Guest Cut the Grass Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 My son needs a new lawn tractor. He mows almost 2 1/2 acres and about twice a year a 35 acre pasture(he uses a pull behind thing with 3 mower decks to do that). About 5 years ago he bought a John Deere from Sears and it has always been a piece of junk(belts for mower deck keep falling off and breaking). They are on vacation now and I am going to buy them a new tractor before they get home in two weeks. Any suggestions on a good brand and location where to buy one. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlinclimo Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I think BTK might still have the Ford tractor he was selling, I saw it up there and it looks pretty nice. Its a solid machine thats for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Thanks, but I want to buy a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Buy a heard of goats they are cheaper to feed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 He actually wanted to do that last year but the little misses put a stop to that. Besides they already have enough critters to take care of(horses, rabbits, chickens, ducks,dogs and a cat). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tractor Man Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 First, do NOT buy a "lawn" tractor. They are made cheaper and are basically designed to mow small yards and fall apart in a couple of years. You will need at least a "garden" tractor. Oh, and new isn't always better. Trust me, new tractors have cheap axles, unless you start spending in the 6-7 thousand dollar range (you'll want a cast iron axle), they'll fall apart on you every couple of years. I just bought a 20 year old Wheel Horse 312-8 and it will easily outlast any new 4 thousand dollar John Deere. The torque is amazing, it could tow anything and climb any hill. A "lawn" tractor would be a waste of your money, unless you want to buy a new one every 3 years. So, to sum it up, I recommend a John Deere 240 or higher or a Wheel Horse like mine that I have described. And don't get hung up on having to buy a new one, you could save some serious money by buying something that was actually built like a tank, even if it is 20 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 My son needs a new lawn tractor. I bought mine at Home Depot and am very happy with it, as well as my grill, lawn mower, and trimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thegoose Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I think BTK might still have the Ford tractor he was selling, I saw it up there and it looks pretty nice. Its a solid machine thats for sure. I dont know how big of a tractor your looking for but joe signs equipment sells kioti tractors I buy all my stuff from joe he's A great guy to deal with look him up on the web for more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlinclimo Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Thanks, but I want to buy a new one.It was just a thought. I saw it up there and it looked pretty well taken care of and good size too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Junction Equipment Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 First, do NOT buy a "lawn" tractor. I agree with tractor man's concept, but would like to add the following: He is absolutely correct about the cheap lawn tractors. Especially if you are going to make a practice of pulling gang mowers. You need something with a real transmission. Be careful about the terms "lawn tractor" vs "garden tractor." The distinction is not as clear as it was even a few years ago. So be real careful. Just because Sears or Home Depot might call something a garden tractor, if you can buy it for $3,000 its probably not going to hold up in this application. Ask about after sale service. Before buying big box, check out Snyders, Endicott Tractor, Lindsleys, and there's a place out in Nineveh called Oliver's. Oh, and there's Junction Equipment. All are servicing dealers who will care about selling you the right machine. The only other comment is that 6-7 is a tad high. You can buy a new Wheelhorse Classic 315-8 with a 48" deck for roughly $5,300 plus tax. On the other hand, if money is no object, Dad, for around $9,000 you can buy junior a huge commercial Gravely zero turn. These things are so productive, he could probably sell the gang mowers and still save time. One last piece of advice. Sometimes surprises backfire. I try to advise gift givers to get the recipient involved in the selection. Tell him - "boy! I'm buying you a new mower. Let's go shoppin'." The father/son time will be good for you. Have fun. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I agree with tractor man's concept, but would like to add the following: He is absolutely correct about the cheap lawn tractors. Best answer yet. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 If it was me I'd be looking for a used JD. Some of the 316, 318's are the best they ever made. built like tanks. I have an 89 265 w/ 1200 hrs on it. No smoke from the engine and is a great machine. I use it mainly to mow but also haul some very heavy loads in a trialer. Also the 425 455 are great machine. But still used one's are 5K or more. New x500's and x700 are very pricey, but I think you get what you pay for. