Lawn Tractor options

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TR3-2001SE

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I am purchasing something I know nothing about. I have a 1/2 acre lot to mow and want a new mower. I looked at sears as we use a lot of their stuff and have been satisfied. Are the following options worth what they ask for them
1. Cast iron steering about $100
2. Automatic transmission $300
3. Koler engine $300
4. Honda engine $600
5. Extra mowing deck wheels
I will be mowing a flat lot with no trees.
Is there a better brand than Sears for the price?
Thanks for any help!
 
Their DT3000 I think is an excellent value. It is the one with a 18.5 hp Briggs and 42" deck. I don't think the Kohler engine is worth the extra money. In the old days when Kohler was all cast iron it was a different story.
 
FWIW: I have a four year old Sears Craftsman 42 inch mower with the following specs.
18.5 hp B&S Intec(?) V-twin, with oil filter. Plenty of grunt up my 10-15 degree slopes, and minimal vibration. The oil filter gives me peace of mind with my mid summer sandy-clay-soil dust clouds. I can use oversized $2.77 Motorcraft FL400S filters from Wally world. I broke it in gently, with oil changes at about 1, 3, and 8 hours and it burns NO oil. I use Delvac 1300 15w-40 due to the 90+ heat here.
Six speed manual transaxle (Peerless brand, which others have told me is essentially bullet-proof)Manual trans works fine for me, and was a bit cheaper up front.
Except for a bit of slop in the steering (LOTS of (ab)use from circling probably fifty trees each time)NO problems so far, and I have 2 1/2 sloping/bumpy acres.
"Tubular/stamped-halves/seam-welded" front axle is holding up fine, with no wear or damage noted.
Bottom line. I haven't broken mine yet. With flat land and reasonable use, you should be able to go cheap and it will still last forever.
P.S. Consumer's Reports, for all their foibles, has a pretty good statistics base and shows a good repair record for Sears Craftsman mowers.

[ May 01, 2004, 01:22 AM: Message edited by: olddognewtrks ]
 
Engines probably not worth it since the engine will probably outlast the life of tractor if taken care of. The auto in my opinion is very well worth it however. It makes life much easier when you turn etc. I like standard cars but manual tractors are pain since you stop and shift quite a bit if you have obstacles.
 
stop and shift? why stop to shift?

anyways , we have a 42" craftsman with a 13.5hp brggs i/c overhead valve engine. its used for a 1.5 acre lot. overall it is alright. we got the smaller engine, but i mow the lawn frequently so the grass is never high, the engine i do not believe is ever really stressed much because of this. i agree the steering linkage sucks, mine has about 60 degree of slop in the steering wheel. it had about 20 degrees of slop when it was new. i do not like the briggs engine. there is awalys loads of glitter in the oil when i change the oil. we have had the mower for a few years now and the glitter is not stopping. one day the engine will probably blow. the valves also seem to require constant adjustment. every oil change i open the valve cover and insert a feeler gauge after the engine has cooled off, and the valves are loose again by about 006 over spec.

somthing kind of interesting i found out is that sears apparently does not grease the kingpins, balljoints or wheel bearings, because i examined mine and they were all bone dry with no indication of ever being greased.
dunno.gif
 
I have the 18.5hp B&S with the 42" deck and the auto-trans (using the lever not the pedal; this type of transmission is something I didn't know if I would like, but I do. I have 3/4 acre to mow. It pulls fine, leaves me a good cut and doesn't get bogged down. IT's the DYT4000 series. I really considered the the smaller tractors as they were a little cheaper ($$ wise), but I'm 6'4" and the larger DYT chassis fit me much much better in the legs and the taller seat.
Hope you're as happy with yours as I am with mine.

Ted
(Not a lawn tractor expert)
 
A couple of years ago I spent a lot of time browsing the lawn tractor forum at gardenweb.com. The consensus at the time was that the Scotts brand mowers at Home Depot(made by John Deere) were probably the most mower for the money.

What I finally ended up with as a result of that forum was a used Simplicity Coronet, which I am happy with.

[ May 01, 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: TooManyWheels ]
 
Craftsman and Husqvarna (Lowes? etc.) are both built by AYP and you'll find them to be extremely similar. Once you match up the equivalent models, you can typically buy your accesories at Sears for less money.
I wouldn't be too concerned about which engine, although full pressure lube is a nice addition. (SOME engines with an oil filter only have pressure to the filter and otherwise are still a splash lube)
Supposedly, some of the newer H's are coming out with the Briggs Vanguard. (2548?)
 
If I were buying a lawn tractor I would buy a John Deere. They have consistently ranked at the top of Consumer Reports tests for two decades and are IMO much more sturdily built than the Sears variety.

Home Depot stocks John Deere tractors now.

Check them out before you spend your hard earned money.

I have a small John Deere riding mower purchased 13 years ago and it has given me no trouble. The engineering and assembly are several steps above most other common brands.

**Edit** Oops, I see that since my last purchase there are now multiple grades of Deere mowers, the "L" series you see at Home Depot which is apparently made by another company and painted green or the real John Deere LT and LX series. Yikes, there is much to learn.

I'm glad I'm not in the market right now!

John

[ May 01, 2004, 12:21 PM: Message edited by: jthorner ]
 
Slightly
offtopic.gif


One thing about lawn tractors...... There is a big belt that turns the two shafts running thru the deck to the blades. There are "cages" around those pulleys. The bearings in the deck for these two shafts are brass sleeve bearings. My experience is: those shafts attract wet grass clippings etc. They need to be kept clean, blown out, and lubricated. I don't have an air compressor and after 4 years the deck rusted out around those bearings. Getting the deck replaced on my MTD tractor would have almost cost as much as buying a new tractor....
 
My experience with Briggs engines seems to be at odds with most here. I consider them to be 250-300 hour life disposable engines. I'll never own another. My opinion is spend the $$ to get something with a better quality engine. You won't regret it long term...
 
If you only plan on mowing, you may be better served with just a riding mower or even a walk behind then a lawn tractor.
1/2 acre is basically a square area 147.5' on a side. (or 208'x104') Does this include the "footprint" of the house, driveway, garden etc.

A commercial or other good quality walk behind would probably do the job. Although it would take a little longer to mow, you could pocket the difference for beer money, house payment or???
DO you need the exercise, or is time a constraint etc.

A hydro/variable speed would be desireable, since you can tune in your speed exactly for the conditions.
Storage space/maintenance would be a lot less.

You didn't mention if you want to bag, mulch or discharge.
 
Here is a vote for John Deere. My Grandfather bought a Model 110 in 1963 (I think, may have been 1967), I believe, and used it to mow his 1.5 acre yard, haul wood and manure & an old rototiller (that machine is another story), pull & power a sprayer for a small apple orchard, snowblower attachment in the winter (with an anvil strapped to the back). All this with an 8 horse one cylinder motor. The only repairs were ocassional belts (belt driven), a transmission gear, and a new mower deck about 8 years ago as the old one rotted through. It finally died last summer when it blew a head gasket which my father didn't find until he took the entire engine apart.

Eventually it will be repaired, but now he uses a Murray 13hp from Home Depot. 2nt year on this one, and so far, so good.

I don't know if John Deere still makes them like that, but if they do, well worth the money.
 
When I first started commercially cutting I used a 42 inch Poulan Pro (Sears) automatic with the 18.5 b&s with the oil filter. I used this mower on every job for 3 years. It never stopped ( I did replace once steering arm). I would guess I used it for somewhere around 150 hours per year for 3 years and it still runs and sounds the same today. Now I have a commercial mower but for the $$$$???????
 
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