Anyone have any suggestions/problems with specific brands they'd care to share? I'm interested in the 2003 - 2004 model Troy-bilt models carried at Lowe's and the Craftsman models at Sears; 18.5 Hp, preferably automatic transmission but I'd like to hear from the gear-jockeys, too. Thanks.
Hydrostatic transmissions are the way to go, especially if you have obstacles to go around. I've used both types and I can tell you I will never go back to shifting gears.
Check out Home Depot too, I got my 12hp Scotts several years ago and still running strong. I think there made by John Deere? and get the automatic, I cant imagine having to shift gears
For your reference I've been running my 12.5 HP Deere ride-on (RX 95) for 17 years, and in Florida we mow all year long !!
Last year I traded in my John Deere for a Dixon 4515 ZTR. I can't say enough about how great it is. I would have liked a Grasshopper or Exmark, but they were $7000.
Not sure what you're looking to pay. My Dixon was $4200 with the mulching kit. My John Deere had cost the same, but that was with a bagger and PowerFlo.
Anyway, my mowing time went from 4 hours to 1 1/2 hours for just under
2 acres. And I have to do zero push mowing, the Dixon gets right down in the ditch areas with no problems.new lurker wants info on your Dixons' mulching kit. Was that a clipping bagging system? I have1 acre and 38 mature oak trees that are prolific leaf droppers and am considering moving up from my 12 year old Murray 42' Thnx ted
No, it doesn't bag. The kit consists of mulching blades and a baffle. But I can tell you it does a great job mulching.
I have a locust tree that drops pods. Anyone who knows these pods knows how tough and hard they are.
I didn't want to shell out for a lawn sweeper, so I decided I'd try mulching them. Ground them to fine powder.
If you're mechanically inclined you could find yourself an older Deere 200 series. Depending on what you want to do, a 212/214/216 would be a good choice. These things are near bullet proof and had an assortment of attachments. You could get one of these with a deck, snowthrower or tiller for a pretty decent sum, and much less than new would cost. These things have a huge following, so there is repair/restoration info galore!
I have a 212 I got for free. It had been sitting under a deck for about 12 years. I cleaned out the tank, put in some fresh gas, poured a little Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinder, turned the engine over by hand a few times and it fired right up. Had to rebuild the carb before putting it into service and I also repainted it.
That was 6 years ago and it is still cranking along. It is a serious work tractor and I've added things like weights and ag tires, and will soon be adding hydraulics. Also have aquired a snowthrower for it and a blade. Been working on finding a tiller.
Like I say, you should be pretty good with a wrench if you want to own one of these, but they are real workhorses if you are inclined to fix one up.
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