Towing lawn cart with a mower

The home center lawn tractors will often have smaller transmissions that create a weak point in an otherwise good mower. My Husqvarna 54" is a good example. The supposedly "sealed for life" unit on mine required the transaxle to be removed and serviced at 250 hrs. Its better after the service but it still is weak when the weather gets real hot. I hoped when I bought it from my brother (with less than 50 hrs on it, it was bigger than he needed for his size lawn) that I would be able to use it to push snow in the winter but figured it would destroy it due to the wimpy trans.
The Husky GT has a great hydro-Trans. My 2 teenage sons ran over hill and dale, towed 4 wheelers, pickups, more I prolly dont know about. LOL. My oldest made the mistake of buying a LT model with a very weak hydro trans
 
I’ve moved vehicles with my GT’s many times of weight if the concern. I also roll my yard with a 920 lb roller too. It’s a HST transmission, but is shaft and not belt driven.

400 lbs is nothing for just about any model on flat ground. Keep the trailer tires inflated and go slow with no harsh accelerations. Let off the gas well before you intend to stop so nothing gets away from you and you don’t have to overuse the brake.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'm looking for something that doesn't exist. Small compact and easy to maneauver for the grass but strong enough to replace my back and legs pulling firewood around.

What are the failure modes for the different transmission types if overloaded? I know disc drive will slip the disc, I guess belt driven gear would slip the belt, but not sure on hydrostatic. I have a snowblower with disc drive which makes me want to somehow rig up the cart and see if it could move the load without slipping.
Essentially the hydro trans is too small for the task and wears out prematurely, repair costs can be as much as a new unit. My research showed that in order to reduce the price the home centers will spec a smaller trans, since this is a major component and a big part of the build cost, a smaller trans can reduce their cost and increase profits. I have read that units bought at a equipment dealer will have the bigger trans units in them although I have no first hand knowledge of this fact. A little bit of research and some informed questions should/could net you a unit good for your needs.
I filed this learning chapter in my life under "the things you didnt know that you didnt know"
 
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'm looking for something that doesn't exist. Small compact and easy to maneauver for the grass but strong enough to replace my back and legs pulling firewood around.

What are the failure modes for the different transmission types if overloaded? I know disc drive will slip the disc, I guess belt driven gear would slip the belt, but not sure on hydrostatic. I have a snowblower with disc drive which makes me want to somehow rig up the cart and see if it could move the load without slipping.

a hydrostat unit will make a whine sound and generally not move or move very slowly if overloaded. Hydrostatic means fluid driven so when the system is overloaded the relief opens and that is the noise you hear.

Just my $0.02
 
My biggest constraint for a traditional riding mower is going to be width. I have 48" gates into the back yard. I also like to bag clippings for use as mulch in the garden, which means I may need to factor a bagger chute into that width. I would guess that leaves out most garden tractors. Price wise if I could stay under $2,000 would be ideal. The highest end machines I'm seeing in this range are the Cub Cadet XT1 42" and Troy Bilt Pony 36" Cub Cadet has a hydrostatic trans and the Troy Bilt says CVT. I read Poulan Pro might be a decent option but not sure who carries those anymore as all the Sears have closed up.
 
That 42" cut wont fit through a 48" opening with the grass catcher, you might even have to pull the safety chute up to get through without bumping. The 36" should work just fine but I would check to see how the bagger is attached. If its rated for a rear bagger and slopes up to 15 deg you wont have any trouble pulling your cart on level ground. I have a Troy Built 42" with the CVT and while I dont pull a cart much I do pull up hill. I have a pile of fill dirt I keep about 150 yds from the house. 3 or 4 times a year I pull about 250-300 lb load up a 10 deg slope for 100 yds and haul cut branches and stones back to the brush pile. I have had to replace the drive belt 1 time in 10 years and that was because the old one was all cracked and split and started slipping. And it cuts 1.25 ac around the house every week.
 
Ive got a cheap harbor freight trailer which I pull behind my tiny ariens ztr. It has hauled bricks, dirt, leaves, fallen limbs, no sweat. Think of a wheelbarrow. If you can push it in a wheelbarrow, which easily handles 200 lbs, it’s not that much to ask for a rider. Mines a 14.5hp and pulling doesnt break a sweat. Don’t shotgun the controls, drive easy, and I think you’ll be fine.
 
My biggest constraint for a traditional riding mower is going to be width. I have 48" gates into the back yard. I also like to bag clippings for use as mulch in the garden, which means I may need to factor a bagger chute into that width. I would guess that leaves out most garden tractors. Price wise if I could stay under $2,000 would be ideal. The highest end machines I'm seeing in this range are the Cub Cadet XT1 42" and Troy Bilt Pony 36" Cub Cadet has a hydrostatic trans and the Troy Bilt says CVT. I read Poulan Pro might be a decent option but not sure who carries those anymore as all the Sears have closed up.

my LT150 has a 38" deck. It measures 48" wide with the plastic deflector that can be raised. If raised it is 6" narrower. My mower has mulching blades because I like the free fertilizer. If you go too narrow the mowers become tippy. I have less than a flat yard but mine is very stable on the inclines I have.

Just my $0.02
 
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