Lawn Tractor options

[Brett Miller]

Bror,

I should clarify the Toro 300 Classic series are the same as the pre-Toro Wheel Horse name. My dad has a WH 520-HC with a 60" deck. The tractor has 900 hours on it and runs like new. It does have an Onan engine, however. The old cast iron Kohlers Wheel Horse used would last forever.

 

[motorguy222]

Here we go again,somebody calling something junk with nothing to prove it.As I stated,I have a Murray that is 17 years old and still going strong and it has a Briggs engine on it.Briggs has been around for years and years,you can find mowers that are older than dirt with a Briggs on them and they still run great.If you go back 30 years ago Briggs was the engine on many if not most products and they last forever.You can abuse them by not changing their oil and they still keep going and going,kind of like the Energizer Bunny.Briggs are easy to work on,get parts for and don't cost an arm and a leg to do so.If Briggs is such a terrible engine,then why are they on most equipment? As far as Murray,as far as I know Murray Inc. is its own company.Yes MTD makes many mowers including Cub Cadet but they are not to my knowledge associated with Murray.Murray has the cheaper everyday homeowner model riders all the way up to the garden tractor with grease fittings.I like this sight but I feel that many on here like to keep up with the Jones's buy buying by name and name only,the higher the price the more they have to have it.If many on this sight would apply their oil mentality(higher priced not always better)to other products they would realize that Murray and other cheaper names are good products and will hold up well and any many instances as good as the 'big' names which can cost thousands more.John Deere had a riding mower that was bad for a transaxle problem,a pin would break leaving it unable to be driven.I have never had this problem with my "Hunk of Junk Murray".It has very basic maintenance done to it and that is it.I don't mean to offend anyone but people keep saying that things are junk without any first hand knowledge of a product.My friends uncles friends sisters uncles boy friends Murray etc. did this or that is not first hand knowledge.Just as oil,people keep spreading urban legends that they know nothing about.

 

[NThomas]

Yes some people have that opinion. But most Murray lawn tractors ive seen have steel front axles.
But we are going off topic!! Great a mower has a cast iron front end, SO WHAT! It will not matter to this guy.
If he wants a mower to cut his gras and thats it, go buy a cheapy piece of junk. Like i said Ill still make my money off the guy that does this!
If you want a nice cut from your mower and care about how it runs, feels, etc. then you will most likely buy a better unit.

I care how my lawn looks, and a Murray will not come close to the kind of cut my Honda produces. And besides that, I work on mowers all day! I dont want to go home and work on my own!

 

[motorguy222]

I have used Murray products for years and have yet to have any trouble with them.I have looked at some of the new Murrays and they have cast iron front axles and grease fittings.Could it be that many of the people that buy Murrays dont take good care of them because they are cheaper? Many people in this world have the opinion that if something costs a little less they can treat it awful and when it starts having problems they will just buy a new one.

 

[NThomas]

Im glad your happy with your mower. Like I said you have been lucky with the life you have gotten from that mower.

I have used most everything out there, and quality of cut, I felt was subpar on the Murray mowers. I would not buy one.

But like I said, I am glad you are happy with your mower. Everyone has different tastes and everyone will not like the same machine.

But back on Topic - Go to the small dealers and see what you like sit on it, take it for a spin around the parking lot, and see what makes you the most comfortable.

 

[motorguy222]

NThomas,I can only speak from experience but my Murrays have never been to a shop to be worked on and have had very little work of any kind done to them.All I do to them is the very basic up keep on them,oil changes and maybe clean the air filter about once a year and grease what can be greased once or twice a year.I still tkink that Murray and other cheaper models are considered throw aways by many and so they treat them just that way,tear it up,buy a new one.

 

[motorguy222]

NThomas,one more thing,my Murray does a very nice job of cutting the grass.It mows quite well,I doubt that I could do any better and then if I could,I would have to spend several thousand to do so,just not worth it.A nice yard is fine to have but putting thousands of dollars in one just doesnt sound logical to me.

