[Agent Smith]

the area i mow is approximately 1.5 acres, mostly flat, a small portion with somewhat of a grade. i'm looking for lawn tractors with gear transmissions. the ideal choice for me would be a garden tractor, but, due to funds having to go to other places right now, i can't/won't afford one. aside from mowing, i'll use it for hauling wood, and occasional tiller use (forward rotation) and those are the reasons i'm looking for a gear transmission... i've seen hydrostatic transmissions (in my price range) give out in similar conditions.

i'm having trouble finding them without hydrostatic transmissions, and the two i've found are the john deere d100 (looks like the la105 is no longer made) and craftsman 25022 - 21hp 42" deck. these appear to be similar with a power difference. is one of these more robust than the other? any other suggestions that fit the critera and $1500 or less? thanks.

 

[tractorboss14]

Those mowers, manual or hydrostatic, would quickly wear out doing does kind of jobs. I would be looking at a well maintained used garden tractor.

 

[Agent Smith]

Those mowers, manual or hydrostatic, would quickly wear out doing does kind of jobs. I would be looking at a well maintained used garden tractor.

the well maintained part has been my quandry... i have one (not well maintained before) and it's just been so time consuming, and costly. i can't find anything that seems to fit the bill that's not over budget.
are these transmissions not what they used to be? i remember doing everything with a 12.5 hp craftsman my dad had years ago. it did all i want to do now and more, and never skipped a beat.

i can parcel the wood out so it's not heavy loads... i've been moving it by wheel barrow lately, and i never got the idea the forward rotation tiller caused too much of an issue, since it's pulling in the same direction... but, of course i'm as amateur as they come. i do proper maintenance though, and was a mechanic (cars/trucks) so i know not to neglect whatever i have. not trying to justify any specific mower contrary to any advice i'm given, just giving a little more background and details.

edit: i have to get a new mower, so even if i have to limit my uses, and come up with more creative ways to do things i need to do, i'll do that... call me old fashioned, but i'd still prefer a manual, and any input on current models.

 

[PA318Guy]

Flat level lot with ability to limit the amount of hauling I would think a JD 1xx series or Cub Cadet 1xxx series or equivalent Husquvarna or other box store brand would do the job. You will find on here that we normally will recommend going up a series though because most users end up doing more on their LT's than originally planned.

 

[mrbeef]

the well maintained part has been my quandry... i have one (not well maintained before) and it's just been so time consuming, and costly. i can't find anything that seems to fit the bill that's not over budget.
are these transmissions not what they used to be? i remember doing everything with a 12.5 hp craftsman my dad had years ago. it did all i want to do now and more, and never skipped a beat.

i can parcel the wood out so it's not heavy loads... i've been moving it by wheel barrow lately, and i never got the idea the forward rotation tiller caused too much of an issue, since it's pulling in the same direction... but, of course i'm as amateur as they come. i do proper maintenance though, and was a mechanic (cars/trucks) so i know not to neglect whatever i have. not trying to justify any specific mower contrary to any advice i'm given, just giving a little more background and details.

edit: i have to get a new mower, so even if i have to limit my uses, and come up with more creative ways to do things i need to do, i'll do that... call me old fashioned, but i'd still prefer a manual, and any input on current models.

Your situation is actually represents a lot of folks. I would say if you are looking at the D or LA series of Deere you might want to think hard about moving wood with it, even small loads. Not that there is anything wrong with doing it occasionally, but it sounds like this would be regular use for the tractor. The D and LA Deeres are built for mowing and they do a great job at just that. Much like tractorboss said, anything machine in that area is going to have the same issues, geared or not.

Hydrostatic transmissions have been around for a long time and you get what you pay for. As an example, the pump and differential in the 318, 322, 332, 420, 430 series Deeres just does not fail with any frequency. The last one of these tractors rolled off the assembly line over 20 years ago.

If you are really just shopping for a mower maybe you could find a used LA Deere and then buy an old garden tractor (Deere 200 series) for pulling wood. Just a thought.

 

[Agent Smith]

thanks for the advice guys. question about the craftsman mowers, are the black models made by mtd and red by ayp? also, are there any other manual transmission models in the same price range as these? call me old fashioned, i still have a flip phone too. are the john deere 100 series made by mtd like the sabre models? i may just take the deck off the one i have now, and turn it into a project utility tractor and put a different power plant on it.

 

[tractorboss14]

As far as I know, all craftsman tractors are Husqvarna built. AYP stopped building them in 2006. The John Deere 100's are built by John Deere:thThumbsU

 

[NoTime]

I could be wrong, but I thought Sears went from all Husqvarna to a mix with MTD a few years back. (And most notibly the high-end Simplicity GT last year). But I thought some of the lower end models were MTD, too.

 

[Agent Smith]

are husqvarna and ayp not still one in the same?

 

[DonF]

Near as I can find out Husqvarna makes American Yard Products. They were both owned by Electrolux at one time. Near as I can find Husqvarna is privately owned but by who it doesn't say. Could be that Electrolux still owns both.

 

[blackbri]

you might find a 140 john deere on ebay or craigs lists for around 700. or less or one of the later 300 series for a little more and then you could do all that you want with one, still cheaper than a new mower.

 

[Singalo]

Have you considered following?

1) Buy THE VERY BEST LT you can afford.

Note, I did not say the most expensive. If all you needed was a grass cutter, but you could easily afford an x700, Id say def buy the x700. But I have stated in other threads that you can get a decent Lawn Mower for under 3k.

2) Buying an ATV, new or used.

I just sold my Kodiak 450 last year for $2800. And trust me sir, that would pull a proper load of wood. And in it's off duty time, it made a really excellent trail riding machine. The King Quad that replaced it is even finer. Maybe storage is an issue for some. But to be honest, having an ATV for those that can is not a terrible burden. They will almost literally run for ever and they will do just gobbs of work for you.

My take on this is somewhat different then some. I believe if you need a dang ol tractor, you should buy a tractor. If you need a grass cutter, you should buy a grass cutter. I would personally take a nice King Quad 500, new or second hand as a work mule and a nice lawn mower over an x500-x700 any day. And you might be surprised to know you can have both for less then the cost of an x700 if you do it right. Just my take.

 

[krazystang]

When I purchased my tractor, there were three key points to consider.

1. Transmission

2. Engine

3. Deck / Frame Gauge.

To me these are the three most important features you should be looking into. Do some research and see which tractor features the best combination (for the money) of the three listed above.

 

[Agent Smith]

thanks for the input. i believe i'm going with the jd d105, and try my luck with the cvt dana transaxle. i don't hear much bad about the dana 4360, and for when my wife hops on it, she'll like that she doesn't have to stop to shift. i just feel more confident with the dana than a t40 or k46 (i realistically can't afford anything with a higher grade hydro, because i'd spend myself close to broke paying cash for it.)
side note, i got the old craftsman running today to use as the workhorse... still don't understand why it has some of the issues it has, but, that's for another time.