Quality lawn tractor for $1200 or less?

dmg1969

I have been looking to buy a lawn tractor since we just bought a house with a little over a half acre of grass. I have mowed it once with a push mower and won't do that again.

Can anyone recommend a quality lawn tractor for $1200 or less? I do not need a zero turn or anything fancy like that.

I was looking at the Troy-Bilt Pony 17 HP, 42 inch cut. However, it looks to me to be the exact same mower as the Bolens and the Yard Machines...all made by MTD. I found a website which pretty much rated them as junk.

I was considering a Craftsman from Sears, but all but the more expensive ones have a manual transmission (stop to change speed).

I have considered used, but am not thrilled about going that route when I can buy new for not much more.

Answer
John Deere has always made great lawn tractors and highly rated in COnsumer Reports. The same can be said for Toro. Check them out at your local Home Depot or Lowes.

Better to buy a new or used lawn tractor?

Donna C

We only have about $1000 to spend and we own an acre of land (grass). We primarily need the tractor to cut the grass, but I supposed it would be nice if we had the option of buying a leaf sweeper attachment and/or small trailer attachment in the future. I'm not sure if it would be better to buy a new tractor, or go for a used one in a better brand. What do you think? Thanks!

Answer
Unfortunately, $1000 will not buy a quality lawn tractor new. The $1000-1500 units will cost you more in the long run. Your best option would be to check dealers in your area for used quality units with possible limited warranty. Many dealers refurbish units they get in on trade and sell at large events in the spring. Some brand names are Ariens, John Deere, Toro, Wheelhorse, Husquvarna..Kubota. Don't get lured into big name, popular price point at Homecenters because some of the big name brands like John Deere are not made to the same quality as the equipment dealers. They might look identical but plastic hoods are used instead of steel, many have no grease fittings, plastic axle bushings are used instead of brass.............Pick up the leaf sweeper, garden cart....on Craigslist for your area. Put the limited funds into good used unit before buying any accessories.

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MTD lawn tractor with auto transmission quality?

Rob B

I am looking to by an MTD riding mower with an auto tranny(not hydrostatic). The owner says it works by increasing the tension on the drive belt to make the unit speed up.
I know MTD has a spotty reputation, but I am mostly concerned about the auto drive system. Does anyone have any info on these mowers? Do they hold up well? Any problems?

Answer
The AutoDrive system is not the best system for propelling a lawn tractor across the yard, but they do work. Provided you don't attempt to pull anything over 100 pounds (US) with it, and change both drive belts yearly. The tractor should outlive the deck by several years.

Looking for Manual for a Quality Farm and Country Lawn Tractor. Model # 715433.?

Erin

What type of snow plow if any will fit.

Answer
Try looking here:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tractor/msg071610306973.html

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how do i sharpen the blades on my lawn tractor?

best quality lawn tractor image

EpicRacer

i followed the instructions on about.com and my tractor still isn't cutting good enough. i have to mow over the yard twice because the blade doesn't cut evenly.

whats the proper way to sharpen mower blades? i used a file the first time (a couple weeks ago). can i sharpen them with a bench grinder? do they need to be really sharp? when i bought new blades last year, they weren't really sharp, but they cut great.

can someone recommend a good set of blades? i have a 42" deck. i mow about 4 acres (4 seperate yards).
theres only one way to put the blades on my deck, so i know they are installed correctly. i would rather do the work myself since im on a tight budget.

Answer
Your first order of business should be checking to see if you might've mounted the blades on upside down. This is really easy to do, and makes cutting the lawn impossible. However, if you still can't find the problem, read the following paragraph.

I have a similar sized lawn and a similar sized mower. What we use is a bench grinder. Using the grinder allows me to get an extremely sharp, quality edge on my blades. Just be careful that you're not overzealous with the grinder, though.

Any suggestions for a lawn mower(s) for 3-4 acres to mow?

nc1kcfan

My husband and I are looking into buying a lawn mower/tractor to mow about 3 - 4 acres. We are thinking about either a JD 2210 or JD 4115. Does anyone have a suggestion of any others, especially of lesser cost, but the same quality for the amount of mowing to be done? Also, suggestions on which size of deck and the amount of time it would take to mow this amount would be great. We have a Torro with a 54" deck now, but we are sharing it with my father-in-law and it is becoming a hassle to take back and worth every week or so. Plus, we have to get the bushhog to use too. We use the Torro for yard (about 1.5 acres) and the bushhog for the other acres. That's why we need one that would be great to do it all! ~thanks

Answer
I'd Look at exmark or grasshopper's..., any 42 inch with a hydro riding mower will do 1.5 acres easy though... I'd also think about simplicity/snapper mowers as well. Simplicity owns snapper.

