I am DONE with my Rider!!

[Reef Runner]

I have a LX188 John Deer Rider. It has a 48 inch deck on it. I have done nothing but Fix, fix and fix this stupid thing since I got it. It will not run more than 20 minutes when it is hot out. Then I have to let it sit for about 10 minuets and then mow for 20 and so on. Now my drive belt just broke and tore up a few plastic wheels and I think I am just done with this dam thing. So here is the deal, I want a similar mower but I don’t think I want a deer. So what should I get??? Anyone have a brand they like or style. I have about 3/4 of an acre to mow. Thanks!!

[fishersofmen]

Get a 48" zero turn cub cadet......If you have never driven a zero turn mower they are fun to drive and mow very fast. Plus it will stripe your lawn like a golf course.

[Iron Cowboy]

Dont give up on deere, just get a real one. The worst thing Deere did was to cheapen them up and sell them at home depot. those arent real deere mowers. deere basicly sold they're name.... some other company makes them. Get a 318 Garden tractor that was made from roughly 1986 to 1991 or if you want newer go to an implement deere dealer.

They are awesome machines that when properly maintained can run thousands of hours without problems. Like anything though you get what you pay for and one in good shape will cost quite a bit compared to the cheapy models, but at least you wont be stuck with something that doesnt run.

[fishinchicks]

Stay away from the Snappers. We purchased two brand new ones about 2 years ago, and can't wait to get rid of them. They have been nothing but trouble. We are looking at a "real" John Deere for our next mower.

Zero turns are alright, but some are more repair prone than others. Not all zero turns are good on hilly ground, or if you have extensive ditches to mow.

[Dave S]

John Deere doesn't build most of their lawn tractors any more. They've contracted that out to MTD. YOu may need to get into a heavy garden tractor for something built by Deere.

I have a GX255 and love it. The only issue is covering the front of the tractor in the winter time so snow doesn't get in and freeze the carb. Love the power-steering and the foot pedals for forward/reverse. I also looked at the Kubota brand when searching for a tractor, but the foot pedal was way too large and cumbersome.

From here on out it's JD for me. But it will defintely be the larger heavier garden tractor. The neighbors have a 25 hp with hydraulic lift for the mower and snowblower as well as PTO for both. No belts to worry about. I have to admit, that is the smoothest running garden tractor I've seen. But it comes with a price. A new one will run between $12-14K.

[jltimm]

Must be a Briggs and Stratton engine? I've got a LX 279 with the Kawi engine, and other than a few belts it has been a good mower.

[RainyEye]

Just got a new Craftsman YT3000 Rider with a 22 HP Kohler engine and auto trans. This has been much quieter and easier to handle and ride than my older Craftsman which I sold while it still worked. Good time to buy while they still have a good sale.

[maros91]

We run a Cub Cadet zero turn at work and them things are pretty slick.

[bassphish2005]

My mom's Cub Cadet has more maint. time spent on it than a 70's model snowmobile,I would never own one myself!

[MN Shutterbug]

John Deere doesn't build most of their lawn tractors any more. They've contracted that out to MTD.

If you haven't noticed, MTD is Walmart's major line. I wouldn't touch anything made by MTD with a 10 ft. pole, or anything costing over $20 at a Walmart store. Just check out online reviews for MTD made junk. Yep, you usually do get what you pay for, mattresses excluded.

[dbl a]

I believe Cub Cadet has been made by MTD for several years.

[Dave S]

yes they have. I know Huskee is also built by MTD. I think many of the others you'll find at the big box stores are also built by MTD.

[VIZSLA_NUT]

unfortunately almost all are made by MTD they even bought out Troy Bilt a year or two back, I'm glad i bought a tiller when i did they don't look like the gear case is cast iron anymore.

Stay away from Craftsman i've had a DLT2000 with a 20hp kohler pro for 7 years now, the motor runs great which is why I chose this mower but, everything else keeps falling apart, seat cracked everywhere imaginable, hood cracked at the hinges,I've replaced every pullt most were still under warranty the first year Ihad it,now it keeps shredding the pto belt going to the deck and I can't seem to figure it out and at almost 50 bucks a belt it is just sitting in the shed and i've been mowing a little over an acre with a push mower because I don't want to buy a fifth belt!

[fishersofmen]

Just like cars, when it comes down to it you can find someone to complain about any brand or model lawn mower. Probably like everything else in the end......you get what you pay for.

