Our house is perched on a sloping hill. The yard is fairly large and has some mushy spots (spring fed when the water table is up). I have been researching small residential riding tractor mowers (not interested in zero turn mower).John Deere seems to be the popular suburbanite mower although big box store vs John Deere dealer quality issues abound. We would like a compact mower that efficiently bags clippings,has limited slip (for mushy spots)and will not be in the shop every time we turn around. Husquvarna,Cub Cadet, Craftsman,etc all have pros and cons. They all have negative /positive reviews. The primary user would be my wife,so simplicity, safety and ease of use is important.. Willing to spend upwards of 2-3 thousand bucks for a good machine. Any recommendations,hints or advice would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Most of the mowers are made by MTD. I have a 20 year old JD that has given great service. Finding something with limited slip will be difficult.
I've had my Craftsman 54" triple bagger for close to 12 years or so. Nice machine, I do keep it well maintained!
Cub cadet, zero turn with steering wheel, so when you take a drink of your beverage you don’t go in circles. 54” cut with twin cylinders
Buy a used Deere. Not one from Home Depot. The best deals out there are the JD 345. The early ones had issues with the cam timing gear stripping out and so people are scared to death of them and practically give them away but if you’re handy enough to fix it you’ll have a really nice mower for a couple grand.
Small & limited slip & able to climb grade...not happening. I got frustrated with my craftsman after 3 passes up a steep grade the hydrogear losses umpf and I sit full throttle going nowhere. Recon'd the hydrogear, nothing wrong - new pump, fresh fluid etc. Put in a sleeve to get a limited slip same performance (actually a little worse with limited slip). 3 passes and its worthless unless on flat ground. Now I use a 20+ year old Ariens with 30" deck & 10HP Briggs& Strat - I wanted something with direct drive and not hydraulic. I could add a catcher but haven't yet. Its fast, its fun, its not "as safe". I need to add a "limit slip" to it but its rare I need it since it is lighter and more nimble. Edit - The Ariens will pull my 20' flat bed trailer dry and this is when it needs the limited slip. The Crapsman - good luck. Maybe others have had better luck with the hydrogear...but I certainly haven't and I see neighbors using hydrogear tractors putzing up and down along their sloped yards while I am long done and drinking tea on my porch. Edit again: This is also the mower I converted to propane. I recommend something of this size.
I use a John Deere 140 hydrostatic drive with 47” deck. I use ag style tires with wheel weights. It has a brake pedal for each rear wheel. Whenever the tractor is in a place that it will spin one tire, I apply the brake for the wheel that is spinning and it will continue on its way. This is what it looks like in parade mode, but these are the tires that I use when mowing.
I have a John Deere X534 with 4 wheel steering I bought it about 3-4 years ago. It has Positraction with both back tires when you push on a pedal on the left side. This tractor is considered a Garden tractor, It weighs 800 lbs. Tractor cost was 7 grand. The 700 series line of tractors was real nice too but they are bigger and you start to step up to a tractor above the "Garden Tractor" that I have with the X534. The 700 series tractor is about 12 grand. When I push on the posi pedal it pulls me right out of the muddy areas. BUT, I did get stuck a couple of times and the posi did not pull me out. What happened is the tractor just simply sank in the mud from the weight of the tractor. We had a boatload of rain this year more than at any time in the past. The rear tires on the 500 series tractors have a larger rear set of tires and 2 different styles of tread than what is on the store bought tractors. The John Deere dealer has better tractors than the stores do Those tractors are considered "Lawn Tractors" In other areas where the tractor did not sink the posi pedal got me out of a jam several times too. I bought a plow for it and put chains on it and plowed 6 inches of snow with it easily The Posi worked good there too. There are 2 different styles of tires you can get for it too as I have seen this on the newer ones at the John Deere dealer. I mow about 3 acres with this mower and it has a 54 inch deck on it. I go up a hill with it too gets right up with out the posi.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-States-304-14-14-Inch-Wide-5-Blade-Reel-Lawn-Mower/34118428 Saw these at Walmart, brought back memories! Amazed they still make them.
I remember years ago I bought a small riding mower from Home Depot. I tried to mow with it once and took it back. I have too many slopes and things to go around. Forget turning around on a hill. I have a exmark commercial walk behind. I'm not sure how to hurt this thing.
I too am looking for a new mower so I will be following this one. I have a small but steep yard. Haven't found one yet that will pull itself up the slope. I wind up just pushing a little less than with a old fashioned push mower.
That's a bad boy mower right there, 4 wheel steering. Probably as good as it gets without zero turn....
Old School Lawn tractors. Thing of the past. Yes we and me have them . But zero turns will be the future. Besides times have changed . Who has time to cut the grass. I do but . I can’t afford to pay someone to cut 2 acres. I love my JD 455. But try to buy one new. $ 16,000. Maybe more. Replaced all my bearings and Belts. $ 800. plus the gear drive. I believe Dyna mark makes all the Home depot tractors The John Deere Cub Cadet and Craftsmen. All made under one roof.
