Older machines were better built, absolutely agree.
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Looking for advice re: purchasing a reliable lawn tractor
- Thread starter buddyd
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Export threadThat 13K sq ft is a bit much to mow with a push mower, even self-propelled. It is sloped from front to back and at my advanced age...
A lawn tractor is a nice luxury for me.I change up the mowing patterns so no ruts, etc. The failure on the JD was a failed connector rod which is probably more related to the eng. manuf. B&S, thus my search is excluding those motors if possible.
I've done my research, mine is not an isolated incident with JD machines. Additionally, I have had a Craftsmen snow thrower for 25+ years and never a problem. The Craftsman moves frozen water, the lawn tractor small blades of grass. Though hours per year are significantly less with the snow thrower, it's appalling to spend $1800 on a lawn mower and get 4 seasons of use out of it.
If 13,000 sf is a bit too much to mow with a push mower, I had better get my 72 year old wife a wheelchair. She mows more than that around the farmstead with a push mower every week and has for over 30 years. She finally agreed to a self propelled model a few years ago. She says it keeps her 'farm girl tough'! And at 5'-3" and 110 pounds she still out works most men.
As for your issues with John Deere, get over it. This farm has seen nothing but green for over 75 years. Even had one of those Greenville mowers (LA120) but gave it to a neighbor as it was too small for our needs. Still running great, original motor and trans. Had a 425 for years that I wish we still had. The X738 is nice but just not the same.
Want to keep costs down and make it easy? The new electrics for a small yard. Serious.
Store batteries at half charge when not in use, especially long term. Storing a flat lithium battery kills the capacity.
No busted con rods, no bad gaskets, no oil changes.
I do residential, rural and commercial mowing. I love engines, but I do understand the pros and cons of electric vs power. I generally prefer traditional tractor to zero turn, but most commercial properties have so much random landscaping zero turn is best. I prefer my ag tractors to skid steers for most things I do also.
I'm using electric blowers and trimers for regular work and pull out the big loud powerful gas stuff for fall clean up.
Check out the ryobi at home depot. That brand is peaking for quality of design vs cost. test drive the front steer vs their zero turn to see what feels more comfortable to drive.
Store batteries at half charge when not in use, especially long term. Storing a flat lithium battery kills the capacity.
No busted con rods, no bad gaskets, no oil changes.
I do residential, rural and commercial mowing. I love engines, but I do understand the pros and cons of electric vs power. I generally prefer traditional tractor to zero turn, but most commercial properties have so much random landscaping zero turn is best. I prefer my ag tractors to skid steers for most things I do also.
I'm using electric blowers and trimers for regular work and pull out the big loud powerful gas stuff for fall clean up.
Check out the ryobi at home depot. That brand is peaking for quality of design vs cost. test drive the front steer vs their zero turn to see what feels more comfortable to drive.
Not sure where you get 4-5 times more wear on the lawn. My experience shows zero turns can be harder on lawns, but it's down to the driver far more than the machine.Get a zero turn. A traditional lawn tractor is 4-5x more wear and tear on you and the lawn. I suggest a mower shop over a big box store. BBS are focused on cheap. A mower shop may cost more but you get more if you do your homework.
Wish I was farm girl toughIf 13,000 sf is a bit too much to mow with a push mower, I had better get my 72 year old wife a wheelchair. She mows more than that around the farmstead with a push mower every week and has for over 30 years. She finally agreed to a self propelled model a few years ago. She says it keeps her 'farm girl tough'! And at 5'-3" and 110 pounds she still out works most men.
As for your issues with John Deere, get over it. This farm has seen nothing but green for over 75 years. Even had one of those Greenville mowers (LA120) but gave it to a neighbor as it was too small for our needs. Still running great, original motor and trans. Had a 425 for years that I wish we still had. The X738 is nice but just not the same.
That 33 series Briggs was a lemon from the start.
Experience is what you get when what you bought is not what you wanted.
If you turn wrenches you can replace that engine if the deck etc, still has good life, not rusted out, etc.
Sometimes zero turn mowers and slopes you mention are not a good thing.
Go visit a mower shop, not a big box store and see what they have. Get advice from a person that repairs mowers at the mower shop.
Them big box stores have poor quality mowers and the MAJORITY of the employees working at the store are not reliable for asking for advice on anything. They usually have to use their cell phone to find their way home and are like geese, they wake up in a new world every day.
Experience is what you get when what you bought is not what you wanted.
