OT- Lawn Tractor/Mower

[gahorN]

Consumer Reports lists a Craftsman Lawn tractor with 46" cut-swatch, 21 hp B&S engine, and a hydrostatic tranny as a Best Buy at $1400-$1500.

They also listed a JD model LA115 as a "recommended" buy.

Troy Built (Lowes) w/17.5 hp, 42" swath, and trailer-cart is only $999.

Consumer Reports did not mention this model/deal.

Opinions? (I'm particularly curious about the hydrostatic transmission. Is that really a big deal? and will it likely be a maintenance problem?)

Thanks.

 

[35thLE]

Welp, I added a JD LA145 (and I looked at the JD 115's and the Craftsman's) to the finish mowing stable last week..... Knew I wanted to rebuild the N this summer (just rings and pistons) so I needed something to fill-in round the house and mow a few acres in the meantime. Did the Home Depot thing (they were offering the cart for free "online only" and so was Lowes) so i went in and swung the deal "locally" (used the Online vs. Lowes vs. tax rate vs. delivery vs. JD online free delivery vs. want to make the sale? until they caved)....... Got the tractor and the ($200 dump cart) for 1700 out the door (and a full tank of gas "only 4 gallons but hey!").... Quite an upgrade from the LA115, 22 HP Vtwin and electronic PTO engage (right under the crankshaft and bigger crankshaft on the engine). The mower wash port seems interesting but haven't used it yet. Oh, and free hat! - lol

Would have liked to moved up to the 300 series but wasn't even gonna spend that kind of money! (The N can do that work!)

LA145
22-hp V-Twin engine (setup included)
48-in. Edge (TM) Cutting System; electronic blade engagement; Hydro/automatic drive- transmission; cruise control;

LA115
19.5-hp single-cylinder engine (setup included)
42-in. Edge (TM) Cutting System; Hydro/automatic drive- transmission; hourmeter standard;

So far it goes up and down the crazy hills I have no problem, Cuts anything I have taken it over and even Pulled the N from the barn into the garage (because I poked the radiator "don't ask - lol") uphill (coulda used something else but I was playing/testing).

As far as the "hydrostatic trans" it's been my "limited experience if you don't overwork them they do ok" and as far as ease of use, can't be beat....

One thing that has been good with the unit is if you unplug the weight sensor under the seat, the kids can drive it and the PTO won't engage (a little safer) and you can get off the tractor without it stopping with the parking brake disengaged (rule breaker!). Course you need to replug (takes 2 seconds) "or rewire of course" to use the mower.

It been pretty nice if you just need to move or tow something to just sit down, turn the key and press a foot pedal to get r done.... no regrets at this point, time will tell and I can't speak to the maintenance. Hauled around and planted 114 trees and all the supplies. Has 2 cup holders and cruise control, maybe I'm havin too much fun - lol .... ain't no real tractor though....

 

[safetyfast]

Rather than buy a store brand tractor from one of the big boxes, I would go take a look at a dealer for Simplicity, JD, etc. You might be surprised at how competitive they will be and the service will be much better. I have a Simplicity lawn tractor that is about 30 years old with a hydro transmission. I've never had to touch the transmission and I've only done minor repairs to it otherwise. When it came time to move to a larger mower, I told the dealer what I wanted, that I couldn't afford a new one, and asked them to keep and eye out for a good used one. A few weeks later they called. A guy decided the Simplicity ZTR he had bought was too big for him. The mower was only a year old, had less than 100 hours and he had already changed the oil on it twice, and it looked brand new. I scooped it up for less than I would have paid for chinese junk at the big box store.

 

[oldtanker]

Lawn tractors are for mowing and light cart work only. The exception is a self powered towed tiller. Most of the inexpensive ones with hydros use a non user service tranny and in fact some small engine shops will not work on them, replace only.

