Need Lawn Tractor Advice

HiTech Redneck · May 22, 2012

Hi!I am looking for a new lawn tractor(48" cut).I follow the posts on this site every day.I've read many posts regarding the Tuff Torq transmissons & Kohler "Courage" line of engines.I am not a big fan of Briggs & Stratton but Kawasaki seems to be fairly reliable.I've looked at John Deere,Husqvarna & Cub Cadet.They all appear very similar with the layout of the controls etc.The design of the hood varies on the tractors.
What price range of tractor is the next starting point to get something you can have a bit of confidence in when mowing,without the fear of an imminent breakdown?
Quite a few posters on this site have a good knowledge of what transmisson is used in certain tractors.(such as Tuff Torq K46).Is this from visiting all the tractor dealers or is there a way to research on the internet the tractors which have a certain engine/transmisson available? I'm hoping to match a good engine to a good transmisson. Thanks for any advice you may be able to provide!!

Carl_NH · May 22, 2012

HiTech,

You are correct - the box stores machines are pretty much the same - different color, or motor or deck width.

They all are in the same $ range $1500-1999 - I did see the Cub Cadet 1050 with the Kawasaki engine last weekend - the HD salesperson was upselling the Kawasaki over the others and I tend to agree the Kawaski is a fine engine.

I cant help specifically on what transmission is best in these but I suspect they are nearly the same across this price range.

If you want to step up to a JD X300/500 series, or a Cub Cadet 2000 series then the differences are more substantial - direct hydro drives, hyd lifts, HD frame and so on. These will run $3-5K tho.

You can go two directions here - personally I would opt for a lightly used 2000/3000 series Cub or JD X300 or 400 series - you can find these with 70-200 hours for $1500-2500.

In the other direction, you can find the MTD, JD Sabre, Craftsman again lightly used for $500-700 range.

My neighbor got a Craftsman DYT 4000 46" 24HP B&S 110 hrs with bagger for $650 and I went over everything, valves, plugs, oil and blades/belt and its a nice running machine now.

Bottom line I wouldn't buy a new box store lawn tractor, but for the same $ get a nice used HD lawn/garden tractor.

cdaigle430 · May 22, 2012

I agree,
From personal experience-your better off going to the dealerships if you can. These tractors are manufactured differently for different stores like Sears, Home Depot-etc. The tractor itself is pretty much the same, but the difference usually is the deck itself. My Husvarna comes with several decks that I can only tell are different by color. The decks come in orange, grey and black. The black decks are pretty cheap, the grey decks are middle gound(one I have now) and the orange decks are premium.

The dealers will sell the tractors with the orange decks. The also come with different engines like Kohler, Briggs and Stratton and Kawasaki. I have the Briggs and Stratton 24hp and have 250 trouble free hours-still doesnt burn a drop of oil.