 years ago and sold my old mower off the floor in two days for more than I had originally paid . Quality products last my current Kubota will out last me

 

[MossRoad]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

Bought a Deere D105 7 years ago for $1499
42" and 17HP. Seemed to work fine for my needs.

Hit a rock and bent the deck.
Also, the mower stopped moving (tranny?)
Got a $1000 repair estimate, and decided to scrap the mower.

Tractor has already been scrapped, but now I find out there was a recall.
I am pissed the dealer did not even mention that, and I wonder if they were going to double dip.

I need a new mower. I only need to mow 2 acres. Not hauling anything.

Can I find a mower with these 2 features?
1) With the D105, I had to manually shift from forward to reverse. Can I just be able to do that automatically on the gas pedal?
2) Also, I want mower to be able to engage while riding backwards

What models should I look at?
Also, should I stay away from Deere? What are decent alternatives?

What features should I avoid?
Any tranny type to avoid?
What is hydrostatic drive?

What's your budget?
How much time do you want to spend mowing?

 

[beenthere]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

Nothing I can recommend that allows mowing over rocks..

 

[MossRoad]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

Merged identical threads into one. Keeps people on the same page.

 

[radios1]

the K46 hydro transmission is very light duty, only for cutting grass up to 1 acre, and then, on mostly flat ground. pulling something or going up hills kills it fast. also, they don't have a drain plug!!. it's designed to be replaced with a new transmission when it fails!!. there are many posts about this. you are much better off getting something with the K66Y transaxle!!. 2 years ago, you could buy the K66Y transaxle for $197. now, they are sold out..

 

[Gary Fowler]

what exactly broke? generally its a spindle and maybe a blade and a hammer to bang the deck back in. what exactly is 1k in repairs?

If the transmission is shot, there goes nearly $1000 by itself.

 

[radios1]

Re: Need tractor to mow 2 acres. Ideas?

the K46 hydro transmission is very light duty, only for cutting grass up to 1 acre, and then, on mostly flat ground. pulling something or going up hills kills it fast. also, they don't have a drain plug!!. it's designed to be replaced with a new transmission when it fails!!. there are many posts about this. you are much better off getting something with the K66Y transaxle!!. 2 years ago, you could buy the K66Y transaxle for $197. now, they are sold out..

 

[MossRoad]

Merged a 3rd identical thread into this one. Please keep it to one thread on a subject folks.... gets confusing. :confused2:

 

[Topcat14]

the K46 hydro transmission is very light duty, only for cutting grass up to 1 acre, and then, on mostly flat ground. pulling something or going up hills kills it fast. also, they don't have a drain plug!!. it's designed to be replaced with a new transmission when it fails!!. there are many posts about this. you are much better off getting something with the K66Y transaxle!!. 2 years ago, you could buy the K66Y transaxle for $197. now, they are sold out..

The D105 doesnt even have the t40 ( cheap version of K46) it has a plastic cased geared CVT tranny- Forum junkie went against his dealers advice and went as cheap as he could on two acre lot. He got what he payed for - it was all fun and games when tractor was new- now 7 years later he is broken hearted. He tried to mow and hit a giant rock after 7 years of mowing- his entire story doesnt add up- some-tin wrong!!

 

[5030]

Merged a 3rd identical thread into this one. Please keep it to one thread on a subject folks.... gets confusing. :confused2:

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:

 

[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