Looking for advice/help with a new riding mower/lawn tractor purchase

[djdicetn]

Have you considered a ztr (zero turn riding mower)? They can be had under 3k and with proper maintenance will last a long time. Plus be much more efficient at doing exactly what your primary purpose is!! Mowing. Toro , cub cadet , snapper , et all... have good decent mower in a 42 inch deck which will last you 10 years or more and be fun to use. My entry level snapper lasted 12 years before I even had to replace a belt!! granted the avg price for that class of mower is around $2700 , fully 1k more than your budget. It will be worth it though in time saved and how well it cuts. That being said, if the $1700 limit is a hard one, given the above comment about proper maint, any rider in the price range will last you a long time as well. Also I have had much better luck with beltlife of mowers that used electric pto's to engage the blades than the old pull a lever versions. Dont know if the pto is easier on the bladebelt or if it just comes on better quality mowers. By the way when I told my wife I was buying a $2700 mower she said not no but h3ll no! 2 weeks after I bought it ... she told me it was the best purchase I had ever made.

DPuro329,
I can't agree with user txzrider on what you can get into a decent entry-level Zero Turn for that is of any quality. You may find one in the price range he mentioned in a big box retailer like the Toro Timecutter or the Husqvarna RZ series but neither of those would have the durability of that YT42XLS lawn tractor. A "decent" Husqvarna ZTR(the RZ4222F), which at least has a fabricated deck, instead of a stamped deck has an MSRP of $3399 and has the sealed HydroGear trannies. You won't find the RZ422F at Lowes or Home Depot, just at the dealer. You may find a Dixie Chopper Zee 1 for $2,900 but it has the Briggs Intek which I would advise against. The Zee 2 will run you $3800 and has the Kawasaki engine which would do you well. IMHO, you will need to spend between $3500-$4000 to get a Zero Turn that is worth spending several thousand dollars on for durability & reliability. You can get one cheaper than the $5k-$6k mentioned earlier and if I were recommending a good Zero Turn in the price range I gave you it would be the Toro Titan ZX4820 which is a VERY good entry-level residential ZTR. If I were to recommend a higher quality ZTR(because I own a Gravely and can attest to their quality first-hand), a 44" ZT HD residential(with many commercial-grade features) has an MSRP of $4899 and would be closer to that $5k that you obviously were not interested in investing in a mower.

 

[txzrider]

DPuro329, I just quoted him my opinion based on my direct experience. Had the op asked about a near commercial for mowing a few yards a week, I would have suggested he look at higher end mowers. As it is, I stand by my recommendation. I mowed yards , fields, pulled my golfcart trailer for 12 years with 0 issues. so unless the current class of mowers have seriously less quality than the snapper I bought in 97 had. they will do fine. That being said I believe the value of this forum is the huge amount of experience that is available to share and I am sure the op appreciates all he can get. Also I bought my current Country Clipper off craigslist with only 27 hours and it has a fab'ed deck and a commercial B&S 20hp engine. It has worked well and only cost me $2300.

 

[djdicetn]

DPuro329, I just quoted him my opinion based on my direct experience. Had the op asked about a near commercial for mowing a few yards a week, I would have suggested he look at higher end mowers. As it is, I stand by my recommendation. I mowed yards , fields, pulled my golfcart trailer for 12 years with 0 issues. so unless the current class of mowers have seriously less quality than the snapper I bought in 97 had. they will do fine. That being said I believe the value of this forum is the huge amount of experience that is available to share and I am sure the op appreciates all he can get. Also I bought my current Country Clipper off craigslist with only 27 hours and it has a fab'ed deck and a commercial B&S 20hp engine. It has worked well and only cost me $2300.

txzrider,
OK, no offense intended....but aside from the OP buying used, why don't you find a recommendable ZTR in a 42"-48" deck that he can get into for $2,700(including taxes and delivery). I don't think you'll find any that would match the value of that Husqvarna lawn tractor(fab deck and Kawsaki engine).....period!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it:0)
P.S.
It has been 16 years since you bought that Snapper.....what does a "similar" model cost today????

