Mine went belly up Saturday. Just over 1 acre. Not much in the way of slope. Will be used to tow small wagon (17 cubic ft) usually filled with stall muckings. Price is an issue. $3500 for a lawn tractor is out of the question. Tiller died too! Tractor was 20, and tiller was 35.
We have a Toro lawn tractor with mowing deck and with a tow-behind trailer that holds up to 500 lbs. While I can't whole-heartedly endorse the Toro (hard to remove and replace the mowing deck, had an electrical problem the first month we had it) it has performed for us for almost five years over rough terrain and mowing about 4 acres (we have a shredder for the rest). It was around $1500 when we bought it five years ago. Hope this helps--it's a real downer when equipment dies, even after a long and happy life!
Sorry to not have a real recommendation other than to check the used adds and auctions. I cannot believe the price of lawn/garden/farm tractors. or put a want add in the paper, you never know if someone wants to get rid of one they just don't use anymore. We have a Satoh? (which runs great, but is expensive to repair) and an ingersoll(another expensive to repair) tractor, BUT the price was right on each of them. One was free ( we just do their garden tilling as needed), the other was dirt cheap because it needed the carburetor repaired and the man never really used it for anything, just sat in his garage taking up space. It was 10 years old and had 100 hours on it .
Whatever you get...you do not want a Nikki carb on it..the rebuild kits are around $20 higher than other kits and they never work right if they ever mess up. My son is a certified small engine tech and owns a small engine repair business..we get all kinds and brands. John Deere seems to be the best in "consumer" grade. Most all major brands of lawn mowers are made by 3 companies, either MTD, AYP, or Husqvarna MTD (Modern Tool and Die) makes Troy-Bilt, Yard-Machines, Yard-Man, Cub Cadet, Bolens, Gardenway, and more.... AYP - (American Yard Products) manufactures equipment and parts for many brands including: CRAFTSMAN, POULAN, POULAN PRO, SEARS, RALLY, ROPER, Bradley, Caldor, Hechinger, Lawn Keeper, Meijer, Rickles, Wizard, Woodwards, Yard Master, Kgro and more...
Sears!!! I love mine I use to year round. It tows my wagon, Pulls a drag to level my garden, Pulls around my big tank sprayer as well as mows my grass and weed and chop leave of the lawn for fall clean up. Craftsman mowers are great and not so expensive if they need a fix or two AND the price is Reasonable. I have had it now for 5 years and it has never need anything but gas and an oil change, Clean filters you know regular up keep.
Thanks all for the replies. Kubota is just not in the cards. I would love to have one,but the cost is prohibitive. Any MTD product is out. I thought about Ariens, but, I think I have settle on Husqvarna for a lawn tractor and rear tine tiller. The tractor I'm looking at has at two cylinder 24 horse Kohler motor, and a 48" deck. The tiller has a Honda motor. Customer reviews and discussions on various power equipment forums put these right up there with middle of the line John Deere equipment.
I mow about 3 of my 7 acres. Been doing it for about 35 years now. Went through a Cub Cadet in about 4 years. The Sears Craftsman lasted about 6 years. Both needed much repair on a regular basis. Then I got a John Deere and my mowing headaches stopped. You get what you pay for! Spend the extra money and avoid the constant repair headaches. Cheers, Jim
Think about your needs when trying to choose a lawn mower. For example, is your grass long or short? Is your garden big or small? What type of grass do you have? Are you able to mow it all yourself? All of these questions will help you decide which type of lawn mower is best suited to you.