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What company currently produces the Craftsman lawn tractors sold by Sears?

best quality lawn tractor image

Buckeye 19

I recently heard some positive feedback regarding the improved quality of the current models and I would like to research further before possibly buying.

Answer
You can try here for more info on that.
http://www.craftsman.com/

how do i sharpen the blades on my lawn tractor?

EpicRacer

i followed the instructions on about.com and my tractor still isn't cutting good enough. i have to mow over the yard twice because the blade doesn't cut evenly.

whats the proper way to sharpen mower blades? i used a file the first time (a couple weeks ago). can i sharpen them with a bench grinder? do they need to be really sharp? when i bought new blades last year, they weren't really sharp, but they cut great.

can someone recommend a good set of blades? i have a 42" deck. i mow about 4 acres (4 seperate yards).
theres only one way to put the blades on my deck, so i know they are installed correctly. i would rather do the work myself since im on a tight budget.

Answer
Your first order of business should be checking to see if you might've mounted the blades on upside down. This is really easy to do, and makes cutting the lawn impossible. However, if you still can't find the problem, read the following paragraph.

I have a similar sized lawn and a similar sized mower. What we use is a bench grinder. Using the grinder allows me to get an extremely sharp, quality edge on my blades. Just be careful that you're not overzealous with the grinder, though.

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What company currently produces the Craftsman lawn tractors sold by Sears?

best quality lawn tractor image

Buckeye 19

I recently heard some positive feedback regarding the improved quality of the current models and I would like to research further before possibly buying.

Answer
You can try here for more info on that.
http://www.craftsman.com/

how do i sharpen the blades on my lawn tractor?

EpicRacer

i followed the instructions on about.com and my tractor still isn't cutting good enough. i have to mow over the yard twice because the blade doesn't cut evenly.

whats the proper way to sharpen mower blades? i used a file the first time (a couple weeks ago). can i sharpen them with a bench grinder? do they need to be really sharp? when i bought new blades last year, they weren't really sharp, but they cut great.

can someone recommend a good set of blades? i have a 42" deck. i mow about 4 acres (4 seperate yards).
theres only one way to put the blades on my deck, so i know they are installed correctly. i would rather do the work myself since im on a tight budget.

Answer
Your first order of business should be checking to see if you might've mounted the blades on upside down. This is really easy to do, and makes cutting the lawn impossible. However, if you still can't find the problem, read the following paragraph.

I have a similar sized lawn and a similar sized mower. What we use is a bench grinder. Using the grinder allows me to get an extremely sharp, quality edge on my blades. Just be careful that you're not overzealous with the grinder, though.

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Any suggestions for a lawn mower(s) for 3-4 acres to mow?

best quality lawn tractor image

nc1kcfan

My husband and I are looking into buying a lawn mower/tractor to mow about 3 - 4 acres. We are thinking about either a JD 2210 or JD 4115. Does anyone have a suggestion of any others, especially of lesser cost, but the same quality for the amount of mowing to be done? Also, suggestions on which size of deck and the amount of time it would take to mow this amount would be great. We have a Torro with a 54" deck now, but we are sharing it with my father-in-law and it is becoming a hassle to take back and worth every week or so. Plus, we have to get the bushhog to use too. We use the Torro for yard (about 1.5 acres) and the bushhog for the other acres. That's why we need one that would be great to do it all! ~thanks

Answer
I'd Look at exmark or grasshopper's..., any 42 inch with a hydro riding mower will do 1.5 acres easy though... I'd also think about simplicity/snapper mowers as well. Simplicity owns snapper.

How to get a beautiful lawn?

Drzzt

I'm a first time homeowner. My home is lovely, but my yard is not. My lawn has bald spots, thinning spots, crab grass, weeds, etc....Since I'm a new home owner I do not have any idea to where I should even begin with renovating my lawn into a decent yard. Any advice/guidance and/or step by step instructions would be appreciated.

