What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor?

   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #2  
A garden tractor has the frame and transmission to do ground engaging work with a rear lift hitch of some type(either sleeve hitch for catagory 0 three point hitch). This includes rototillers, one bottom mold board dirt plow, disc harrow, chisel plow/ground ripper and so forth. A lawn tractor cannot handle this type of stress. Lawn tractors mow your grass pull a lawn cart and with care, push or blow snow. Some of the higher end lawn tractors can just barely handle a lawn roller but most will just overheat and burn up the cheap hydrostatic transmissions they use these days. Those lack enough capacity of fluid to stay cool under a load, such as pulling a heavy lawn roller. Many older garden tractors, and a couple current ones like the Cub Cadet XT3 are shaft driven between the engine and transmission instead of a belt, and use a horizontal crankshaft engine(like a big tractor) instead of a vertical crankshaft engine(like a push mower). Mike
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #3  
Well, they all have an A in them, but the rest of the letters are different :D
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #4  
The price?
It's a lawn mower not tractor, which stays cleanest while garden tractor stays filthy. Yard tractor is in the middle. None are a real tractor tractor, like a moped isn't a real motorcycle.
Did I win anything?
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #5  
Much of the difference appears to be what the seller wants to call it. A Craftsman yard tractor is basically a riding mower - perhaps a larger one. Their garden tractor looks the same and may even have the same engine. The transaxle is heavier duty but otherwise they're pretty similar.
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #6  
Garden tractor is designed for yards with gardens and can handle maintaining yards and gardens. With a garden you will have some capacity for ground engagement equipment. My take is a garden tractor supposedly has a thicker frame and beefier transaxle as well as bigger rear tires.
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #7  
Here is what the picture of a garden tractor should look like if you look it up on the interweb.

Well, they would look like this only oriented properly. Can't seem to get them turned right.

IMG_1011.JPGIMG_1012[2].JPG
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #8  
In my mind, garden, lawn and yard tractors are "tractors" in name only.

A real tractor STARTS with some of the size pictured above, or maybe a MF 35 or 8N. Tractor suggests TRACTION. BIG WHEELS. At least TWO.

A really good rating system (for tractors as well as UTVs) would be how much SNOW can one dive through. I know snow can vary in type.
 
   / What痴 the Difference Between a Lawn, Yard and Garden Tractor? #10  

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