5 tractors under 2K

SPIKER · Jul 6, 2004

MY Murry is I blieve a 2000/2001, and was a close out when Quality FF went out of buisness , it was originally a $2100 something tractor but with the 40% savings it was $1200 something out the door. no taxes for farm use here. so I ended up going with it. ther were a few $2400 soemthign yardmans there but unfortuneatly while waiting at the counter the guy in fornt of me bought the last one /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I's still satisfied with the murry though I wish is rode better... problaby anythign will beat you up on my rough yard though /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Mark M

NIXON · Jul 6, 2004

( Which would you buy? Which is the best bang for the buck?

Slam .
I went the Husqvarna 2148 route . It's probably too big for the yard I have now ( sub 1 acre ). But it will be expanding a bit in future . If I get 5 years of decent service from it I'll be happy .
By then I'll have the yard and property tamed with the Husq, 2148 and the L3130 and I'll get a smaller Cut to replace them both. Probably a CK 20 or B7500 . I really was impressed with the JD 280 . Very well designed . But considering the price difference ,and future plans , I just couldn't justify it .
John

slammer · Jul 6, 2004

I think you did fine John. In almost all cases more power and deck is a good thing. The machine should give you 10 years easy.

Slam

yooperdave · Jul 6, 2004

This seems like a good deal for $2,000.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4310638931&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Yooper Dave

yellowsocks93 · Jul 6, 2004

If your talking about JD's here with the LT and GT the LT's are pretty nice if you have a small lawn. They are pretty well built. I like the LT 190 because it is cheap and you get electronic PTO and a better dash with more indicator lights. The GT's are nice but they can get kind of expensive. They are pretty nice also. A fair amount bigger than my GT 242 from 1996. I like my GT. It is very well built. The plastic hood is a ton thicker on mine that the new ones however.

slammer · Jul 6, 2004

( If your talking about JD's here with the LT and GT )

LT = Lawn Tractor. GT = Garden Tractor.

Slam

yellowsocks93 · Jul 6, 2004

Whoops!

slammer · Jul 6, 2004

( Whoops! )

No problem. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Slam

PaulieD · Jul 21, 2004

I want to thank you guys for posting this information. My 10 year old Craftsman was in need of too many repairs and I had an urge for a new lawn tractor. This post pointed me in the right direction. After doing more research on the net, I had my choices down to the Craftsman, the Cub Cadet and the Husquvarna. But before I went to the box stores, I visited my local New Holland/Husquvarna dealer (where I bought my TC-30) and asked him for some prices.

He had a Husquvarna 2248 in stock, set up and ready to ride, with a front bumper (something for which the Lowes store was going to charge me $ 49.00). This unit had a Kohler engine, as opposed to the Briggs engine on the 2148. His price to me was $1850. He offered no special financing, but the unit was assembled and ready to go, had the bumper (I really need one), and I knew he provided full service for the equipment. My decision became easy.

I mowed my 1.5 acre lawn as soon as I got home. I knocked 25 minutes off a 2 hour and 20 minute job. It cut and rode beautifully. Bottom line: I'm very happy with this purchase and I'm thankful to you guys for all the great background information and knowledgeable opinions.

Paul

mwood · Jul 21, 2004

John: Sounds like you got a good deal from a great dealer. Sometimes, the dealer is more important than the price / features.

When I first bought my house it came with a 20 year old JD 216. The first summer, it ran poorly and was somewhat rusty, so I started looking around at some of the newer tractors.

Man!!! They sure don't make them like they used to!!! Plastic parts (In areas I don't think plastic should be used like mower deck belt covers, etc...) Does anyone here remember the good old wheel horse tractors! All metal construction, built like a tank, easy to maintain.... (sorry, Got sentimental for a moment /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)

Anyway, I'd have to agree with the Cub leading the group. They seem to be solid tractors which are designed to last more than a few years. All of these tractors do seem to have kinda wimpy decks though. I'm not sure if it's just the price group, or what, but after doing all the research, I did an engine overhaul on the JD 216 (which now runs like a champ by the way) and now am taking care of some much needed maintenance (transaxle). It just seems smarter than trying to find a quality new mower.