my L3830 is too big.now need a riding mower.

BWS · Mar 31, 2003

need some advice on small riding mowers.looking at the cubs,crafstman,jd l130,husquvarna mowers.are the kohler engines better than kawasaki??i decided to rent a brushog and knock down the grass then maintain it with a rider.our tractor crushes the ground.looking back now i wish i would have gotten something smaller[b7800?].the mid mount mower on the kubota is very costly.any rec's on riders would be appreciated.1500-2600.00 price range.

JDGREEN4ME · Mar 31, 2003

When I bought my 4110 I was planning on doing all the mowing with that. After I found out how much a deck would cost and seeing how hard it would be to trim around all that I would need to figured another mower was in order. I was looking for something under 2k so you have the option of several different models I did'nt. I was looking at any brand, however I received a $250 dollar off coupon for the LT Series of JD lawn tractors and with the deal I got ended up with one for around $1500 bucks. I also like the Cubs, I did not like the cut quality of the deck I had on the Sears tractor...in all fairness that was several years ago.

WCarlson · Mar 31, 2003

I am a dyed in the wool JD fan. I have purchased 4 JD's in the last 8 years. I have had a JD 425, traded it in on a JD 445, so that I could have a small front loader, found I needed a larger tractor with 4wd and a backhoe. Ended up with a JD 4200 with 60 inch MMM, 60" FEL with fork lift attachment, 59" snowblower, boom pole and a JD 47 backhoe. Then found that I did too much lawn damage mowing around the house with a 3000# rig. So I bought my wife a JD LX 176 hydrostatic drive with a 38" mower and a 10cuft trailer for her to do her landscaping. A selling point on the LX 176 was that it had a Kawasaki engine. I noticed JD tractors at Home Depot during the last few months. They appear to be a good buy. I could have gotten a similar tractor to the LX 176 for about half of what I paid. The Home Depot models have kohler engines. If I were to do it again, I would check out the Home Depot models and carefully compare them with those available from the JD dealer before buying.

Bill

JATO_RaT · Mar 31, 2003

I have had superb performance with Honda engines, excellent performance with Kohler, great results with Kawasaki and from there, it goes down hill. B&S are improved from years ago but still not as good as any of the 3 I mentioned. I still consider B&S to be the affordable/cheap engine manufactuer. The absolute worst 4 stroke engine I have ever bought was one made by Clinton, no joke. (watch this post get edited for bringing politics into the fray) I would be happy with any of the first 3 I mentioned.

As mowers go, the bargain may well be the JD's at Home Depot. There are many nice ride on mowers out there. I have a Snapper. It's drive system is for non sloped lawns. The positive thing about my Snapper is it's ability to vacuum the grass clippings and bag them even when wet. I have yet to use any brand that sucks as hard as Snapper. Its definitely for lawn mowing use only though. Your L3830 is definitely going to be much to much tractor for lawn grooming, but then, I think that that would be pretty obvious. It's more going to be like most any other compact of its size for mowing expanse grass areas or pastures. The midmount for the Kubotas is pricey. But it is a tank, weighing in at or more then some complete ride on mowers. Good luck with your choice, Rat...

Anonymous Poster · Mar 31, 2003

looking back now i wish i would have gotten something smaller[b7800?].

BWS,

We will have to remember your post as one of the rare ones that wish they had gone smaller!

I don't know how big a L3830 is...but I bet if it were parked beside my B2910, it would make mine look tiny! I thought the L3130 I saw the other day was huge!

For grass cutting even the B2910 [or 7800] may be on the large side. I use my B2910 with RFM with satisfactory results on about an acre and a half of short weeds. But there are places where this year I will be using my lawn tractor too.

You should be able to get something to cut your grass pretty well within your budget I would think.

Maybe you could trade your big tractor in on a b7800 and a bx1500 with mower deck! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck!

Rick Jay · Mar 31, 2003

( Maybe you could trade your big tractor in on a b7800 and a bx1500 with mower deck! )

Henro,

Weight-wise, I think that equation comes pretty close to balancing. Dollar-wise, I think we have to add about 10 grand to his side of the equation. In rough numbers, of course. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

~Rick

Bird · Mar 31, 2003

( are the kohler engines better than kawasaki )

Personally, I've had good luck with Kohler and Briggs & Stratton. While I've not owned one myself, I know people who've had good luck with Kawasaki. I think my first choice would be Honda, but that may only be because I had such good luck with three Honda motorcycles and one scooter and have talked to several people who had Honda powered portable generators, air-compressors, and such. The only engines I've had trouble with and wouldn't want again are Tecumseh and Clinton, and both of those were long, long ago so my experience and opinion of them is probably not valid today.

Personally, for a riding lawnmower, there are other features that would influence me more than the brand of the engine. My last riding mower was a Craftsman with a Briggs engine and the only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that the hydrostatic transmission was controlled by a hand lever instead of foot pedals (personal preference only because one works as well as the other).

And my personal preference for a riding mower is the Cub Cadet primarily because it had the foot operated hydrostat that I liked, and perhaps more importantly, it was so easy to remove and re-install the mowing deck, with no tools at all, so I could lean it against a tree to clean the bottom, remove the blades to sharpen them, etc.

markie61 · Mar 31, 2003

I did the opposite - bought the lawn tractor BEFORE the big 'un.

I got a 21hp sears with Kohler V-twin and a 46" deck. If I had to do it again, I would get the Husqvarna with the Kawasaki engine and 48" deck. After I found out the independent dealers will negotiate on price , it was a MUCH better bargain - too late /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. Sears and Home Depot obviously won't negotiate on price. I like the Kaws better than Kohler, B&S, etc. Somehow, their smaller hp engines seem to have more power - I don't know if that is true empirically, but it sure feels that way.
Mark

Nik · Mar 31, 2003

Husqvarna makes a nifty rider mower that only has a 4" turning radius. The mower deck is front-mounted and flips up for easy cleaning. I saw one of these clever mowers at my Kubota dealer. They come in 3 models of which two use kawasaki engines. The rear wheels turn on this mower giving it exceptional manuevability. I like the small size/weight of these mowers and am considering buying one to complement my Kubota B2410 with 60" RDM. This would be very helpful for mowing around trees and other obstacle laden areas on my property. The price is around $3200 as I recall but cheaper than a low-level ZTR.

Rick Jay · Mar 31, 2003

Hmmm...and Husqvarnas are orange ! It'll match the Kubota nicely. Hmmm...come to think of it, my trusty 16 year old red Honda HT3813 really does clash with the B2910. Maybe.?.?.?. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
~Rick