Overwhelmed by the possibilities --- Mowers

[7sam15]

My wife and I have just completed the move into our new property. We have a total of 15 acres of which about 2 acres is “lawn” around the house. Much of the lawn area is tight with trees and plant beds. It is generally rough with many molehills and ruts. We have pretty much decided to purchase a Kubota 3830 to take care of the rest of the property. The tractor will include a brush hog but I don’t expect we will be able mow much of the lawn area. So we need to consider a hydrostatic, mulching riding mower with something like a 42-inch deck.

I am really overwhelmed by the variety of riding lawn mowers and “lawn tractors” on the market. We spent last Saturday shopping around the JD, Kubota, Sears and Husky dealers and were frustrated because every salesman tried to talk us into a large “lawn tractor” in the 4200$ - 4500$ range. They most often recommend tractors were the JD GT 225 and GT 235. The JD dealers all said that the lower priced lawn mowers (LT range) would not last more than 2 –3 years in the environment I described. They said the mowers were not built to handle rough terrain and would break axles and frames when exposed to frequent ruts.

My Kubota dealer (Who I really like) flat out said to buy a JD mower because it’s a better value for the money.

I would really like to spend no more than 2200$ on a mower. Is it possible to find something that is robust enough to survive a “farm lawn”? What is your experience with the lower priced riding lawn mowers? Are they robust?

What would you recommend for my environment?

Thanks for reading!


7sam15

 

[fishman]

Well, with a limit of $2,200, it's no wonder the Kubota rep said to go JD. There isn't a Kubota mower near that price but the JD L series will get you there. I chose to spend the extra $ for the Kubota 1670 although I did compare it to the L series at Home Depot. The JD mowers looked to be good mowers but the things that swayed me to the Kubota were:

1) Fully welded steering column support on the Kubota vs. plastic dash support for JD. The steering is the first to go on rough lawns, unless the deck is REALLY bad, then it goes first.

2) Frame on Kubota appeared stronger than JD

3) Kubota had rear suspension for rough ground, JD did not

4) Kubota hydro was much more massive and had a cooling fan

5) Deck is held on by 4 beefy attachment bars on the Kubota, whereas the L series has a single long bolt on the front which looks fragile.

Now, this is comparing a 3k machine to a 2k machine, so it's really not fair. But, if you start looking at the JD Gt's you really out to check out the Kubota T-series. You already have a Kubota dealer you like.

I've had my T-1670 now for about 6 weeks and it really does well on the uneven parts of my lawn and my new smooth lawn as well. The cut is great, the motor is quiet, and the ride is really good. It's a great companion to my b2910. My wife was a big skeptic, but after one mowing session, she was sold. It's a quality product just like most everything else Kubota makes.

If you need to stick to the 2k max, the JD L series looks like a good candidate. You might also check out the offerings at your local Sears. Most of their tractors are made by American Yard Products (AYP) who make the Husqvarna riders. They seem to have a better reputation than many of the mowers made by MTD.

One last thought. The Kubota T-series has 0% financing for two years. That was the final straw for me. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bird]

Personally, for a riding mower in that price range, I like the Cub Cadets best.

 

[soarkrebel]

I was at my local stihl dealers shop who sells husky and cub cadets. he had a customer who was looking at mowers. i started looking at a husky and noted similar things about it and my craftsman. he then stated that only about four or five companys make all mowers in the U.S.
I think he is on to something there. they all have characteristics that are the same.
i did note that the husky was about 900 more than a craftsman. and they looked the same . i think they even had the engines.
anyway i have been happy with my craftsman but i only mow about an acre with it . the rest i do with a L3000dt and brush hog.

My aunt has a $900 craftsman that is used to mow a farm lawn and it is going strong. and has for several years.
i think the key is maintaining the machine. i am hoping to get many years out my $1000 craftsman. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Chief]

I use a John Deere F525 to cut my lawn and drive. They are pretty expensive new but I recently saw a used one that had been traded in with about 446 hours on it for around $1500. Good little front mowers with a Kawasaki 17 hp. engine, HST. You may want to look around to see if you can find one. Alot of owners like to eventually trade up to the 757 or 737 so you may find one used.

 

[Will_C]

I don't know if you would be interested in, or have the physical ability to use one, but a commercial walk-behind mower would give you alot of value for the money, and fit the property you describe.
Have you condidered a ZTR? I believe Ariens and Toro both have them close to that price range. Good luck.
Will

 

[JohnMiller3]

Why not bring in some top soil and rake it "in" over the 2 acre plot for a beautiful lawn... then in about ~2 weeks Home Depot should begin their annual 40% off sale and check out some riding mowers there for well under $1000. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[7sam15]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. I haven't found many used mowers locally but will continue to search.

I heard that the same factory produces many of the lower cost mowers, including the L series JDs. I am encouraged to hear that the Craftsman lawn mowers hold up to some abuse. Locally they seem to have a very poor reputation.

I believe the land is too rough for a walk behind (I mowed about half the yard last night and almost passed out after about 2 hours.. ;-) ) I beat myself up almost continually pushing my mower through he ruts and holes.

Eventually we will top dress and smooth the yard but it is just not a priority now. We just need to keep the grass down for now.


Thanks again.

7sam15

 

[timb]

If you're not afraid of the "risk" with used equipment, I'd throw another vote that way - either a heavier front mower or an older (heavy-duty) garden tractor. My 1.5-and-change acres of "farm yard" are also pretty rough. I started looking at new mowers right in the price range you're at - and was severely underwhelmed. I figured I'd tear one up very quickly on my lawn - not at all impressed with the overall strength (any brand). I was almost up to the JD GT235 as the best compromise (at $4800) when I decided to just get something heavier, used, and be done with it. Ended up with a 1987 JD318 with 800 hours for $2400.

