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I don't want some else's headache and I need something durable to handle mowing around 3 acres of lawn with bumpy terrain and some slopes. My current machine is a 1997 Craftsman 50" with a 25hp Kohler with a little over 600 hours. It has needed a lot repairs over the nearly 20 years of using it. A lot has broken because of the weak design of a lot of the deck parts but I kept it going but now the engine is going to need major work because it's burning oil badly plus the frame has cracks. I don't want another machine with a Kohler engine nor a Craftsman (or whoever builds these things) if I can help it.
I need to buy something that will give years of use that can handle some tough work without breaking often. I've checked my local Craigslist but there are no good deals which doesn't surprise me at this time of the year. I'm hoping to find someone in the Portland Oregon area who sells good equipment at a reasonable price.

if you want a machine that will last you will need to spend the big bucks on a commercial grade machine. IMO

Kubota BX series, John Deere X series.

Open your wallet wide, though. These aren't $1500 Big Box Store machines.

Bleach, you are going to have a hard time finding what you want at a price you are willing to spend. Today's tractors are not built that way. Unless you get very, very, very lucky, you're going to have to spend $4000+ for a quality unit.

Thanks guys for the advice. I was thinking I was going to have to spend around 4K but I'm trying to avoid that. I also need another pick-up so I would rather spend the 4K toward something I would use more often. I don't know how much longer I'm going live here. I have plans to move, hopefully in a year or two,l but I'll probably still need something even though I'd like downsize somewhat.
The mower still runs and works but I don't know how much longer I can keep it going.

Found this just now. $4500 with accessories I don't need nor 4 wheel steering (more stuff to break)
https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/6200032045.html

Kubotas are nice but way more than I really need. There are a few for sale locally but they're around 12K and up. :shocked:

Bleach said:

Found this just now. $4500 with accessories I don't need nor 4 wheel steering (more stuff to break)
https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/6200032045.html

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I have two neighbors who have those 4-wheel steer John Deere's. Nothing's broken on them yet. At $4500 asking price, that one may be one hell of a bargain, especially if it has the horizontal shaft Kawasaki.

I picked this up for 2900, needed about 400 bucks worth of parts. It should last me forever. 24hp kubota diesel, no transmission and 4wd.

Too bad the JD would be a bargain since it's more than I want to spend. The one for $2900 is a deal but it's size would be overkill for me. I have a few areas with dwarf fruit trees I mow around and my 50" takes some jogging to get around them.

The JD is a steal if it is in good condition.
If you are looking at selling it in a couple of years, you should be ably to get that price back easily in a few years time.

Yes even if I could sell it years later for around what I paid, I still can't afford it. It has a lot of nice bells and whistles I don't need. I won't buy luxury cars for the same reason, even if I could get my money back later. I drive a Ford that is about as basic as it could be bought at the time. I bought it used several years ago and luckily paid a very reasonable price for it(less than what I am looking to pay for a mower now). It continues to serve me well and I can estimate that it will continue to serve me well for still many years to come. I wish I could use it as a mower but even if I could it is too large but I could easily tow a mower home with it if need be.

If you have any Lowe's stores in your area, check out the Husqvarna models. I have a Husky 24HP 48" cut that is great. and I mow almost 2 acres with it. They normally go for around $2k, but this is the time of year that they start marking their remaining units down. JD is a good unit, but I think you pay extra for the Green Paint. I shopped JD when I was looking for a tractor, and wound up buying a Kubota for substantially less than the JD...and have used it for years, with minimal troubles.

I take a look and see what they have. It seems the consensus is I that should look for a machine that has a horizontal shaft engine as they are probably better built overall. I am one to try to use things as long as I can. Most of every big ticket item I own is already pushing 20 years, including most of my cars. I'm strapped for splurging on most anything because I re-roofed my house over a year ago and more recently rebuilt both decks on my house. My house is almost 25 years old.

Bleach said:

I take a look and see what they have. It seems the consensus is I that should look for a machine that has a horizontal shaft engine as they are probably better built overall. I am one to try to use things as long as I can. Most of every big ticket item I own is already pushing 20 years, including most of my cars. I'm strapped for splurging on most anything because I re-roofed my house over a year ago and more recently rebuilt both decks on my house. My house is almost 25 years old.

