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I have been doing some research and am about to take the $1599 plunge on the Husqvarna YTH22V46. I intend to get it at Lowes and am highly considering a 3 year extended warranty for $199. That is about the max of my budget.

I have 2 acres, but really only mow about 2/3 of it since my neighbor's horses share 1/3 and boy are they ever living lawn mowers!.

I was also looking closely at a John Deer D110 for $1,699. But it is 42" and a single cylinder, not the V-Twin. Feels like I would be paying more for the name and getting less. But that's just me.

If I go with the Husqvarna, would I be making a big mistake?

Zenmower said:

I have been doing some research and am about to take the $1599 plunge on the Husqvarna YTH22V46. I intend to get it at Lowes and am highly considering a 3 year extended warranty for $199. That is about the max of my budget.

I have 2 acres, but really only mow about 2/3 of it since my neighbor's horses share 1/3 and boy are they ever living lawn mowers!.

I was also looking closely at a John Deer D110 for $1,699. But it is 42" and a single cylinder, not the V-Twin. Feels like I would be paying more for the name and getting less. But that's just me.

If I go with the Husqvarna, would I be making a big mistake?

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So, for $1798 you will have a Husq with twin cylinder 22HP Briggs, and a 46" cut, and includes the 3 year warranty. I have just bought a YTH21K46 and love it. Mine is a single cylinder Kohler Courage, pulls fine. Some say the twin cylinder will have less vibration, and that makes sense. I think it may have a little more torque, but am not sure.

I like green paint on the farm, but honestly am becoming very, very fond of orange mowing the yard.

Great input chobbs! I recently picked up a Husqvarna walk behind self propelled to handle the tighter and generally awkward spaces I have around here and I absolutely love it so far!

The tractor mower I am replacing is Poulan 16.5 HP 42" and I think it is built by Husqvarna as parts and build are nearly identical. I have already learned some basics in terms of maintenance (belt replacement, removal and general service of mower deck, etc.). I've read that the JD line can be difficult for user maintenance.

The 22 hp V-Twin engine on the Husqvarna I am leaning toward has well over 650 cc displacement and I need the power for the type of mowing... mixed weeds and very fast growing grass (except in the current drought-like conditions we're having. I want something that I can mow through this stuff without having to slow down to a crawl.

Zenmower said:

Great input chobbs! I recently picked up a Husqvarna walk behind self propelled to handle the tighter and generally awkward spaces I have around here and I absolutely love it so far!

The tractor mower I am replacing is Poulan 16.5 HP 42" and I think it is built by Husqvarna as parts and build are nearly identical. I have already learned some basics in terms of maintenance (belt replacement, removal and general service of mower deck, etc.). I've read that the JD line can be difficult for user maintenance.

The 22 hp V-Twin engine on the Husqvarna I am leaning toward has well over 650 cc displacement and I need the power for the type of mowing... mixed weeds and very fast growing grass (except in the current drought-like conditions we're having. I want something that I can mow through this stuff without having to slow down to a crawl.

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Why not do this, step up to the YTH24K48, use the Lowes card and you can get it for $1799. You get the 24hp Kohler engine and the fast tranny and a better deck that has a 10 yr warranty on it. The tranny is a Tuff Tq K57R which is a beefed up version of the entry level K46. The Kohler engine has plenty of power and is very smooth and the fast tranny is just a plus on top of the bigger deck and stronger engine. I have 30hrs on mine and I'm very pleased with my mower.

TnHusky said:

Why not do this, step up to the YTH24K48, use the Lowes card and you can get it for $1799. You get the 24hp Kohler engine and the fast tranny and a better deck that has a 10 yr warranty on it. The tranny is a Tuff Tq K57R which is a beefed up version of the entry level K46. The Kohler engine has plenty of power and is very smooth and the fast tranny is just a plus on top of the bigger deck and stronger engine. I have 30hrs on mine and I'm very pleased with my mower.

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Quite frankly, we may just very well do this. I have been heavily eye-balling this very machine. I forgot about the 5% if I use a Lowes card. It says you cannot combine with other "coupon" but the free delivery is a promotion good to 7/08 and hopefully I can still get that along with the 5%.

Yeah, excellent point. I would just not feel right if I didn't actually walk away with the beefier machine. And I will probably even tack on the 4 year extended warranty. I especially like that they will send someone out to do service on-site.

Will be leaving for Lowes in about an hour. I'll post back as to how it went.

Thanks for the food for thought! I had already considered this and you helped me realize that it was a great consideration!

I think you will do well in upgrading. You will forget about the extra money very quickly but the regret of not getting what you really wanted will linger for years.

Good luck on your purchase

JSB33 said:

I think you will do well in upgrading. You will forget about the extra money very quickly but the regret of not getting what you really wanted will linger for years.

Good luck on your purchase

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Exactly. And that's how I sold my wife on the idea as well. I personally could not have lived with myself walking out of that store and not going with upgraded model considering how much more bang for the buck you get.

So... I am back home now and expecting delivery tomorrow (or Monday because of my own scheduling issue) of my brand new Husqvarna YTH24K48 (and Lowes tacked on an FR at the end of the model number - not sure what that is)!

Woot!

