which garden tractor

[hay]

i've never owned what is called a 'garden tractor'. i always had a regular farm tractor for gardening and hay work, but in recent years my medical condition dictates that i 'downsize' my equipment and quit farming. therefore, i am looking for opinions on which brand of graden tractor would be the best value for the money and be able to mow about 2 acres of bahia grass and plow,disk,cultivate and back blade a garden of about 4000 sq ft. any ideas appreciated.

 

[Boyd in Mn]

Ingersoll. It will be the last garden tractor you will ever need. Built like a tank. You can get a 3pt hitch on it and do all kinds of stuff a small farm tractor does. Not cheap, but as they say, you get what you pay for. They will be releasing a subcompact 4400 series within the next year. It will be a little bit bigger than their current 4000/4200 series tractors.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have to agree, the Ingersoll line is one of the best. I have owned a '78 model for about 10 yrs and I have had to do very little maint (other than change oil etc). I don't have a 3pt but I do use a sleeve hitch to plow my garden. I also use it to mow about 1.25 acres. One suggestion if looking at these is to get the large wheel model. And don't be afraid to buy used. As I mentioned above, mine was 20 yrs old when I bought it and it still runs like a champ.