Shopping for a lawn tractor - need advice

[BleedGreen]

If you are mowing an acre and don't want to spend alot - there is nothing wrong with the LA100 series light-duty lawn tractors... Will they last as long as an X300 series, assuming the same use and maintenance? No - but they don't cost as much either.

In regards to the 190C your dealer has for $2,700.00 - it is last years model, and should have sold for $2,999.00 - so the price is not bad, although it could be a little better... If you are going to spend that much, I would highly recommend spending a little bit more ($2,899.00) to get an X300 with either the 38" or 42" mower deck. This will get you the far superior Kawasaki engine, (17 hp V-Twin with the "hemi" head and "V" valve technology) a heavier frame, a heavier front axle, (with a slightly tighter turning radius as well as replaceable metal vs. plastic bushings) larger tires, a better mower height control system, a nicer dashboard and a better seat...

Are you planning to mulch, collect or side-discharge the clippings??? If you want to collect, (with either the LA100's or the X300) I would go down to a model with the 42" mower deck, so you don't have to purchase the PowerFlow system, as well as the Material Collection System. Also, I personally feel that the 42" cuts better than the three-bladed 48" and 54" decks.

If you don't want to spend that much money, I would go with the L110 (19.5 hp single cylinder Briggs, Hydro, 42" Mower - $1,649.00) or better yet, the L120 (21 hp V-Twin Briggs, Hydro, 42" Mower - $1,849.00)

Anyway, just my two cents... Good luck with your decision!

 

[HappyCPE]

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to HD to LOOK, as my dealer is small and doesn't keep a lot of stock, and what he does have is usually the high end. I'll call him before I buy anything. I guess that a small zero-turn may be the way to go since I want to get this task done quickly... I hate doing repetitive things and a Z will be faster.

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[SCDolphin]

I just ordered a Craftsman GT 6500 with hst. This year they offer a smaller deck so I ordered it with a 48" deck. It has a hst strong enough to pull ground implements. It has the large back tires and kohler motor and was less than 2.5K. I looked at JT and about every other small lawn tractor and I did not see anything better for the money. Becaused I wanted a smaller deck it had to ordered but will be here this week. The GT 6500 is on sale right now. Take a look.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Before you jump into a ZTR, here's an opposing viewpoint from someone who has been there.

1) Is your acre perfectly graded? Ruts, bumps, and rocks that a tractor will ignore can be a real adventure with a ZTR.

2) Do you want to concentrate every moment that you are mowing? Two lever steering requires constant attention, even if you are going in a straight line. With a tractor, you can sometimes set your line and let your mind wander a bit. I owned a ZTR, and when I got fed up with it, I test drove every model in every color I could find, from homeowner to $10,000 commercial units. I didn't find one that I could get to track a line.

3) Is there any chance that you might want to do something other than mow? I know you opened this thread saying that mowing was the only goal, but things can change when you have tools that can do more.

4) Is the turf fully established? New lawns will take a real beating at the end of every row. Those instant turn-arounds can be brutal to young grass.

I mow an acre once or twice a week. 3/4 of it is irrigated zoysia that should be looking like a fairway by the middle of this summer (almost did last year). The last 1/4 is scraggly fescue with lots of trees. On a JD 455 it takes me a little less than an hour. The 20 minutes I might save with a ZTR just isn't worth the aggravation.

I like BleedGreen's idea of an X300 series...particularly if you could hit MachineFinder with your dealer and locate one of last year's that someone would like to dealer trade and get off his floor.

 

[slowrev]

Happy if you want to spend as little as possible , get a Troy Built or Yard Man or Cub box tractor, they are all pretty much the same and will work fine. Avg lifespan will be about 10 yrs with light to moderate use and about 5 with heavy or abusive use. You will need to replace a belt or steerring arm bushing every few years , but that is normal maintenance.
Always use stabil in the last tank or two of gas in the fall.

ZTR's are pretty expensive to buy and maintain, nice though.

And it is a bit more prestigious to ride on a green lawnmover, but prestige costs a bit more The Green ones might require a bit less maintenance than the cheap ones but still require maintenance.

Just my opinion based on my experience.

also I am not sure that dealers sell the same models of green ones that the box stores do, so sort of hard to compare. The dealer here does not sell the HD models.

Ben

 

[hbaird]

I can't imagine any "reason" for not getting a Craftsman Lawn Tractor. I have enjoyed 4 years excellent service from my GTL3000 and expect many more years to come. If you don't service them, oil/filter change, etc you will get some problems but if well maintained they will last a long time.
hbaird

 

[slowrev]

Another comment on ZTR's. All the ones I have tried will rattle your teeth out. I can't use them at all due to a bad back. sure I got the lawn mowed fast. But what's the use when I was laid up for a few days afterwards.
Try one out on dirt not pavement before you buy.

 

[HappyCPE]

What I saw at the BB store was 3-4 thousand dollar Z's and 1500-2500 dollar tractors. That by itself is going to make my decision! No way I can pay 4k for a JD zero-turn until the payments on the big boy are done. Also, I assumed that the Z's had some kind of suspension, otherwise, how could you blast over the lawn at 10 mph? My lawn is NOT smooth. My back DOES hurt. I think I need a tractor with a bigger cut.

 

[Barrybud]

And it is a bit more prestigious to ride on a green lawnmover,

Why is that?

 

[slowrev]

Why is that?

I don't know but that is pretty much what the last JD lawnmower commercial I saw said.