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Quality garden tractors, anybody make them

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Midwest redneck

01-07-2007 17:08:24

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As I walk through Home Depot I see these John Deere rider mowers, they appear to be junk. And even the cub cadet appears to be junk too. Is there any company out there that makes a solid steel frame garden tractor, like the old Case, Ingersoll, Bolens or even the older Deeres that were built like a tank. I think of a rugged garden tractors that has a horizontal engine, direct drive with drive shaft to a gear trans mission, and tractor tires and maybe a hydraulic lift for a front blade. (and will last 20 years. Is there any quality left in the small new tractors?

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kopeck

01-08-2007 08:17:19

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Cub Cadet & JD still make good stuff, you just wont find it at the Home Depot. Go to a dealer and talk to them, but be prepared to pay for quality.

Oh and don't forget Kubota, I'm a CC man but I REALLY like dad's new Z-Turn Kubota!

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Robert Searcy

01-08-2007 07:14:10

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

I just retired my 1984 LGT18H as it needed many repairs and I was having a garage sale and a fella came up and wanted to buy it. It was time for her to go to a new home to be RESTORED.

I searched long and hard for a good heavy built unit and found a Ford GT75. It is a Japanese Made Ford with a Shibaru - spell check - 16HP 3 cyl. engine with HI-LO hydrostat. SHAFT DRIVE to the TRANNIE!!!

I was fortunate to find a 60" deck and a 48". The decks on them are over engineered. The 48 not quite as hefty as the 60, the 60" is like a finish mower, built like a tank. They are shaft drive to the deck with a gear box mounted to the deck itself. VERY TOUGH!!!

The 16HP diesel handles it with ease. It is easy on fuel, has power steering, hydraulic lift, all the goodies, even a cup holder and tool box.

Its a 1996 model I believe and at 10 y/o looks and runs like new. I never get to use it much as my wife and daughter always want to mow with it and I never get to mow my grass much anymore. The decks cut terrific!!!

I would highly recommend the GT65 or GT75 Diesels. Not sure about the GT85 and GT95s. They are 18HP and 20HP Kohler Magnum gassers in the same chassis but I heard they had grounding probs with the electrical system and they pitted out the cranks and rods and were hard on the engines. I have not experience with this but heard it from a couple folks when I was searching out one of these units.

They are around and expect to pay somewhere between 2000 to 4000 for one used. One with the large deck, diesel, power steering, decked out was around 7500 to 10000 new and that was back in the 90s.

They do not offer this tractor in the US anylonger due to the high cost, it is still sold in the UK though and is a tried and true unit.

I have nothing but praise for it.

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dhermesc

01-08-2007 06:39:10

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

They are out there, they just cost a lot of money like they always did. The last "garden tractor" I bought was a 1978 model that the original owner said he paid almost $2,500 for. Given inflation it would be like spending at least $16,000 today. Differance is today you can buy a much better unit for $12,000 - $13,000.

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Badly Bent

01-08-2007 05:49:10

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Peabo makes a great point. The mowers you see at Lowe's and Home Depot are different models than those sold at John Deere dealerships. You're going to pay more for a Deere at the dealership, but you get a lot more tractor, if you can afford it. Tim

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jake4

01-08-2007 05:31:44

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Bought a Snapper 1650A [built by McDonough Power Equipment]w/16 Kohler, 200# deck, PTO, 3 pt lift and hi-lo shift. It also hydrostatic drive, tractor alone weighs 1000# all frame is 1/4 steel plate in 1981. When I saw it for sale down the road it was mine in 5 min, the best quality construction I,ve seen in yrs.

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dan hill

01-08-2007 05:08:49

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Find an older economy or power king tractor.They had 16 in rear wheels , some had dual transmissions for tiller work.A friend just sold an old Bolens that he should have fixed. Had a 2 cy Kohler engine.His replacement put him in the hole for five years and 7 grand.

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Hard Knocks

01-08-2007 04:31:45

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Look for a good old one. I just bought a Pennsylvania Meteor with a rebuilt 16HP overhead valve engine,redone mower deck,blade and snow blower
all in nice shape and the Meteor has a hydrostatic drive all for $700

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Dave from MN

01-08-2007 04:19:09

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

If your gonna buy a tractor for mowing and some heavy garden work and want something that will hold up for quite a few years, just spend the money, if you have it, and buy a sub-compact tractor. New holland, farmall,kubota, they will all be good and should be 10-20% less than deere. You should be able to get rear and front pto, a loader,hydraulics, probably up to 60" or wider mower. They'll be deisels, gear shift or hydro, very little driven by belt. I priced one with a loader and mower, a NH, and it was just over $12,000. Why pay $6-$8000 for something that can mow grass and MAYBE be able to hable garden and other work. Just my opinion, as I am still squeezing 1 year out of my 96 Murray Ultra. Junk but I bought it in 97, 1 year old with a 46" deck,46" snow blower, 3 bu bagger, weights and chains, for $1000, guy was broke. It runs but has been a peice of crap.

