Charlie_in_TX
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
- Messages
- 480
JD L130 vs 2 Craftsman Lawn Tractors (buying)
- Thread starter baxsie
- Start date
- Views: 9858
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- john deere l130
Charlie_in_TX
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
- Messages
- 480
Someone mentioned a Kubota 7100
rrsquid
Member
Another thing that helps, I bought some aftermarket blades online (I forget where and what brand) that were heavier than stock blades. I think they were 'gator' mulching blades. Although not pounds heavier than stock, the few ounces made a huge difference when I'm run into a thicker patch of grass. I'm talking 4-6" high patches. I'm using a 21HP twin 42" craftsman. I mow around/between trees and fences with the finish mower.
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Mark
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Mark
Mith wrote"
. . . Make your boy mow it once a week. . .
He is seven (first grade). A couple more years and he will be doing it for sure. Still a bit young now though.
I kind of half way plan on taking the deck off the old MTD, and letting him use that as a sort of "slow cart". Need to assess the safety aspects though.
On the subject of age and tractors. Once when I was in first grade, I came home from school and dad was loading hay bales onto the flat bed trailer by hand. He had the old MF-65 in 1st low (very slow), and he would get it aimed up the row, hop off and load a couple of bales, then correct the steering, hop off and load a few more. I was so proud when he set me on the seat and let me steer (it had power steering). I was not strong enough to push the clutch down with out getting my leg completely straight and lifting up on the steering wheel to make enough force to disengage it.
GerardC wrote:
<font color="blue">Any idea of about what that Kubota costs?</font>
I'd say about 5 times what your looking to spend.
{baxsie sadly shakes head} Unfortunately that is out of my range. The idea of a "real" but light/small tractor is quite attractive, but if the price was much over $2500 mark, I think I would just try to find a service to hit it.
Frankly, I'm happy to just let it grow, but the county weed guy eventually gets unhappy about that.
BigEddy wrote:
Having seen it, I repeat - that is not lawn tractor territory. . .
Ya. That may be the sad truth for me. Either spend more $ or hammer the heck out of equipment not made for this work.
Well, I guess I'll take a look at the local Kubota dealer for kicks. Maybe they have a used piece.
. . . Make your boy mow it once a week. . .
He is seven (first grade). A couple more years and he will be doing it for sure. Still a bit young now though.
I kind of half way plan on taking the deck off the old MTD, and letting him use that as a sort of "slow cart". Need to assess the safety aspects though.
On the subject of age and tractors. Once when I was in first grade, I came home from school and dad was loading hay bales onto the flat bed trailer by hand. He had the old MF-65 in 1st low (very slow), and he would get it aimed up the row, hop off and load a couple of bales, then correct the steering, hop off and load a few more. I was so proud when he set me on the seat and let me steer (it had power steering). I was not strong enough to push the clutch down with out getting my leg completely straight and lifting up on the steering wheel to make enough force to disengage it.
GerardC wrote:
<font color="blue">Any idea of about what that Kubota costs?</font>
I'd say about 5 times what your looking to spend.
{baxsie sadly shakes head} Unfortunately that is out of my range. The idea of a "real" but light/small tractor is quite attractive, but if the price was much over $2500 mark, I think I would just try to find a service to hit it.
Frankly, I'm happy to just let it grow, but the county weed guy eventually gets unhappy about that.
BigEddy wrote:
Having seen it, I repeat - that is not lawn tractor territory. . .
Ya. That may be the sad truth for me. Either spend more $ or hammer the heck out of equipment not made for this work.
Well, I guess I'll take a look at the local Kubota dealer for kicks. Maybe they have a used piece.
Spiffy
Veteran Member
If the weeds are the only concern; why not get a pull behind sprayer and a couple gallons of Grazon? Weeds dead; grass is happy. For an added bonus, put a little RoundUp or generic glyphosphate along any area you want total kill.
At around $10/acre on top of the few hundered initial investment it's not exactly cheap, but cheaper than mowing!
Actually, I think this or another thread mentioned goats or some other critters to take it down; not a bad idea either....
Chad
At around $10/acre on top of the few hundered initial investment it's not exactly cheap, but cheaper than mowing!
