Garden tractor life span

[dodge man]

I think it has a lot to do with your property. If it’s a nice smooth lawn without a lot of things to hit, a cheap one might last a 1000 hours. I have a rough yard and my first box store kept breaking deck spindles and the steering had a ton of slop in it. I’ve been mowing with a tractor with mid mount mower and have very few problems.

 

[m1garand762]

I still use a 1970s wheel horse with tue original deck. No hour meter but I know it’s well past 10000

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Just hammer the deck back straight and bolted some 1/8" by 2 inch flat stock around the deck to fix where it ripped apart. Hopefully itll see 1000 hours.

 

[Beeenvenue]

I plan on replacing every 7 years. I beat the crap out of mine on hard clay soils; I buy 6-7 speed manuals and run in high gear and sometimes clip trees or fence corners at full speeds….don’t change the oil either. I figure I cut 25-30 times per year at about 1-1/2hours/cut so 40-50 hours per year.

Never had an engine problem (at 300-400 hours max). They die other deaths. Broken axle. Destroyed many decks. Bent main driveshaft coming out of engine killed one of them (high centered on a water logged frozen dirt mound - yes in Texas).

I don’t take care of them (little maintenance) because I use them very aggressively. It wasn’t so bad when I could get a 42” model for $1200, but that’s $2200 or more now.

 

[fatjay]

1968 New Holland S14 mowed until the deck just fell apart in the 90's. Now it tills and plows. Countless hours on it. Have a 1970 S14 as well, runs like a champ.

My 2001 kubota zd21 zero turn has close to 2000 hours on it. If something breaks, I fix it.

 

[Tomtint]

Most of what the big box stores sell today as lawn tractors.. I would expect to replace in 5 years given normal seasonal usage. Its planned obsolescence. The parts used are thinner, lighter, and just not meant for long term durability. When I was a kid, My farher bought a Ariens GT17 tractor. It was a big lawn tractor, PTOs,..Fairly robust build. The weak point was the Kohler motor. My father ran it hard for 20 years or so and I ended up rebuilding it and used it for another 4-5 years before the new motor failed. ..Ended up scrapping it for a Kubota BX22..

 

[Oaktree]

Most of what the big box stores sell today as lawn tractors.. I would expect to replace in 5 years given normal seasonal usage. Its planned obsolescence. The parts used are thinner, lighter, and just not meant for long term durability.

That seems a little on the low side. I have a fairly low end box store Ariens rider mower I've had about 10 years now (no hour meter, but rough estimate 650-700-ish hours). Still running, but I don't expect to get more than a couple more years out of it. Had to re-weld the frame where it broke (real flimsy design) last year, engine's starting to burn oil too. I had to replace one spindle & the belt. Other than annual oil/filter changes no other repairs. Sealed hydro transmission is a little rough going from fwd to reverse, but no other issues with it. On its third battery, but that's not the fault of the mower.

Not sure what I'm gonna do when it's time to replace it. A little better quality one would be nice, but even the low end ones are pushing $2500 now (paid less than half for this one). Add to that the fact that I'm 73...another box store one, assuming it stands up like this would probably get me as long as I'll need it.

I think it has a lot to do with your property. If it’s a nice smooth lawn without a lot of things to hit, a cheap one might last a 1000 hours. I have a rough yard and my first box store kept breaking deck spindles and the steering had a ton of slop in it. I’ve been mowing with a tractor with mid mount mower and have very few problems.

Absolutely!! My yard is also rough and uneven and I'm sure that's taken a toll on the mower. Way too many obstacles, dead ends, etc. for a tractor to be practical. There are some spots I'm not sure a ZTR would even fit thru so I guess I'm stuck with another rider.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

The little husquvarna I have doesnt have enough power to damage its axle. It spins the tires quite a bit. Plus my 150 doesnt do much to ballast it

The frame, as flimsy as it is and flexible hasn't broke anywhere.

My craftman has issues with the steering and the parts weren't cheap. Once I got it going, I sold it. Despite being a 25 year old craftsman. It was junk

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I can’t imagine replacing a mower every 5 years. I hope to get 10+ from my Hustler… at $12k to replace, that seems about as short as I’d like.

 

[jyoutz]

I can’t imagine replacing a mower every 5 years. I hope to get 10+ from my Hustler… at $12k to replace, that seems about as short as I’d like.

I would expect 20+ years of service from a $12K mower.