Recommendation for a reasonable priced lawn or garden tracto

wsmm

Member
Possibly needing to replace my lawn tractor this spring. I'm looking for a GOOD and reasonably priced lawn or garden tractor. I don't need or want a large deck as I have a lot of trees on my property to trim around. Would estimate I'd be cutting less than an acre, also the soil is very sandy and living in the country I don't have to cut that often. Being retired and living on my and my wive's social security not looking to spend a fortune. Have even considered at looking at used tractors, but would be worried about condition. I tend to take good care of my stuff, but after so many years the maintenance cost indicate it's time to replace some items.
Thanks,
Bill
 
Bill, I appreciate you wanting to be conservative buying a lawn tractor and not going overboard. A used machine is going to be a turkey shoot. It is a gamble that you do not need. Yes, a new machine will be a bite in your budget. But, it will not have any hidden problems and it will have a warranty.
With lots of trees a zero turn front mount deck mower is, in my opinion, your best bet.
 
We bought a JD zero turn a few years ago, seems to be a good machine, <$2,500. I wouldn't buy the 42 again though, we think a 48 would mow around trees better. Zero turns don't do as nice a job on rough lawns though, the deck doesn't float as freely. We have a Husqvarna 15-42 lawn tractor that does a better job, but it went to the cabin, it's been a good machine for 18 years.
 
If you are truly mechanically inclined then you can get away with a good used machine from a repair center. If you are holding cash in your hand it gets their attention really quick. NOW... if they don't want to take the time to go over the machine with you and show you everything they did, them walk away. I have Two Husqvarna machines and just LOVE them. They are not built by mtd. Both of mine were built buy AYP. American yard products. Much tougher machines. You don't want any Kohler engines. They just aren't what they used to be. Briggs or Kawasaki. Both my babys have the V twin Briggs engines. They are mowing fools. One more, you mentioned sand. Sand is DEATH for mower decks. It grinds them up by sandblasting them to death. You want a set of SAND or zero lift blades they are almost perfectly flat. Will give your deck years of extra life.
cvphoto10040.jpg
 
Hello I bought a used JD LX178 ten years ago for 800.00
Only problem I had was replaced one drive belt and idler pulley
belt broke because idler pulley seized. Carburetors are a bit troublesome
mine was, but also my own fault. Got into a lot of dust and compomized the fuel
system. I cleaned the carb but did not get the inlet tube cleaned properly my bad
once I got it cleaned the machine runs like, well, a deer. I do about five large lawns a week with it
Love the Kawasaki water cooed engine. Mine is a 38 inch deck very manouverable.
 
No arguement that there are some sweathearts out there. How many is one person likely to find, if any? I grew up in the old "sawdust the the rear end" age in cars. Buyer beware to me is unacceptable at my age.
 
I grew up with Ford products and I worked at Ford 8 years. I had great service from my Fords but also ran into an occassional "not so good". I retired from GM after 30 years. I have had great service from my GM vehicles and an occassional "not so good".
In 1971, while still at Ford, I bought a Ford 10hp Kohler with a 42" mower deck. A week after I bought it I found out that it was built by Jacobsen. Great service and I raised 3 kids on it. I used it here on 3 acres until I bought a Woods mower for my 8N. It then went to my older son's new house on 2 acres 9 years ago for 3 years. Never overhauled. It now resides in my barn again. It has been waiting to be cleaned up and take a turn to the tractor show circuit with a number of it's bretheren and cousins. I have 5 Fords, 4 Jacobsens, a White and a Minneapolis Moline. All with Kohler engines. No complaints.
 