Actually, I think this or another thread mentioned goats or some other critters to take it down; not a bad idea either....
Chad
viking65
Banned
This will fit your budget and is the right machine for the job if you can't swing the proper tractor and rotary mower right now.
http://www.simplicitymfg.com/field_brush.php
I have one and it works great. It has hydrostatic drive, I don't think any other brush mower does. I know the DR and the Billygoat models do not.
Sorry your not to happy with your MTD lawn tractor. But it was never intended to do what you have been doing with it. 7 years is pretty good for the abuse it has been through.
http://www.simplicitymfg.com/field_brush.php
I have one and it works great. It has hydrostatic drive, I don't think any other brush mower does. I know the DR and the Billygoat models do not.
Sorry your not to happy with your MTD lawn tractor. But it was never intended to do what you have been doing with it. 7 years is pretty good for the abuse it has been through.
Spiffy wrote:
. . . couple gallons of Grazon . . . RoundUp . . .
My wife is completely against any chemical use. I'm not in total agreement with her, but for now the chemicals are not an option.
Spiffy wrote:
. . . goats or some other critters . . .
Now she would like that, but I'm not willing to deal with another pet. It is too hard to leave the house already with chickens, geese dogs & cats.
viking65 wrote:
. . . fit your budget and is the right machine for the job . . .
Hmmmm, maybe teaming that up with the repaired MTD or a new rider (as opposed to tractor) might be a good way to go.
viking65 wrote:
. . . Sorry you're not to happy with your MTD . . .
After hearing the comments in this thread, I am starting to think that it did better than anyone here would have expected. There was an earlier failure that I did not mention, it had a rocker arm adjusting stud back out of the head. There was loctite on one but not on the other. That would be a Briggs problem though, not specifically an MTD issue.
. . . couple gallons of Grazon . . . RoundUp . . .
My wife is completely against any chemical use. I'm not in total agreement with her, but for now the chemicals are not an option.
Spiffy wrote:
. . . goats or some other critters . . .
Now she would like that, but I'm not willing to deal with another pet. It is too hard to leave the house already with chickens, geese dogs & cats.
viking65 wrote:
. . . fit your budget and is the right machine for the job . . .
Hmmmm, maybe teaming that up with the repaired MTD or a new rider (as opposed to tractor) might be a good way to go.
viking65 wrote:
. . . Sorry you're not to happy with your MTD . . .
After hearing the comments in this thread, I am starting to think that it did better than anyone here would have expected. There was an earlier failure that I did not mention, it had a rocker arm adjusting stud back out of the head. There was loctite on one but not on the other. That would be a Briggs problem though, not specifically an MTD issue.
First off, I want to thank everyone that posted for their input. I did a lot more shopping, thinking & looking. What I ended up with is a Cub Cadet GT1554:
My immediate worry right now is how to get it out of the pickup /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif :
I know that this is still a "consumer" level mower (belt drive etc), but it is a CC, and I am hoping that it lives up to their name. The GT1554 has tons of HP, big wheels, good clearance, good deck float range and lots of rollers around the deck to keep the blades out of the dirt, so I think it will work for me. If the old MTD could do it for 7 years, this thing should at least be able to match that.
The only bad thing so far is that the manual and hose adaptor thing blew out somewhere on the way home /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
My immediate worry right now is how to get it out of the pickup /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif :
I know that this is still a "consumer" level mower (belt drive etc), but it is a CC, and I am hoping that it lives up to their name. The GT1554 has tons of HP, big wheels, good clearance, good deck float range and lots of rollers around the deck to keep the blades out of the dirt, so I think it will work for me. If the old MTD could do it for 7 years, this thing should at least be able to match that.
The only bad thing so far is that the manual and hose adaptor thing blew out somewhere on the way home /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
viking65
Banned
baxsie, congratulations on your new Cub lawn and garden tractor and I hope you'll be happy with it. But I'm not sure if this is the right machine to cut a rough pasture. Actually, I know it's not the right machine to cut a rough pasture. I believe your machine is actually designed to mow fairly smooth lawns. However, I wish you the best of luck with it.