It may have a few cosmetic blemishes (so far mechanically seems fine except for maybe using a little oil). Older garden tractors seem to be far more robust than current offerings. I believe the old JD 300 series were built heavier than anything short of the X series today - certainly heavier than anything in that small of a chassis. I feel much better about the long term durability of this one on our property. Other old classic names are probably just as strong (Wheelhorse, Cadet's, etc.,. but I don't know what the parts situation is. It's not too bad with the older JD's.)

And yes, I plan on eventually some year heavily redoing the yard and smoothing things (and eliminating many ruts and ridges) but it needed cutting now. Good Luck!

 

[jrlichina]

I'd have to agree with getting a used JD 300 series tractor, they are much better than most new tractors. The 318 is a great machine, all of the 300's are built to last and come with auxilary hydraulics to boot. I'd get on MachineFinder and look for one near you.

 

[Mosey]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Eventually we will top dress and smooth the yard but it is just not a priority now. We just need to keep the grass down for now. 7sam15)</font>

From your description, with so much stuff to mow around, I see a ZTR in your future. But, you don't want to spend a lot of money on one now if your going to abuse it on the rough ground. How about getting something used (or get a cheap new one) to get by until you can put the Kubota to work and get the yard smooth? Then, get a ZTR. By the way, I have a 4 year old Craftsman that I use for the tight spots and over the septic tank. I don't have real bumpy yard, but it's not real smooth in places and the Craftsman is still good as new.

 

[7sam15]

I’ve been looking at used mowers (mostly JD) for the last few evenings. The stuff I can afford is not in very good condition. Seems like the price doesn’t really go down much on the used JD's. If it does then they tend not to run well.

I looked at 2 300 series lawn mowers both we late 90's with heavy use and the owners wanted almost 4k.

I saw a used 160 for sale locally for 1300$ but it didn’t run and the owner didn’t like my offer.

Wow.

Guess I just need to take my time and find the right buy.

7sam15

 

[Mosey]

Yeah, folks will try to get top dollar for used stuff, which I why I don't buy much used stuff. Check Walmart, Lowes, etc for a cheap rider. It should hold up for a couple of years while you work on getting things smoothed out. Then, sell it for a few hundred and get a good ZTR. I'm thinking of doing the same thing in a year or 2. I bought the Craftsman new 5 years ago (I remembered wrong when I said 4 years) and used it to mow my 3 1/2 acre yard (which is very hilly) for 2 years. It worked great, but it was just too slow with the 42" deck. So, I bought my NH tractor and a 6' rear mower, but kept the Craftsman because I'm afraid to drive over the septic tank with the tractor and I needed something with a smaller deck to get around the bushes and stuff up close to the house. In the last few years I've rearranged the bushes and stuff and with a few more changes I could probably get a ZTR with a 6' deck and just use it to do the whole yard (except for a few spots that I have to do with a 20" push mower) and then sell the Craftsman mower. I'm not sure how I'm going to come up with the money for a ZTR though, they are not cheap!

PS: Quit looking at used JD mowers, they always cost more and for something just to get by with you don't want to spend any more than you have to.

 

[timb]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I looked at 2 300 series lawn mowers both we late 90's with heavy use and the owners wanted almost 4k.
)</font>

Yozza.

What's "heavy use"? All of the 300 series (important - "old" 300s are a completely different animal than anything past, umm '92?) I looked at (actually they were all 318's) had 800-900 hours on them, and they were all at $3000-$3500. Which is I why I took my '87 at $2400 and 795 hours when I found it. With this spring's shopping in mind and from what you see on eBay and other posted internet prices - $4K is real high for a truely heavy hour older machine. $4K ought to get you a nearly cherry sub-300 hour '91 or '92 318. Now if you've found a 322 or 332 you can add a good $1000 to those numbers. Newer units may run a lot more but may possibly also be closer to their demise than the old units. Big differences. If you know and have a comfort level with any of the local JD dealers - it might be a good time to take a walk-through. Most of the spring trade-ins ought to be in now. Mine was actually from a dealer. He also had a selection of what - if it was a car - we would call around here a "winter rat". Meaning basic "well, it runs" condition - all of those were under $800.

Anyway - are you going to use this machine to do anything other than mow? In my case (not having a gator yet!) I also wanted a sturdy cart schlepper - and possibly other odd jobs where a bigger tractor would be too much of a good thing. Most light lawn tractors are not rated to pull much (and frequently nothing at all). Don't know about ZTRs but I would hazard a guess that they are a one-trick-pony albeit a very good one at what they do.

 

[Schultz]

My suggestion is also along the lines of used. I think you can get a better quality garden tractor in the $2000 price range than a new lawn tractor for the same amount. There not all that common but the Case or Ingersolls are a good deal used, new I think they're too costly. The 400, 4000, 3000 series are all well made. They're on ebay all the time for less than 2k used.

To give you an idea here is a link to an old 448
448 at ebay

one for a 3018
3018 on ebay

 

[Anonymous Poster]

As far as mowing goes,Cub cadet is at the top, they last for ever, I have relatives with 25 year old cub cadet lawn tractors
I have had one for five/plus years without any problems and my boys abuse that hydro
cub cadet model 1725, 17 hp Kawasaki , 42" mulching deck
hydro. $2595
model 1525, 15hp kawasaki, 38" mulching deck, hydro on sale now at Lowes and TSC $1995 reg $2195