Goodbye Kubota, Hello John Deere

[Kevin37]

I'm no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so here's what I know (or have been told):

The John Deere L100 series tractor came about strictly as a price-point competitor. JD had no model to compete with the Sears and a few of the other "inexpensive" makes, so they signed on with someone to produce that series to fit that particular price range. You get what you pay for, and if you compare the "L" frame and construction to the other series, you will see everything is much lighter duty then the next series up. Probably all in all a good mower for what they sell it as: a small home-owner seasonal mower for smaller lawns.

A ZTR for less the $2,000??? I haven't seen any of those, but I must agree with what someone else posted: if you can, commercial is the way to go. The ZTR I priced was about $5,000. Out of my price range, but I'll bet a sturdy unit.

Just my thoughts!

Kevin

 

[Dave___in___CT]

Hi...


Have you considered a zero-turn 36" or 48" walkbehind mower ?

...like Exmark... Toro... the low-end ones are about $2,400... or move to a commercial grade one...

They'll outmow any tractor...


Dave...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Its hard to walk behind a mower and carry a cold beverage simultaneously.

 

[DCRC]

That's why they make that hat with the cup holders and straws.

Daryl

 

[tough451]

A walkbehind with a velkie will cover some serious ground. And believe it or not standing is actually eaiser on you back than bouncing on a ZTR seat at 5mph. I recommend Toro there T -Bar steering is easy on the hands and the eaiset to use. Get at least a 48" deck and you want believe how mowing you can do. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[SevenWonders]

Thanks for all of the replies!

I am still considering, but did lower the rollers yesterday,
and although it wasn't a very challenging lawn,
it seemed to help. Have a good test lawn in a day or 2.

 

[KAB]

I just talked to a Cub dealer for my in-laws and the low end riding mowers are designed for smaller yards. Look at the thickness and design of the frames and decks. Is it shaft driven or belt driven? Is there a filter for the tranny? As you step up in price you will see more of the better features. They had a 38" riding mower for ~$2400. It had some of the better features. I asked about the lower priced ztr and he did not recommend it for heavy use (In-laws mow about 3 acres.)

As for JD I looked at a few of them the other day and you would need to step to the L130 48" deck @ ~$2400 to get some of the better features.

I would try going to a regular JD, Cub, etc. dealer explain your needs and budget and see what they put you into and why. Locally for me the Cub dealer has been the best. In your area that could be different.

Good luck.

Kurt

 

[SevenWonders]

Sorry for the delay...
I've been very busy.

I did talk to some local dealers,
but coudln't find anything in my price range
that was any better, or that made more sense
for me at this time, so I went back to HD and traded
it for a new L118.

This one looks better, runs better, and for whatever
reason, it leaves a cleaner cut while mulching -
I have no explanation for that, but can't complain.

Perhaps in a year or 2 I can afford something better,
but for now I have to look for the best way to add a few
more rollers on the deck to lessen the chance of scalping.
Dropping the front (only) rollers down did help,
but it is still far from the 5 rollers that I was used to
on my Kubota.

Thanks again everyone!

Dave