$1500-$1700 new riding Lawn Tractor ....

LawnPlops

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Hey there !
Average homeowner, average lawn, nothing heavy-duty, bit of a budget, typical BigBox shopper...
The brands in my area ... John Deere, CubCadet, Poulan, Huskee, Troy-Bilt, Craftsman.
If I were to spend in the range of $1500-$1700 - in general -
Which would be my 2 best bets in manufacturers ?
Worst 2 ?
Not interested in ZTR's.
Reasons/opinions eagerly welcome !!!

I recently had to retire a 2001-2002 (?) Craftsman Hydrostatic LT 1000 42"cut LawnTractor with a KohlerPro 17 OHV.

Loved it primarily due to its speed control function ... NOT a pedal - but a lever (located close to the drivers right hip) that you'd push forward and backward to regulate the speed !
Does anyone still make a LawnTractor with this speed feature ?

Thank you everyone, in advance, on any & all comments and advice you may have !
Have a Great Day !
 

BlazNT

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I am not really jumping into this except to say the Craftsman does not make a mower. They resale Husqvarna's and MTD's with their names on it. The 3 big mower manufacturers are Husqvarna, MTD and sometimes John Deere but I am still not really convinced that the lower line of John Deere is made by them. You will have a lot to choose from with those brands but they will all be very close to each other in build quality. The best thing you can do is go to the stores or even online and look at what catches your eye and then find it local and buy it. If you want to know who makes a mower you are looking at just ask. We will let you know.
 

LawnPlops

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Didn't know this ... so its seems basically there are only 2 manufacturers in my price-zone...
Any differences between HV & MTD ?
TXH, BlazNT !

Am I right to assume there only one or 2 mfgrs of engines too ?
Koehler, Briggs & Stratton .... ?
 

cruzenmike

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Cub Cadet XT1 LT42. New 18hp Kohler single, 3yr warranty, responsive steering. The issue with Husqvarna at that price point is that they feel much cheaper than their rivals. Deere makes their own mower but they only have a two year warranty at $1500 (e100 model). The are many other engine manufacturers, but at this price point you are getting either a Kohler, Briggs or LCT (Loncin). Kawasaki doesn't appear in a box store mower until you start getting into the zero turns around $3k. If you splurge for a LT46 Cub you get a 22hp V-twin instead of the single. I am not a huge fan of Cub Cadets, especially in their top models, but they represent a good value and nice overall piece of equipment for the price.
 

Rivets

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Cub Cadet is now built by MTD. Any unit that has a Model number, (not series number)located under the seat, which starts with two digits then two letters is built by MTD.
 

BlazNT

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Didn't know this ... so its seems basically there are only 2 manufacturers in my price-zone...
Any differences between HV & MTD ?
TXH, BlazNT !

Am I right to assume there only one or 2 mfgrs of engines too ?
Koehler, Briggs & Stratton .... ?

I like the looks of Husqvarna over MTD. I am not a fan of MTD much at all. They have been cheapening their mowers for a long time. Husqvarna is still trying to prove themselves by not cheapening them quite as much. But they are still cheap mowers. You do not really get into a good mower till you get to the GT(Garden Tractor) models and they start in the $3000 to $5000 range. But with proper maintiance they will last around 10 years or more.
 

cruzenmike

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I had a struggle between MTD (Cub Cadet) and Husqvarna when I was looking for a rider, but it came down to this: The best Husqvarna you can buy is usually the most expensive one. By that I mean, you get the better engine, the fabricated deck, the premium seat (2018 models) and tougher transmissions. Again, you will be spending north of $3,000. The Cub Cadet GT50, which on sale is about $2600 will "perform" almost as well, if not as well as a similarly priced Husqvarna unit. In the $1500 range, the Husqvana is simply not what nice. Just walk up to one and turn the steering wheel, or wiggle the deck. I admit, not many mowers under 3,000 are "nice" but ANY mower can last you 10 years if used exactly as intended and cared for. Yes, stuff goes wrong, and maintenance is key to preventing failures, but if you put two machines side by side, the average person will likely only notice the visual differences, and once you drive or cut with them you may see the operational differences. Best bet is to go to a dealer or store where you can actually drive them and see how they cut. I am in no way bashing Husqvarna because they do make a good product; I am just saying that at the price point you are shopping, it is really hard to pick a "best" between any of them.
 

Darryl G

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Husqvarna does have have a mower with the hand-operated speed/direction control but it's over your budget and the reviews of it look pretty awful.
 

bertsmobile1

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I am not really jumping into this except to say the Craftsman does not make a mower. They resale Husqvarna's and MTD's with their names on it. The 3 big mower manufacturers are Husqvarna, MTD and sometimes John Deere but I am still not really convinced that the lower line of John Deere is made by them. You will have a lot to choose from with those brands but they will all be very close to each other in build quality. The best thing you can do is go to the stores or even online and look at what catches your eye and then find it local and buy it. If you want to know who makes a mower you are looking at just ask. We will let you know.

JD do not make mowers.
The 100 series come out of the AYP ( Husky ) factory
The D series was made at the Honda factory.
The small ZTR's are made at the same plant that makes the McCulloch.

When you get under them daily it becomes obvious which mowers come out of the same factory.

Note this does not mean they are the same as there are a lot of differences, just the same a several different variations of a car can come off the same production line.
 

bertsmobile1

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Hey there !
Average homeowner, average lawn, nothing heavy-duty, bit of a budget, typical BigBox shopper...
The brands in my area ... John Deere, CubCadet, Poulan, Huskee, Troy-Bilt, Craftsman.
If I were to spend in the range of $1500-$1700 - in general -
Which would be my 2 best bets in manufacturers ?
Worst 2 ?
Not interested in ZTR's.
Reasons/opinions eagerly welcome !!!

I recently had to retire a 2001-2002 (?) Craftsman Hydrostatic LT 1000 42"cut LawnTractor with a KohlerPro 17 OHV.

Loved it primarily due to its speed control function ... NOT a pedal - but a lever (located close to the drivers right hip) that you'd push forward and backward to regulate the speed !
Does anyone still make a LawnTractor with this speed feature ?

Thank you everyone, in advance, on any & all comments and advice you may have !
Have a Great Day !

To be frank.
If that is all your budget can stretch to then get the one painted in your favourite colour.
They are all equally badly made from equally under rae parts and thin metal.
Expect to replace whatever you buy in the next 3 to 6 years.
 
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