Riding mower/tractor

[Pappy]

I have a Deere LT155 that I bought about 8-9 years ago. The 38" deck takes some time to cut 1 1/4 acre but it fits through any of my gates. The only thing I don't like is the plastic hood and other parts up front. As bad as I abuse it, the 15 hp Kohler is running strong. I have used it to pull a lawn sweeper on a regular basis and, occasionally, a disc harrow. Still looking for a set of lugged tires to fit it at a good price. (I have an extra set of wheels.) Soon to order parts to rework my sweeper and am going to get a dethatcher.

I had a bad experience with B&S over warranty and won't buy anything bigger than a push mower with one of their engines. Those I pick up off CL and dump them when they give out.

Asas said before, if you go Deere get it from a Deere dealer. The ones it the box stores are low end licensed by Deere.

And add Troy to mike's list of MTD products.

[BadeMillsap]

My 2 cents ... Deere ...BUT ...

I have had a JD LT160 for 5 or so years ... I bought it from a John Deere dealer new and Pappy is right ... if you go the JD route ...buy from a dealer ... that all being said ... just today after 215 hours on the tractor I had to take the tractor to a guy to rebuild the hydrostatic transaxel ... it turns out this is not at all uncommon on this particular model ... so ask questions about what the transmission(transaxel) really is ... mine is Tuff-Torq K46C and they are apparently famous for going bad at about 300 hours ... I use mine in a pretty heavy duty way ... the Kohler 16hp engine is a workhorse and has never given me a lick of trouble ... the deck is HEAVY .. compare them to any of the MTD decks and you will see what I mean ... I had gone through several sears, poulan, ... various lawn tractors and the JD is far and above the best ... the transaxel is an issue but it can be repaired for a reasonable cost if you don't take it to the dealer for that particular repair.

[gerti]

The John Deere at HD are anything but. What you get from a JD dealer is something completely different, but also much more expensive.

1995 I bought a craftsman, with snow blade + wheel weights and chains and a dethatcher, and a spike aerator (spend the extra $ and get a plug aerator). I used it in the summer for about 1/3 acre lawn, mulch the leaves in the fall (very dusty!) and in the winter for a 200+ feet steep driveway. Changed oil once or twice per year. During the warranty there was a problem with the carb, that was replaced free of charge. Other than that a drive belt, and every four years a new battery (Minnesota is killer on batteries).

After 12 tears it started to smoke somewhat and sounded a bit different. Not wanting to risk it dying in the winter when I am pretty dependent on it, I gave it to a friend who is still using it.

I now have a Craftsman Professional with a 24hp BS two cylinder engine. Much quieter, not too much heavier all in all. Got a great deal: they were changing the model so it was on special, an extra 10% or craftsman discount etc. I ended up paying around $1700 including new chains and wheel weights, about $1000 less than the original price. Still using the old snow blade, aerator and dethatcher. Oil change on that model is somewhat easier, air filters a bit hard to find.

[T...K21]

+1 on the John Deere and Club Cadet. Definitely from a dealer. Sorry guys, Craftsman isn't the same as it use to be and their support is lacking . I think a big factor when purchasing such an investment is what is best supported in your area as far a as parts and service.

[tommyt654]

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/grd/2939396729.html ,http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/grd/2939248226.html ,http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/grd/2938795901.html , http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/grd/2938501286.html ,http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/grd/2938104649.html ,http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/grd/2937600118.html ,http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/grd/2936413767.html , anyone of these would foot the bill, but I highly recommend the Scag walk behinds w/velke as a starter. If a rider is what you have to have then look at the top tier, but those Scag walk behinds will outlast you and the motors that operate them in most case's. I highly recommend you buy a used unit as you'll find that warranty work on these rarely gets done in a timely manner and anyone who has a unit thats in good shape usually maintained it only to upgrade to a larger unit in most case'e, Good luck either way, but large beds help to get rid of leaves easily w/a backpack blower and less grass to mow means more time in the woodshop,hint

Of course if you yard was bigger I would definetely go this route , http://nwga.craigslist.org/grd/2939447250.html

[Cochese]

Is MTD a bad thing?

[sweensdv]

MTD in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. They make most of the lawn mowers sold in this country under a plethera of brand names including their own brand. The products that I've owned that were made by them have generally been only average where quality is concerned. That's not to say that they make junk, they don't, but I always bought up when it came time to replace stuff that was made by them, i.e. lawn mower, snow thrower and a sidewalk edger.

[sscherin]

I"m surprised nobody mentioned Toro mowers..
Not that I own one but all the pros around here use them.

My R'C club mows 5 acres with a 50" Cub Cadet..
One of our guys give them a tune up plus inspects and replaces bearings as needed every spring.

Myself I have a Mutt..
I picked up a 42" mower with hydrostatic trans, bagger and blown engine for $125 on CL.
I stuffed the engine from my old rider in it and it works great..

One of these years I'll fix the original Kohler engine and put it back in there but as long as the teen is doing the mowing I lack motivation

I prefer to pick up newer but poorly maintained mowers off CL. Give then a little mechanical attention and they usually run great..

One year the neighbor put is 2 year old push mower on the curb for free because it wouldn't start.. All I had to do was re-gap the spark plug and it fired right up..
I tried to give it back but he'd already bought a new one so I gave it to the new couple next door.

[T...K21]

I don't think MTD is a bad brand...its okay. I have a 22ton log splittter from them and has served me and other family members very well with minimum maintenance.

