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Re: lawn tractor advice needed (looong reply)

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: lawn tractor advice needed (looong reply)
From: "Karl Vacek" <KVacek@ameritech.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 15:34:41 -0600
> Lawn tractors seem to be all over the map in terms of features, prices,
> brands, etc.
>
> What do I actually care about?


Went through the same decision a couple of years ago.  I only have less than
1/2 acre, but the grass grows really fast and I cut every 3 days for much of
the season.  In the fall, we have lots of leaves that I mulch 100%.  I've
chased a walk-behind 21" for decades and it's a filthy, sweaty 1-1/2-hour
job that I hate.  The tractor gives me a nice 25-minute after-dinner ride a
couple of times a week.  My neighbors all have landscapers.  I'm the nut.

I'd owned an old Cub Cadet years ago and repairs were just too much trouble.
I sold it for $100, complete with the plow and bagger - less than I spent on
parts in any year.

I looked seriously at Snapper, Toro, Ariens, Cub Cadet, John Deere, YardMan,
and Sears.  I glanced at the cheapies at Home Despot, Costco, Sam's, etc.
but wanted something better.  I figured I'd spend $2,000 to $2,500.  I was
about to buy a Snapper hydrostatic tractor with the 38" mulching and bagging
deck and bagger attachment, for $2,400.

I wound up finding a nearly-new 42" Craftsman Limited Edition (one of the
ugly gold models) on eBay.  The guy said it had been used 10 hours, but it
looked new to me.  17.5 HP Kohler (with oil pump, oil filter, and hydraulic
lifters), their large chassis and body (big like the Deluxe Lawn Tractor
models), hydrostatic drive, electric PTO, infinite cut height adjustment,
lights, the largest tires they offer on little tractors -- all the features
except the cast-iron axle - for $975 - about half the sale price for this
particular set of features.  Should I ever bend the axle, I'll buy the iron
one, but so far all the curbs I've hit haven't fazed it.

First, there are several lawn tractor forums if you want to get really deep
into this investigation.  Apparently some guys make this a real hobby.

There was a good article comparing about 5 tractors in last May's (?) issue
of Popular Mechanics.  They went through the features pretty well, and while
they found differences, they didn't really think any of the mowers they
tested was a bad choice.  You might want to go to the library and look at
the article, not for specifics on last year's models but for an overview of
the features and PM's take on engines, controls, hydrostatic drive, the
reverse-mowing issue, etc.

You'll find lots of partisans for various brands - the largest group (it
seems to me) being John Deere lovers.  For my money, the John Deeres in the
smaller ranges are absolutely no better than almost any of the competitors.
Their low end is also sold under the Scotts name, and they're just flat
cheap and in many features inferior to my Craftsman.  If you want a big John
Deere tractor, then that's what you ought to look at - a big one.  The
little ones are really high priced and no different from any MTD, etc.  Look
carefully at the components, the frame, and the overall construction, not
the label and paint color.

Toro, Snapper, Ariens, Cub Cadet, etc. offer lots of stuff in the smaller
range.  MTD (they own Yard Man and Cub Cadet too), Murray, and AYP (they
make most of the Craftsman units) offer lots of private-label models, and
Deere does a few too.  IMHO, there's nothing wrong with MTD and AYP --okay
machines at reasonable prices.  Yes, I see some advantages to some
higher-priced models, but nothing to warrant prices often twice as high.

There are lots of partisans for Kohler and various Japanese engines.  The
small-engine parts distributor who serves most of the lawn equipment dealers
and shops in Chicago and its suburbs is located a few blocks from my house,
and I've known him many decades.  He sells Briggs, Tecumseh, Kohler,
Wisconsin, Kawasaki, etc., and he flatly states that any one of them will
live a loooong time under homeowner use with nothing more than decent oil
changing.  If you want a particular mower and it only comes with a lowly
Tecumseh, don't worry - you'll probably be just fine.  Spring for a big-buck
engine instead and don't change the oil, and you may get see its insides
sooner than you planned.

There were some features I wanted, based on my lawn, previous experiences
with riding mowers and tractors, and my persnicketiness about quality of
cut.  Hydrostatic drive is a great feature if you have to do any amount of
backing and speed changing, tight corners, etc.  It used to be expensive,
but now it's a feature that can be had for not much over a hundred bucks on
most tractors or riders.  Maintenance of hydro-drives is minimal - most
small consumer-type units don't even call for oil replacement for many many
hours, if at all.  They're mostly made by two main companies, and either one
is fine.  The drive to the hydro unit is usually a belt, and the belt lives
a long time.  Ditto the drive to the spindles on the mower deck - usually
belts on the smaller tractors, and usually a low-maintenance item.

An electric PTO (to turn the mower deck on and off) is a nice feature and
not expensive.  Even nicer if your wife or kids will use the machine.

