Mower Help

[stevei54]

Hi in market for new riding mower - pervious mower got destroyed when my barn fell from snow.

I have about 1.5 acres that I mow - fairly flat.........have been looking at the Cub Cadet LTX1045 and LTX1046, JD D110 or D120 and the Husqvarna YTH2348/YTH21k46 -- I see a mix of the Kohler Courage Engines in the Cubs, Husqvarana either Courage or Briggs and Stratton and Brigs in the JD's............any suggestions on what is the best bang for the buck - would prefer to stay closer to the $1,600 price vs. the $1,800 of the higher priced but may have some flexibility.

thanks,
Steve

 

[Briana]

Hey there! WELCOME to LawnMowerForum! :biggrin:

I moved your thread to the Mower Buying & Pricing Forum. You'll get a better response there. :thumbsup:

 

[Carl in CT]

Hi, I think if it were me I'd probably pick the best John Deere or Simplicity I could afford. There is an Allis Chalmers mower that looks to be pretty decent in your price range and is made my Simplicity I think (owned by Briggs and Stratton). I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the John Deere's or Cub Cadets at the box store levels like what you are looking at. I don't know much about the Husqvarnas but if they cost about the same as the others than I would say they are probably about the same. I think Husky is made by AYP which makes a lot of Craftsman mowers.

That said, if you have pretty flat, easy to mow land and you are an average size rider than they may be OK as long as you are not asking it to do more than it can handle. My dad has a Deere he got at Home Depot and it's been OK for him but has been in the shop twice in about 6 years. Go to a dealer if you can, they sell the same JDs or Cubs as the box stores for the same price but will give you better service when repair time comes (which it will). If you can afford more buy something better but I know things are tight and the box store mowers can be OK if not pushed too hard and well maintained. I had one that bit the dust after only two years mowing 1.5 acres but I weigh 235 pounds and I have a lot of hills and uneven ground that is hard on a tractor.

Cub Cadet does offer a model with a 50" deck and Kawasaki motor. It's $1,900 but the Kawasaki will outperform any Kohler and almost all Briggs and Strattons except the Briggs Vanguard but I've heard mixed reviews on the rest of the tractor (they seem to break a lot of $50 belts for some people).

You may look for a good used tractor too. For example, I am selling my 1997 Wheelhorse 267-H lawm/garden tractor with 18hp Kohler Command motor and 48" deck for around $1,500-ish. I just replaced the entire fuel system (darn ethanol) and it's running like new again. I'd rather have that than any new tractor for under $3,000. Too bad you are in Cali and I'm in CT.

 

[stevei54]

Yep - wish I had more to spend - but budget is limited.

My brother-in-law has a CC LTX1045 that he likes so far..........I had been looking at the Cubs with the Kawaski engine - they have a 46inch model with a 20hp engine and the 50 inch that has a 22hp engine....just not sure how the newer low-end engines are that Kawaski is selling to Cub and added value of having the Kwasaski engine and electric PTO vs. the Kohler Courage at the lower price ---also probably will stick with a 46 inch mower with some of the tight spots I will need to get thru.

Keep looking on Craigslist but haven't seen any real good deals in the regen on used mowers.

thanks

 

[Carl in CT]

I know, it's hard to say what is better than what anymore with everyone putting their name on stuff made by whoever, wherever. When I was landscaping full time we used a lot of John Deere 48" walk behinds with sulkies and they ran 14hp Kawasakis that were practically unbreakable (and trust me they got worked very hard). But that was 20 years ago and I'm not sure if Kawasaki is putting that same level of quality into the motors they are selling to Cub Cadet, maybe, maybe not. Kohler motors are not as good as they used to be since they stopped making the cast iron work horses 15-20 years ago. They are OK but not worth the extra money they charge for them. I would rank the Kohler Courage as a lower quality engine, I'd rather have just about anything else but to be honest they are probably all about the same at that level. I'd take any Kawasaki over any Kohler any day and most Kawasakis over most Briggs and Strattons.