I just remembered... that Ford (use to or maybe still) made a 2 cylinder diesel 4wd tractor that was slightly larger than a lawn tractor and had all sorts of attachments.

[Russianwolf]

MTD is fine for the average yard/consumer. My Huskee has been great for our half acre.

The point I was making is that most of the mowers out there that you buy from anything less than a dedicated dealer are most likely MTD mowers with a different paint scheme and stickers on it.

As long as you don't expect them to act like a $10000 Deere or have a big farm, you most likely won't be too disappointed.

Now I'd love to get something along the lines of a Deere 1023E Sub compact with a front loader ($15k) or a Kubota BX1860 with the same ($14k), but not for now.

[9johnny5]

Cub Cadet LT1045

20 HP Kohler motor, hydrostatic transmission, 45" deck, triple blade.
Got mine about 6 years ago on clearance from Lowe's. Daughter works there and called me when she saw it. Seems the original owner got it home, put gas in it, and went to mow. Uh Oh, it runs like cr@p!! Guess who forgot to lift the hood and remove the plastic baggie with the owner's manual and warranty paperwork??? Worked out for me cuz I got the $1300 mower for $900.
So far, no complaints, I change the oil before every season, tune the blades up, and I plan to have it for probably 20+ more years. Works for me.
Good luck with whatever you decide to go with!!

[dbhost]

I don't think MTD is a bad brand...its okay. I have a 22ton log splittter from them and has served me and other family members very well with minimum maintenance.

I just remembered... that Ford (use to or maybe still) made a 2 cylinder diesel 4wd tractor that was slightly larger than a lawn tractor and had all sorts of attachments.

Ford no longer markets tractors. That business was sold off a long time ago. They now go under the brand name of New Holland...

[Thalermade]

When I did my research a number of years back, one important concern for me was the small hill I have in the backyard. It was recommended to get an engine that had a pressurized oil system, not the slosh around kind.
So in 2001 I bought a Craftsman LTX 1000 42 inch with a 18hp Kohler Pro engine with hydrostatic transmission. Nary a problem with it. It was heavily used the first few years as we shared it with a neighbor. The last few years it has been used sparingly, as I am back to pushing a mower for exercise and the neighbor moved away. 1 1/2 hours pushing, or 45 minutes on the rider for my yard. Though my wife will only mow with the rider.

I now have a Craftsman plug aerator I pull behind it, and can mow while pulling - no problem. using a neighbors cart/trailer I have hauled many loads of dirt and mulch.
My yard is rather bumpy so the cut is not exactly perfect.

My lot is only 1/2 acre, so that leaves about 15,000 sq. ft. to mow. 12 trees, a couple landscape islands. If you mulch around trees, make the circle larger than the turning circumference of your tractor. Several folks in the neighbor hood have now purchased the 42 walk behind self propelled mowers.

Simplicity is one of the top brands, as well as prices. Those folks who I know who recommend Simplicity have much larger lots and do a lot more with their tractors. One has owned his for 30 years now.

Like others have said, determine your needs, and buy accordingly.

Happy and safe mowing.

[Cochese]

My wife wanted to take a look at Sears today, and I jumped at the opportunity. After browsing their clearance section, I spent some quality time looking at their mowers. What I like about Sears is how many they have on display. I know I'd see even more at a Deere showroom, but I'm afraid I might get dumped upside down upon entrance and have any loose change extracted.

Now I only take salesperson information and recommendations so far (because I was one myself at one point), but I felt nothing said was really misleading. He told me that there are two companies that make the Craftsman mowers, MTD and Husqvarna. MTDs are the ones with the vents in the top of the hood. I think what I've looked at American Yard Products makes the premium (-er) line, which from also what I can tell also makes at least a portion of the Husqvarna line.

The more important thing was I learned a bit more about what is important to me and what I'm really looking for in a mower. I decided I do want to pull a cart or an aerator at times. A manual transmission isn't that big of a deal, however the small premium in price makes an automatic an easy decision. The one I gravitated to most in terms of features in price was a 42" 21HP Turn Tight model. I thought that perhaps a smaller deck would do me a favor at the bottom of my hill than a wider one. I can cut my entire yard in about 45 minutes or so now, if it's less it's gravy. I think whatever I do I'll continue to mulch, so a kit will be a necessity whatever I buy.

I'll get over to the Deere store eventually, I still have almost two years to buy unless a fantastic deal comes along. Although 'saving' $400 on this 28851 was pretty tempting. Not sure I could hide that from the wife though.

[JSUPreston]

C-, my FIL has that same mower and loves it. He'll probably get 10-15 years out of it. Then again, he babies his equipment to the point that I think he gives it a wash and a wax after every use. I've used it a couple of times, and it's a very nice mower.

I was going to get something like that myself, but SWMBO wouldn't let me. She knew I really wanted a ZTR, so she forced me to push mow our yard for 2 years with an Ariens with a Honda that I got at HD. (Good mower, cranks on 1st or 2nd pull.) When HD ran their 0% interest for 2 years last month, she then let me get the 42" Toro ZTR. I went ahead and got almost all the accessories I thought I might need.

Honestly, the one you're looking at would have met most of my needs, and I was about ready to put my foot down and just go ahead and get it (was watching the searsoutlet.com site as well), but I'm happy with what I got. Just gotta pay it off by this time in 2014.