 

[Bror Jace]

Was out and about today so I stopped at both a Home Despot as well as Lowes to take a look at mowers ... just for the halibut.

Home Despot had mostly John Deere. I was surprised at how much mower you could get for $2,200 or less. L120, L110, etc ... up to a 20+hp Kohler 2 cyl engine.

Their G110 was even bigger ... and had a price tag of $3,800 ... with a 25hp Kohler engine.

One thing which really cheesed me off was the plastic hood/front cover. I mean, If I'm gonna drop 40 bills on a turf ride, is it too much to ask that I get a metal hood and not merely plastic?

But even the Honda push mowers had plastic cases.

They had one little Murray and it had a metal hood.

Lowes had Troybilt and Husquavarna. Metal hoods on both ... but I didn't see any price tags ... and they were outside in the rain so I didn't hag around. All the larger tractors had the air cooled twin-cylinder engines ... either B&S or Kohler. Seems to be coming the standard motors on these things.

--- Bror Jace

 

[Clement]

My fathers John Deere 110 tractor from the 60s has a plastic (fiberglass) hood. FYI

 

[blano]

I will not buy another Craftsman mower(or any powetool for that matter) after I had a craftsman rider go through 2 engines in two years. The motors where 20 hp briggs v twins w/o a lube filter. Both motors threw rods. Oil and air filter was always maintaned properly BTW.
The tractor also had very sloppy steering, a crappy cut, ate mower deck belts and a manual shift tranny that was very mushy/slipped easily.
FWIW the lawn was about 2 acres of very thick, fast growing grass.

 

[Bror Jace]

Wow blano, 2 motors in 2 years? I know you do at least the recommended maintenance.

I have about the same amount of lawn, grass isn't very thick in most parts and only have to mow it more than once each week in May and (sometimes) June. Usually, I mow this in two bunches ... not mowing more than about 2 hours at a time with our liquid-cooled Honda I like to mow but it gets boring after 1 hour. Even then, I usually stop for a moment in the middle to clean the fuzzies out of the radiator (The Honda has a simple, removable screen).

What kind of tractor do you have now? How long have you had it? Any trouble with it yet?

In general, I've had very little trouble with all small motors I've dealt with over the past 25 years. Low points include:

1) The Tecumseh 5-6hp engine on my lil' brother's 1980s vintage go-kart. We ran this thing hard for about 2-3 years (maybe longer) with almost no oil changes the entire time before selling it ... and those kids blew it up 1 week later.

2) A brand new B&S 3.5hp attached to a portable pump ... motor ran hard right out of the box for hours ... it ran out of oil then seized.

3) An antiquated B&S 4hp attached to an equally antiquated Jari sickle bar mower. I changed the oil and one of the valves stuck open immediately afterward. Coincidence, I suspect.

Obviously, none of the above indicate a faulty motor or bad design.

--- Bror Jace

 

[blano]

quote:

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What kind of tractor do you have now? How long have you had it? Any trouble with it yet?

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I sold that house and now have a very small yard. I currently a lawnboy pro series, two cycle.
FWIW I have had owned several engines in the past from briggs and have never had issues with them. I believe that sears speced a cheaper, weaker engine for their tractors in order to inprove their bottom line. For all intents and purposes the tractor in question was shot after three years of heavy use.
If i where to buy new today it would be a Honda(still made?) or a kubota.

 

[fractal]

quote:

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Originally posted by TR3-2001SE:
I am purchasing something I know nothing about. I have a 1/2 acre lot to mow and want a new mower.

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I would recommend a honda self propelled walk behind for that small a lot. They are very highly rated. A decent one can be had for 300 bucks and their fully decked out one is 500 or so. That lot is no where big enough for a lawn tractor.

 

[Bror Jace]

I just saw a morning TV news show and I guess Consumer Reports is recommending the JD 110 for $1,800 as the best value in small lawn tractors.