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thejdman01

01-07-2007 19:17:27

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Jd still makes some decent mowers, not cheap though 7,000-12,000 dollars jd 485, 495's etc are good,. Older f 1145's are good, 455's. I bought a few older cub cadet hydros one diesel (3 cylinder kubota) because people couldnt get them working all simple fixes. Might be worth a dtry never know what you find but you def get waht you pay for.

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edchainsaw

01-07-2007 18:55:17

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

The very reason they make junk like they do is becaue IDIOTS BUY IT!!!

Mtd was eating into JD"s market share so bad that Deere decided they had to compete..

and we had 4 -140's when I was a kid...THEY WERE NOT better than the JD mower my sister baught last spring... the new deck is FAR supeiror.... now the tractor... maybe not a lot better and it didnt cost her that bad(OOPS DAD PAID FOR IT LOL)

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edchainsaw

01-07-2007 18:55:14

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

The very reason they make junk like they do is becaue IDIOTS BUY IT!!!

Mtd was eating into JD"s market share so bad that Deere decided they had to compete..

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old

01-07-2007 18:46:11

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

About the only way to find a good one now days is to build a time machine and go back 30-40 years or be rich and buy one of the $10,000 ones and then they will not last more then 10 years or so.

Hobby farm

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Steve Crum

01-07-2007 18:38:40

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

Every year I scab the old 110, 112 and 140 Deeres back into running order. Last year it was a full engine overhaul on the 140, a deck rebuild on the 112 and a new oilpan gasket on the 110. Aside from the engine overhaul, these cuss's all cost about a hundred bucks a year and maybe 8 hours labor to keep up. I could fill a barn with the bargain tractors the 2 neighbors have run to death in the past 20 years. I mow 4 1/2 acres every week. Who makes the best now? I doubt theres any of them out there now that qualify as the best.

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Peabo

01-07-2007 17:23:21

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-07-2007 17:08:24

My parents bought a John Deere mower from the JD dealership about two years ago. Seems to me there is a drastic difference in qualty, (and price) vs. the ones you see at Home Depot, Lowes etc. Don't know if it will last for 20 years but absolutely no problems so far. I was always a believer in cheap disposable mowers like they sell at Home Depot and Lowes. BUt this thing has made a believer out of me.

Peabo

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perry in mi

01-07-2007 17:41:47

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them-NOT in reply to Roy Suomi, 01-07-2007 17:13:48

good luck finding a good one unless you want to dish out alot of money. everything made today is junk. its all about quanity. quality is long gone. thats why i try and hold on to theese real garden tractors.

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Midwest redneck

01-08-2007 02:33:17

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them-NOT in reply to perry in mi, 01-07-2007 17:41:47

Where in Michigan are you at?

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perry in mi

01-08-2007 05:06:59

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them-NOT in reply to Midwest redneck, 01-08-2007 02:33:17

i am in auburn hills, MI. stuck on my 5 acres with the yuppies closing in. the yardman {MTD}in the pic i got for free. what a pile of junk. it was a hydro unit with the rearend just about riped out of it. the frame is so thin it had rips and tears all threw wear the rearend mounts. ran like a top thou. sold the engine for $175 and and most of the rest of it went to the scap pile out back. the pic is only about half of what i have . the sheds are housing 4 more wheel horse's and another simplicity landlord. plus what i have scatterd in the yard. i try and keep the good ones and sell or part out the rest.

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sammy the RED

01-07-2007 22:07:03

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them-NOT in reply to perry in mi, 01-07-2007 17:41:47

The one at the far left looks like a MTD ?

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old art

01-07-2007 19:52:57

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Re: Quality garden tractors, anybody make them-NOT in reply to perry in mi, 01-07-2007 17:41:47

a few years ago my kid had 17hp wheel horse and he blew the engine didn't want to pay for a new engine so gave it to me with a mower,snow blower, and a rototiller i put the new engine in then he wanted it back, told him NOWAY iuse it to play around and enjoy it is over 25years old good for 25 more.

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