Answer
You have a couple of options. One is to use sod. You have to do it correctly, but if you do and you're yard isn't huge, then this is a great option for a quick beautiful lawn.

The other option is to seed, fertilize, weed, etc... your existing lawn. It's a good deal of work and money as well, but you'll get a nice lawn from it. What you'll need to do is kill your old grass if it's really weedy and and you don't like the grass there. You can do this with poison or by putting large dark colored tarps on it till it's all dead. We spent a lot of money on seed once, paid a guy to till up the whole yard with a tractor, planted seed, put out straw on it all, watered it, etc... the fescue came back and choked it al out. Another option is a machine that runs a blade a few inches under the ground and cuts the plants off at the roots. Then you can take it up like carpet grass and dispose of it.

Once the grass is dead, you need to till the soil. If you have poor quality soil, this would be a good time to mix in something to make it better. You can have dirt brought in and take someone with a real tractor (not a lawn mower someone is calling a tractor) and they can spread it and till it in. We spread with a front end loader and box scraper. Whe also have a piece we borrowed from my uncle and it has two rows of spikes that bust up clumps of dirt and two heavy, spring loaded metal cylinders that have spikes on them. I planted grass a couple of weeks ago and this tool made it so easy. I ran across the ground several times and it pretty much tilled, leveled and aireated all in one go. I then threw down seed and ran over it again to bury it. It's started coming up and looks good.

Once you have the seed and fertilizer put out on your dirt and raked in. You need to soak the ground down till water stands. Then keep it moist to damp for a month. Let the grass grow up pretty tall so that it establishes a deep root system before you cut it. I'm talking about a foot or so. You'll need to water it 2-3 times a week all summer to establish it and then as you feel it's needed in the following years.

Fertilizer will help you lawn grow well and be green, but only use it if you really need it. Our lawn is strong and we tried unecessary fertilizer one year. It just meant we needed to mow twice a week instead of once a week. However, weed poison is something you do want to put out every year. Preferably twice a year. Once in the spring to kill what's coming up before it has a chance to seed. If you do it too early before you start seeing a lot of weeds, then you want kill the majority and they'll come up and seed. It's good to do it in the fall as well, because that's when any plant is storing up anything they can to last them through the winter and to boost their growth come spring.

It's also beneficial to dethatch your yard if it's thick and to aereate it once or twice a year. Good luck with your lawn and I hope you have one you can be proud of.

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how do i sharpen the blades on my lawn tractor?

best quality lawn tractor image

EpicRacer

i followed the instructions on about.com and my tractor still isn't cutting good enough. i have to mow over the yard twice because the blade doesn't cut evenly.

whats the proper way to sharpen mower blades? i used a file the first time (a couple weeks ago). can i sharpen them with a bench grinder? do they need to be really sharp? when i bought new blades last year, they weren't really sharp, but they cut great.

can someone recommend a good set of blades? i have a 42" deck. i mow about 4 acres (4 seperate yards).
theres only one way to put the blades on my deck, so i know they are installed correctly. i would rather do the work myself since im on a tight budget.

Answer
Your first order of business should be checking to see if you might've mounted the blades on upside down. This is really easy to do, and makes cutting the lawn impossible. However, if you still can't find the problem, read the following paragraph.

I have a similar sized lawn and a similar sized mower. What we use is a bench grinder. Using the grinder allows me to get an extremely sharp, quality edge on my blades. Just be careful that you're not overzealous with the grinder, though.

john deere dealer vs. john deere home depot?

Dea

I know that the lawn tractors at Home Depot are made to compete with the lower quality tractors, but why are the horsepower rates higher than those of the x300 found at the dealer? Even the smallest L-series has more hp than the x-300. Is the Kawasaki engine that good? Just curious as I will probably be buying an x300 within the next week.

Also, has anyone done any comparisons between the JD x300 and the T-series Kubota mowers?

Answer
Buy from your local dealer. Kawasaki makes a good motor. I have a 1994 John Deere 425 with a Kawasaki and it has 1,000 hrs on it. The tractor looks like it just come off the showroom floor and it runs just as good. It burns NO oil. It is a little thirsty but it is 20hp and I have a 60" deck.

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