 

[txzrider]

I agree, your $2700 husky sounds like a better built machine. And at this point I am showing my bias for ZTR's and while and equivalent ZTR to the husky will cost more , I still stay you can find sub $3k ZTR's that will meet his needs for many years to come. I almost bought several last year before deciding I needed a must have feature(again based on past experience) that the Country Clipper had. Cub Cadet had a 50inch RZT S that I came closest to. It did not have a fabb'ed deck but for my purposes it looked like it would do me fine. The Country clipper dealer sold me on the slide out deck for maintenance and I almost bought a last years model for $3k out the door before I stumbled on my craigslist find. I still bought my mulching kit from him. I saved $700 on the last years model and something like $1200 on what the current model would have been. I also looked at the toro timecutters with a 42 inch deck, decided it had to be the 4260 tho to get the kawasaki engine. In the end tho, and what took me to the country clipper dealer was I had been spoiled by using the joystick to steer on my original snapper. Once you can steer with only 1 hand leaving the other free to move branches out of the way or drink a cold iced tea... you would be spoiled too. The Country clipper has that feature as well. So it had 2 must have features, plus the bonus fabb'ed deck. Granted it does not have rebuildable hydros, but again my prior experience with the snapper convinced me it would be fine. If it lastas as long as the snapper... I will know I was correct.

 

[Ric]

Hi everyone,
We recently moved from a townhouse in NJ with a tiny yard to a house in NH on 1.6 acres. Part of the property is wooded and I believe the grassy part I'll have to cut is 2/3 to 3/4 of an acre. It's hilly and there are a good amount of rock and tree obstacles. I'm planning on just using it to mow and nothing else. I would prefer to buy locally from a dealer rather than Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, etc. This will be the first riding mower I have ever bought or even used. I've done some basic research but there are so many brands and I'm just not sure which ones are good, bad, average. I don't want garbage, but my budget for just the tractor is $1500-$1700, is this realistic? I know I'll have to add a few hundred for the bagger also. I would rather buy a basic tractor from a good brand then a lesser brand with more features. Any suggestions or brands to look into or definitely avoid? Any features that are must haves or a waste of money? I saw a Husqvarna tractor (model YTH23V42) at a local dealer for $1699.95 and they are offering 18 or 24 months no interest financing which is definitely a plus.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Dave

I don't know if you have a Cub Cadet dealer around or not But with the budget of $1500 to $1700 I recommend you look at the Cub Cadet LTX 1045 it's $1699 and would do your 1.6 acres without a problem http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/lawn-and-garden-tractors/series-1000/ltx-1045 Thing is and I don't recommend Home Depot but if you don't Have a CC dealer close you could buy the mower at Homedepot.

 

[Jimmyjo]

Yes, there's a Husqvarna dealer in town and I was seriously considering them.

I'm also looking at Husqvarna. There is a dealer close to me that has been doing work for me and has been great. For that reason the Husqvarna YTH24K48LS is at the top of my list. For under 2K it has alot going for it. Most important to me a better hydro and mower deck than anything else in this price range. And if theres a problem this dealer would make it right becouse thats what he does.

 

[djdicetn]

I'm also looking at Husqvarna. There is a dealer close to me that has been doing work for me and has been great. For that reason the Husqvarna YTH24K48LS is at the top of my list. For under 2K it has alot going for it. Most important to me a better hydro and mower deck than anything else in this price range. And if theres a problem this dealer would make it right becouse thats what he does.