If you can get a Cub Cadet that you like and had the chance to try out with a Kawasaki motor than it's probably your best option in your price range, especially if you get it at a Cub dealer instead of the box store. I think some of the problems people have with box store mowers are from the poor assembly and setup. A dealer will at least assemble it and set it up properly (probably). Like I said, don't abuse it and maintain it faithfully and it should be good for you. Use a good synthetic oil and at least 90 octane gas to limit ethanol damage and keep the gas fresh. When you store it for the winter see if you can get some ethanol free gas with a good fuel stabilizer. If you can't get ethanol free gas use something to fight phase separation from the ethanol. I think Stabil Marine does that or you can use regular Stabil and Star Tron for the ethanol issue. Some people say the anti-ethanol additives are snake oil but I say they don't hurt and they cost very little for what you need for each gallon so why not throw some in there.

Oh, I looked at the wrong person, you are not in Cali, you are in VT. Anyway, I looked at used mowers too before I bought my new one and the good ones go so fast that it's hard to grab one, especially a month or so ago when mowing season was just getting started.

 

[Jetblast]

It gets more confusing now because Kawasaki no longer automatically means commercial quality.

Their new FR series engine has been out only a little over a year, so we have no idea how it's going to do over time. It's a new "homeowner" grade engine designed to compete with the Kohler Courage and lower tiered Briggs, down to the manual valve adjustments and plastic cam gears, so who knows what will happen. My dealer says he's not a fan because he's had too many come back with ignition problems, but the others have their issues as well.

That said, for a homeowner with an acre and a half, I'd think a Kawasaki FR, a Kohler Courage, or the comparable Briggs & Stratton would be equally good choices for the money. They're all pretty much meant to be 750 hour engines and with any luck, that's plenty to outlast the rest of the mower with proper care and maintenance. When all is said and done, on a flat 1.5 acres with smooth operation, you should get five to ten years on the mowers you're looking at quite easily by design. The rest is just luck.

 

[Carl in CT]

Jetblast, you confirmed what I was wondering about the Kawasakis that are showing up in less expensive tractors, that they are not commercial engines. I wonder if they are actually made by Kawasaki or not. If they are still made by Kawasaki I would still put them at the head of the homeowner class but that's based on past reputation, not fact so who knows. Time will tell I guess.

So I would agree with you that the best thing for stevei54 to do is to pick the tractor he likes best in his price range and just take good care of it and expect around 750 hours of use.

 

[Jetblast]

I agree Carl, 750 hours on a 1.5 acre property is around fifteen years of mowing, so care and maintenance are going to be the big players. Over fifteen years with such mild use, I think a $1600-$1800 mower that's kept covered and gets oil and air filter changes is going to fare better than a neglected $3000 mower that's kept in the elements.

Steve, I would have a hard time deciding between those Cubs, Husqvarnas, and JDs so I'd probably end up going with the one that feels the most comfortable. I enjoy mowing, but much less so when my feet don't feel right on the floor or the seat designers weren't thinking about my butt. Only thing I'd add is that I'd try to stretch the budget as far as possible, since your Sunday afternoon happiness will be impacted for many years to come. In my opinion very few people truly need the very best camera, TV, or set of wrenches they can possibly afford, but it's different with mowers. Every extra couple of hundred bucks spent is highly meaningful. I don't generally subscribe to the old axiom "you get what you pay for", but with mowers you absolutely do. They're priced like a commodity.

 

[stevei54]

Thanks for the info.

Additional question - value of a 2- cylinder vs 1 -cylinder -- I see the CC 1045 and CC1046 M - main difference appears to be the 1045 had a 1 cylinder 20HP Courage and the 1046 M has a 2 cylinder 22hp Courage ---------$100 difference.........then for another $100 you can get a 1046 with a 2 cylinder 23hp Courage plus has Electronic fingertip PTO...........net is a 2 cylinder really worth $100 extract or the w cylindeer/Electric PTO $200 extra vs the base 1045 1 cylinder mower?

 

[BKBrown]

Question for you ---- Is mowing the only thing you will ever do with this machine or is there a posibility you will need to move snow or some other task with this machine ?

Just a side note - I hope if your barn fell bacause of snow weight you had some homeowners insurance that paid for the barn and it's contents.