On the other hand I have 2 Hydro tractors from yesteryear. One is a 1976 12HP that mows 5 acres every week in season, has plowed the garden (1 Acre) and blown snow on an 1/8 mile farm drive untill last year for about 10 years now. It got retired from blowing snow last year when I got a 1206 International and 8' blower and from garden work 4 years ago when I got the bigger hydro garden tractor. I have rebuilt the engine but only change the oil and filter in the tranny. The other garden tractor that I got 4 years ago is a beast with hydro lift and cat 0 3 point. It got retired this year in favor of an 8N. I have dozed a lot of dirt with it. Plowed garden and done other heavy work. It is a 1974.

Total cost for the first with mower deck and blower. $150. The larger one was $400 bare back. Cost of adding the blade, $50, plow $100, cultivator, $125 and 12' boom sprayer about $250.

Consumer report only reports on whats new and really can't track long term preformance. I know of lots of the "cheap" tractors that have lasted for years only as a mower and less than one season when really worked. Seems the weak point is the tranny, both manual and hydro. Some of the hydros will not even handle hilly ground or heavy grass. Basically you have to buy to fit your needs. Keep in mind that if you go with the box store tractor they do not service what they sell. Here the local major brand dealer will tell you to your face if you got yours from a box store that it stays at the end of the line behind units in for repair that he sold. His prices are between 100 and 250 over box store prices but he really knows how to take care of his customers. I got my chainsaw, push mower and weed eater from him. I got the chainsaw serviced last week as a walkin while I waited. I watched em work on it, took about 15 min. Turned in a chain to get sharpened, cost 2 bucks less than normal because I got the saw from them.

Rick

 

[TheOldHokie]

You want a hydrostat - period. My guess is the Craftsman is a rebadged MTD avaialable under a variety of names and my recent experiences with MTD aka Cub Cadet have not been good. I recently decided the time had come for a good lawn tractor - wound up with a 2 year old (90 hours) Kubota G2460 - all the bells and whistles - paid $5000 for it. It"s a 3 cyl gasser and the motor is basically one of their 3 cyl diesels converted to run on gasoline - not an overgrown vertical shaft lawn mowere motor. All shaft drive and a joy to run.

Because of my hills what I really wanted was one of their sub-compact 4wd diesel tractors with a belly mower and no loader. That combo is rarer than hens teeth.

And if you REALLY need to mow the ZD series zero turns are unmatched - bring your wallet....

TOH

 

[Dean]

Lawn tractor transmissions, like lawn tractor engines, are throw away devices. Assuming reasonable maintenance, one can expect reasonable life. It is usually not cost effective to perform much major repair work to either.

That said, for mowing duty, a hydrostatic transmission is a desireable convenience. Considering the cost differential, I would recommend buying a hydro for most mowing duties.

I make purchasing decisions largely upon the basis of initial purchase price and repair parts availability.

In my opinion, Consumer Reports has sacrificed credibility for political correctness. Their opinions do not affect my buying decisions except in very rare circumstances.

Dean

 

[Dean]

I agree.

ZT mowers are not well suited to mowing steep areas due to inability to hold on hills.

I have some very steep areas that were once even a bit difficult to mow with a self-propelled walk benind mower.

I use a Kubota B1750HSD with bi-speed turn and 60" belley mower. I consider it the ideal solution for my grounds, and, unlike a ZT mower, it is also suitable for other tasks such as plowing snow.

Dean

 

[TennesseeMan]

I bought a Cub Cadet 1330 back in 93, still running today. I have never had any problems with the Hyrostat. We have a worthless MTD factory about 25 miles from here. They build the Troy Bilts. Just an MTD mower with a different color & name.

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 08:33:44 04/15/10) I agree.

ZT mowers are not well suited to mowing steep areas due to inability to hold on hills.

I have some very steep areas that were once even a bit difficult to mow with a self-propelled walk benind mower.

I use a Kubota B1750HSD with bi-speed turn and 60" belley mower. I consider it the ideal solution for my grounds, and, unlike a ZT mower, it is also suitable for other tasks such as plowing snow.

Dean

Now that's a garden tractor - bit larger than the BX series I had in mind - but still very nimble - the Kubota decks cut beautifully.