[Dozer]

Any mower that comes from a big box store is going to be junk. Every brand has there good line that they sell and anouther line they sell at the box store. If you get one from the good line you will be much better off. My father has a 316 that he bought new in the late 70s that has also had minimal problems and has mowed 7.5 acres for about 30 years! I bought a 317 last summer because IMO they are much better than anything you can buy new now.

[muskyhunter57]

I have had two Craftsman mowers in the last 16 years. Just picked my second one up two years ago. It has had an ignition problem since day one that comes goes and Sears never figured it out. My friend bought a JD this spring from a JD dealer his does the same thing and they cannot figure it out. Ever notice that these mowers all look similar. I was told that Electrolux makes seven brands of mowers. There lies your culprit. Mass producing piles of @#$%

[Jigging Joe]

I bought a Hustler fast trak zero turn about 5 years ago, it cost 5k but havent done a thing besides change oil and blades. It has a 52" deck with a 20hp Honda motor, before that I had a John Deere Lx279 with the kawasaki motor. I went with the zero turn to cut down on time cutting the lawn, it used to take me 4 hours plus, with the Hustler I can do it in 2 hours with trimming. The zero turns are not very good on hillsides but they will cut them. I just think why screw around with buying 1k mowers that last 4-5 years with lots of stress when you can buy something decent that will last 20-30 years

[jltimm]

You just gave out some of the reason that the two mowers you had were good ones. Kawasaki motor and Honda (not briggs and stratton junk!)

[swamptiger]

I'm sticking with my Wheelhorse 520-H...2974 hours and still going strong. Mine has a 20 hp Onan, which is no longer being built, but engine parts are still available through Cummins.

[fishersofmen]

I will second that one jltimm, you can't go wrong with Kawasaki or Honda engines.......

[LundExplorer]

I bought a used Gravely 60" zero turn last year on ebaay. It's an awesome machine, built like a tank. I paid $4k for it but it is well worth the investment in terms of longevity (if you take care of it) and the time savings. One mow on my 48" craftsman tractor was 4 hrs, on the Gravely its 1.5 hrs. Sure the 60" deck helps but even more that I can mow at 13mph. And still get a decent cut.

[vister]

had lots of bearings go out on the new zero turn cadets...over and over

[Down2Earth]

I will second that one jltimm, you can't go wrong with Kawasaki or Honda engines.......

The Kawasaki 18 horse engines where designed very poorly. They came with a PLASTIC cam which all fail at some point in time and are a major repair. Then John Deere put the fuel pump right over the muffler and when the fuel pump fails it leaks gas right onto the muffler (burnt up mower). In the 20 horse they fixed the problem of the plastic cam and ran a hose from the fuel pump so it wouldn't leak onto the mower. Briggs and Kohler both make some good engines but have many models and you get what you pay for. The best built mower I have operated and seen to date is a Woods front mount mower (not the mid mount which are actually made by Gravely). They will put a John Deere to shame in the quality of the mower and their decks (which is what usually wears out in a mower first) are built like a tank (fabricated) and not some stamped piece of junk. They also do twice the job of cut quality. Please don't take me for my word. Go do the research and you can see it for yourself. Check out what guage steel they use. Check out the actual spindles in the deck. When it comes to mowers (not box store junk) you just wasted a bunch of money to have it come with green paint IMHO. Please don't take this the wrong way Jon Deere does make a good product but what you pay for them you can get much better quality for the same price. I'll just stick with my old Massey 1450 which you see pictured. Hard to find some of it's parts but then again I have only ever replaced a throttle cable, belts, and a needle bearing in the deck.

[jltimm]

I've got a 17 hp Kawi on mine and it runs great so far. I'd take just about any engine over a Briggs and Stratton any day!

[Down2Earth]

I've got a 17 hp Kawi on mine and it runs great so far. I'd take just about any engine over a Briggs and Stratton any day!

Nope I think you have a good motor their I was just giving some tips to watch out for with the 18 horse which correct me if I'm wrong but was replaced by the 20 horse Kawi in 2001 or 2002. So if you are buying a used John Deere say the older 300 series (not the 318 but something like a 345) They first came with the 18 horse Kawi and were designed poorly. But if the upgrades are done yes you have a fine motor. Another thing to add are those models didn't come with a separate choke lever. the throttle and chock lever where all in one. to get the choke on a person has to go that next extra notch beyond wide open. So in the middle of winter (if you use it to blow snow) you are starting a very cold engine at full throttle. Not very smart. But this was also change I believe on the 20 horse design.