They also liked the new Honda HRX walk-behind mower for $700 and (I think) the Toro walk-behind for $300-400 depending on whether you want electric start or not.

--- Bror Jace

 

[greasezerk]

If i ever get out of the mowing business and i wanted a lawn tractor to mow my grass with i would buy a small kubota rider with a gas or diesel engine. JD is still a good machine but i would stay away from any JD that is not sold by a legitimate JD dealer. As for a push mower, most Honda mowers will work for me.

 

[Sparkman]

I mow about 2.5 acres. I currently have a 1977 JD 210 that I pull a 2000 Haban 63" cut trailmower with. The Haban (now owned by Agri-Fab) is the most poorly-designed, poorly-manufactured piece of garbage I have ever owned. It is broken down as we speak.

My '77 210 on the other hand is one serious machine. They simply don't make them like that anymore. The 10 horse Kohler is getting very tired I'm afraid, but it will stil pull a 500 lb trailmower up a 20% grade while mowing with the 39" (IIRC) deck. I pulled my ~900lb roller all over the place today. If I could buy one new I would in a heartbeat.

My stepdad has a 2001 JD GT235 and it isn't made nearly as well as the 210, though obviously it is more refined with electric deck control and HST drive, there is no way it will still be going in 25 years. After 3 summers of 4 acres the front end is all wigly jigly, and the HST is getting a little jumpy and is groaning a little. It is not worth the $5k or whatever he paid for it IMHO. I would not buy one.

I think there are two distinct categories for homeowners mowing even as much as I do. Either buy a cheap POS and replace it when it dies (and fix it constantly), or spend big money on a real machine. I don't think the machines that fall in between are enough better than the cheap ones to justify the extra dough.

When I buy a real machine I will be looking at Kubota and JD diesels. I spend too much time repairing the cheaper equipment.

 

[Bror Jace]

'zerk, the John Deere dealer around here is frightfully expensive. Service is just OK. I visit them frequently to get parts for my abused 1032 snowblower. If I was buying a new tractor and JD was my make, I'd be torn between buying from Lowes or supporting a local dealer I'm not terribly fond of.

Sparkman, since you like your '77 tractor so much, why not re-engine it? Seems like an ideal combo. Take a tractor made when they really BUILT them ... and add a modern, more powerful engine complete with a pressurized oil system and full-flow filter. Seems like you should be able to find a Honda or some other motor which would bolt-up with minimal fuss.

I'm not a huge fan of hydrostatic transmissions. The one on our Honda has been rock solid but I'd prefer a simpler, cheaper stick-shift & clutch on pretty much every other make. Like you said, how many in this class of machine will survive more than 800 hours of use? 1,000? 1,500?

"Either buy a cheap POS and replace it when it dies (and fix it constantly), or spend big money on a real machine. I don't think the machines that fall in between are enough better than the cheap ones to justify the extra dough."

I'm not sure a lot of people should go that route. I know I'd quickly tire of a machine which regularly required genuine fixing.

Other than maintenance items like fluids, filters and plugs, our Honda has gone through 1 deck drive belt in the 7-8 years we've had it. That's it. Heck, depending on the severity of the repair, some people aren't even capable of fixing their own stuff.

Case in point:

While running through suburban sprawl the other day, I noticed a very nice house, with two new-ish cars in the driveway. The lawn, however, had the worst cut I have ever seen in my life. We're not talking cheap deck, here. One of the spindles must have been very badly bent or the blade was installed very wrong. Heck, I knew a guy who put a blade on a push mower upside down and the cut didn't look that bad. You literally could have noticed this abomination from light-aircraft altitudes. You'd think any self-respecting owner would have seen what was going on and stopped after the 2nd pass to fix it. Nope. Did the whole 1/2 acre front lawn that way.

Other lawns are funny in different ways. No more than a quarter acre ... and there’s the fat-load homeowner, puttering around on a dinky rider.

I actually hate jogging ... so every little bit of mental amusement along the way helps.

--- Bror Jace