Looking for advice re: purchasing a reliable lawn tractor

[ddbtdd]

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

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.
Buddy

 

[Chipg1956]

I didn't read all of the posts which proceed mine. I find the Briggs to be far more dependable then the Kohler. The Kohlers have electrical problems with both charging and ignition, these problems are almost unheard of on the Briggs. Starters are very good on both. I have also seen failures of the governor on the Kohlers. The governor gear shatters. This is a big job, remove the engine and split the crankcase. I have never seen a catastrophic failure on a Briggs except caused by low or no oil.

 

[ddbtdd]

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

You said your property is sloped. Did your Briggs have oil pressurized cooling or oil splash cooling? If you had a splash cooled engine on a slope, that might be why it burned up.

 

[GregBuchan]

I’d stay away from any mower made by Husqvarna/Craftsman. They favor, and practice, replace the major component over fix or repair and individual part. For example, a rear axle seal on their riders simply falls out causing grease to spray the inside on the adjacent tire/wheel and it’s not easily noticed. The seal is easily pushed back into place but is not able to be secured. Worse, there is no grease port to reinstall the required lubricant. The manufacturer rep simply said you cannot add grease and must replace the transmission whose cost far exceeded to value of the 3 year old mower.
Moreover, even the manufacturer’s support team was unable to identify the part that retains the direction drive selector at the transmission. It pops off under the seat area and is difficult to reattach. It pops off after every bump and I have to shut the machine down, crawl practically underneath it to get my arms and hands in between the transmission and frame to put the selector back on its post 3-5 times every time I use it. I’ve tried JBWeld and have tried multiple things to hold it in place but cannot see it or get it to remain fixed.
I’ll never buy another Husqvarna/Craftsman mower again. They’ve cheapened the critical parts to make them disposable.

 

[gregboggess]

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.

I have three 54" cut Husqvarna mowers, 2 w/Kohler and one with Briggs, One of them

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.
h

I have three Husqvarna 54", 2 with Kohler, 1 with Briggs, all were purchased used @ 300+ hours. One has over 1000 hrs., the other two are 700/800 hrs. I prefer the one with the Briggs only because it is VERY fuel efficient. If I have a mechanical issue, I repair it immediately. I service them every year, check the oil EVERY time before I crank it up. Yes . . . you will have mechanical issues no matter what brand you purchase. If you purchase a new mower, even though it may seem expensive get the extended warranty, but read it first, it should take care of most if the mechanical issues you will have. The mower that has 1000 hrs, had the extended warranty and had the motor replaced at 700+ hours. T think the reason was because it developed a persistent oil leak and the tech. did not want to fix that issue and just said "f$%k it" the motor is bad and replaced it. He let me keep the old motor too. One more thing, keep the deck clean.

 

[Diwali]

I can only refer to reliability and that is my Craftsman LT2000 with its original 17.5hp B&S engine. Bought in 2008 and still in use cutting half an acre of lawn all season and occasionally rough cutting of brambles, nettles etc. The brakes failed last year (but still drivable) so I bought a JD X127 for my grandson to drive. I didn’t want him driving without brakes! JD was not my preferred choice (all plastic and expensive) but it was the only one available at short notice.
While my grandson cuts with the JD, I am still using the Craftsman for all the other jobs - it remains my favourite machine with a reliability and sturdiness that’s hard to beat.

 

[GerryB]

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

 

[pat_from_indy]

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

I've had nearly all of the brands of the mower type you are asking about, and used them for 4 decades. I've never had an engine failure. I would not avoid B&S just based upon one bad engine.

But, everything else besides the engine does give up pretty quickly, especially the deck. It just rusts out and starts failing within a few years.

Further, I have to maneuver around a few trees and road signs, and that mower type was just never very good at those maneuvers.

So, I bought an Exmark ZTR. It is a fantastic mower that gets the job done in half the time and can get up close to any obstacles. Yes, it costs about 2.5x as much, but it is a much better machine and you won't dread mowing. If you can afford it, and you have space in your garage, Exmark is a great mower.

 

[toolboxhero]

My brother-in-law and I haul scrap metal and in the last year we have picked up four JD 110s with seized engines. We have to drain the oil before we take it to the scrapper and in all cases the oil looked like new. Don't know the hours on them but two of the mowers looked like new...
I suggest a Cub Cadet. The dealers in my area are all great and will help you with any issues you may have.

 

[pat_from_indy]

I can only refer to reliability and that is my Craftsman LT2000 with its original 17.5hp B&S engine. Bought in 2008 and still in use cutting half an acre of lawn all season and occasionally rough cutting of brambles, nettles etc. The brakes failed last year (but still drivable) so I bought a JD X127 for my grandson to drive. I didn’t want him driving without brakes! JD was not my preferred choice (all plastic and expensive) but it was the only one available at short notice.
While my grandson cuts with the JD, I am still using the Craftsman for all the other jobs - it remains my favourite machine with a reliability and sturdiness that’s hard to beat.

I mean this in a nice way. But I wouldn't call a mower reliable if the brakes don't even work on the machine anymore. I had an LT2000 too, and it slowly broke down just like yours. With mine, the deck rusted through and no longer sat parallel to the turf.