My neighbor bought a new CC M60 ZTR about three years ago - good solid commercial grade mower and I think he paid about $7K for it. Much to my surprise it handles the hillside very well and even plows snow reasonably well. This last biggie I busted us both out with my Kubby and FEL - he followed behind cleaning up. Worked out great - he couldn't make a dent in the 2' stuff but was way faster than me once I got it down to a manageable 8-10".

TOH

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a "Craftsman" 18 hsp. tractor with mower deck that I completely re-painted. Had to replace the pulleys under the frame, though.

The older equipment is much better quality than the new stuff, outthere in the $1,500.00-$2000.00 range.

The hydro-tranny is the way to go. This tractor was manufactured 1985 by the American Yard Products Corp. Parts no problem to get. Have to go thru a wholesale supply house, though. The Briggs Engine parts can be purchased thru any dealer.

I pull 1000 lawn roller while mowing. I wouldn;t trade this equipment for anything that costs under $5,000.00 price range.

Trouble is, the Craftsman has no dollar value in todays market. So, like everything else I own, not worth nothing, except for JUNK! John,PA

 

[R Geiger]

I have a 18 HP 46" mower with a hydrostatic drive. I bought it in 1994 and have had only minor problems. the hydrostatic unit does leak a bit and every couple of years I have to add oil to it.

 

[Kevin Singleton]

I have the LA 115, to fill in between the 8N and the push mower, and it does well, except it scalps at even the highest setting. The wife likes to get out and mow with it, so I'm happy to let her. I couldn't justify spending more money than that on a tool I dislike using.

You may have to chase them down to get the hat. It took over 6 months, and a couple of phone calls to get mine!

Njoy your green and yellow machine!
My 8N

 

[Anonymous-0]

My story..bought a Sears riding mower 4 about $2200 maybe 5 yrs ago, had a 24hp B&S engine that throwed a rod or ?, with less than 50 hrs running time recored on the Hobbs meter and the tractor was less than 3 yrs old, luckly it was under warrentee and Sears replaced it for free. The Sears Repairman was of the opinion that Sears/B&S was getting the engines built cheaply in the Far East, was better $$$ wise to cheapen up the product and replace the failed engines under warrentte than build a good product to start with, so thats what was being done! surprise surprise, why should I be shocked! anyway, Sears installed a new B&S 26 HP engine as a replacement, the new engine has about 75 Hours on it and is using oil and intermittently blows out/exhausts white smoke! I'm not happy with Sears or B&S....be careful what you buy....Two engines in a row with less than 100 hrs on each, I treat my stuff good, check the oil on time etc,etc....I expect to be buying a replacement engine in the near future..but it won't be a B&S!

 

[Mike35]

My experience: When my lovely bride and I got married, I yes she is lovely, 16 years ago we decided to get a rider for the yard. 1.5 acres and rougher than a plowed feild our little Lowe's brand, 14/42 has performed flawlessly. Just a cheap mower ($999 if I remember) with the 14 hp I/C B&S. It doesn't smoke. starts everytime. Its been one heck of a mower.

Now onto Dad's mower. Has a troy-bilt 42" w/ a 21 hp dual cylinder B&S. Now I'm not sayin its a bad mower nbut why in the world do you need 21 horsies just to cut the grass? You have to run the thing at full throttle just to get a decent cut at the highest setting. Heck I can get a better cut and go faster with the old Lowes mower running at a hair over half throttle. Its just something that don't make a lot of sense to me. Now he also has a '69 Cub 125 (12 hp/ 48" deck). Now THAT is a mower, heaviest hydro I have ever seen on a lawn tractor, I doubt that I will ever wear it out.

Now with all that said, I believe that I wouldn't be scared of the troy bilt you mentioned for $999. Change the oil twice a season, keep the blades SHARP, cut your grass at least 3.5 inches , and don't run it wide the heck open, you should get quite a few years out of it. Good Luck

 

[gahorN]

Well...I have found out a bit more since I first asked. (and
Thank ALL of you for your replies.... they're very helpful).

I've found out that : Brands such as John Deere usually rank higher in reviews for performance, and they have better average repair records. Another company, American Yard Products (AYD), which is owned by Husqvarna, makes lawn tractors branded as Craftsman, Husqvarna or Poulan; these models usually rank about the middle. MTD brands generally fare the worst for reliability; these include Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, White, Yard-Man and Yard Machines. Toro also outsources its residential lawn tractors to MTD.

