In mid-April I was able to pick up my new Husqvarna model GTH 26 V 52LS. I chose this tractor for the price, fabricated deck as well as the engine (Kawasakai). My evaluation is based on the equipment I either currently own or have had in the past. Now I realize that their are a number of tractors that would be concidered suprior but then again they would probably be in a higher price range.
The price that I have seen advertized is from $3,099.95 and as high as $3,495.00. I paid $2,800.00, which I thought was a resonable price. The GTH 26 V 52 LS is the largest garden tractor that Husq. offers. It should be noted that for the most part I only use this tractor for mowing and trailer hauling. I have other equipment for heavy work. I went with the garden tractor because of the larger wheel size. I have a very rough lawn with hills and dips. I felt that the larger tires and stronger frame would give a better ride and ultimatly last longer. At this point, I have approxamatly 20 hours on the machine.
The tractor: The steering is good, it turns sharply (18 inch) without a lot of force. Its new so it is also relatively tight. This unit has a hydrostatic drive. I beleive it is concidered a limited slip. I have only gotton stuck once and stuck I was. The tractor sunk about 4 -6 inches in wet loam I was alone so I disengaged the drive and tried pulling it out with my 6 speed Chraftsman. I don't think it moved a inch. I had to use the MF 2310 4 wheel drive. This one did it with no problem.
What I did not like about this tractor is the foot controls for backing up. The lever is mounted in the running board and required too much pressure from my already hurting knee. So I fabricated a new lever and found that this cured this problem. Another item I did not like was the hitch hole. I think that the metal is a little light also I use ball hitches on all of my equipment ie: trailer, roller, trailer #2 etc., and found the hitch area too steep and had very limited clearence for my hitches so I fabricated a heavy duty one from 3 X 5 X 3/8 angle iron. I had to bend it a little in the press but it worked out well. The last item on the list that I have yet to address is a rattle that is coming from the clutch/brake a rubber bumper should cure this. I was not able to find any adjustment on this.
Engine: This unit is the quitest that I have had to date. It starts quickly. You pull the choke and as soon as it starts you push it back in. I have only stalled it a couiple of times. This was caused by grass build up in the deck.
The deck: The deck is a fabricated unit and is much more rugged that the 3 Chraftsman tractors that I own. The blades are relatively thick and should last for 2 seasons. The mandrels are greaseable. This I consider a plus. Of course the deck has a wash out port which is nice but I tend not to use because of the mess. Sounds like an oxymoron, but my property is located in a area that is realtively wet through out the spring and the grass sticks to the deck washing at this time of the year, it makes more mess than it tends to prevent. I'll try this feature in the summer when the land dries somewhat. For the most part the deck well built but because it is on the larger size it can give an uneven cut. I may be able to cure this with better managment of my cutting directions. The discharge chute while flexable is some what clumbsey. Again, I may get used to it. Due to the 18-inch steering design and the amount the deck extends out I can get right up close to the many many obstacals I have in the yard without needing to constantly back up. Oh, did I mention the deck has 4 wheels as well as a roller in the front center. Built very rugged and the cut is smooth. Right now I am cutting 2-inches in what I call the front yard (about 3/4 acre of grass) and at 2.5-inches in back where the ground is uneven and hilly ( about 1 + acre).
I intend on taking some pictures of the changes I have made, but only after it has been washed. BTW, top speed of this tractor is 7.8 miles per hour. Good for transport too fast for cutting.
Regards
Paul
The price that I have seen advertized is from $3,099.95 and as high as $3,495.00. I paid $2,800.00, which I thought was a resonable price. The GTH 26 V 52 LS is the largest garden tractor that Husq. offers. It should be noted that for the most part I only use this tractor for mowing and trailer hauling. I have other equipment for heavy work. I went with the garden tractor because of the larger wheel size. I have a very rough lawn with hills and dips. I felt that the larger tires and stronger frame would give a better ride and ultimatly last longer. At this point, I have approxamatly 20 hours on the machine.
The tractor: The steering is good, it turns sharply (18 inch) without a lot of force. Its new so it is also relatively tight. This unit has a hydrostatic drive. I beleive it is concidered a limited slip. I have only gotton stuck once and stuck I was. The tractor sunk about 4 -6 inches in wet loam I was alone so I disengaged the drive and tried pulling it out with my 6 speed Chraftsman. I don't think it moved a inch. I had to use the MF 2310 4 wheel drive. This one did it with no problem.
What I did not like about this tractor is the foot controls for backing up. The lever is mounted in the running board and required too much pressure from my already hurting knee. So I fabricated a new lever and found that this cured this problem. Another item I did not like was the hitch hole. I think that the metal is a little light also I use ball hitches on all of my equipment ie: trailer, roller, trailer #2 etc., and found the hitch area too steep and had very limited clearence for my hitches so I fabricated a heavy duty one from 3 X 5 X 3/8 angle iron. I had to bend it a little in the press but it worked out well. The last item on the list that I have yet to address is a rattle that is coming from the clutch/brake a rubber bumper should cure this. I was not able to find any adjustment on this.
Engine: This unit is the quitest that I have had to date. It starts quickly. You pull the choke and as soon as it starts you push it back in. I have only stalled it a couiple of times. This was caused by grass build up in the deck.
The deck: The deck is a fabricated unit and is much more rugged that the 3 Chraftsman tractors that I own. The blades are relatively thick and should last for 2 seasons. The mandrels are greaseable. This I consider a plus. Of course the deck has a wash out port which is nice but I tend not to use because of the mess. Sounds like an oxymoron, but my property is located in a area that is realtively wet through out the spring and the grass sticks to the deck washing at this time of the year, it makes more mess than it tends to prevent. I'll try this feature in the summer when the land dries somewhat. For the most part the deck well built but because it is on the larger size it can give an uneven cut. I may be able to cure this with better managment of my cutting directions. The discharge chute while flexable is some what clumbsey. Again, I may get used to it. Due to the 18-inch steering design and the amount the deck extends out I can get right up close to the many many obstacals I have in the yard without needing to constantly back up. Oh, did I mention the deck has 4 wheels as well as a roller in the front center. Built very rugged and the cut is smooth. Right now I am cutting 2-inches in what I call the front yard (about 3/4 acre of grass) and at 2.5-inches in back where the ground is uneven and hilly ( about 1 + acre).
I intend on taking some pictures of the changes I have made, but only after it has been washed. BTW, top speed of this tractor is 7.8 miles per hour. Good for transport too fast for cutting.
Regards
Paul
