widefat
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What Deere ride on should I get!?
- Thread starter NS Gearhead
- Start date
- Views: 2571
Rebeldad1
Veteran Member
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- Hughett Bend Washington
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- Kioti Tractor, John Deere Mower,New Holland Mini Excavator
I just sold a sweet running 24hp Mitsubishi 4X4 diesel tractor. Wide platform with loader. Got $5000.00 for it burnt about 3-4 gallons for a weekend of hard work. would easily handle a 4' brushog, 6' rake 5'box blade. Will also handle a finish cutter.
or step up to something like this.
Kubota 271 tractor - heavy equipment - by owner - sale
or step up to something like this.
Kubota 271 tractor - heavy equipment - by owner - sale
searcyfarms
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- Farmall 560D - 706D German w/Cab - Volvo MC110 - 1944JD A - Deere 2038R - IH 5088
i would advise against the deere Zero Turn, my sister/bil got one 5 yrs ago it was from either lowes or home depot i dont remember which - it was used to mow 3 acres of pretty flat yard, its a 54 inch cut and im not sure the engine brand nor size of it, i know it cost around 3000 when they got it 5 yrs ago, first hydro motor went out the first summer within 20 hours, they have gone through a hydro motor EVERY summer since, my bil ( now former ) is finally giving up on it, even took it to Deere to have them try their hand at it since the WTY provider from the Big Box store wasnt having much luck.
He and my sister divorced since them, i dont think it was because of the mower ;-) but my dad talked to him a few weeks ago and my bil said it was broken again another hydro motor so he is sending to deere for a final repair and already bought a cub cadet ZT and is selling the deere once its fixed. Knowing him it will be a low end big box store 2500 to 3000 dollar unit so likely he will have a similar experience.
He and my sister divorced since them, i dont think it was because of the mower ;-) but my dad talked to him a few weeks ago and my bil said it was broken again another hydro motor so he is sending to deere for a final repair and already bought a cub cadet ZT and is selling the deere once its fixed. Knowing him it will be a low end big box store 2500 to 3000 dollar unit so likely he will have a similar experience.
Deere Dude
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A friend of mine was convinced he needed a Deere when he bought his 20 acres with 5 acres of rough lawn. I think he bought the cheapest model they made and withing a year or two it was pretty much junk. He would have been better served getting something much more rugged, and JD makes them. He just wanted the name with a cheap unit.
OP
NS Gearhead
Veteran Member
Sorry I misspoke; I have hills but I mow them sideways. What does sidehills better? Zero turn or conventional lawn tractor?
RedGeminiPA
Member
Zero turns are terrible on hills for side cutting.
We decided to finally upgrade from our diehard 1995 Cub Cadet HDS2185 after 24 years of faithful service. After TONS of research of various machines out there, we went with a new Massey GC1725M TLB. Yes, it’s a huge step up from a little lawn tractor, but it makes quick work of getting things done around the property, especially since we’re now taking care of cutting an additional 3+ acres around our property. The front end loader will be used for plowing our driveway and a small parking lot in winter. The 60” MMM makes quick work of all that mowing, and we find new uses for this machine all the time. It’s a real Swiss Army Knife, and such a great upgrade from a basic riding mower.
Here’s a dealer with a 2019 GC1723E w/ FEL and 60” MMM for $15,500, for reference.
https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/19388307/2019-massey-ferguson-gc1723e
AGCO has some attractive finance offers, too. We got 0.99% for 84 months, and they’re offering 0% for 72 months with $0 down.
We decided to finally upgrade from our diehard 1995 Cub Cadet HDS2185 after 24 years of faithful service. After TONS of research of various machines out there, we went with a new Massey GC1725M TLB. Yes, it’s a huge step up from a little lawn tractor, but it makes quick work of getting things done around the property, especially since we’re now taking care of cutting an additional 3+ acres around our property. The front end loader will be used for plowing our driveway and a small parking lot in winter. The 60” MMM makes quick work of all that mowing, and we find new uses for this machine all the time. It’s a real Swiss Army Knife, and such a great upgrade from a basic riding mower.
Here’s a dealer with a 2019 GC1723E w/ FEL and 60” MMM for $15,500, for reference.
https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/19388307/2019-massey-ferguson-gc1723e
AGCO has some attractive finance offers, too. We got 0.99% for 84 months, and they’re offering 0% for 72 months with $0 down.
daugen
Epic Contributor
Trying to blow snow with a ride on lawn mower is a bad idea. Blowing snow with a 1500 pound garden tractor is doable, with weight and chains added.
Less expensive riding lawn mowers just don't have the frame strength, or the transmission, to hold up to non mowing activities, regardless of what the fancy
brochure says. And if you have hills, which you do, this forum is littered with posts of guys getting half way up the hill and the unit just stops.
You also have to avoid pulling any heavy loads with a lawn tractor. Some inexpensive garden tractors look a lot stronger than they are. They are made to get you to
buy them, not to hold up a long time...
My suggestion for keeping costs down is to get a 3 series or equivalent JD riding mower for your lawn and those slopes, and then get a separate snow blower.
To get a machine capable of blowing snow and lasting more than a year or two will cost you in the 5-10K range used.
Reliability plus ride on plus snow is not cheap. So many good used SCUTS could work nicely for you. I'd keep my eye on a used BX Kubota.
Btw, I own JD, Gravely and CC garden tractors, all for different applications. The frame on the CC flexes when I drive it on my trailer. You do not want to overburden
these inexpensive machines or something is going to break sooner vs later.