Most I've ever given for a garden tractor is $700. Was in the want adds, guy moving and couldn't take. 1988 518 Wheel Horse, bought it about 18 years ago, mows 1 3/4 acres a week, has about 1860 hours on it with just maintenance and still going strong.
Bought another 520 Wheel Horse out of the want adds about eight years ago, was rough looking and the guy said the rods were knocking, had new tires and a new $160. seat and a nice 48 inch mower deck that I mainly wanted. Paid the guy the $495 he was asking, loaded it up the next day and he says do you want this other stuff. He had a nice snow blower and blade I didn't know I bought. Engine just needed head gaskets, has 1200 hours, runs good, just blew snow this morning.
cvphoto10181.jpg


cvphoto10182.jpg


cvphoto10183.jpg


cvphoto10184.jpg
 
My oldest mower is not a lawn tractor but a ZT. For what you are doing I would recommend a ZT. You can get used to using them, I did...first time I got on the one I am fixing to describe, a gotta have per my wife's request...for her....to mow my lawn....where my neighbors could see.....just because she wanted to mow....not because I wasn't...It was a new driving experience for me.

Hustler Fastrak 44", with a Honda 18 hp V twin, cost $4500 back in 2005, the year I retired, sold by my Ford Tractor dealer. Still using it. I still run the original belts and all. Over the years change the oil once per year, blades, tires and batteries when needed..... Easy to get on and off, easy on gas and does a number on your lawn and mowing around trees and flower beds and all that stuff that you would otherwise have to have a hydrostatic, conventional rider. Don't be surprised if your wife wants to do your chores for you. Grin
 
I'm shocked nobody has mentioned a good old IH built Cub Cadet! The garden tractor pullers haven't grabbed them all up yet. I refurbished my Dad's old 1965 model 70 and put a rebuilt 10 hp engine in it. It's the tightest tractor I have and wore out three Kohler K161 or K181 engines. Not sure where or what the 4th engine was, but the 10 hp will run for many more years. My first CC of my own is a model 72, I've mowed, moldboard plowed, blown snow, made a belly mount grader blade and graded tons and tons of fill dirt with it, pulled my home-made lawn vac for ten years, most with the 10 hp engine and a couple with a built up 14 hp Kohler, loaded the trailer, tractor, and load of leaves or clippings weighs close to 3000#, vacuum runs with the rebuilt cast iron 8 hp Kohler that was in the 72 for 2 years when I bought it. My BIG tractor is a 1980 Cub Cadet 982 with all the options, 3-pt hitch, aux hyd remotes, steering brakes, and rear pto. Mowed for years with it, but recurring problems with the Onan made me retire it from weekly mowing duty. My 2015 Cub Cadet TANK zero turn, 27 hp Kawasaki and 54 in deck mows the lawn in half the time, yard looks nicer too, uses less gas.

I'd look for a well cared for early Cub Cadet. Still easy to find parts for even when 50+ years old. I had a Cub Cadet 129 that was a basket case for 15 years. Unbelievable what the prior owner did to it, he ran a lawn mowing company with it, it had covered an unbelievable amount of ground before I got it. Was my favorite mowing tractor until I got the Tank.

When you start shopping for a lawn tractor or garden tractor, compare the weight of the tractor. Heavy weight equals well built!
 
(quoted from post at 11:14:16 01/18/19) Being retired ... I'm looking for a GOOD and reasonably priced lawn or garden tractor ... Bill
Zero-turns are great for retired people who want to have their teeth rattled and lower lumbars compressing while they fly over bumps and spin around. Really makes for a nice mellow mowing experience. And make sure your grandkids are safely inside away from any windows when that 30hp mower blade meets up a rock.
 
Zero-Turn's can be used at any speed from a crawl to max. Sure, some of them are rougher riding than a conventional GT but that is why you test drive them in advance. You also do internet
searches to find the smoothest brands/models. NO ONE should be in the vicinity of ANY machine that is cutting the grass with a rotary mower. A 10 HP LT can toss a rock just as far as that 30
HP ZT can.
 
Kohler Command engines are great engines and will run forever. Kohler Courage engines are junk and need to be avoided.
 
Sounds like Bill prefers a lawn/garden tractor. Probably old school like me. I run an older Scag Tiger at my church. That thing is a beast, and has castor-like front wheels ... hard rubber which probably causes the harsh eyeball-shaking ride. I guess the newer ones have a more plush ride, but if I bought a new ZT with the best ride it would be a good one like an Exmark, but I don't think he wants to spend 10 grand. At home, I enjoy mowing with one of my Cub Cadets ... cup holder on the fender holding a cold one -- which doesn't seem to spill.
 
