Recommendation for Good Riding Lawnmower in Today's Market

[Deere Dude]

Many years ago my neighbor wanted me to go to a fair with him and look at JD garden tractors.
I didn't want one and was just looking at the girls, but the salesman talked me into getting a JD 317 garden tractor but my buddy held out. He went to a Fleet Farm store and bought one of theirs. Inside of 2 months of mowing he broke and axle if I recall and had a heck of a time to get anyone to fix it. About 4 or 5 months later he had another major thing go wrong with it, and that cemented my relationship with JD. Parts are expensive but whose aren't. Service is only a phone call away and in 45 years of owning and buying JD garden tractors I never got a dud and never got one I regretted. I did have thing =s break now and then but minor stuff. The ones I got were never the JD cheapy entry models you find at Lowes etc.

 

[JDL130]

I pulled the old transaxle off of the L130 tonight. The 5W50 that went in last summer was still pretty clear, but there were big metal shavings 1/8"x1/4" long pouring out and attached to the magnet, which was definitely not the case when I changed the fluid last summer. So I'm sure the internals are done. I'm going to pull it apart and look at it just out of curiosity. Something clearly cut loose and ground up.

New transaxle should be here on the 2nd or 3rd...I'll fill it up, slap it back on, and hopefully be back in business.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I pulled the old transaxle off of the L130 tonight. The 5W50 that went in last summer was still pretty clear, but there were big metal shavings 1/8"x1/4" long pouring out and attached to the magnet, which was definitely not the case when I changed the fluid last summer. So I'm sure the internals are done. I'm going to pull it apart and look at it just out of curiosity. Something clearly cut loose and ground up.

New transaxle should be here on the 2nd or 3rd...I'll fill it up, slap it back on, and hopefully be back in business.

I think your bevel gears are almost gone or completely gone. Just a guess. They are made from powdered metal. The bigger units are cut from steel.

 

[JDL130]

I threw a new K46 on last night and boy, what a world of difference. No hydro noise at all anymore and of course the thunk is gone. Might even keep the mower 'til next year when finances would better permit a new one.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

If you don't drive on hills or push snow, it might last you many years.

 

[JDL130]

If you don't drive on hills or push snow, it might last you many years.

Unfortunately I live on a mountain...the whole yard is a series of hills.

Might pass it on to my mother-in-law whose yard is completely flat and who is still mowing with a 1992 LX176 with no hood, grille, or most of the exterior plastic.

 

[Topcat14]

It is discouraging that you really can't find a "solid" mower under $5K anymore. Everything is more or less the same light duty stuff below that point.

I think I spent $2300 on my Deere LT mower back in 2002, and that was the entry point for the higher end Deeres back then (they made cheaper "Sabre" models for around $900-1200 that later begat the D, LA, and L mowers if I am remembering the alphabet soup right). The closest thing to my LT in the Deere lineup now would be somewhere between the X300 and X500, so I'd probably be wanting an X530 to feel like I got an upgrade, and those are $$$ (but nice).

I don't remember what hydrostatic transmission was in the LT series back then, but I went for manual transmission just because it put more power to the ground. Over the years it has taken quite a bit of abuse that I know would have stressed a hydrostatic transmission.

At this point, I plan to run my LT as long as it holds up. At 13 years old, it's still doing great, and it seems like I could easily get another 13 years out of it.

Actually the LT series would fall somewhere between D series ( it was better) and below X300 series ( not as good) the LX model was next step up- except for your manual shift all the LT痴 had K46 transaxle

 

[snpower]

I strongly recommend the older JD units. My father has a '96 GT275 that runs, cuts great. I bought a 2001 GT235 in 2015 for $1500. It had an estimated 400 hours on it and was clean, well maintained. It features the Briggs Vanguard commercial engine and I hope to get a ton of life out if it. Heavy duty stuff! Much more so than the 2006 X300 I bought brand new.

 

[buickanddeere]

Check the transmission first. If it's the light duty K46 by Tuff Torq, forget about it.

 

[buickanddeere]

Actually the LT series would fall somewhere between D series ( it was better) and below X300 series ( not as good) the LX model was next step up- except for your manual shift all the LTç—´ had K46 transaxle

The LX series used an entirely respectable Tuff Torq K61 hydrostatic unit.
I have a both new hood peices for my LX188 in the shed but I have hesitated for two years installing it as the kids cut the grass. The factory hood is missing chunks and while the grill while intact shows heat damage from a carburetor fire.