I still recommend that you compare the Husqvarna YT48XLS to the YTH24K48(the website shows this with a Kohler Courage and I would STRONGLY recommend some research there.......lots of design problems with the Courage line from what I've read). Earlier, you were looking at the $1699 42" Husqvarna, so I recommended the YT42XLS($2599). Now it seems you are willing to spend $1899 for the 48", so the comparable YT__XLS series will be the YT48XLS($2899). Again, I think other users will agree that the fabricated deck, locking differential hydrostatic tranny and the Kawasaki engine are well worth the extra money if you want a mower that will last. At least, the YTH24K48, if you are bent on staying under $2,000) is a much better choice(except maybe for the engine) than the YTH23V42 that you were first looking at. Just, my opinion on the Husqvarnas(and engine choices:0)

 

[DPuro329]

Thank you everyone for your advice and wisdom so far. As cool as the ztr mowers are I think even a basic lesser homeowner model is out of my budget. Originally I was hoping to spend around $1000 but I quickly realized that ain't happening so the budget is quickly rising. A reliable engine is important so that Husqvarna with the Kawasaki engine and the better deck definitely is something to look into. What is the difference between the 2 types of decks? This will be the first riding mower I have ever bought and used so I don't really know a lot and I appreciate everyone's contributions. As for craigslist, having never used one I'm concerned about what I would be getting used and I'm not sure how to go about finding a decent used one. That and the new and shiny factor is important to me too. Unfortunately the Husqvarna dealer closest to me is a hardware store and lumber yard and only has 4-5 models available at the moment. I haven't asked about special ordering, but I may go to another dealer that is a little farther away but their website shows a bigger selection. I like Husqvarna because they are offering 18 or 24 months 0% financing, so with the longer payoff time I may up my budget again to consider better mowers.

 

[djdicetn]

Thank you everyone for your advice and wisdom so far. As cool as the ztr mowers are I think even a basic lesser homeowner model is out of my budget. Originally I was hoping to spend around $1000 but I quickly realized that ain't happening so the budget is quickly rising. A reliable engine is important so that Husqvarna with the Kawasaki engine and the better deck definitely is something to look into. What is the difference between the 2 types of decks? This will be the first riding mower I have ever bought and used so I don't really know a lot and I appreciate everyone's contributions. As for craigslist, having never used one I'm concerned about what I would be getting used and I'm not sure how to go about finding a decent used one. That and the new and shiny factor is important to me too. Unfortunately the Husqvarna dealer closest to me is a hardware store and lumber yard and only has 4-5 models available at the moment. I haven't asked about special ordering, but I may go to another dealer that is a little farther away but their website shows a bigger selection. I like Husqvarna because they are offering 18 or 24 months 0% financing, so with the longer payoff time I may up my budget again to consider better mowers.

DPuro329,
I apologize, as my last post was in response to a posting by user Jimmyjo, who hijacked your thread(and I thought I was replying to you). A lot of the forums that I post on highly discouraged jumping into a thread with questions(or details) unrelated to the original poster but this isn't one that does that. To me it makes it difficult to sort out who's asking what sometimes and I inadvertantly accused you of "switching Husqvarna models/what you were willing to spend" in my response. But my last post did elude to some of the differences that you are asking about. Try your best to get into a lawn tractor that has a Kawasaki engine if you can. The fabricated decks are welded and heavier duty metal than the normal "stamped decks" which have a "rounded" look and are a single sheet of metal that is "stamped into it's shape", thus the fab decks are more durable and long-lasting(that's why the fab decks come with a lifetime warranty and the stamped decks don't....also why all Commercial ZTR's have fab decks). And the YT__XLS series having the locking differential type transmission increases traction while cutting wet grass or on slopes. I don't think you would regret spending close to $2500 on the YT42XLS if that 42" deck would fit your needs(an acre or less sized yard). I wish I could tell you that you could find a $1,000 lawn tractor that would last 5-10 years and not give you any problems but I can't:0(

 

[DPuro329]

Djdicetn,
No worries I knew it wasn't directed at me. I think I'm accepting the fact that if I spend more now it will cause fewer headaches down the road. I went to another Husqvarna dealer today and saw one (model YT46LS) for $2199 I believe. It has a Kawasaki engine and it has a reinforced deck. I'm not familiar with them, are they a step up from a stamped deck, but less durable than a fabricated deck? I think the problem I'm running into is that the Husqvarna dealers I've gone to only have a few models on display. A guy I talked to yesterday thought that Husqvarna offers too many different models and if he was to carry them all it would just confuse things.

Dave