Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing

zabak80

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
I am looking to take the leap from a yard tractor which I have had for almost 4 years, Husq YTH22V46, into a lighter garden tractor at 50 + inches.

My property is about 2 acres with 2/3 of an acre at a 15 - 25 degree slope. Pretty smooth though, no heavy brush or anything.

My Husqvarna has served me well, but I know that it is under powered, thus my reasoning for something beefier.

Now I primarily only use it for mowing. I do use it for towing my 40lb broadcast spreader, and once or twice a year I will tow my aerator and dethatcher. I plan on doing the same, no additions of tilling, snow plowing, etc. 99% of the time I'm just mowing.

My price range is under or around the $2,500 mark, so a few of the cheaper garden tractors have caught my eye. Here are what I was thinking for options.

1. Cub Cadet XTI GT 50 - seems like a good build quality, isn't 54" like I wanted though, more expensive than the other two choices.

2. Refurbished Craftsman 20408 - local outlet store has it for $1,900 with just cosmetic damage. Has a two year warranty, but who knows with Sears and their recent struggles. Reviews seem to be mixed.

3. Husqvarna LGT26K54 - I know this isn't a REAL garden tractor, and there are issues with the K46 transmission. It checks all my other boxes though. Can get it for $1,800 and then add on the $300 4 year Lowe's warranty. For $2,100 I do not have to worry since I'll have the extended Lowe's warranty, and then anything after that is playing with house money. If my YTH22V46 held up for almost 4 years on my property so far, shouldn't the LGT26K54?

Interested in hearing opinions!
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
You will get nothing more than you pay for.
If you are paying bottom end prices you will get bottom end quality and bottom end service life.
So pick the colour you like best.
 

zabak80

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
You will get nothing more than you pay for.
If you are paying bottom end prices you will get bottom end quality and bottom end service life.
So pick the colour you like best.

Thanks, but do you have any advice as to which may be best suited for my needs? I'm not looking at dropping $6,000 on a garden tractor when my $1,200 yard tractor served me well for 4 years. I just need more traction and power to make it up the slope a little easier. Since I wanted to have a bigger deck to save some time, I figured the next step up from a yard tractor would be a light consumer grade garden tractor.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
My experience comes from repairing mowers not using them so I see mainly the bad ones which of course colours my opinions.
people seem to think there is a fairy out there than sprinkles pixie dust on factories so every thing they want gets cheaper & better every year so they can get more for less.
There isn't. In fact it is the exact opposite you pay a little less and get a lot less.
Not too far back Garden tractors were built onto a wider chassis pressed from heavier steel.
Now days they all seem to be made from the same dies with the GT still pressed from heavier gauge steel , but not as heavy as before
Thus the wider decks that are suspended at the same centres tilt & gauge at the slightest provocation, particularly when turning on slopes. Think of them as a see saw.
With bagging , the wider the deck the more load on the bagging system and wide decks usually need a powered bagging system which adds a lot of weight to an already marginal deck support system.
Wider track is made by moving the wheel centers further in so the wheels sit further out on the axels and this gives them a bigger turning circle.
The craftsman will have the same pressed deck as the LT range with the same mountings and will quickly flog all the mountings holes oval, particulalrly if it is a wider deck.
The same goes for the Husky . A wider version of the same deck with the same mounting centres . They use the same weak spindle housings as the LT's with the same problems only amplified due to the wider deck.

None of them have servicible trannys and hydros have a very finite service life that is built into the product.
Any hydro without a top up reseviour, a drain plug & replaceable filter is a service replacement item and a bloody expensive one to boot.
So the new price went down $ 500 because every "X" years you have to replace the tranny at $ 1000.

Of all of them I would be buying the Cub if I HAD TO but if not, none of the above.
The Cub gets the vote because it has the better deck mounting system which should be bolt on parts that can be replaced when flogged out and it is really easy to remove & replace.
They did have a major belt problem but I think that has been fixed now.

Most of the bottom end GT's still have shafts that run through unbushed holes in the chassis so unless cleaned & lubed regularly flog the holes oval.
I think in the bottom end only the JD's bush holes.

