Lawn tractor for 1/2 acre lawn

SouthCentral

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Hi all, new member here. I have a big lawn, about 1/2 acres. Have used an old agway mower with 4 wheel steer. Not sure who made this machine but once you get past the plastic body panels it's been a decent little mower for the price - paid $50 for it at a garage sale. Before that I had a walk behind and will never go back to that.

Looked at the new JD models at Home Depot but I am not completely convinced that they aren't priced up a bit for the name and paint job. There are a lot of other brands out there but I am not sure which direction to go. Was thinking about a JD LA125 or LA145, anything bigger would be over kill imo.

Thanks for any input you can provide.
 

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MGHuck

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Hi all, new member here. I have a big lawn, about 1/2 acres. Have used an old agway mower with 4 wheel steer. Not sure who made this machine but once you get past the plastic body panels it's been a decent little mower for the price - paid $50 for it at a garage sale. Before that I had a walk behind and will never go back to that.

Looked at the new JD models at Home Depot but I am not completely convinced that they aren't priced up a bit for the name and paint job. There are a lot of other brands out there but I am not sure which direction to go. Was thinking about a JD LA125 or LA145, anything bigger would be over kill imo.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

The thing I don't like about JD mowers is their "safety" feature which requires that you stop the mower blade before you're allowed to back up.
There are many "tight" places and small areas between shrubs in my half-acre lawn that require shifting into reverse to get into them (and around obstacles).
With the automatic shift mechanism on my Craftsman lawn tractor, its quite easy to back up and get into these tight spots WITHOUT having to stop the mower blades each time I change direction.
 

jpalasek

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I have a Kubota with a 42 in deck. Great little tractor. Costs more then a JD from the depot but well worth it. I think all new tractors need the blade stopped before you back up. The kubota has a button you push and a red light flashes. I think it is a SAFETY thing that makes things harder.
 

carbuilder

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HI, I have a 3/4 acre lot. Had a JD GT 235 (18 horse power) for over 10 years with very little trouble. Did what I call half maintenance. So what ever it called for 50 hour oil & filter I did at 25 using synthetic fluids.

Now have a Cub Cadet 3200. Units do year round duty by blowing snow in the winter.

Prior to these units I purchased the low cost units from the hardware stores. Neither went more than 4 years. In addition I close friend of mine, 3 or 4 years ago purchased a Home Depot JD which now requires transmission replacement. There are no transmission service requirements on the low cost unit痴 just replacement.

I think you will find that any manufacture unit with 18 or more horse power becomes a better unit.
 

okeyjohn

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I have heard that the Home Depot models are the same as a Scotts brand machine with different lipstick. I would agree with the comment about 18HP and larger being a better machine. My collection is of old cub cadets with Kohler power, they are all 40 plus yrs old and still run very dependable, you cant buy them built like those were, but you can still get long lasting kohler power.

If you are looking for long lasting quality, i would avoid the big box stores. Just my .02
 

Muhammad

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I think most of the major brands are going to give you a good product. Some will have slightly different features, engines, etc. For me the first step would be to visit my local power equipment/mower dealers as opposed to the big box stores and see what they offer. A good mower can last you 20 years easy... and there are plenty out there from the likes of JD, Cub Cadet, Wheel Horse, Toro, Case, Bolens, Jacobsen, etc that have lasted decades and even generations.

Also, a good local dealer for one brand might sway me away from another...
 

millers1

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I don't want to offend anyone so I'll just say that I personally would stay away from the Home Depot / Lowes mowers. The quality of the equipment at the actual dealers seem to be much better than the tractors at the big home centers that are merely wearing the paint and decals of a particular brand. Stop in at your local Cadet or Deere (or other name brand) dealer and check out their entry level lawn tractors. I got a Deere LT155 back in 2000, and it's been very reliable. Deere periodically has financing deals. I got the 1 yr same as cash deal.

For a 1/2 acre, 15+ hp, 38" deck and hydrostatic drive would work well. On the Deere, You can pop off a connector down under the hydrostatic pedals.. to alleviate the annoyance of having to stop the blades before reversing. I have a fenced in yard, no kids, etc.. and I watch where I'm going.. so it's not a safety concern for me.

A few years ago, I picked up a Deere 2210 compact utility tractor. My intention was to eventually get a mower deck for it and use it for cutting our two acres. My wife likes the maneuverability and ease of use of the LT155 so we decided to keep both and just use the 2210 for front end loader jobs.

Thanks my 2 cents...
 
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GreenWannabe

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I just had my 16 year old JD LX176 serviced by the dealer (had surgery, couldn't do my own this year). When the service manager picked it up, I commenyed that I had seen the new shiny ones at Lowe's. He told me mine was better than amy of the ones JD sold at Lowe's. I figure he oughta know....

Fred
 

indypower

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It depends on how much $$ you want to spend. You will NOT find the John Deere models sold at Lowes or HomeDepot at any John Deere dealer. And John Deere dealers can NOT do any warranty work on the big box store models. You will also find different (cheaper) engines in the BB store than in the dealer. Dealer may offer B&S, Kohler, or Kawasaki engine. All pressure lubed. BB store only has B&S engines and only the higher priced are pressure lubed.
I would look at Craftsman, Husqvarna, or Poulan. Those are all made by AYP (American Yard Products). These are a great mid priced machine.
 

geggle

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depending on how long you plan on having the machine; buy the best you can. You won't regret it. I have a 1993 kubota 1700HT lawn tractor w/ 44" deck. It's built like farm equipment. Kubota engine. And I swear it runs stronger now than when it was new. Other than belts and regular maintanence, I've had to do nothing to it. And my lawn is 2+ acres and hilly.
I'm thinking of getting a Walker only because they have a better cut. But the Kubota is no slouch either.
I bet I would have bought at least two of the BB Store models by now if I had gone that direction
 
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