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The opinions on engines vary all over the place. My Husky uses a B&S 24HP 2 cylinder vertical shaft engine, and quite frankly, I don't recall ever seeing a horizontal shaft engine in a riding mower....perhaps in some high end zero turn, costing thousands more.
Engines have been improved substantially in recent years, and with proper maintenance, virtually any of them should last for many years. I have a neighbor who has a 20 yr. old Husky, and it is still going strong.

BTW, I hear ya on the roof...we had ours replaced this past April...$6k.

deminin said:

The opinions on engines vary all over the place. My Husky uses a B&S 24HP 2 cylinder vertical shaft engine, and quite frankly, I don't recall ever seeing a horizontal shaft engine in a riding mower....perhaps in some high end zero turn, costing thousands more.
Engines have been improved substantially in recent years, and with proper maintenance, virtually any of them should last for many years. I have a neighbor who has a 20 yr. old Husky, and it is still going strong.

BTW, I hear ya on the roof...we had ours replaced this past April...$6k.

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Opinions vary, but I've never heard anybody say that a vertical shaft engine is better, or even as good as, a horizontal shaft engine.

There have been plenty of lawn and garden tractors and some zero turns as well that use horizontal shaft engines. John Deere, Cub Cadet, Kubota, and Grasshopper to name a few. You are absolutely correct in that they cost a lot more and there's a reason for that.

The only applications I have with horizontal shaft engines are my edger, rototillers, weed wacker and generator. All are B&S's except the weed wacker which is a Maruyama with a Honda 4-stroke (awesome machine!).
The only problems I've seem with vertical shaft engines is oil leakage at the crank seal and broken rods occurring on walk behind mowers hitting a hard obstacle when mowing.
I like the idea of a driveshaft on a riding mower. Changing the drive belt to the hydrostat on my mower has always been a nightmare.

Bleach said:

The only applications I have with horizontal shaft engines are my edger, rototillers, weed wacker and generator. All are B&S's except the weed wacker which is a Maruyama with a Honda 4-stroke (awesome machine!).
The only problems I've seem with vertical shaft engines is oil leakage at the crank seal and broken rods occurring on walk behind mowers hitting a hard obstacle when mowing.
I like the idea of a driveshaft on a riding mower. Changing the drive belt to the hydrostat on my mower has always been a nightmare.

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I like my jacobsen because it does not have any driveshafts. All hydraulic except the deck has one belt. The new models have a individual pump on each blade and zero belts. Wish mine had that.

cpurvis said:

There have been plenty of lawn and garden tractors and some zero turns as well that use horizontal shaft engines. John Deere, Cub Cadet, Kubota, and Grasshopper to name a few. You are absolutely correct in that they cost a lot more and there's a reason for that.

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I would think that a horizontal shaft engine would require some sort of 90 degree "transmission" in order to run the horizontal blade belt on the deck. That would seem to induce another point of failure, and substantially increase the cost. With a vertical shaft engine, the engine has a simple pulley/blade clutch on the driveshaft that mates nicely to the blade belt. Perhaps we are thinking differently in our descriptions of horizontal vs. vertical, but now you've got me curious. I'll be in the city Wednesday, and I think I'll stop by a couple of dealers and see what they have in a Horizontal shaft riding mower.

deminin said:

I would think that a horizontal shaft engine would require some sort of 90 degree "transmission" in order to run the horizontal blade belt on the deck. That would seem to induce another point of failure, and substantially increase the cost. With a vertical shaft engine, the engine has a simple pulley/blade clutch on the driveshaft that mates nicely to the blade belt. Perhaps we are thinking differently in our descriptions of horizontal vs. vertical, but now you've got me curious. I'll be in the city Wednesday, and I think I'll stop by a couple of dealers and see what they have in a Horizontal shaft riding mower.

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Actually, the belt alignment is better on the horizontal shaft mower. It only requires two idlers to change the belt direction from horizontal to vertical. With that, there is only a single point of belt 'misalignment' (on the deck), whereas the vertical shaft engine setup has two--one at the deck pulley, like the horizontal shaft, and one at the engine. These idlers are sealed bearing units; no lube required. My father owned two horizontal shaft mowers and I've owned one and between the three, only one idler went bad. Can't remember what it cost but there was no sticker shock (maybe $10?) and took about ten minutes to replace.

