Comparison Husqvarna GT48DXLS Compared to John Deere

[s219]

Maybe options is the wrong word -- it's really how each one is configured as a model. They all have the same identical frame and platform that all the GTs share. Different models have different configuration for engine, transmission, differential, deck, etc. That's what sets them apart, but otherwise they are the same exact machine. For example GT52XLS and GT48DXLS differ by transmission, differential, and deck width but are otherwise identical.

 

[Teachu2]

Now we're on the same page. I did not check every single Husqvarna model, as I was only interested in the 48" deck, but the GT48DXLS was the only model I found with a manual locking differential. To most people, that's not a big deal. To me, it was a minimum requirement - that or 4wd. I preferred the manual locker so that I could use it as needed, and release it quickly to shorten turning radius. For me, this is the unique model in their lineup that meets my needs - so it is special to me.

Husqvarna makes a broad range of riding mowers: LTA, YT, YTA, YTH, LGT, GT, and probably LGBT. Decks from 42-54". Engines from Briggs, Kohler, and Kawasaki. Transaxles from plastic garbage to some of TuffTorq's better stuff. My dealer just started with them this spring and has already sold a couple dozen units. The only problem one was a plastic transaxle - which the dealer believes will not be continued next model year. All that model shares with mine is the paint color.

The YT48DXLS vs the GT48DXLS is an interesting comparison - different hp, frame, differential, and tires/wheels, but only $200 difference in MSRP. It's all in the details.

As broad a range of riding mowers as Husqvarna makes, there's bound to be some that stink like melted plastic. I admire Deere in that regard - even their box store price-point models generally survive the warranty period and are adequate for flat lawns.

 

[coobie]

YAWN.Is this debate still going on?

 

[FLS1216]

Please note that the GT48DXLS has a completely redesigned deck called ClearCut that is superior to the deck on the GT52XLS.

 

[s219]

Please note that the GT48DXLS has a completely redesigned deck called ClearCut that is superior to the deck on the GT52XLS.

The ClearCut deck has been on several of their mower models for a while now. I know the YT42DXLS and YT48DXLS got it last year.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

YAWN.Is this debate still going on?

Lmfao I was thinking the same thing, after me and dingleberry had our "disagreement" I figured that was sufficient.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I really really don't want to but I will add it anyway.

Parts availability for these Husqvarna mowers go much longer than 5-7 years as others have posted.

My Husqvarna was made in 2005 and I have been able to order any part I want with a click of a button off Amazon, I can still get any part I want at a really cheap price, mainly because Husqvarna made so many from the same interchangeable parts.

I will have easily available parts for another 5 years at least. So more like 15-20 years on parts.

So I can come to the same conclusion on this battle as I did a year ago it seems, JD makes a better garden tractor for tillage and Husqvarna makes a better mower up to the x590. Case closed.

 

[plowhog]

Corporate shills at work. Defend the brand even if it bloats a lawn mower thread to 60+ posts. Writing "Husqvarna makes a better mower up to the x590" may be true, but it is certainly new bait that attracts them.

Husqvarna has a strong, positive brand. So cheapen their image and call them a "Husky" instead. That conveniently confuses the strong brand with "Huskee," another mower manufacturer of much lower quality. Remember the claim that the plastic headlights will fog faster on a Husky? Well, is that even true? How would an end user Deere owner know or believe that? And was that a Huskee whose headlight fogged? Or a Husqvarna?

An objective reader of this thread can determine the Husqvarna GT48DXLS and Deere X380 are reasonably equivalent, albeit different in some areas of course. But it's surely hard to defend why the X380 is bumping up into being twice the price of the Husqvarna using similar engines and transaxles, and with the Husqvarna also having the locking differential which the X380 lacks. Add a rear bagger, bumper, etc. to equip the two machines equally, and the Deere is nearly double the price. With that being very difficult to justify, then claim the Husqvarna only compares to the more lowly 100 series mowers.

My personal favorite in this thread came from TeachU (I think.) Responding to descriptions of the John Deere bumper-to-bumper warranty, he pointed out the X380 has no front bumper. LOL. Has to be added at extra cost? So if you don't buy the second bumper is the bumper-to-bumper warranty no good? LOL.

From Wikipedia: "A shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the person or organization. Shills can carry out their operations in the areas of media, journalism, marketing, confidence games, or other business areas. A shill may also act to discredit opponents or critics of the person or organization in which they have a vested interest through character assassination or other means.

In most uses, shill refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers, participants or "marks" the impression of an enthusiastic customer independent of the seller, marketer or con artist, for whom they are secretly working."

Personally, I prefer the term "stooge." But I am being polite, referring instead to the shills. :laughing:

 

[Teachu2]

I doubt anyone here is an employee of either company in any way, shape, or form. I understand brand loyalty, especially when it costs big bucks. I have had excellent service for many years from Toyota cars and light trucks, and have been bitten every time I've bought a different brand. For MY uses, Toyotas have been great. If I needed to tow a 32' toyhauler, probably not so great. But when I decided to get a commuter car, everything I looked at was measured against a Corolla. The Mazda 3 was more fun to drive, but I had confidence that I'd get 300k miles out of the Corolla - and intend to. Didn't even consider the KIA or Hyundai, and wretched at the thought of the Nissan Sentra. Hondas don't fit me.

To each his own. The guy who spent $60k on his 2017 4x4 Silverado HATES it when I pull him out with my 2007 Tundra...

 

[s219]

Corporate shills at work. Defend the brand even if it bloats a lawn mower thread to 60+ posts. Writing "Husqvarna makes a better mower up to the x590" may be true, but it is certainly new bait that attracts them.

Husqvarna has a strong, positive brand. So cheapen their image and call them a "Husky" instead. That conveniently confuses the strong brand with "Huskee," another mower manufacturer of much lower quality. Remember the claim that the plastic headlights will fog faster on a Husky? Well, is that even true? How would an end user Deere owner know or believe that? And was that a Huskee whose headlight fogged? Or a Husqvarna?

This from the guy who didn't know the Husky nickname from the Huskee brand in another thread a couple months ago? And now you're lecturing? Do I need to quote that to show how unstable your footing is here?

I have owned several pro Husky saws over the years, and currently own a 562XP, in addition to a Stihl 461, Echo 400, and Echo 501. That 562XP is a great saw, probably the best 60cc saw out there. Everybody running Husqvarna saws around here calls them Husky, A) because that's the way it's always been, and B) because most of these farmer/logger types probably can't spell or pronounce Husqvarna. It's just the way it is, and has been happening long before you showed up and bought your Husky riding mower and it became the center of the universe. Get over it. Anybody with a brain can tell Husky products apart from the relatively unknown Huskee brand sold at Tractor Supply.

Let me also say that even though Husky makes some great pro saws, they also make some mediocre mid-range saws and some extremely crappy consumer saws. Some of the really crappy ones are rebranded Poulans (or vice versa). I am pointing this out to show that it's possible for someone to acknowledge that Husky makes great products and not so great products. I think if you had more experience in this area, you would not be nearly so brand-sensitive. I own a lot of different brands, and see good/bad products from all of them. Love Kubota compact tractors, but their riding mowers are overpriced and sub-par. Love Deere compact tractors and X series mowers, but wouldn't touch their 100 series models at any price. Love Husky's pro products but their consumer products are just not consistently good or remarkable.