Almost none of the bottom end have adjustable drag links on the steering and few have removable ball ends so hit a gutter or pot hole and your steering is kaput
Same thing goes for the tie rod between the front wheels.
Front steering pins are again plastic bushes that require regular replacements .
 

zabak80

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
My experience comes from repairing mowers not using them so I see mainly the bad ones which of course colours my opinions.
people seem to think there is a fairy out there than sprinkles pixie dust on factories so every thing they want gets cheaper & better every year so they can get more for less.
There isn't. In fact it is the exact opposite you pay a little less and get a lot less.
Not too far back Garden tractors were built onto a wider chassis pressed from heavier steel.
Now days they all seem to be made from the same dies with the GT still pressed from heavier gauge steel , but not as heavy as before
Thus the wider decks that are suspended at the same centres tilt & gauge at the slightest provocation, particularly when turning on slopes. Think of them as a see saw.
With bagging , the wider the deck the more load on the bagging system and wide decks usually need a powered bagging system which adds a lot of weight to an already marginal deck support system.
Wider track is made by moving the wheel centers further in so the wheels sit further out on the axels and this gives them a bigger turning circle.
The craftsman will have the same pressed deck as the LT range with the same mountings and will quickly flog all the mountings holes oval, particulalrly if it is a wider deck.
The same goes for the Husky . A wider version of the same deck with the same mounting centres . They use the same weak spindle housings as the LT's with the same problems only amplified due to the wider deck.

None of them have servicible trannys and hydros have a very finite service life that is built into the product.
Any hydro without a top up reseviour, a drain plug & replaceable filter is a service replacement item and a bloody expensive one to boot.
So the new price went down $ 500 because every "X" years you have to replace the tranny at $ 1000.

Of all of them I would be buying the Cub if I HAD TO but if not, none of the above.
The Cub gets the vote because it has the better deck mounting system which should be bolt on parts that can be replaced when flogged out and it is really easy to remove & replace.
They did have a major belt problem but I think that has been fixed now.

Most of the bottom end GT's still have shafts that run through unbushed holes in the chassis so unless cleaned & lubed regularly flog the holes oval.
I think in the bottom end only the JD's bush holes.

Almost none of the bottom end have adjustable drag links on the steering and few have removable ball ends so hit a gutter or pot hole and your steering is kaput
Same thing goes for the tie rod between the front wheels.
Front steering pins are again plastic bushes that require regular replacements .

Thanks!

So you're saying the 54" deck is usually too big for the flimsy version of the garden tractors. A smaller deck may be more beneficial in the long run. Also, the transmissions aren't repairable/serviceable, so they're throw away and replace at a large cost.

So what would you recommend if you were in my shoes and didn't want to spend the money on a $6,000 tractor? Should I be buying a ZTR?
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
I would save up for another season and go a bit higher up the scale.
or
Look for a used commercial that is just off lease / hire purchase from a contractor who turns over his mowers regularly.

As for ZTR's they are very light on the front end so don't tow particularly well and double that for towing on slopes.
 

zabak80

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
I would save up for another season and go a bit higher up the scale.
or
Look for a used commercial that is just off lease / hire purchase from a contractor who turns over his mowers regularly.

As for ZTR's they are very light on the front end so don't tow particularly well and double that for towing on slopes.

Maybe I'll go for the off lease/used approach.

Is it normal to get a pre-purchase inspection done by a dealer?
 

willys55

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
if you are more focused on warranty and dealer prep, then you may not be handy enough to tackle the task of a used quality machine. Used golf course equipment or school/municipal equipment from auction will give you a real machine for a better price, and the money saved from purchased could be used to make the repairs with money left over for beer and steaks.

Like Bert said "pick a color" because quite frankly nothing made today that is available to the consumer "Joe public" is worth a dime. Stamped steel frame pans, no serviceable bearings and bushings, low grade steel steering, and plastic every where. All crap.
 

willys55

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  • / Help, taking plunge on a "garden" tractor....need help choosing
You will get nothing more than you pay for.
If you are paying bottom end prices you will get bottom end quality and bottom end service life.
So pick the colour you like best.

hahaha Right on the Bloody mark ! Solid Honesty.
 
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