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Lawn mower reccomendation
JimmyJack
Member Posts: 5,399 ✭✭✭✭
I have three riding mowers. For the money it is hard to beat Husqvarna. I have one with a Kawasaki engine approaching 20 years old and it hasnt missed a beat. Last year I thought Id try a John Deere, and I think you pay for the name and the color paint. I stuck $4000 into an all wheel turn, and It doesnt cut any better than the Huskys, and Ive had it in for warranty work after39 hours. Its a nice mower, but time will determine if it was worth the extra $1500 . It is also harder to get on and off of. I had some Sears mowers that were good, but I dont really know who made them.
Comments
Deere makes some of the best mowers that are available but they are expensive. Their lower level mowers aren't much better than the big box store mowers. The biggest difference is the hydrostat/transmission. The engines will almost always outlast that regardless of what brand you buy. After problems with a K46 Tuff Torque transaxle, I purchased an X500 series Deere. It has a much heavier duty transaxle and the deck is top notch, it mows great. The Kawasaki engine runs like a top.
Sears, Husqvarna, and many others are made by MTD. My neighbor sold his old Craftsman and bought a Husqvarna. The deck and frame were identical. The bagger that he had on the Craftsman was direct fit on the Husqvarna.
MTD= More-Trouble-Daily
I used to drive around to the back of places that sold various riding lawn mower models to see how many and what brands were there for repairs and maintenance. Those MTD's were quite numerous, but Craftsman was a close 2nd.
When I bought my walk behind snowblower, I purchased a new Toro. My FIL bought a Craftsman around the same time. He was an avid fan of everything Sears! In comparison, that Craftsman was a thin tin Lizzy next to my Toro! 😁
Husqvarna makes their own mowers and also has made the better Craftsman models as well.
That being said, I haven't been terribly satisfied with my Husqvarna that I bought 5 years ago. it's o.k. but seems to have more maintenance issues than some other riders that I have had. Bob