HP 101: What is necessary, what is overkill?

[Darren]

I agree with the dealer. We used a Bolens with a 10 hp Wisconsin to mow two acres in the 60's. That lawn tractor probably weighed at least 50% more than the stuff sold today. It was heavy enough to skid an oak log out of the woods even with the turf tires.

 

[EastTexFrank]

HRB111, you can dig a ditch with a spoon, it just depends on how time and effort you want to put into it. I think you are trying to cut down on the time your husband spends doing it so it would seem that you want as big a deck as possible and therefore enough horsepower to drive it. It would also depend on how often he is going to cut it and how tall the grass will be. There's no sense in having a 54" deck if the grass is so tall and thick that you can only use half of it without the machine bogging down. I cut my rolling 4 acre yard with lots of trees using a John Deere 318 (18hp) and a 42" deck (I think???) for years without any problems. In fact, at times, I wish I still had that machine. It's just that with a 24 hp diesel and a 5' mower, I can get it done a lot faster and easier ... and therefore I tend to cut it more often. If someone actually needed a 25 hp gas yard tractor to cut their grass, I think they are on the verge of needing to step up to something a lot more serious and expensive. Personally, I think that something in the 22-25 hp range with a correspondingly sized deck would be more than sufficient and that 18 hp would probably be adequate.

 

[BRIGUY]

PhilNH5,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I cut my yard with a Toro Wheelhorse 314-H with all of 14hp and I have never bogged it down.
)</font>

Phil I believe it and here is why You must have a Kohler Magnum, or a Kohler K series. Either way the fly wheel on your engine weights twice what newer models. Your engine it's self is like 130+ pounds.

If you check the manufacturers specs you will find that these style motors also have a lot more torque than some others.

I haven't looked at the specs in a while, but if you don't look at the HP #'s and just look at displacement and torque specs it will be obvious which machines can do more work.

A 25 HP motor on a light sheet metal lawn tractor with small torque #'s. Is marketed to be deceptive.

My BX 23 is only 22 hp

 

[DaMadman]

Well so far I agree with what most everone here has said. If you are going with a GT and want to cut the grass in record time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (just want to do it and get it done quick) get the big mowerdeck with the extra HP.

That is all the HP does for you on these Gardne tractors. The HP doesn't transfer well to the wheels (ground) because they are too light and do not have the torque. The HP is only there to make sure those big 54" mower decks do not bog down when in heavy or wet grass.

When I first got my MTD years ago it was a 20 or 21 HP with a 52 or 54" mover deck and when I turned the deck on the nieghbor commented that it sounded like a space ship getting ready to take flight.

I liked the fact that I could cut the grass once a week, instead of twice (when I had the smaller HP) and it cut the grass just fine whether it was wet or not.

I think if you get the 18, stick with the 48" deck, if you get the 20-22 HP you can safely get the 54" deck if it is offered.

Either/or, should push snow just fine with a set of chains on the rear tires and maybe a set of wheel wieghts.

 

[DaveInColorado]

Forget about HP. It doesn't matter nearly as much as the rest of the tractor. A cheesy lawn tractor with a 25hp Kohler will die sooner than a quality 14hp Briggs tractor with good maintenance. I went through four cheesy lawn tractors in four years. I blew an engine, bent a deck, broke a transmission case, and jammed a starter gear on MTD's and Sears (and John Deere). Now I have a 15hp diesel Kubota BX1500 that I expect to outlast my grandchildren (my oldest is 16 - youngest 4).

Personally, I would rather spend $2500 on an old JD318 than on a new Craftsman 25hp lawn tractor. The bonus is after 10 years you can still sell the JD318 for $2500. You'll be on your third Craftsman by then. The same logic does not hold true for the JD tractors in Home Depot.