New mower time

[supratreo]

hi all, so i'm sure by now you all see what BS is going on in CA.
ive had a 42 in craftsman YS4500 for about 10 years now and ive put about 4 head gaskets on it. i'm tired of working on this thing. recently i was given a JD D110 which i love, missed having a JD since i sold my compact tractor a few years ago, but it just doesnt have the power i need.
i'm thinking about selling both and upgrading to something more powerful, reliable and maybe bigger in size. with the laws that are being passed in CA i think i need to get on this sooner rather than later. problem is i'm not sure what to look for as its been a long time since i had to shop for something like this.
i was thinking something with a 2 cylinder Kohler since it seems like B&S is not producing the same quality they used to. any advice? i'm mowing about 1.5 acres and would like to get a machine that will be with me for a long time. not a big fan of electric. brand isnt a huge deal.

thank you

 

[ning]

I'm curious why your current mower has eaten 4 head gaskets in 10 years? I've got the same mower for the last 15 years, though in 54" (DYS4500, Kohler 26hp courage); I've replaced spark modules + starter + flywheel but despite my wife hauling a trailer full of cuttings and dirt all over and me cutting up to 30" heavy grass with it before I got the brush hog, it's still doing great.

 

[supratreo]

mine has a single cylinder briggs. apparenty this model has been known to do this. the area where it blows is on the side with the cavity for the push rods, the cylinder doesnt have meat here and there is a huge gap between the head bolts so there is less clamping force in that spot.

 

[supratreo]

other than that, this mower has been pretty good. havent done anything else besides maint.
i thought about repowering it but a good engine would be $500+ it looks like so i dont know if it would be worth it.

 

[Doughknob]

I have owned Deere lawn tractors for 23 years. Sold the first two each working great at time of sale. 3rd one going strong now. I abuse them - don't wash them but once every few years, store them in 3 sided shed even in cold weather, change oil once in a while, pull landscape trailers and even a hay rack with them.

First two had B&S engines; this one has the Kawasaki. All 3 engines ran perfectly the whole time I owned them. I buy the "REAL" ones from Deere dealerships, not the fake Deeres from Home Depot. Actually the Home Depot ones are Deeres, but substantially cheaper and cheaper made.

I say lawn tractors, but my last two were 'garden tractors' - bigger, heavier, more robust.....

 

[supratreo]

thank you for that insight. i will def. be buying from a dealer or landscape supplier. ive noticed huge differences when it comes to things like this and buying from big box stores.
everything from appliances and TVs to outdoor equipment.

 

[tomplum]

A Deere X series would fit the bill, most have Kawasaki engines. If still, only the entry level had the twin Briggs. They have a real nice all wheel steer option as well if wanted.

 

[shooterdon]

Get a zero turn. It cuts almost twice as fast so will last almost twice as long. I upgraded to a ZT this year and no regrets. I cut about 2 acres and it takes an hour or slightly less.

 

[supratreo]

thank you for that. i was thinking about that but i know nothing about zero turns.
man when did these machines start getting so expensive

 

[Richard001]

mine has a single cylinder briggs. apparenty this model has been known to do this. the area where it blows is on the side with the cavity for the push rods, the cylinder doesnt have meat here and there is a huge gap between the head bolts so there is less clamping force in that spot.

Yep, that is a problem with that engine. If it happens again, make sure that the head is not warped. As you using some type of gasket sealer when reassembling ?