I hear the message here don't try to make a lawn mower do what a small tractor was designed for.
Alternatively, no small tractor will mow grass anywhere near as efficiently as a regular mower, any kind of mower, but you have a very small lawn
so who cares. You want a Swiss Army Knife, look at the smallest Kubotas. You can find them used under 10K with low hours and MMM.
Just make sure the slope of those hills are safe, the bigger the unit you drive on them, usually the higher the center of gravity.
Kawasaki gas engines are usually the safest choice for longevity, but a Briggs Vanguard is a nice engine too. If you buy used, determining how well basic maintenance was done, like oil changes and filters, is going to be important. This is where buying from someone you know, or can trust, is a big plus.
Less expensive riding lawn mowers just don't have the frame strength, or the transmission, to hold up to non mowing activities, regardless of what the fancy
brochure says. And if you have hills, which you do, this forum is littered with posts of guys getting half way up the hill and the unit just stops.
You also have to avoid pulling any heavy loads with a lawn tractor. Some inexpensive garden tractors look a lot stronger than they are. They are made to get you to
buy them, not to hold up a long time...
My suggestion for keeping costs down is to get a 3 series or equivalent JD riding mower for your lawn and those slopes, and then get a separate snow blower.
To get a machine capable of blowing snow and lasting more than a year or two will cost you in the 5-10K range used.
Reliability plus ride on plus snow is not cheap. So many good used SCUTS could work nicely for you. I'd keep my eye on a used BX Kubota.
Btw, I own JD, Gravely and CC garden tractors, all for different applications. The frame on the CC flexes when I drive it on my trailer. You do not want to overburden
these inexpensive machines or something is going to break sooner vs later.
I hear the message here don't try to make a lawn mower do what a small tractor was designed for.
Alternatively, no small tractor will mow grass anywhere near as efficiently as a regular mower, any kind of mower, but you have a very small lawn
so who cares. You want a Swiss Army Knife, look at the smallest Kubotas. You can find them used under 10K with low hours and MMM.
Just make sure the slope of those hills are safe, the bigger the unit you drive on them, usually the higher the center of gravity.
Kawasaki gas engines are usually the safest choice for longevity, but a Briggs Vanguard is a nice engine too. If you buy used, determining how well basic maintenance was done, like oil changes and filters, is going to be important. This is where buying from someone you know, or can trust, is a big plus.
RedGeminiPA
Member
We considered buying a snow blower for the front of whichever SCUT we ended up buying, but decided against the average $5,000 price. The FEL/48” bucket will be just fine for the job, for us.
I don’t have experience with newer Cub Cadets, but our ‘95 HDS2185 has been nearly bullet proof. The Kohler 18.5 HP V-Twin has been extremely reliable, as has the direct drive hydro transaxle. We replaced the PTO clutch right after the warranty expired, but it’s been fine up until last year (about 20 years). It occasionally needs a tap with a hammer to engage. The frame strength seems very good, with little to no flex, and our property is very rough. Most of it was gardens that my pap had, and we’ve been mowing them since he died in ‘89. We really wanted a bigger Cub this time around, but there was nothing on offer for what we were looking for. Yanmar produced the SCUTs for Cub, so they were strongly considered, but ultimately lost out to the Massey.
The Massey seems pretty good when it comes to driving across slopes, with little fears of tipping, as long as the FEL is off or lowered, depending on how steep the slope is. The Kubota BX just had one too many negatives for the price, and the JD was easy to write off. It was down to a Yanmar SA221, Mahindra eMax 20/22 and the Massey GC1723/GC1725. After hearing about warranty claim issues with Mahindra, then the Yanmar dealer didn’t seem very informed of the product they were selling, or availability of the backhoe, we looked hard at Massey. The finance offers tipped the scales, especially with what you got for the money. Our dealer gave a 10% discount off list price without asking/haggling on one that just came off the truck that day. We got the whole GC1725MB package for $22,800 (FEL, 60” MMM, Backhoe) + Tax. More power, some better specs and much nicer hydro pedal arrangement for a little less than the BX23S similarly equipped.
I don’t have experience with newer Cub Cadets, but our ‘95 HDS2185 has been nearly bullet proof. The Kohler 18.5 HP V-Twin has been extremely reliable, as has the direct drive hydro transaxle. We replaced the PTO clutch right after the warranty expired, but it’s been fine up until last year (about 20 years). It occasionally needs a tap with a hammer to engage. The frame strength seems very good, with little to no flex, and our property is very rough. Most of it was gardens that my pap had, and we’ve been mowing them since he died in ‘89. We really wanted a bigger Cub this time around, but there was nothing on offer for what we were looking for. Yanmar produced the SCUTs for Cub, so they were strongly considered, but ultimately lost out to the Massey.
The Massey seems pretty good when it comes to driving across slopes, with little fears of tipping, as long as the FEL is off or lowered, depending on how steep the slope is. The Kubota BX just had one too many negatives for the price, and the JD was easy to write off. It was down to a Yanmar SA221, Mahindra eMax 20/22 and the Massey GC1723/GC1725. After hearing about warranty claim issues with Mahindra, then the Yanmar dealer didn’t seem very informed of the product they were selling, or availability of the backhoe, we looked hard at Massey. The finance offers tipped the scales, especially with what you got for the money. Our dealer gave a 10% discount off list price without asking/haggling on one that just came off the truck that day. We got the whole GC1725MB package for $22,800 (FEL, 60” MMM, Backhoe) + Tax. More power, some better specs and much nicer hydro pedal arrangement for a little less than the BX23S similarly equipped.