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I don't think as best as I can recall that Sears sold John Deere ----- Course John Deere "made" Scotts junky stuff but I don't think even they were sold in Sears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 If it was me I'd be looking for a used JD. Some of the 316, 318's are the best they ever made. built like tanks. I have an 89 265 w/ 1200 hrs on it. No smoke from the engine and is a great machine. I use it mainly to mow but also haul some very heavy loads in a trialer. Also the 425 455 are great machine. But still used one's are 5K or more. New x500's and x700 are very pricey, but I think you get what you pay for. Good luck. Actually before they bought the Deere from Sears they had a real old John Deere that his father in law gave them, it must have been 30+ years old when they got it. Frame finally rusted thru where the mower deck was attached. Still ran like a champ, the one from from Sears runs well also except for the mower deck belts, they will not stay on and the handy dandy servicce man from Sears can't seem to fix it. I may be wrong but I think the John Deere's that Sears sell are not the same as you get from a dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 What model Deere is they one with the belt problems? You could always take it to a Deere dealer to look at it. Might be a simple broken braket or just WAY outta sync. Ever level the deck? I agree with the above poster. I did not think sears ever sold JD. Home depot was the first and then lowes. But the one's they sell are all LX series. I hate to say it but they are cheaper frames, components and engine's. They are to sell to people with small lots that WANT a John Deere cause they are cool. Simplicity makes great garden tractors too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I did not think sears ever sold JD. I know he bought it from Sears, don't know the model. It says xxxxxxxx by John Deere on the side. He did take it to some dealer and they could not fix it either. @ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 It's probably a Sabre by John Deere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY Patriot Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 My son needs a new lawn tractor. He mows almost 2 1/2 acres and about twice a year a 35 acre pasture(he uses a pull behind thing with 3 mower decks to do that). Thats a waste of gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 It's probably a Sabre by John Deere. Bingo... that's the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Yeah, I hate to be mean but those are junk. Just like the one's they sell at HD and lowes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Yeah, I hate to be mean but those are junk. Just like the one's they sell at HD and lowes. You got that right. I figured I would buy him a new one while they are away on vacation before he tries using it again. I don't think he has ever finished mowing the lawn before something happens to the mower belt. I'm afraid he is going to drive it in front of a semi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underGod Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 First off, Sears tractors years ago were made by Murray, but only for a short time, then Poulan who is owned by Fridgid-Aire who is owned by MTD. Home Depot carried Scotts by John Deere from '98-'00 ( same as a Sabre ), then in '00 Home Depot was the 1st chain/retail store to get to sell J.D.s, in '05 Lowes started selling them, and they are not the LX series, rather the new L series. Both were decent machines for the money. The Cub Cadets that H.D. sells are a much more durable tractor for the price, cast iron front axles, Kohler motors, TRUE hydrostatic trannys, 11 guage decks, and a full 3yr front to back warranty, with the option of purchasing a 2 or 4 yr additional warranty, which brings coverage to 5 or 7 yrs. so I don't think you'll have problems dealing with after purchase claims. As for using a zero turn, most are made w/o a hitch so check on that, also only Cub i-series zero turns are the only one to be able to do hills. Think of this spend 3k @ HD for a cub GARDEN tractor, and have it last even 5 years ( VERY low guess ) or spend 6-8k on a "commercial" one and have it last 10yrs ( very low again)...whats the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Yeah, I hate to be mean but those are junk. Just like the one's they sell at HD and lowes. Junk? Are you serious? I am the person that posted earlier that I bought mine at Home Depot. I have had that tractor for approximately 4 years and have never had a single problem with it. I dont know which ones you are talking about but mine is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest country girl2 Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Yeah, I hate to be mean but those are junk. Just like the one's they sell at HD and lowes. Ok Fred, trying to get a sale away from your competitors huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I was just saying the true JD garden tractors are built better. You probably mow your yard. For that they are great. I mow my yard, plow my long driveway, Rototill my garden and haul cart after cart of mulch, firewood, rocks, etc.. It's almost 20 years old and runs like a top. I would never trade mine for one of the LX series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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