Still trying to "edumacate" myself. Keep posting info if you have it.... :wink:

 

[NoNewParts]

gahorN,
had a few Craftsman low budget jobs over the years for
mowing only. Engines and trannys held up well.
If you decide on a cheap one, pay close attention to
the front axle. The cheap ones usually have a stamped tin axle,
pivoting in a stamped tin frame. Every one I had eventually broke there.
Moving up in price will get you a cast axle, but the frame is still too thin,
and it cracks. It was hard to weld a patch without burning through
The tin axles get sloppy fast, and when they get fore and aft movement,
the front tire will hit the mower deck on sharp turns.
All that said, mine lasted a very long time, and I got my moneys worth.

As for hydros, I only own one, on my modern loader tractor and
it's Great! noisy though

 

[gahorN]

THANKS "nonewparts"...that's good info. I've read similar comments elsewhere.
It turns out the CU "Best Buy" model is the Craftsman YT3000 with a 46" cut and a 21 hp B&S 1-cyl gas, hydro-trans. It has a cast-iron front axle, 11-ga frame and 13-ga deck, which is heavier than the rest of the cheapos.
Product reviews by owners seem to be generally prideful, and complaints seem rare, although one buyer sent it back after 20 mins when it suffered a catastrophic engine failure for unknown reasons, and another complained that his wasn't properly set-up by the store personnel. The latter was particularly critical of Sears policy of allowing local store mgr's to determine the conditions of returns and whether or not a "restocking" fee will apply. He felt that should be determined at the corporate-level with a universal, written policy.
I have to admit that concerns me.

I've gone ahead and paid them for one ($1515 out the door...they want $50 to deliver) :evil:

I would buy one of the JD's from the local tractor dealer if it weren't essentially the same tractor with $300 higher price tag. For $300 I could buy an in-home Sears service contract/extended warranty.... and that seems to be the essential-difference: If you buy the almost identical RED version of this lawn tractor you will not be charged-for, nor get the 3 year no questions asked warranty the GREEN version comes with at $300 higher price. So, I've decided to take my chances with the red one...at least the parts are warranted for 2 yrs...just no labor after the initial period.

I'll let you know my initial experience with it on Monday when pick it up. I'll be dammed if I'm going to pay delivery charges.

 

[gahorN]

Picked it up today and tried it out. Here's my opinion on the Sears Craftsman Mod 98924:
The store-personnel failed to "prep" the thing properly claiming they were "out of gas", and so I had the mixed blessing of seeing how it starts straight out-of-the box. It cranked about3 seconds and fired right up, and ran smooth after about 10 seconds. Subsequent starts are quick and positive, even with the throttle at idle.

The steering wheel was not installed properly aligned with the front wheels. This is also a store-personnel issue. (The steering wheel and the plastic clippings-discharge chute are the only things the store must accomplish when removing it from the crate.) I removed/reset it on it's spindle without difficulty.

It cuts really high grass (full-knee-high, thick KR-bluestem and Johnson) without any loading-down of the engine at all, although to get a really even-cut req'd a second pass. The thing does have some vibration to it, but I've never owned a lawn-tractor previously so I don't have a comparison. After 5 minutes or so acclimation ...I didn't find it objectionable.

I expected all the safety-switches to irritate me and planned to disable them, but after using the mower, I found them not objectionable, and they are well thought-out. (You must be in the seat for the engine to run, unless the parking brake is set and the PTO disengaged.) It will not cut in reverse unless the ign-key is placed in a particular detent (ROS - Reverse Operating System) between "run" and "off". It's not objectionable, as when in that position it will cut both fwd AND reverse. I simply start it, and after releasing the key from the start position, I rotate it to the ROS position and leave it there.

