New 'garden' tractors

[Auto Doc's]

Hello H.,

I think the last I saw of those garden tractor models was back in the late 70's thru early 80's. They had just began calling their heavier. big horsepower riders "garden tractors", but most people were getting away from home gardens.

Most were fitted with snowplow and blade attachments but only a cheesy mechanical hand lift for any kind or rear attachments. Even the rear attachments were flimsy and not practical to use.

Most small tiller attachments now had their own engine and where hand adjust tow behind.

In the 2000's more work could be done with an ATV and tow behind implements than most garden tractors.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

This is what you are looking for but just 50 years too late.

 

[troverman]

Actually the Simplicity Legacy and Legacy XL models were true garden tractors of the size and build of the old school models. Unfortunately they stopped producing these in 2023 due to lack of demand. These are great machines…they even made 4x4 versions, most were gas…small diesel was briefly offered. Heavy frames, large tires, rear diff lock, number of attachments…but these were definitely riding lawn mower style garden tractors.

 

[MyGrassHasCrabs]

Chicanic (youtuber) has a video going over 2026 options from larger stores. She likes the "Bad Boy" line of mowers, but I recall that they were all zero turn instead of garden tractor style.

Here's the video if you're interested:

 

[GeneralEclectic]

I wish to confirm that the only option for a new higher end 'garden' type tractor/mower-2wd- is the green one.

For "heavy duty lawn tractor", look at Kubota GR2120. This is a small "serious" machine including HST, 4WD, power steering, liquid cooling, hydraulic blade lift, etc. Engine oil & filt and HST & filt all very easy to service. Comes with premium (IOW >10 yr.) AGM battery. Oh yeah, it's a 3 cylinder diesel.There are come attachments available including a substantial snow blower. Unfamiliar with range of attachments otherwise.

 

[ILENGINE]

Actually the Simplicity Legacy and Legacy XL models were true garden tractors of the size and build of the old school models. Unfortunately they stopped producing these in 2023 due to lack of demand. These are great machines…they even made 4x4 versions, most were gas…small diesel was briefly offered. Heavy frames, large tires, rear diff lock, number of attachments…but these were definitely riding lawn mower style garden tractors.

Was it lack of demand or part of the Briggs bankruptcy kill off the extra brands to say they are saving money but in reality just stripping the company of assets and getting ready to move on leaving what's left is tatters.

Chicanic (youtuber) has a video going over 2026 options from larger stores. She likes the "Bad Boy" line of mowers, but I recall that they were all zero turn instead of garden tractor style.

Here's the video if you're interested:

Tractor style mowers are basically on the way out across all brands of mower companies. z turns are dominant right now, unfortunately battery equipment is also playing a roll in their demise.

 

[troverman]

Was it lack of demand or part of the Briggs bankruptcy kill off the extra brands to say they are saving money but in reality just stripping the company of assets and getting ready to move on leaving what's left is tatters.

I’d say lack of demand. Briggs kept the high end Simplicity snowblowers. Nobody buys a garden tractor anymore…zero turn or sub compact tractor like a 1-series JD or Kubota BX.

 

[ILENGINE]

For "heavy duty lawn tractor", look at Kubota GR2120. This is a small "serious" machine including HST, 4WD, power steering, liquid cooling, hydraulic blade lift, etc. Engine oil & filt and HST & filt all very easy to service. Comes with premium (IOW >10 yr.) AGM battery. Oh yeah, it's a 3 cylinder diesel.There are come attachments available including a substantial snow blower. Unfamiliar with range of attachments otherwise.

And for a few hundred more you can move into a BX1880 with rear cat 1 three point hitch, rear 540 pto and all the attachments at additional cost that are available plus loader, backhoe, and belly mower(all at the same time).

 

[ILENGINE]

I’d say lack of demand. Briggs kept the high end Simplicity snowblowers. Nobody buys a garden tractor anymore…zero turn or sub compact tractor like a 1-series JD or Kubota BX.

Maybe partially, but it seems like lack of demand seems to coincide with companies doing financial restructuring. And that is across all brand manufacturers.

And at one time all these companies that are claiming lack of demand gave up the market that is now filled by the sub-compacts. At one time the garden tractors had 3 point hitches, and rear 540 pto's and you could even get a loader for several of them.

 

[farmerdave1954]

Back in the mid-60's when I was about 10 years old, my dad bought a Bolens 800 with Wisconsin air cooled engine (that's where I learned how to work on small engines), with front dozer blade, belly mower, single bottom turn plow, and it seems like one other implement. Might have been a disc. It was a true "garden tractor". I plowed a 1-acre garden with it every spring. I had to put an 80lb sack of cement on the seat to get enough traction to pull the plow. I also mowed about 2 acres of lawn many times every summer. I wore a huge blister on my right thumb many times from the push-button release on the manual "3-point" lift lever. But to me it was a real "tractor". It had large rear tires that made it ride much smoother than today's riding lawn mowers, which are junk right out of the store. I got to looking for something like the Bolens back in the early 90's and they were already pretty much non-existent. If I could find an old Bolens 800 with a belly mower today, I'd buy it, regardless of condition. Of course, like my '69 Camaro that I'd love to have back, it wouldn't be as nice now as I remember it being. Funny how the "good old days" weren't really all that good when you really think about it.