Riding Lawn Mowers: any advice?

[Grateful11]

lafinfil says: Just about anything at the big box stores are owned by or built by MTD
these days and will be great .... for about the first year or two and then they will
self-destruct All the old great names have been bought up by them - Bolens , White, Troy
Bilt, and even Cub Cadetare now part of the company that brings you Ranch King,
Yardman, MTD and the rest - yuck

Grateful says: True, lower-end MTD is not a great but the higher -end Cub Cadets still
have cast-iron transaxles and shaft drive.

lafinfil says: I also believe they do the low end Craftsman. The higher end Craftsman are
built by Electrolux I believe same as the Husqvarna's and a few others - some were
Murrays which were pretty good and also sold under the Huskee line (TSC's house
brand although many are MTDs now)

Grateful says: All Sears are made by American Yard Products aka: AYP( a divison of
Electrolux) as are Husqvarna, Poulan, Poulan Pro all built in the same factory.

lafinfil says: They are generally poorly engineered and will cause you more headaches
when you find that you can no longer get parts for that three year old mower

Grateful says: Some of the higher end Sears and Husqvarna are capable of handling
Ground Engaging Implements and get very good reviews from users.

lafinfil says: Here's my advice if you are spending less than $1000
Go to the local lawn tractor dealers and see what they have in the way of trade ins or
also check out craigslist etc ... and look for a Deere, Cub, Wheel Horse etc ... from the
70's or 80's.

Grateful says: Good advice for some not for others, see below.

lafinfil says: Something with a real steel frame - not a stamped steel deck. Something
with a heavy steel mowing deck that has full gauge wheels on it, a real steering box , and
is gear or hydro drive.

Grateful says: Are we talking about the frame or the mowing deck? Nearly all mower
decks are stamped steel, very few decks are welded up unless you're talking about
Commercial mowers like Dixie Chopper.

lafinfil says: Look for a Kohler engine - not a B&S The old Kohler single lung K series
will be running strong for many years after the big box bargain is a pile of scrap metal not
worth fixing.

Grateful says: There's nothing wrong with Briggs & Stratton today. If you go on the
mowing forums you will hear of as many Kohler failures as Briggs. I have an '89 Sears
GT with a Horizontal shaft 18hp Twin that just keeps going and going here on the farm.
It's used almost daily for feeding the cows, scrapping the cow lots periodically. It used
for rough mowing also.

lafinfil says: Recommendations - If you can snag a Deere 200 series for $500 to $600 you will be golden.
Look for a 210, 212, 214, 216 - denotes 10HP, 12HP, 14HP etc...
Take it in and have it tuned and a set of belts put on it and you will be mowing for 20 years.
One caution - The K engines are splash lubricated - not pressure so they are not a good
choice if you are mowing hill sides go with a more modern design.
Another work horse is the Cub 17xx series - early 80's vintage with a "modern" Kohler
twin I see them in nice shape around here for $500 - I saw two 1720's w. 46" decks in
the last week and both were nice $500 & $600. They are pressure lubricated Kohler
twins and has hydro drive (no hydro ports though - just tranny) and have electric PIO for
the deck. earlier Cub 100 series had electric PTO but were gear drive and Kohler K's)
If you want to "invest" in a tractor $1200 to $1500 will get you into a Deere 300 series
hydrothat has a hydro tranny and hydro ports so you can add a plow, snow blower, etc...
and you can sell it for what you paid for it if you want to trade up


Grateful says: These older mowers are fine if you're handy at tinkering because they are
getting to the age when failures are more frequent. The JD 318 is about the best
all-round Garden Tractor ever made but it requires someone willing to tinker with it. My
Dad's 318 finally bit the dust, or maybe I should say smoke as it burnt up recently. It had
nearly a 1000hrs. on it. A new engine for one of these can be $1500-2000. A power
steering cylinder on one of these can run over $300 plus labor. The 200 series never
really impressed me with it vari-drive belt drive system and low blade tip speed. FIL had
a 212 I used a few times it was ok but the cut quality doesn't even come close to a newer
deck design.