One big question is whether you can mow in reverse, and if so how you can do
it.  There's a safety issue here, and regulations of some sort (I don't know
what they are).  If you have any need to reverse while mowing, any of the
mowers that shut off the deck or require some other manipulations to reverse
while cutting can be a real PIA.  Toro has a button that you hit once and
then you can mow forward or reverse till the next time you get off the
mower, when you'll have to push the button again.  Some others just won't
cut in reverse under any conditions.  Must be a lawyer thing...  Sears just
ignores the issue and lets you cut either direction.

Deck adjustments include height and leveling.  You tend to just level once,
but you may be raising and lowering with the seasons and the easier the
better.  Bigger tractors have hydraulics to raise and lower the deck, but
the little ones mostly have a big lever you pull.  Not a problem on most
smaller mowers.  Some have infinite height adjustment, some just offer
several notches.  If you will be doing some cutting with a walk-behind
(edges, smaller areas, etc.) you may want the mower heights to coincide
well - an infinite cutting height adjustment will ensure that you can match
them.

Large tires minimize turf damage and rutting.  Rounded outrigger wheels on
the deck (ie tires shaped like a bagel rather than having a
square-shouldered, flat tread) eliminate turf damage and prevent much
scalping.  Square-edged deck wheels will occasionally dig in and tear out
turf while turning the tractor.

Controls differ.  Basically the speed control is usually done with your foot
or a lever.  The foot control sounded cumbersome to me and that was borne
out on the Toro I tested.  Snapper has a side lever, as does the Crapsman.
Easy to set and it doesn't move when you hit a bump.  I prefer a lever speed
control, but YMMV.  If you're also plowing or snow-blowing with the machine
in the winter, you may not have enough hands to use a lever speed control
while turning the chute or blade, necessitating you to stop or slow way down
to adjust them.

All tractors offer some panic stop method - mine has a clutch control with
the brake pedal, so hitting the brake disengages the drive and stops you in
6 feet or less from any speed.  They vary somewhat, but this is typical.

Look at other stuff too - bearings and rod ends in the spindles and steering
controls can lessen wear and slop.  even my Sears has those (not all Sears
models do, however), while some much higher-priced brands don't offer them
till you get to larger units.  Whatever brand you buy, look at the features
on the specific unit you're buying.  Sears is big on this - with dozens of
similar-appearing models - but they're not alone.

Bagging vs mulching vs side discharge is largely a function of the deck.
Each one tends to be better at one or another mode, and not so good at the
others.  The 42" Sears is supposed to be a 3-way, but it's not that great at
mulching.  I haven't spent the $280 the bagger costs - I just use my
walk-behind for the few times a year I need to bag (dethatching, etc.) - so
I can't attest to how well it bags.  According to the many dealers I
visited, Toro is supposed to be best at mulching, Snapper is supposed to be
best at bagging, and most brands are at least OK at side discharge.

If you're going to bag or mulch, do test the unit on your lawn before you
buy it.  Grass varies and what the manufacturer or dealer says may not be
what you see on your lawn.  In my case, I don't like my mulching setup if
the grass is too long (over 1-1/2").  I'm admittedly picky, but even my
walk-behind mowers have never mulched like in the commercials.  Maybe my
lawn is too thick.  I tend to use side discharge and go over it two or three
times, but this is a smaller, well-manicured lawn, mostly in the front of
our house.  It doesn't take that much longer to run over it another time or
two.  If I wanted clumps, I'd hire a landscaper like my neighbors do   ;-)

There are also lots of Zero Turn Radius mowers out there.  Neat machines,
and lots more money.  $2,500 - $3000 for the lowest-priced ones on sale, and
up, up, up from there.  Don't buy one without a test drive on your lawn
(when wet) unless you have absolutely no slopes.  They tend to want to run
downhill when you drive across a slope - worse when wet.  Some
brands/dealers won't tell you that, while other brands/dealers won't even
sell one to you if you say you have any slope to the lawn.  Try before you
buy.

Now if you want to go really deluxe, and don't mind spending $5,000-$6,000,
and want to bag like a vacuum cleaner, look at the Walker.  It uses a fan to
lift the clippings into a huge box.  Turns on a dime and is of a design that
does well on sloped lawns.  If I were a landscaper with lots of customers in
nice neighborhoods, I'd have one of those.

Finally, there are also rear-engine riders.  They look wimpy compared to a
tractor, accounting for their current lack of popularity, but may be just
right for some lawns.  They also come in hydrostatic models, and can bag,
mulch, etc.  Big drawback is their tendency to do wheelies while going
uphill.  Some companies offer front weights to combat that tendency, but
most people with hills just don't buy rear-engine riders.

I like my Sears a bunch, but it's not the best in the world.  It's just that
for the money, if it falls apart I can buy another (better) one in a few
years and still be ahead.  And so far, nothing has bent, squeaked, or fallen
off despite my best efforts to beat it up.

Karl






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