A reliable used lawn or garden tractor?

njdenis · May 11, 2016

Hello folks,

I am looking for some opinions on used lawn or garden tractors. Our house is on a 0.8 acre lot, and the lot is generally level but has two retaining walls at the front of the property (flat terrain between retaining walls). We don't have any trees or bushes at the front, none on the side of the house, and a few trees toward the back of the property. Got a few stumps here and there too, which I would like to dig up and pull eventually, but for now we keep mowing around them.

Since a lot of expenses came with buying a house, we decided to get started with a Craftsman push mower. It's been a good mower, but it takes literally most of the day to mow 0.8 acre property with a push mower. We're ready for a riding mower and will keep the push mower for a few patches around the property where the tractor won't do.

First and foremost, we want a good mower. But I also wouldn't mind having some extra utility beyond just mowing, such as an occasional pulling duty or something else around the yard.

I've been scouring Craigslist for some good options. I like the slightly older, well-build machines, even though I know that could mean some repairs down the road. I'm pretty handy, although I I don't have a lot of time to tinker. So something reliable rather than a restoration project would be preferred. I don't really care whether it's manual or hydro, as I can drive manual. Not sure which option is better for reliability.

I couple of potential options I liked so far: Deere 314 (around $1,000), Deere 160/185 (around $850), Cub Cadet 1811 (around $850), Simplicity Landlord 18 (around $500). The newer Deere like LT170, L130, or D110 also look pretty good, but I don't know much about what to look out for with these.

Of the older generation lawn/garden tractors, what are some good workhorse models I know about? How is parts availability with older Deere, Cub Cadets, and Simplicity?

Thanks for any advices!

5030 · May 11, 2016

Old B Series Kubota's are nice and reliable. Bullet proof 3 cylinder naturally aspirated diesels and most will have a belly mower too.

TheMadOne · May 11, 2016

Only one of those I can really give advice on is the Deere 160. I have one sitting in my front yard under a tarp. It wasn't a bad mower, but it also had it's faults. The brake system was...kinda nonexistent on my example. The steering spindles got worn after a time and had developed a habit of coming off if you turned to hard. Gas tank wasn't nearly big enough for my uses. I freely admit that those issues were caused, in large part, by my overworking it to mow 3+ acres of hilly uneven terrain.

Other than a slightly dodgy electrical system(an issue likely to be shared by most older equipment), I can't really point to any major flaws in construction. I think it would suit your stated needs for a mower pretty well.

It's a mower. It mows, reasonably well. I could see hooking a really small dump cart to it for mulch/general hauling, but nothing bigger than a normal wheel barrow. Most of the weight is over the front wheels, so it tends to loose traction really easily.

What do you mean by "something else"? FEL? As far as I know, there isn't one for this model. Snow blade/blower? I THINK you can get them. I don't have either, as my drive would have laughed at the blade and eaten the blower. Unless they come with the one you buy, you'll have a hard time finding them. And how much pulling would you want to do? It's really light, less than 500 pounds.

As far as parts availability I parked it a few years ago when I got my zero turn, but up until then I never had any problems getting the basics like belts pulleys and blades.(Other than dealing with the snooty parts counter at my local dealership)

What's your budget? From the size of your yard, you don't "need" a zero turn like those with multiple acres, but you could mow that amount of grass in way less than an hour with a good used commercial model. Leaving you time to do other things, like trimming, edging, drinking beer. You know, the detail work.

Or you could spend pretty much the same money and take 5030's advice about an old B series. Not as good as a zero turn for mowing fast, but a lot more versatile for other things.

stuckmotor · May 11, 2016

My son uses a John Deere TractorData.com John Deere LX277 tractor information that belonged to his wife's grandfarher. The counter man at the JD dealership told me it was the top of the line in it's day. On it's negative side. I was there because its chewed up a few belts and I was getting him new ones. The hood has crumbled as well.
My choice for ease of maintenance and repair is a Snapper rear engine rider. They can be set on end making many things more easily accessable.

4570Man · May 11, 2016

I would stay away from the newer Deere mowers. They are lighter color green much more expensive MTD mowers in my opinion. The older Deere mowers are solid. The Kubota garden tractors especially the diesel ones are hard to beat. The older Cub Cadet stuff is good. I could mow .8 acres in about 30-40 minutes on my 42" deck Cub Cadet garden tractor or about 15-20 minutes on my 50" deck ZTR. On any of the used machines make sure the deck isn't rotted away because it's usually the first thing to fail.

stuckmotor · May 12, 2016

I was under the impression that t be classified as a garden tractor the rear wheels had to be attached with lugs. I read two write ups of lawn tractor vs garden tractor and didn't see that qualifier. Has anyone else heard about it?

5030 · May 12, 2016

Your 'impression is correct. Lug mounted only but then that makes my Cub Cadet 60" zero turn 'Tank' a garden tractor because the the rear wheels are attached with lug bolts......:laughing:

stuckmotor · May 12, 2016

There's always a snag.:confused2: Thank you for the verification.

5030 · May 12, 2016

stuckmotor said:
There's always a snag.:confused2: Thank you for the verification.

I've considered fabbing a hitch to pull a drag or cart, but, those IZT pumps are real expensive, like 700 bucks a side so I dont want to overwork them to the point of replacement anytime soon.

\My Tank is fun to do rollbacks with. I can pull a big wheelie on pavement....lol More fun with a Bobcat though.