Another newb looking for recommendations

[garciawork]

Hello all, riding mower newbie here. Moving the family from a tiny lot in Idaho to an acre in Tennessee next month. So, I am going to want a riding mower. Zero turn sounds great, but one specific duty we would like, is the ability to throw on a snow plow for our long driveway, and possibly move some dirt around the yard, so those are, unfortunately, out.

The lot, it s basically flat, although technically it is on a slight grade the whole time, but really, pretty flat. As of now, no obstacles save... one tree I believe. We will plant a few for sure, and add a playset, but we will figure something out for those areas. I did attach a screenshot of the street view of the lot, in case that isn't really flat, although it is hard to tell.

So, I want a good mower. Been researching for days, and have come down to... a few. The Cub Cadet XT2 LX46, John Deere S240 42 or 48, X350 42 or 48, and the Husqvarna TS 242/48XD. Not sure on deck size, I have heard that 42's at times cut better, but 48's are faster. Also, plan to stick with the Kawasaki engine as I have had them on motorcycles and they are great.

I like the CC, but I have heard a lot of people not happy with the quality in recent years. Not sure if that is something to worry about in my usage case though, mild as it is.

JD, both models have the same tranny and engine, I don't care about the different lift methods, either works. The extra warranty is nice on the X350, and I am sure the build quality is a little nicer, but not sure that is worth the extra money at this point. I do like green, and i like that they are built in TN, where I am moving.

The Husqvarna's are interesting, they have some great features, but again, as with the CC's, they seem to have more reliability questions.

As it stands, I am open to any of those above, but haven't been able to firmly land on one yet.

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

 

[mechanic mark]

Read reviews on John Deere equipment then go try them out. You did not mention Kubota but I would seriously consider taking a look at them. Both JD & Kubota have used equipment for sale.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I no longer recommend any of my customers buy either any Cub product nor any Husqvarna mower ( hand helds still seem to be good )
MTD bought CC a while back and is slowly trashing the brand while selling them for a higher price than the other MTD products trading on the good name the previous management attained.
I have never liked the Husqvarna tractor mowers, badly designed and poorly made to the point that the Garden tractors had a spate of frame breakages .
The articulated mower is great, it was designed in Sweeden and the imported ones are fantastic but the USA made ones are again poorly made and downgraded
So that leaves you with the JD's
There is more to it than build quality, there is designed longevity but to work that out you need to get on your hands & knees and look under the mower to see how well parts are supported, if wear items can be replaced or are welded to the frame are there bushes on moving parts than can be replaced.
When it comes to the transmission, it is the second most expensive part so if you want value for money they must be serviceable with spin on filters which from memory require you get a mower with K66 or K 67 tranies .
These of course add significantly to the purchase price
I am not up to date with the subtle differences between the various K 46 models but the ones I service down here seem to be good for around 1500 hours, a lot less when you start towing or throwing . Commercial grade transmissions are good for 15,000 hours if the filters & oil are changed as specified.
Non servicable = short service life, designed to suck in the lazy .

 

[garciawork]

I no longer recommend any of my customers buy either any Cub product nor any Husqvarna mower ( hand helds still seem to be good )
MTD bought CC a while back and is slowly trashing the brand while selling them for a higher price than the other MTD products trading on the good name the previous management attained.
I have never liked the Husqvarna tractor mowers, badly designed and poorly made to the point that the Garden tractors had a spate of frame breakages .
The articulated mower is great, it was designed in Sweeden and the imported ones are fantastic but the USA made ones are again poorly made and downgraded
So that leaves you with the JD's
There is more to it than build quality, there is designed longevity but to work that out you need to get on your hands & knees and look under the mower to see how well parts are supported, if wear items can be replaced or are welded to the frame are there bushes on moving parts than can be replaced.
When it comes to the transmission, it is the second most expensive part so if you want value for money they must be serviceable with spin on filters which from memory require you get a mower with K66 or K 67 tranies .
These of course add significantly to the purchase price
I am not up to date with the subtle differences between the various K 46 models but the ones I service down here seem to be good for around 1500 hours, a lot less when you start towing or throwing . Commercial grade transmissions are good for 15,000 hours if the filters & oil are changed as specified.
Non servicable = short service life, designed to suck in the lazy .

