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Looking for opinions on best tractor for the money

2127 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  tday
Hello, I am really having a hard time deciding what to do, I need a new rider by fall. I am looking for at LEAST a 42" but bigger would be better, I mow about two fairly flat acres, and pull a leaf vac in the fall.

Ive been looking at John Deere in the $800-$1500 range, but many are very old, and I'm not sure which models are the good Deere, and which are the cheapos(like my DEAD Sabre).

Currently on Craigslist there is a 2001 Simplicity DLX Landlord with over 800 hours, an 18 horse Briggs, and a 54" deck for $1250 OBO. Seem like a good deal, but I can't seem to find much info on that tractor, also the hours seem high?

I've also considered going with new or slightly used Husqavaurna or Craftsman in the $1400-1600 range, as I've heard that AYP is a bit better than a MTD?

I would also prefer hydrostatic drive.

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions

tday
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:Welcome1:

if the model number of the unit contains 1xx and it was made in teh last 6-7 years, it is a el cheapo model. Dealer models will be LT/LX/X3xx for lawn tractors and GT/GX/X4/X5/X7 for garden tractor models.

i have no clue about the simplicity, so i will leave that for others to answer.

but as far as the Deere units to get into a "real" deere, meaning one sold originally ONLY at a dealership, you will either have to get real old for that price range or raise your price. check machinefinder.com for machines in your area, you may run across a deal there.

as far as the Husq/Crafts/AYP/MTD machines, pretty much any of them in that range are equal machines. i do not feel comfortable recommending any 1 model though, nothing against them i just don't have enough hands on with them to say one is better than another.

teh flat land and leaf vac could be handled by pretty much anything. the 2 acres means that you will rack up time on teh machine and low end machines may wear out sooner than desired. or you could find one that last 30 years, that is the gamble you take!
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