Advice on Lawn Tractor - Please

[OrtisEvans]

I hope this is the right forum for this question.
A friend has a 3 acre yard, some of which is fairly rough since it was a field and not smoothed before being declared a lawn. She has a 44" Sears lawn tractor that is dying, and she is looking for a new/used machine with a somewhat wider deck. And, of course, money is an object.

I suppose that Cub Cadet, New Holland/Ford, Deere, and Kubota are the main brands, right? I have not been too impressed with lawn-sized Deers in recent years.

What is the group recommendation?

Ortis

 

[MossRoad]

I hope this is the right forum for this question.
A friend has a 3 acre yard, some of which is fairly rough since it was a field and not smoothed before being declared a lawn. She has a 44" Sears lawn tractor that is dying, and she is looking for a new/used machine with a somewhat wider deck. And, of course, money is an object.

I suppose that Cub Cadet, New Holland/Ford, Deere, and Kubota are the main brands, right? I have not been too impressed with lawn-sized Deers in recent years.

What is the group recommendation?

Ortis

Welcome to TBN.

I'd say if money is an object, then Cub, NH/Ford, Deere and Kubota are already off the list. If she is just wanting to mow the lawn, and that is it, get a cheap riding mower for well under 2K.

If she has other tasks, then she needs to identify those tasks and her budget first, before considering brand of tractor.

 

[kebo]

Three acres is a LOT OF LAWN, especially if the budget only allows purchase of a basic "box brand" riding mower from the usual places, ie sears, wally world, lowes, HD, etc... Also, if the lawn is rough as you mentioned, that can be pretty hard on most any riding mower. That might be part of the reason(s) why her Sears mower is "dying". Maybe she could get someone with a tractor to till under the rough areas, then smooth them out with a rake or blade, and reseed it? That would be a benefit, no matter what brand she gets.

 

[diesel_nut]

Yup. 3 acres is a LOT!.

I have a Cub 2554 but think even something bigger/stouter than it would be nice but it would suffice. Cuts very well and gets great traction on uneven terrain.

I had 3.5 acres at one time and figured it was better to let some of it 'go to field' instead of spending all that time/money/wear and tear.

 

[jcmseven]

If money is an object perhaps she should hire it out for a while. Many folks come out ahead if they do not mow that often to just hire it. If she wants a tractor or mower, which would be my personal choice there are plenty of good options out there. ZTR's are popular but in the inexpensive category have poor hydro pumps and will not last. They also intimidate some people who are used to a steering wheel and are truly one-dimensional machines in most cases.

Each Major brand has close following. I have been highly suspect of Cub Cadet products with their current manufacturer and it runs about 50/50 here with those that love them and those that would like to run them in a lake. Kubota makes a good machine that will last, but I have heard and witnessed some cut quality issues. I like Simplicity products, another option. I personally like JD products (why I own them) but agree that the lower end ones are not any better than the competition. The X360 is about the smallest JD that seems to have both features and durability consistent with the upper end line. The X500 series machines are great and would easily handle her tasks. They are easy to operate and have comfort and efficiency features that would make that 3 acres an easy job. The Kawasaki motors are thirsty but durable and have good power. Again, JD pulls one into increasingly expensive machines to achieve all the features one would want. That said, they (and other machines in this class) should be viewed as an investment. I view lawn and garden equipment as some do cars and "true cost to operate" is an important consideration. Some cars are very cheap to buy but when figuring the actual operating cost over time, inclusive of fuel, service, downtime, repairs, etc., they actually end up costing more and likely would be a throwaway piece at the end, where a good JD X 500 series or equivalent could be sold or traded for a large chunk of its original purchase price. Amortizing this over years of time makes the true difference quite small and tends to favor the nicer machine.

John M

 

[ed fewlass]

I have 3.20 acres and I own 2 Troy Built ponys seem to be a good deal for under a grand One is 6yrs the other 5 the 6yr old is my wife's and lets just say sometimes it is better to shut my mouth and walk away

 

[coobie]

I hope this is the right forum for this question.
A friend has a 3 acre yard, some of which is fairly rough since it was a field and not smoothed before being declared a lawn. She has a 44" Sears lawn tractor that is dying, and she is looking for a new/used machine with a somewhat wider deck. And, of course, money is an object.

I suppose that Cub Cadet, New Holland/Ford, Deere, and Kubota are the main brands, right? I have not been too impressed with lawn-sized Deers in recent years.

What is the group recommendation?

Ortis

I would also look at a good used ingersoll 4016/4020 in 48/60 inch cut.Very heavy duty tractors for around $3,000.coobie

 

[OrtisEvans]

Thanks all for the advice. I will pass it - and keep it for reference next time I need a new machine. I have a 20+ year old JD316 that has been a headache from day 1. We kept it that past few years becasue the cat liked to sleep on the seat (really!). He is gone now, and I should get rid of the Deere while it is still running. (Main issue - starter keeps stripping flywheel teeth - something was not designed right there)

-Ortis

 

[a.palmer jr.]

My advice would be to look around yard sales, flea markets, auctions, etc. and see if you can find a good, used Wheel Horse. I bought one for $500 with a 48" deck and 16 Horsepower engine which should do 3 acres in a reasonable time. You have to be selective though...there's a lot of junk out there!

 

[CR172]

I have 3.5 acres and mow with a 54" Kubota GR2110. I know it's out of the price range, but just saying. The previous owners left their JD L140, and after mowing the 2nd time, I knew that mower would not last long. So, I got rid of it before it fell apart.

Now, in all fairness, aprox 1 acre around the house is lawn. At least that's what I'm working on...... The other 2.5 acres in the back is field and only gets mowed once a month in the growing season. The yard is once or twice a week.