Good info, and about on par with what some elsewhere state. Bummer on CC and Husky, I like the mowers, but maybe JD is the way to go. Also like that I'll be in TN where the JD's are made, which is kinda cool.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The very best mowers are made by family owned companies like Walker
The bigger the organization the worse the product as the board make dividends , not mowers.
The exception to this are companies who make expensive equipment so need a name associated with quality like JD, Kubota & Toro .
A barrage of TV commercials can convince Joe Idiot to go buy a shed full of Orange or White / Yellow stuff , but it will not convince the purchase engineer on the municipal council to go spend $ 250,000+ replacing the fleet of ground care equipment or the farmer buying a $ 100,000 + piece of kit .

Now that Stanley - B&D have gobbled up MTD it will be interesting to see if they restore CC to the commercial quality it used to be or just go down the rebadged junk path with a lot of Ford vs Chev type advertising to brainwash a loyal fan club.

 

[hlw49]

Hello all, riding mower newbie here. Moving the family from a tiny lot in Idaho to an acre in Tennessee next month. So, I am going to want a riding mower. Zero turn sounds great, but one specific duty we would like, is the ability to throw on a snow plow for our long driveway, and possibly move some dirt around the yard, so those are, unfortunately, out.

The lot, it s basically flat, although technically it is on a slight grade the whole time, but really, pretty flat. As of now, no obstacles save... one tree I believe. We will plant a few for sure, and add a playset, but we will figure something out for those areas. I did attach a screenshot of the street view of the lot, in case that isn't really flat, although it is hard to tell.

So, I want a good mower. Been researching for days, and have come down to... a few. The Cub Cadet XT2 LX46, John Deere S240 42 or 48, X350 42 or 48, and the Husqvarna TS 242/48XD. Not sure on deck size, I have heard that 42's at times cut better, but 48's are faster. Also, plan to stick with the Kawasaki engine as I have had them on motorcycles and they are great.

I like the CC, but I have heard a lot of people not happy with the quality in recent years. Not sure if that is something to worry about in my usage case though, mild as it is.

JD, both models have the same tranny and engine, I don't care about the different lift methods, either works. The extra warranty is nice on the X350, and I am sure the build quality is a little nicer, but not sure that is worth the extra money at this point. I do like green, and i like that they are built in TN, where I am moving.

The Husqvarna's are interesting, they have some great features, but again, as with the CC's, they seem to have more reliability questions.

As it stands, I am open to any of those above, but haven't been able to firmly land on one yet.

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

Welcome to TN. great state. I am a transplant myself been here 43 years.

 

[garciawork]

Welcome to TN. great state. I am a transplant myself been here 43 years.

We are excited! Hope to stay, and if we picked the right home and lot, in this specific spot. Gorgeous state!

 

[hlw49]

Yes it is and a lot of parks, lakes. and streams to enjoy. Have several really good trout streams. Also some of the lakes tail waters are stocked with trout. Enjoy.

 

[oldlawnguy]

If you are handy you may want to consider getting a used older (better built) model and working on it. See if you can connect with locals in the repair/commercial space. An acre is not that big so don't think you need a commercial grade & price mower. Good luck.

 

[Ida-Boy]

I am also looking for a new/used zero turn mower. I let my old Grasshopper go with the home we sold and just this week we had our offer on a home accepted, so now to buy its replacement.
I have almost 12 acres but will only be cutting 2 or 3 as the rest is to be leased to a farmer. I am sold on a zero turn as it decreases time in the yard and most likely with hold steady on a 54" deck as my old 61" seemed to scalp. I also laid out over 12K for my Grasshopper in 2000 with a bagger and dozer blade but looking to spend less this time around. I would like to be in the 5K to 6K range, mower only no bagger or blade for snow as over 500 feet of driveway will need bigger equipment if it snows heavy.
In the 20 years I owned my Grasshopper I never replaced a spindle, and had original blade belt until 2 years ago when the mice decided to make lunch of it but it did have under 600 hours on the machine. I did have to replace the rear pillow block bearing as I failed to grease it. That Kubota never used a drop of oil, but a new one is a bit more than I care to spend.
So throw some recommendations at me and help me with my decision... oh, year end clearance should also help out.