If you want more info look here:

http://www.mytractorforum.com/

Don't go to GardenWeb those guys argue mowers to the point where they make each other mad, I bugged out of there years ago.
They bash each others brands worse than Windows people bash Mac users.

[lafinfil]

Grateful - my advice was based on older tractors (70's & 80's) a better value IMHO
and if you take your time and find a good one they will run far longer that anything made in the last 10 years
that was not a higher end one.

I haven't seen anything under $1500 worth taking home and I'm guessing since he is looking to go cheap
that's the neighborhood that he is going to be in.

If you want to spend more there are lot;s of good choices - some of the Cubs are nice and the entry level Deers
are good as well but you are $2000 up.

B&S was in regards to older tractors - not a good track record on riders
The Inteks and other industrial level engines are dependable.

Never been to Garden Web so I can't comment on their knowledge level

Steel frame was in reference to frame not deck although I will say that the light steel decks are not
as good as early heavier steel decks and if you have tree roots and uneven ground to deal with
you quickly appreciate a heavier deck and gauge wheels on all four corners instead of a front floating deck.
Catch a tree root and you will quickly ruin a spindle and be replacing blades
- oh how well I know this : -)

I have a "modern" 38" high lift deck on my 210 (same as used with the collection systems)
and with fresh blades and a level deck it cuts like a dream.

I'm not saying that an older tractor is best for everyone but at $1000 or less I would look
at a nice clean trade in before I would give MTD any more money

[tuqqer]

I may go with the LA100 John Deere. But has anyone heard anything good about the Snapper model. I've got a chance to purchase a 2-year old, lightly used 11hp model for $550.

[Grateful11]

Well IMHO the majority of homeowners are better off buying a new model with a warranty.
The LA series JD gives you a 2 year warranty and 30 day return policy. I have the
knowledge to work on older machines but choose not too. The new foot pedal drive system
is a godsend compared to the older systems. Basically just like driving a car. Problem with
the older mowers is if you don't know the owner personally you really don't know what
you're getting. For a few $100 more I'll take something with a warranty.

Tuqqer, Take a closer look at the LA100, it's a gear drive model, for $150 more you can get
an LA110 with foot control drive and I believe that model has a Tuff-Torq K46 transaxle. It's
the same transaxle that goes in their X300 mowers. Is the Snapper a Rear Engine model, if
so they're good mowers. You can still get parts for them even if they're 25 years old. Front
engine Snappers not so good.

[John B.]

Another option, if you're just going to be mowing, would be a commercial walkbehind mower with a 36" - 54" deck. I bought a factory demo 48" commercial mower a couple years ago with a 15HP Kawasaki engine for $1500...I use it to mow a commercial property I own. Most of them have an option for adding a wheeled platform, so that you can stand on the platform and let the mower pull you around, if you so choose. Might want to check with some of your local commercial equipment dealers if interested.

[Mike V]

Geez, you guys know a lot about lawn mowers.

[Jp!]

all seriousness, look at what the pros use.

dixie chopper will get it done FAST, for one thing.

[OWC Jamie]

[OWC Jamie]

More seriously, I have a Husqvarna with a Kawasaki engine. Like riding a gas powered vacumn cleaner.
Bought from a dealer who has parts, unlike Home Depot/Lowes
I wasn't impressed with the real low end Deeres I saw at Lowes last Summer.
My local Deere dealer has idiots for mechanics and the others are a bit too far away for a riding mower.

However, I'm losing lawn. Planting trees, bushes and mulch. Much lower maintenance.
My intention is to have just a tiny bit of lawn to cut without gas.

[Buckeye_Sean]

Another vote for Deere. I have a 316 and I abuse the hell out of it - was given to me by my Father in law as a trade for some work I did. The frame on it is beefier than my Dodge 1/2 ton 4WD!

One thing about the older mowers like Deere & Cub - yes, you have to learn to tinker with them from time to time. BUT, parts are plentiful - even if you have a 20 or 30 year old mower. Try finding certain parts for a big box mower that is older than 5 years.

You can get a big box mower, but as many have said it won't last. Buy an older good condition Deere, Cub etc. and chances are you can sell it 10 years later for about what you paid for it.