Thanks for the input folks. I'll post up a bit later with some initial impressions, experiences, etc.

Zenmower said:

Exactly. And that's how I sold my wife on the idea as well. I personally could not have lived with myself walking out of that store and not going with upgraded model considering how much more bang for the buck you get.

So... I am back home now and expecting delivery tomorrow (or Monday because of my own scheduling issue) of my brand new Husqvarna YTH24K48 (and Lowes tacked on an FR at the end of the model number - not sure what that is)!

Woot!

Thanks for the input folks. I'll post up a bit later with some initial impressions, experiences, etc.

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I think the FR stands for Fast Rider :laughing:, I do think you will be very pleased. Pay attention to the oil level in the engine, mine was overfilled from the get go a little and caused some smoke on startup after stopping on downgrade and talking to neighbor about the new machine when I first got it but no worries after that at all. I changed the breakin oil after 18 hrs and went back with the Kohler Oil and filter and I now have 30hrs on my mower and it's awesome. I also bought the 4 yr warranty at 5% discount, so like you it was a no brainer. One more thing, check the air pressure in the tires, most of he time they come over inflated for ease of movement. I run 8 to 10 psi front and 6 to 8 psi rear.

Ditto on tire pressure.y new Husqvarna had over 20 psi, rode rough til I read in the manual to check for that

IMO, the big mistake is even thinking about the extended warranty..
This is one rip-off.
$700 for a used Simplicity 16 44 ZT, NO warranty, NO sales tax. some problems....
Three years from now, if I continue with good repair/maintenance..
It will be $600 for either one....
But, the downside is that fairly decent used ZTs are very hard to find..
GTs, on the other hand...
Craigs
And the horses ...most wonderful of animals....why not just move the fence and use a used LB for $100..

Took delivery this morning at 10:45 am. What a beauty!

I did tack on the extended warranty. At the outside chance it will need service beyond my capability within the next 4 years, we have no way of getting that beast to a service center without paying someone to transpo it. So one housecall (and free transpo if needed) would cover the cost of the extended plan imho. It's a gamble yes, but I would be bugged in the back of my mind without it after spending around $2k for the mower with tax, etc. If anything, it was worth it for the peace of mind I have now.

That kohler engine looks awesome! Cranks like there's 24 horses under the hood trying to bust out and stampede the neighbors! I mowed the back and side (about an acre total) today and love it! I can throttle up through the thicker stuff (and I get a mix of whacky fast growing grasses AND weeds out here in the country - plus I was past due to mow these areas).......... and with the throttle cranked, I could not believe how quickly I could cruise along without bogging down the blades!

Man... comfort, had my tea in a 16.9oz bottle (with cap on it of course!) in the cup holder and had the arm rests lowered... not all that necessary, but kind of kewl having 'em there. I blazed through all that in about half the usual time (I wasn't really watching the clock.. but it was fast compared to the usual!). If you'll pardon the french, what a kick *** mower!

Oh.. and yes, I am a geek... I read the manual rather thoroughly before receiving the mower. I did in fact lower the air pressure in the very much over inflated at the factory tires using a standard tire gauge (I just ordered a low pressure reading tire gauge too)! AND, in spite of the delivery guy saying it's done at the factory, I even went through the proper steps to purge the transmission before taking her out for a spin.

The delivery guy said they filled the oil with what comes with the mower. I checked it after he left and it was Full on the money. No more, no less. All I had to do was fill it up with gas. The visible gas gauge is too hard to see through though to make it useful - plus you can't look at it while filling the tank anyway. I just kept pouring until I could see gas reach the bottom of the fill neck... perfect!

I'm utterly pleased - as first impressions go. I will remain a bit skeptical until I get through a few more full mows of my property. But for now.... oh man, I am in mower geek heaven! lol

TnHusky said:

I think the FR stands for Fast Rider :laughing:, I do think you will be very pleased. Pay attention to the oil level in the engine, mine was overfilled from the get go a little and caused some smoke on startup after stopping on downgrade and talking to neighbor about the new machine when I first got it but no worries after that at all. I changed the breakin oil after 18 hrs and went back with the Kohler Oil and filter and I now have 30hrs on my mower and it's awesome. I also bought the 4 yr warranty at 5% discount, so like you it was a no brainer. One more thing, check the air pressure in the tires, most of he time they come over inflated for ease of movement. I run 8 to 10 psi front and 6 to 8 psi rear.

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You know, the FR very well could stand for fast rider! I saw that reference on one of the product pages. This mower is noted for being the fastest in its class! 7 point something mph top speed... and it does fly!

Zenmower said:

You know, the FR very well could stand for fast rider! I saw that reference on one of the product pages. This mower is noted for being the fastest in its class! 7 point something mph top speed... and it does fly!

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I'm jealous of the electric PTO, arm rests, fabricated deck, and twin cylinder Kohler, not to mention the fast transmission. Looks good, thanks for sharing.

Yeah, the electronic PTO was icing on the cake. I didn't even notice that as a feature until after I locked in the order last night. Works like a charm too!

Chobbs. Steer clear of the BS V engine. My Intek V failed early. No one has mentioned the Husky/Kawasaki. I forget the model but think it may be a dealer item and alittle more $. I will look at that one next time.