My Hustler had that rough ride problem too till I bought a couple of springs to put under the seat plate. Can't believe that a lot of ZT mfgrs. don't think all that much about a comfortable ride. Let's see if I can find the spring in my Bookmarks.......tried numerous, but this spring in pairs for folks up to 200# (est) and on some machines (I've installed them on everything) one on each side and a third in the center.

Just plug this number into any www search engine: 732-05182A (SPRING-COMPRESSION SEAT)


I saw the springs on a Cub Cadet conventional riding mower going into TSC one day. I had been fighting the spring issue for years on my mowers and tractors since my Houston Black Clay soil and Fescue clumps and such just make for a miserable ride. Sat on the tractor, bounced up and down a few times and wala.....she has arrived!!!!! Went to the www and looked up the CC model number, went to the parts list and found the spring. The picture doesn't give the spring justice as it is a large diameter, small, softer wire, with few coils making for a long stroke with a reasonable resistance......nothing like the "valve springs on engines" that most OEMS seem to prefer.....if sprung at all.
 
I have owned several push mowers and self propelled mowers during my life. Both types have done a lot of work. Currently I own a regular push mower, a rear drive self propelled mower, and an older front drive self propelled (drive system not working).

The self propelled mowers can be a PITA to keep running properly. Sometimes they have a drive belt to fall off, a drive wheel to strip out, or the propelling gearbox stops working as it should. The self propelled mowers are heavy to lift also. Some mower decks are stamped out of thicker steel than others. My rear wheel drive mower does wheelies when going up hill. It is in brand new condition and it has been sitting in my workshop.

My regular push mower is the mower I have been using the most lately. It starts right up and mows as it should. The push mower is designed to be a mulching mower or side discharge. A bagger came with it also, and it has high back wheels. The push mower is much lighter than the self propelled mowers and the steel is thinner. A lighter mower is not as durable but they are easier to push. Usually I just use my push mower to trim around the hard to reach places in the yard after I use my riding mower to mow the big part of the yard.

Even though there have been times that I had to use a self propelled mower to mow my yard because my riding mower was not running I still like a plain push mower without all the bells and whistles.
 
If you don't mind turning a wrench now and then, a good used tractor could be the way to go. Look for a good one from the 1980's with low hours and you can save $$$thousands over the price of a new one. Many of these were stone reliable including the JDs and Cub Cadets.

The one below and similar models (782, etc.) were the the high-water mark for Cub Cadet and extremely popular. There are still many model 1811/12s out there with 700-800 hours. The cast iron Kohler M18 twin is one of tne best garden tractor engines ever built, and at 700-800 hours still will have a long life if taken care of. All of the components on these tractors are 100% serviceable. No problem getting parts in general. A good supply is still out there for used parts. The newer Kohlers are not nearly as bulletproof and are designed to get horsepower at peak prm. Unlike the cast iron magnum twins and Onan twins designed to make power at mid-rpm so with those you can run at less than full throttle.

I really enjoy mowing with my 782, cuts absolutely great and have the satisfaction of knowing how little money invested (looks like new) compared to a comparable tractor new costing at least over $5000.

However I would avoid the Onan twins due to the aluminum cylinders. They were prone to damage from overheating, required extreme care to keep the cooling fins free of grass clippings, and strict attention to service intervals or serious valve problems would result.

mvphoto38742.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 17:25:22 01/24/19) Kohler Command engines are great engines and will run forever. Kohler Courage engines are junk and need to be avoided.

The single cyl. Courage is junk, the twins work just fine and are reasonably reliable.
 

I've bought three used mowers in the last 3-4 years, one broken axle, one failed hyro trans and a dropped valve seat. Fixing the valve seat and will contnue to use it (JD GT275).

My experience with new MTD built has been better overall. My first one I used 10 years until the front axle failed, the second 12 years and just bought a third (Craftsman T210). Spent about $1,500 - 1,600 on each.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top