[Nickdigg]

I run a small lawn care business in my neighborhood, I am looking to upgrade my mower to a hydrostatic pedal drive with a bigger deck (max 48). I currently have a John Deere 130 with a 30 inch deck and a 9 horse Kawasaki. I need something that will hold up for a good amount of time and is not to expensive. Im looking to spend $2,000 max (I like in ohio). i was thinking about a Husqvarna but then i came upon the craftsman pro series pyt 9000. What would get the job done and hold up? Is the PYT worth the money?

 

[ggsteve]

The Husqvarna and the Craftsman are built in the same factory. The PYT is no better or worse quality wise than any other Craftsman or Husqvarna. It is NOT a commercial mower. Frankly, I don't know if you're going to get a new tractor that will "last" for $2000, no matter what brand you buy.

If it were me, I would watch for a Sears "Friends & Family" 10% off sale and try to catch a close out on a Craftsman GT. You can probably do that for under 2K if you hit the right sale, and you'll get a heavier transmission, one of the key points of failure for inexpensive tractors. It looks like they all have 54" decks this year though. What you really want is last year's DGS6500 with the 48" deck. If you can't find one of those, this might be a good choice:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...tors+(less+than+2+acres)#specificationsAnchor

 

[Brett-JDX748]

I paid $2600 plus tax for my GTS5000 I think you need to go at least GT if you want it to last, even then, these are not commercial.

 

[Nickdigg]

The Husqvarna and the Craftsman are built in the same factory. The PYT is no better or worse quality wise than any other Craftsman or Husqvarna. It is NOT a commercial mower. Frankly, I don't know if you're going to get a new tractor that will "last" for $2000, no matter what brand you buy.

If it were me, I would watch for a Sears "Friends & Family" 10% off sale and try to catch a close out on a Craftsman GT. You can probably do that for under 2K if you hit the right sale, and you'll get a heavier transmission, one of the key points of failure for inexpensive tractors. It looks like they all have 54" decks this year though. What you really want is last year's DGS6500 with the 48" deck. If you can't find one of those, this might be a good choice:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...tors+(less+than+2+acres)#specificationsAnchor

:thanku: Thanks for your advice, i didnt even see the mts, it appears to be a better deal then the pro. What time of the year does sears do the friends and family discount?
I understand that these tractors are not built for commercial use but i dont have the cash for an exmark or even a toro. [EDIT... well i take that back, maybe i have the money for the Toro time cutter ZX440, i have seen it on sale for 2,000 before, what do you think about them?] i am 16 and i just do about 10 yards in my neighborhood. I plan on mowing throughout college and thats it, do you think that one of these could last 5 seasons or hopefully even more? Thanks for all your help, i would defiantly go with the mts now that you brought it to my attention!

 

[Brett-JDX748]

If I was going to mow lawns for a living, time=money the reason people use ZTR's is the speed at which they cut.. The GTS5000 Excellerator has the fastest ground speed of any GT on the market right now (7.5MPH) and yes, it cuts WELL at that speed (so long as the terrain is relatively smooth, but that applies to any tractor).

Are you sure you can't make a 54" deck machine work? I think the Excellerator would be the way to go. The MTS is nice but I have no idea what transmission it uses. I can tell you factually the GTS5000 Excellerator uses the Hydro-Gear G730 transmission, which uses a spin-on automotive filter for the fluid and that's a BIG plus in my book, you can service this transmission which means it's going to last.

The rest of the MTS tractor is most likely the same as the 5000 with exception of the hood and having a smaller deck and less horsepower.

 

[Nickdigg]

If I was going to mow lawns for a living, time=money the reason people use ZTR's is the speed at which they cut.. The GTS5000 Excellerator has the fastest ground speed of any GT on the market right now (7.5MPH) and yes, it cuts WELL at that speed (so long as the terrain is relatively smooth, but that applies to any tractor).

Are you sure you can't make a 54" deck machine work? I think the Excellerator would be the way to go. The MTS is nice but I have no idea what transmission it uses. I can tell you factually the GTS5000 Excellerator uses the Hydro-Gear G730 transmission, which uses a spin-on automotive filter for the fluid and that's a BIG plus in my book, you can service this transmission which means it's going to last.

The rest of the MTS tractor is most likely the same as the 5000 with exception of the hood and having a smaller deck and less horsepower.

54 is just to big for what i want to do, most of my lawns are relatively small and some of them have gates that probably cant even fit a 48 inch deck. It looks like a great mower and i am surprised to hear that it is so fast!! The Toro Timecutter is a zero turn mower that can also top 7 mph, all the pros use zero turns and if i can find it on sale for 2,000 i will probably get that over any other mower. The maneuverability is amazing and even though i can tow anything without modifications i really don't need to. I have seen it on sale before for 2,000 in the fall at home depot, i you know any information about it i would love to hear it. I know that most of the people on this site use tractors but when you are mainly just mowing a zero turn is the way to go. Thanks and let me know what you think, see the link!
http://www.toro.com/home/zeroturn/timecutterz/z4200.html

 

[LLigetfa]

Start saving your pennies for a CC Z Wing.

http://www.cairnsmowercity.com/prod762.htm

 

[Nickdigg]

Start saving your pennies for a CC Z Wing.

http://www.cairnsmowercity.com/prod762.htm

I wish, that sure would solve my gate problems with the fold up deck, maybe if i was going to continue lawn care for a career but im just in it until im out of college.

 

[NoTime]

I've read of commercial guys recommending starting with a commercial walk behind with sulky (attached step that you stand on) before getting enough business for a ZTR, then you still have the "walk behind" for smaller yards...

I really do not know if the Craftsman pro walk-behind is true commercial grade or if a sulky is available for it, but it would fit your price

 

[Nickdigg]

I like the idea and i am familiar with walk behind lawn mowers, the only reason that i am against it is because the $1,500 seems a little steep, i personally would rather spend the extra $500 and get a toro timecutter zero turn on sale (if it ever goes for $2000 again) and be able to mow faster. I may consider it especially if i could get one used, Thanks for the idea and i will keep it in mind!

 

[Nickdigg]

Is anyone familiar with this model toro timecutter: http://www.toro.com/home/zeroturn/timecutterz/z4200.html If i can find it on sale in the fall for $2000 it seems like the best bang for your buck, zero turn, decent sized deck, kohler engine, and it would greatly improve my mowing time! Please let me know if this mower would hold up for what i am wanting to do with it. Thanks!

 

[zuidema1]

I have no idea how well this would hold up over time, but it fits your price range and has a 34 inch cutting deck that's perfect for small yards.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100661988