Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: lawn mower recomendations

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Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-21-2013, 01:37 AM:

Looking for a new riding mower and am needing input. I looked at an Ariens, (which I've never heard of) at Home Depot. I'm thinking I should lean towards the Cub Cadet or John Deer. The only positive I saw on the Ariens was the beer holder. I read reviews on their website and you either get a good product or a piece of shit. Price range is 1k to 2k, the lower the better. Any suggestions appreciated.

Rick

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 06-21-2013, 02:06 AM:

You did say a RIDING mower, right?

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 06-21-2013, 06:40 AM:

John Deere lawn tractors are not as good as they used to be. My LT-160 has problems with the mower deck developing cracks (which I weld) and failure of the mower drive belt (at least 1 per year).

My first JD lasted over 20 years and never broke a belt. I replaced it when it finally just wore out.

I'd recommend a tractor that doesn't have ridiculously long belts. The LT-160 deck belt is 114" and costs 50 bucks.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-21-2013, 06:53 AM:

I believe a lot of the "brands" are not actually made by them and are made by a common private label company of comparatively low quality. John Deere makes its own big stuff, but not the garden style for example.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 06-21-2013, 03:46 PM:

Ariens is one the oldest lawn and garden manufacturers

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-21-2013, 04:04 PM:

It might be worth looking at Toro. Their push mowers are great. Not sure about their riding mowers, however.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 06-21-2013, 07:50 PM:

Cub Cadet is no longer built by International Harvester Corp anymore, either.

Posted by Scott Balko (Member # 438) on 06-21-2013, 11:09 PM:

Toro builds all of there products themselves except for the lawn tractors. The market share for tractors is so small that they have them built by the Cub Cadet division of MTD...a big mistake IMO. MTD is the largest manufacturer of lawn and garden power equipment, but it's also (again in my opinion) some of the chinsiest piles of shit out there. There are people that have been able to keep them alive for a few years, but it's not easy. The cheapy John Deere falls into this catagory as well. You're buying the name, not a quality product.

Craftsman lawn tractors are also crap treading on the craftsman reputation for tools.

With that low of a price range, you may not have a choice, however.

Are you looking for a tractor or a zero turn?

If it's a zero turn radius mower, the Toro is very highly ranked and my personal experience says it's tough to beat for the money.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-23-2013, 12:29 PM:

Just looking at the Consumer Reports website -- the #1 rated tractor is a Cub Cadet model GT2042, but it's $3600.

In the price range requested (1000-2000), the #5 and 6 models are both John Deeres -- model numbers are D110 and D120.

Two Bolens models are the bottom of the ratings and an Ariens is third from the bottom.

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 06-24-2013, 04:00 PM:

My dad used to work for Simplicity, and those were well-built lawn tractors! However, in the push to the bottom in pricing, high quality and durable lawn tractors weren't selling enough to keep the company's operations going in the way that established the brand and its reputation.

I think at a sub-$2k price point, any lawn tractor is not going to be made to have the kind of durability and performance that can be found in that next tier of product, no matter what brand you find. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if all of them were made by the same one or two companies that churn out a product intended to be sold at a particular price point, rather than intended to be a product worth buying.

There may be exceptions to that assumption, but I think largely, you're playing a game of trying to find the lawn tractor that sucks the least.

You might want to consider looking for someone that rehabs old lawn tractors and resells them. Find a 15-to-20-year-old Simplicity or John Deere/Cub Cadet that has been fixed up decently, and for the same kind of money, you're going to have a much better tractor in the long run.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 06-24-2013, 04:32 PM:

The older (late 80's - early 90's) models of the John Deere riding mowers were and are still good, if you can find one. Might be 20 years old, but it's repairable.

I've got a 50 inch Cub Cadet zero turn that I used to use for the drive-in. Sad to say, but a $3,000 lawn mower is not made to mow a drive-in. Never had any issues at all with the hydraulic pumps for the driving wheels, and never had any issues with the 27hp Kawasaki engine. Cheap stamped steel deck, soft metal spindles, and odd sized front tires finally made me retire the mower to cutting the grass at the house. Bought mine new in 2005, and I've replaced the mowing deck 3 times, usually 1 or 2 spindles a year, and usually a new set of blades every two years. I pay to have it mowed now... worth every penny.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 06-27-2013, 07:26 AM:

From what you guys are saying, it looks like I'm going to have to trade in my BMW for a John Deere [Confused]

I'm stuck with buying at Home Depot. My credits been good there and my limit is 2500. They also have "special financing" for 24 months. I could raise my card limit and get something "bigger and Better", but I figure it's not worth it.

If I go and buy it at the store, It will be a $70 delivery charge. I can rent a truck there and deliver it myself for $20, or I can order it online and have it dropped off at home for free.(7-14 working days)

I'm thinking it's about a six pack ride on a new John Deere from Home Depot to Rick's Home [beer]

By the way, I'm most likely getting a John Deere D110, $1500

Thanks for the input,
Rick (can you get a DUI on a lawnmower? guy)

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 06-27-2013, 10:37 AM:

Living here in the Nashville area all my life, I remember quite well that the late country singer George Jones got more than one DUI on a riding mower.

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 06-27-2013, 11:54 AM:

quote: Richard Hamilton
Rick (can you get a DUI on a lawnmower? guy)

This is Virginia. They'll throw the cuffs on in a heartbeat.

BTW: There's a Home Depot about 3 mi away. Come on down and bring the beer.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 07-09-2013, 10:48 AM:

I got the John Deere and talked Home Depot into delivering it for $1.00. Seems to cut as good as all the neighbors mowers, only mine is shinier [thumbsup]

, and it has a cupholder [beer]

.

Rick

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-09-2013, 03:42 PM:

quote: Richard Hamilton
Rick (can you get a DUI on a lawnmower? guy)

Back in the '90s when I lived in a small city in the south-west of England (basically, a retirement town plus a university on the outskirts), there was quite a spectacular accident involving a ride-on lawnmower. Its owner was an elderly alcoholic who got the idea that buying one would make the job of mowing her large front garden easier. Unfortunately, it sloped slightly downhill, with a flimsy fence followed by a main road at the bottom. Anyway, after putting away about a bottle and a half of sherry (the evidence of which was later discovered by police in her kitchen), she lost control of it, went through the fence and onto the road. An oncoming truck swerved to avoid her and nearly hit a bus coming in the other direction. The bus also swerved, and crashed into the front of a store on the other side of the road. Thankfully, it was a Sunday morning and so the store wasn't open, and there were only minor injuries among the bus passengers. The total repair bill came to £1.4 million, though, and the local paper's leader writer speculated that it could well have been the most expensive accident ever caused by a ride-on lawnmower.

However, as the thing was not a registered motor vehicle with a registration number, she couldn't be charged with drunk driving. If I remember correctly they did her for something in the end, but it was very minor (a breach of the peace, or something like that).