Best lawn tractor brand

[herofan]

I'm in need of a 42" lawn tractor; nothing fancy. I'm just using it for my lawn, nothing commercial or something that will be run to death. I don't need any bells and whistles; I just want it to mow the grass and not break down after i use it a couple of times. I'd rather not go with the high priced mowers. I'm looking at Huskee, Craftsman, and Troy-bilt. Those are around $1,000 in my area.

I read reviews and some people praise them while others say they have issues. What do you all recommend?

 

[Bigfoot]

A cub cadet ain't a bad mower for the money. It'll be a couple hundred higher than those 3 brands.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I run a Deere L-130 on my spread.

 

[Bigfoot]

I run a Deere L-130 on my spread.

Those are about double the price of the disposable brands. Has yours been worth it? I kinda need a second mower to keep all my kids busy.

 

[Nesikep]

I have a hydrostatic Murray 42".. Briggs 18hp powered, works good.. I HIGHLY recommend hydrostatic on a lawn tractor... I paid $100 for it and had to put a battery and carb kit into it... They're all pretty much the same in my eyes.. all cheap pressed tin cans

 

[herofan]

I have a hydrostatic Murray 42".. Briggs 18hp powered, works good.. I HIGHLY recommend hydrostatic on a lawn tractor... I paid $100 for it and had to put a battery and carb kit into it... They're all pretty much the same in my eyes.. all cheap pressed tin cans

We had a Murray when i was growing up, and that thing lasted forever, but i don't think I've seen that brand around my area in a while.

 

[Bigfoot]

Spent a many an hour on one of these babies just "thinkin". Learned to cuss trying to start it.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I run a Deere L-130 on my spread.

Those are about double the price of the disposable brands. Has yours been worth it? I kinda need a second mower to keep all my kids busy.

I've had it since 2005 and have been very pleased. Not sure who makes it, sure isn't Deere, just has the green paint and logo.

 

[greybeard]

IMO, Troy should never bilt a damn thing after they sold out to MTD. They are the bottom of the heap if the #s we saw come thru the shop at the Kubota dealership is any indication.
Huskee is not much better.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/huskee.html

 

[Bigfoot]

I've had the same Cub for 10 years, and my mother has had one for 7. The ones out now may not be as good. I wouldn't say it's bullet proof, but they held up. We both have big yards. You I need to find out the name brand of the belt, but one parts store here in town carries it. The thing is a light shade of blue. When the OEM belt plays out, I throw one of those on. They seem to last.

 

[HDRider]

I've had a shaft drive CC for 6 years. No probs.

 

[herofan]

What worries me is that cheaper priced items these days are often a piece of junk.

When I was a kid, cheaper price basically just meant it wasn't made of Titanium and didn't have all the frills of the higher priced items, but it did the basic job it was designed to do. In my teens, we would have went to Lowes or Wal-mart, picked out he cheapest mower they had, and it would have lasted us 15 years with hardly a problem. It seems there was a time when something working like it should wasn't an issue, regardless if it was John Deere or a Murray. But those days seem to be gone.

I'm not really excited about paying $1,600 to $2,000 for something to cut my grass with, but I don't want to mow three times and then have it in the shop.

 

[ChrisB]

Maybe an older used Deere? Or anything used for that matter. I have the cheap John Deere and although it's held up I'm not real impressed with it and would kind of like to replace it, but like you, I don't want to spend that much money on a mower. Seems like some decent deals on Craigslist or our local JD dealers keep a healthy supply of used mowers for quite a bit less and they have gone through their shop.

 

[TexasBred]

Spent a many an hour on one of these babies just "thinkin". Learned to cuss trying to start it.

SNAPPER????

 

[skyhightree1]

LOL I never used one of those before but they were so funny looking and had like a 28 or 30 inch cut. You could push faster probably.

 

[Bigfoot]

Yes, a snapper. They made your yard look as nice as if it had been push mowed.

 

[TexasBred]

Yes, a snapper. They made your yard look as nice as if it had been push mowed.

Had one back around 1990. Did a good job but finally just died.

 

[Aaron]

JD LX280 here. http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/000/0/8/89-john-deere-lx280.html

One of the best JD has ever made, but it has it's issues. PTO clutch is one of them. Deck and blade quality can't be beat, as well as the Kawasaki motor. Agree with Nesi - only hydrostatic.

I would consider Cub Cadet next time. Avoid anything with a B&S motor - they are all junk - main reason why I won't even consider a Massey/Simplicity mower.

 

[bbirder]

If you are talking about new machines for $1000, draw straws and buy whichever one wins. They are all built cheap, but will do the job when you bring it home. Next, start saving your money for the next one, because sure as hell you will need one by the next year or two. If that's what you are interested in, I would look for a good second hand. Many owners are disposing of these type of machines to purchase a z-turn or a heavier mower. :2cents:
You can't give me a mower with a steering wheel on it after owning a z. I run a Hustler but they are not cheap. My time is worth more to me than fighting a lighter machine.

 

[ga.prime]

I'd take a Craftsman over Murray or Snapper. I've worn out three of each. Last about 250-300 hrs. Working on getting the 4th Craftsman worn out now. The ball joints in the steering section are the only thing I've had to replace on this one and that was around the 200 hr mark.