If you turn wrenches you can replace that engine if the deck etc, still has good life, not rusted out, etc.
Sometimes zero turn mowers and slopes you mention are not a good thing.
Go visit a mower shop, not a big box store and see what they have. Get advice from a person that repairs mowers at the mower shop.
Them big box stores have poor quality mowers and the MAJORITY of the employees working at the store are not reliable for asking for advice on anything. They usually have to use their cell phone to find their way home and are like geese, they wake up in a new world every day.
I was in that situation back in 2020. I had a 2006 Snapper rear engine rider. In my part of the country, we have trees that grow their roots near the top of the ground and the fixed deck on the Snapper (although an otherwise great machine and in great condition) just couldn’t make it over those roots anymore, so I was faced with finding a larger machine with a “floating deck”. After looking over the selection at the “box” stores and my local small engine dealer, I was very disappointed with what was being offered. Mostly high end machines with features I didn’t want to pay up for, lots of cheaply made hydrostatic transmissions with poor reviews or MTD “faux” automatics that I really didn’t like the sound of. And those prices! How and why do people pay that much? I wanted a rather basic yet sturdy machine with a manual gearbox, simple mechanic controls, and a larger/high quality/long lasting engine. In other words; a machine that isn’t being built anymore! In the end, I bought two late 1990s/early 2000s very broken model LT1000 with the plan of making one out of the two in January and by the beginning of the mowing season, I had a “like new” LT 1000 with a 5 speed transmission and a Kohler Pro (rebadged Command) 19 hp. It was just what I wanted but couldn’t buy as a new mower! I couldn’t be more pleased with how it mows or runs; plus, I was able to sell the Snapper which cover what I’d spent on the two LTs and the new parts. Not counting my time (which I considered a winter hobby project), I came away with exactly the machine I wanted … for free! I had never been much on Craftsman mowers but I realized that if you‘r looking at them second hand, and you put in the effort to research and see who actually made the machines your looking at (since everything at Sears was rebadged to store brands by other manufacturer) you can quickly weed out the good from the bad. Not saying that building your own machine is for everyone, but I definitely agree that the machines from 20-30 years ago were simpler, tougher, and built to last far better than the Chinese equiped machines that are on the market today.Older machines were better built, absolutely agree.
Yes, the Snapper rear engine rider is a classic. The tube frame model, not the updated stamped steel chassis from Snapper's B&S ownership.If you are willing to do your own maintenance on a mower, try looking for a used Snapper rider which were seemingly designed by someone that actually worked on a mower.
I would suggest EGo over Ryobi. Ryobi electrics appear to be rebranded Greenworks.Want to keep costs down and make it easy? The new electrics for a small yard. Serious.
Store batteries at half charge when not in use, especially long term. Storing a flat lithium battery kills the capacity.
No busted con rods, no bad gaskets, no oil changes.
I do residential, rural and commercial mowing. I love engines, but I do understand the pros and cons of electric vs power. I generally prefer traditional tractor to zero turn, but most commercial properties have so much random landscaping zero turn is best. I prefer my ag tractors to skid steers for most things I do also.
I'm using electric blowers and trimers for regular work and pull out the big loud powerful gas stuff for fall clean up.
Check out the ryobi at home depot. That brand is peaking for quality of design vs cost. test drive the front steer vs their zero turn to see what feels more comfortable to drive.
EGo uses one battery mount for everything, string trimmers, chainsaws, push mowers, and zero turn riders.
If unused for 30 days an EGo battery will magically self-discharge to 50% (on purpose) to protect itself in storage.
Jury is still out on longevity of modern plastic EV mowers.
GregBuchan
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Don’t get a (Craftsman rebranded) Husqvarna! Their rear axle seals fall out routinely and the grease comes out of the rear axle and there is no way to degrease it (no fitting) or replace the seal (non replaceable). Their only solution was to replace the entire transmission!Hi Folks, I'm looking to purchase a good reliable small lawn tractor (not JD!) for approx. 13K sq of lawn. I'm hoping to avoid Briggs&Stratton engines, specifically the 18HP
used in the JD E110 as there is some chatter that problems exist with these motors. Some Craftsman and Husqvarna models have Kohler engines, which might be a bit more
reliable. I'd be grateful for any/all advice.
And to explain the JD boycott, I purchased an E110 in 2020 and after 4 seasons, 160 hours of use and timely maintenance the engine failed. Fool me once...
Thank you in advance.
BuddyD