need a little help on lawn mower choice please

[whitearrow]

good eveing fellas. i am in the market for a new riding lawn mower to cut my 2 acres. my prerequsites are kohler engine,hydrostatic trans,at least 19 hp,extremely tuff trans and $1,600 or less. the reason for the tuff trans is that my place is extremely hilly and pretty rough. as in hugh grass and not just a perfectly manicured lawn due to work schedule i can't cut it but once every 2 wks. i have an aging 16hp craftsman gear driven lawn mower that has been excellent aside from the small displacement it does pretty well. it is just getting some small issues that if i fix will probably be not far from half the price of a new one.
thanks,
whitearrow

 

[97prizm]

From what I've read the cub cadet mowers seem like a good value to performance. Home Depot has a few within your price range. The cub cadet Riding Mower There is a slightly more expensive one and is only $99more than your max.

 

[vwthingman]

I know you stated "new", but I would look for a used John Deere X300, LT160 or Gt235. Either one or any older Deere will serve you well for years to come with a replacement parts system unmatched by anyone IMHO.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Since most of the big box stores sell the same mower under many names I'd send you right back to Sears.

My 54 incher is a fantastic lawn mower. We don't use it for anything else, so your mileage may vary!

 

[Rob_Roy]

My vote is for the John Deere X series, or one of their older commercial lines. Everyone has their favorites, but in my experience the John Deere deck handles tall/damp grass much better than average. I have several neighbors with new Cub Cadets, and they do a horrible job of dispersing the grass clippings.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: whitearrow
....my prerequsites are kohler engine,hydrostatic trans,at least 19 hp,extremely tuff trans and $1,600 or less.


For $1600, one with an extremely tough hydrostatic transaxle ain't gonna happen. You can barely touch them in the $4K range now.

Used is a whole different story, but you'll need to have the 'want' to do some wrenching.

Joel

 

[morris]

wide and fast. and GOOD shop. and dont hung up over a few dollars.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: whitearrow
....my prerequsites are kohler engine,hydrostatic trans,at least 19 hp,extremely tuff trans and $1,600 or less.


For $1600, one with an extremely tough hydrostatic transaxle ain't gonna happen. You can barely touch them in the $4K range now.

Used is a whole different story, but you'll need to have the 'want' to do some wrenching.

Joel


X2. I hate to say it, but with new mowers in that price range, you are not going to find a really heavy duty transaxle.

If the mower has to be new, an entry level Cub Cadet would be a good option. It's a basic MTD mower with a few upgrades, but not really a stump puller. Troy Bilts are similar.

A Craftsman would probably fit the bill too. They are made by Husqvarna's AYP division. They should have features comparable to a Cub Cadet. Again, not a heavy duty machine but definitely an upgrade over your standard Yard Machines or Poulan mower.

Personally, I think used is the way to go if you can do a little wrenching. I paid $800 for a non-running commercial grade Great Dane mower. I put $100 in parts on it, and now have a reliable commercial mower that gets used multiple times a week for $900. I could probably sell it for $1300-$1500.

 

[morris]

a LONG time ago my dad bought a case 446 tractor. the battery was behind the dash it kept messed up the cables, so he put the battery between the rear wheels. that fixed the trouble.