I know I still have a lot to learn about riding mowers. This is the only one I've ever owned and I learned a lot about it after nearly 20 years of ownership. I've done all my own work on it.
I've heard them called garden tractors, lawn tractors and riding mowers. I'm sure there are a few others. I wasn't aware of the different engine orientations, drive lines, etc until I came here. I'm hoping with your guys help my next mower will outlast me.

Bleach said:

I know I still have a lot to learn about riding mowers. This is the only one I've ever owned and I learned a lot about it after nearly 20 years of ownership. I've done all my own work on it.
I've heard them called garden tractors, lawn tractors and riding mowers. I'm sure there are a few others. I wasn't aware of the different engine orientations, drive lines, etc until I came here. I'm hoping with your guys help my next mower will outlast me.

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Just duplicate what's shown in your avatar and it will! Love that picture...

There are differences between garden tractors, lawn tractors, and riding mowers.

Garden tractors are the top of the line. Think Kubota BX or John Deere X series. Able to power ground-engaging implements and small backhoes or front end loaders; many are liquid cooled. ~$7K and up.

Lawn tractors are generally the <$2K units you see at Big Box stores. Able to mow and pull a small cart, etc.

Riding mowers are just that--a sub $1K 8 to 10 hp mower upon which you ride, that doesn't resemble a tractor at all. Meant for yards not much bigger than what a push mower will handle.

LOL about my avatar!
Thanks for the education. I guess my machine falls into lawn tractor category but it has a 25hp engine and was capable of towing a heavy load in a cart. It was a very capable machine despite lots of weaknesses.

Bleach said:

I know I still have a lot to learn about riding mowers. This is the only one I've ever owned and I learned a lot about it after nearly 20 years of ownership. I've done all my own work on it.
I've heard them called garden tractors, lawn tractors and riding mowers. I'm sure there are a few others. I wasn't aware of the different engine orientations, drive lines, etc until I came here. I'm hoping with your guys help my next mower will outlast me.

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I just looked, and Lowe's has my Husky on sale...$150 off. Besides doing a great job of mowing, there are a couple of things on this mower that I like...which many others in this price range lack...1. armrests on the seat, makes for a comfortable ride, and 2. the deck is reinforced along the sides...so if I scrape up against one of my many trees, I don't bend/damage the deck. Do some comparison shopping...but I don't think you can find more bang for the buck.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-Yta24V48-24-HP-V-Twin-Automatic-48-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower/999990138

Looks like a nice mower and right in the price range I'm considering, plus it's new!
I didn't even think to look at a box store for a mower like I need.
Thanks

I couldn't get your link to work. Is this the mower you're talking about? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-Yta24V48-24-HP-V-Twin-Automatic-48-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower/999990138

That certainly is a lot of 'bang for the buck' as it is about $500 less than what I paid for a 14 hp Cub Cadet 2140 23 years ago. I still have and use the Cub Cadet. It's coming up on 1,000 hours on the clock.

$500 less, 10 horsepower more... You have to wonder, "How can they do that?" What can you buy today for less than it cost in 1994?

edit: My link does the same thing. YOu have to click on the "skip" button, lower right.

Today I decided to pull the #1 cylinder head that was the side that was burning oil. There was some oil in the cylinder but the cylinder bore was still in great shape. The crosshatching was still visible. It looks like maybe one or both of the valves and or guides are bad. I could hear hissing coming from the valve areas when I turned the engine by hand before I pulled the head with the valve cover off. I couldn't hear anything like that on #2.
I'm going to hold off buying another mower for now and either get the head rebuilt of just buy a new head.
I was able to fix my sloppy steering. The shaft from the steering sector broke loose from the gear plate so I welded it back.

Which is the latest riding mower available in market?

I've got my mower running again but now the governor isn't working and I've got another thread going on that. I got the mower working well enough for now so hopefully I don't destroy the engine if I'm careful enough. I had the head worked on and it runs well. I plan on working on it more after I finish mowing what's overgrown. The grass is going dormant from the heat and lack of rain so it'll give me some more time to work on the mower before I have to mow again.

BTW, the latest doesn't always mean the best. There are so many variables when looking for a mower so it all depends on what your needs are. It's kind of like "you don't need a backhoe to plant roses" kind of thing when buying mowers.