when it rains it pours !!!

so my l130 John Deere finally after 13 years finally took a crap ... what do you guys suggest for the best bang for the buck lawn mower ? im mowing about 3-4 acres of grass

Toro ! 60 " cut

some goats

Cows and when the grass is gone eat the cows

That tractor should have never had a John Deere badge on it. I cant believe that one of the most respected tractor manufacturers caved into the pressure of cheap mowers.

if you had that Dear for 13 years that should tell you something

if you had that Dear for 13 years that should tell you something

Kabota, the last one you will ever need. Mine is a 1990 , i've mowed 7acres for 20 yrs and only replaced battery and water pump.

I can't really bad mouth John Deer as I have had one that has mowed several different yards besides my own for 17 years and still runs and mowes not to mention pulling cars in and out of my shop . 155 John Deer.

But I also have two zero turn Toros that are far better than any John deer of equal size.

Dixie Chopper..... Last mower you will ever buy providing you maintain it properly.

bruno wrote:so my l130 John Deere finally after 13 years finally took a crap ... what do you guys suggest for the best bang for the buck lawn mower ?  im mowing about 3-4 acres of grass

Smoke 1/2 acres of it and sell the rest or just sell hay.

Exmark!

enough HP?

buy a tractor and a good bush hog for a Lawn Mower Kubota, Dixie Chopper, John Deere for zero turn stay away from the Grass Hopper. If you buy another John Deere go to the tractor dealer the ones they carry are better than the chain store ones. From what I was told by a guy here that worked at the John Deere Dealer here said I know the decks are thicker on the ones at the dealer than the ones at Lowes.

Ford 8n just can't beat it mine has a bucket on front also just wish it had a belly mower

I have been using a LX280 for the last 14 years and still going strong. It has started getting a little long in the tooth though. I've started looking at Zero turns and narrowed down to two models. 60" Dixie Chooper "Clasic" or a Kubota 60" diesel. I like everything about the Dixie Chopper: real hydraulic drive system, and everything is easy to service. The Kabota is a Hydrostatic drive, hydraulic deck, direct drive deck and seat is lower to the ground. Both have something's I like and dislike.

gmsmkr wrote:Ford 8n just can't beat it mine has a bucket on front also just wish it had a belly mower

X2 if you can find a nice one for the right price the old timers are damn near bullet proof!

I had a 69 Oliver 550 I beat in for years.

I like the old air cooled Deutz-Fahr tractors. The one we use is a four cylinder and each cylinder is independent from the other, just like a VW engine except it a inline engine. All you have to do is make sure there is nothing hampering air flow.

move into a condo ,they have kitchens ! And you'll feel like a high roller!! No grass to mow either!! You don't need a garage...you don't have a racecar!!

johndickjr wrote:some goats

^ This or

John Myrick wrote:Cows and when the grass is gone eat the cows

^ This


A quality Zero Turn or a small tractor with a finishing mower under the belly or better, on the back with the 3 point hitch.

From what I've seen you have to step way up in price range to get a big improvemnt over the $1600 to $2200 mowers. They're pretty much the same machine, as in...except for paint color and placement of a couple of controls, A Poulan is a Cub Cadet is a Husqvarna is a John Deere is a Craftsman is a .......

maverick wrote:From what I've seen you have to step way up in price range to get a big improvemnt over the $1600 to $2200 mowers.  They're pretty much the same machine, as in...except for paint color and placement of a couple of controls, A Poulan is a Cub Cadet is a Husqvarna is a John Deere is a Craftsman is a .......

Kim I have the biggest Craftsman lawn/garden they make or did I think mine is a 05 model it has the 26hp 54in cut it was made by Husqvarna the smaller ones is was made by MTD/Murray Tractor Division.

69F100 wrote:

maverick wrote:From what I've seen you have to step way up in price range to get a big improvemnt over the $1600 to $2200 mowers.  They're pretty much the same machine, as in...except for paint color and placement of a couple of controls, A Poulan is a Cub Cadet is a Husqvarna is a John Deere is a Craftsman is a .......

Kim I have the biggest Craftsman lawn/garden they make or did  I think mine is a 05 model it has the 26hp 54in cut it was made by Husqvarna the smaller ones is was made by MTD/Murray Tractor Division.  

and they all use pretty much the same deck. A friend tossed the deck belt off his Husky and called me for help. I had a belt hanging on the wall for my Poulan. Went to his place and used my belt and routing schematic to replace his. Close examination revealed color as the only difference. Have since looked at Cubs, Deeres, etc.....same deck. Also, the hydrostatic stuff all seem to use the same pump/drive system.

With 4 acres to cut you need a decent sized machine, the box store cookie cutter machines just aren't cut out for that kind if duty IMO.

Id be looking at commercial grade machines or small farm tractors like Kabota.

There are a lot of good small tractors build by JD, but you wont find them at Lowes or Home Depot and they wont have a Briggs engine.