Riding Mower owners check in!

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

We payed what now looks like too much to keep two mowers the previous owners had. A probably '87 Craftsman 25hp Intek Briggs with an "auto" trans and 46" cutting deck. Also a probably '89 15hp Briggs with Hydro and 42" cut.

I am finding the 25hp to be rather labor intensive! Steering problem, starter problem, needs blades yesterday etc.

My question for other brand owners... are stuff like Kubota and John Deere REALLY better? I mean all are going to have either Briggs or Kohler power, belt drives, blade towers in a metal deck etc.

Are things like the front axle, deck strength and thickness etc. REALLY better?

Any "off" brands worth the money?

Are these just too old now?

The 15hp has needed a starter gear (was MUCH easier than the 25!) and little else. Is two or three years newer THAT important?

Wax poetic about YOUR wonder mower!!!

 

[BIGIRON]

Hey, PJS-- remember how excited you were when you found that place with the big yard????

I've been shopping for a new lawn tractor for a couple of months now. I've got a 15yr old Honda 18hp/45in that's been a great machine. I'm going to replace it before it breaks, even tho its been remarkably trouble free - parts are terribly expensive and somewhat difficult to get. Honda discontinued their riders a couple of years ago.

MTD owns almost all of the brands now - Troy-bilt, Cub Cadet, Bolens, White, Ryobi and more. I'm told that the individual makers have been able to retain some control over their manufacture.

I've pretty much decided on the Cub Cadet 2000 series (Home depot, Lowes, etc have the 1000 series). The 2000 is much more robust and has a shaft primary drive, as well ar larger wheels/tires, more grease zerks, etc and Kohler engines (which I much prefer). My next would be a Snapper and then a tossup between the Deere and Troy-bilt. I think you'll pay a little more for the Deere name.
The Troybilt has a manual (belt idler) PTO for the deck, the rest are electric clutch (read : auto a/c clutch).

I think Kubota is the very best, but I don't want to pay that much extra for the fit and finish. I did buy a Kubota tractor, but I consider that a "rest of my life" purchase and was willing to come up with the extra bucks.

I think you can sum it up by saying "you get what you pay for". There was a recent similar thread where someone posted "buy a cheap one every three years or a good one every 10 years". You just have to come up with the front money.

 

[GalvanickLucifer]

2 years ago, we lived in a house on a half acre and used a rear-engine Toro riding mower w/ 11 hp and 32" cut. We moved into a house on 5 acres with incredibly hard and rocky soil. The Toro was waaaaaaayyyy too small for the new house, so we "splurged" ($16k) on a Kubota BX-23 tractor: 23 hp 3-cylinder diesel, front end loader and a backhoe. Also bought their 60" mid-mount mower. Best money I've ever spent other than on flashlights. My only regret is that I didn't get something even bigger. Probably would've bought a Deere, but the dealer we went to wouldn't give us the time of day. As with any tool, do yourself a favor and buy more tractor than you think you need. Even if you stay in the riding mower size, I highly recommend finding one of the better ones with a small diesel engine. For a whole lot of info, check out www.tractorbynet.com.

 

[ACMarina]

We used a John Deere 316 for years until selling it to a friend. Now We've got a Bunton, a 57'' ZTR, cut my mowing time to a quarter of what it was. Plus it's got an air seat /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[tiktok 22]

My brother just bought TWO used Cub Cadet 782's(diesel). They mow great and last for years(with proper care). They are practically in mint condition and almost twenty years old! I took a few spins on them and have to say...once you go with a diesel, there is no going back. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

The sad fact is that even if these Craftsmans are junk, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif means they stay ours for a while.

I can't BUY a new mower, but would still love to read any pros or cons about ANY other CPFers mower!

Would KILL for a diesel Kubota I think...

Dad says he saw a 60" Toro ZTR with 23hp for only like $2999 at Cons... whoopee. That's STILL WAY too much!

 

[tiktok 22]

Playboy,

For what it's worth, I think the Cub 782 have a Kubota engine.