I don't like the headlights. They are nothing more than 1156 automotive lamps that give a general "glow" out front in the dark, and are fed by the "alternator" coils, which means the engine must be running to have lighting. I'd prefer some PAR36 lamps, wired straight to the battery w/a switch. The manual states that the charging circuit is only 3A and the lighting circuit is 5A capability. If true, then the "alternator" hasn't got much oomph to keep a battery charged if the lights are re-routed to the battery, so I doubt I'll do that.

Although it's similar to other makes/models in this regard, I don't particularly care for the "hood" method of attachment. It is not latched-down properly...it merely rests in position. This one is sheet metal with plastic inserts. (Other brands had entirely plastic hoods, something I didn't care for, although they will probably withstand bumps/bruises better, I expect the sheet metal to be more "poundable" when I want to try my hand at body-work following collisions with trees and fences. It's why I bought the bumper mentioned below.)

The transmission works nicely, although it is a bit "abrupt" when shifting from fwd-to-rev-and-back w/ the engine on governed speed (3600 rpm.)

The engine is fairly quiet...most of the noise comes from the mower-deck when it is engage. If just running the tractor without the PTO engaged it's a quiet machine.

It turns really tight, about 16-18 inch radius. The seat is comfortable, adjustable, and has good back support. The tractor is easy to mount/dismount with a wide step-thru area when the seat is adjusted for my "successful-look" size.

The factory set-up has the mower deck too low for my purposes and I suspect for everyone else, too. I had to completely reset the guard-wheels and will probably reset the entire deck height UP a bit. As delivered, it has a cut-height range of 1 to 4 inches, and that's too low for my purposes. (I don't have a manicured lawn... my "grass" is native grasses, and my lawn is not rough, but neither is it "smooth".

The tires were over-inflated on delivery....they were set at a "hard" 22 lbs, and the manual calls for 12-14 lbs. It made a noticeable improvement in the ride when I lowered the tire pressure to specification.

I bought their dual-tube, front bumper and found their accompanying hardware kit deficient. They have an overabundance of bolts and nuts, and insufficient washers. I had to add a dozen 5/16" galvanized washers, and rejected the carriage-bolts suggested for this model tractor and used the grade 8 5/16" bolts included/intended for a different model tractor, which made a much better fit.

Over-all... at $1399 plus tax, I agree this is a good buy for a lawn tractor. I plan to add a hour meter (wiring provisions already included in the harness.)

Again, I'm pleasantly surprised it can cut grass as high as my neglected back area was. I hope it's a durable machine. It appears to be as well built as machines costing $500 to $1000 more (cast iron front axle, etc.)

I believe Sears has a virtually identical model (except 42" instead of 46" cut...an insignificant amount) with a Kohler engine priced only slightly more.

 

[NoNewParts]

gahorN,
sounds like a nice machine
My last one, they also had way too much air in the tires-30lbs!?!?
I ran 10-12 lbs and just cut a notch higher.
Those hard plastic bumpers under the rear of the hood
will vibrate off quickly. I glued a bunch of dense foam bumpers
under mine to make sure I had no hood-cowl rubbing.(stopped the hood from buzzing too)
My tranny/clutch also was very abrupt when new. It smoothed out after awhile.
The PTO engagement was always abrupt though. I usually lowered the rpm's
to engage, then spun the motor up. Craftsman said it wouldn't hurt nothing
to engage at mowing rpm, but ya know....
Mowing only, they last. (I had a $799 one that lasted 13 years with my very rough son doing the mowing)
If you have work only a small tractor can do, pick up an old, cheap
Kohler powered, dual-range axled Wheel Horse garden tractor, and save
your Craftsman for mowing.
The last new Craftsman I had a few years ago worked well, but another N came along I just had
to have.........and the guy needed a mower.......
Around my house and shop, I now have to push mow...

 

[gahorN]

(quoted from post at 23:30:41 04/19/10) Picked it up today and tried it out. Here's my opinion on the Sears Craftsman Mod 98924: ....

I need to corret a typo... it's a model [b:209296fd04]28924[/b:209296fd04] (or as Craftsman calls it, a 917.289244 don't know where they get that last "4" as no one else recognizes it .)

Just wanted to make certain anyone looking for Conumer Reports "Best Buy" model wasn't confused by my typo.