Riding mowers, Sears
- Sam
- M'Learned Friend
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Riding mowers, Sears
Wanting to get a riding mower for a 3/4ths acre yard, side yard has a bit of a small hill to it. Went to Home Depot, a Cub Cadet for $1699 or a Sears Craftsmen for $1549.00
1) Is it a big deal that there is a cast iron front end vs. steel
2) Single arm or double arm steering
3) shift on the go vs. automatic vs. hydrostatic automatic
what is the thoughts of quality of Craftsman vs. Troy Bilt and Cub Cadet and Sears.
They have a Troy Built gear shift, no wheels on the deck, 42" for $1000 at Lowes. 46" automatic cub cadet at lowes for $1699, the ariens is $1000 but no wheels, and Sears has a hydrostatic, all cast iron, 6" double arm radius turning and 4 wheels on the deck, 46" cut for $1600 with free delivery and 12 months no interest (they wont discount it at all if I pay cash)
Any thoughts?
1) Is it a big deal that there is a cast iron front end vs. steel
2) Single arm or double arm steering
3) shift on the go vs. automatic vs. hydrostatic automatic
what is the thoughts of quality of Craftsman vs. Troy Bilt and Cub Cadet and Sears.
They have a Troy Built gear shift, no wheels on the deck, 42" for $1000 at Lowes. 46" automatic cub cadet at lowes for $1699, the ariens is $1000 but no wheels, and Sears has a hydrostatic, all cast iron, 6" double arm radius turning and 4 wheels on the deck, 46" cut for $1600 with free delivery and 12 months no interest (they wont discount it at all if I pay cash)
Any thoughts?
- fallingwickets
- Clive the Thumb
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- Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:59 am
Sam
I have the craftsman. I used to mow about 8 very uneven harsh terrain acres with it. Outside of bending a blade now and then it was absolutely incredible and worth every cent. I still have it and still use it occasionally. Its pretty good on gas too
When I called sears for service they were prompt in taking care of me.....the further into cutting season you go the longer the wait for service, but thats an acceptable trade-off
clive
I have the craftsman. I used to mow about 8 very uneven harsh terrain acres with it. Outside of bending a blade now and then it was absolutely incredible and worth every cent. I still have it and still use it occasionally. Its pretty good on gas too
When I called sears for service they were prompt in taking care of me.....the further into cutting season you go the longer the wait for service, but thats an acceptable trade-off
clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
- rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
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- rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
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- Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:27 pm
- Location: Ontario
Shouldn't be that hard to disconnect the mowing deck, slide it out, and flip it over. You should have to do it at the end of season anyway to clean it out. My old Kubota's mowing deck took 5 minutes to remove and slide out.Sam wrote:
issue: any advice on how to raise the mower up to access the deck so I can swap out the blades, as I dont have any ramps?
Richard
- fallingwickets
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- rustyblade
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Clive, I am cutting just under 3 acres with lots of hills, some ass-puckeringly steep. Some guys around here mess about with Home Depot specials but are constantly changing belts, filling them with gas, and are worn out in 5 or so years. If you get something commerical quality and take care of it, it will last a lifetime for a homeowner. Yeah, it costs a lot of money up front but those Kubota diesels last and last and can cut for 10+ hours on a tank of fuel.fallingwickets wrote:Richard and his toys!
use in good health gents. No drinking and mowing....or not to much anyway!
clive
I tried drinking a beer and cutting the lawn once. There is so much vibration and bouncing that 1/2 of my beer watered the lawn and the rest went flat in under 5 minutes.
Richard
What of the empty box of Steam Whistles beside the new unit??rustyblade wrote:
I tried drinking a beer and cutting the lawn once. There is so much vibration and bouncing that 1/2 of my beer watered the lawn and the rest went flat in under 5 minutes.
Nice machine - makes the Lawnboy I push around seem fruitless.
Jason
There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. - Truman
There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. - Truman
- fallingwickets
- Clive the Thumb
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- rustyblade
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Zero turn mowers are great and fast and make it almost fun to cut grass from what I'm told. More guys around here are zipping around on them. Problem is, they are terrible, if not dangerously suicidal on steeper hills and this was the problem I had. I wanted something more robust, 4WD, and faster cutting than a lawn tractor, but I couldn't go zero turn. That's why I got the front-mount Kubota, they are one of the last manufacturers making them. They haven't changed the design since they came out, about 15 years I think. They are a very robust unit and you can put a snow-blower on the front, something you can't do with a Zero. Kubota don't even sell the GF1800 in the US. I don't know why.fallingwickets wrote:I'm impressed with that stat. I have the Husqvarna mz5225 and I dont think I can come close to that many hours.can cut for 10+ hours on a tank of fuel
Now I'm jealous
clive
Richard
- fallingwickets
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Richard
Husqvarna sells something very similar which I would have bought but I had to trade for the sake of 'toughness'......my property is full of holes and stumps and vegetation/debris however basically 'flat' When I spoke to the people in the know they all recommended a pro grade zero turn over the articulating rider
clive
Husqvarna sells something very similar which I would have bought but I had to trade for the sake of 'toughness'......my property is full of holes and stumps and vegetation/debris however basically 'flat' When I spoke to the people in the know they all recommended a pro grade zero turn over the articulating rider
clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
- fallingwickets
- Clive the Thumb
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- rustyblade
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It's amazing how much you get bounced around on a "flat" lawn. I've seen some of these higher end Z turns rated at upwards of 12mph and there is just no way you can cut at that speed unless your lawn is as smooth as a carpet. Mine is rated for 8.4mph and boy do you bounce around at that speed, even with the seatbelt on.fallingwickets wrote:p.s. the only time I can go full throttle is on the street
clive
Richard
- wenestvedt
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Since we got a used (1998) Sears Craftsman lawn tractor instead of the old push mower, my wife has taken over mowing. It's fun! You can't hear the kids! It's loud!
A friend of mine -- biochemistry professor, by the way -- was mowing on a riding mower. His hat fell off, he leaned over to grab it on the next pass, and shredded three fingers. What a dope. :7) *shakes head* Luckily his uncle is a plastic surgeon. He kept all his fingers, and the rest of us learned a valuable lesson.
A friend of mine -- biochemistry professor, by the way -- was mowing on a riding mower. His hat fell off, he leaned over to grab it on the next pass, and shredded three fingers. What a dope. :7) *shakes head* Luckily his uncle is a plastic surgeon. He kept all his fingers, and the rest of us learned a valuable lesson.
- m3m0ryleak
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I realize that Sam has done the deed, hopefully the new models are as good as the old ones. My buddy has one (actually his wife uses it) and like the old Timex watches....
For what it's worth, Cub Cadet is outright over priced crap, it's been a long time since it's heyday as part of the International family.
I must be a masochist as I've had two. Both throw belts, electronics are dicey. Local dealer is an arrogant SOB. To think I gave away a older John Deere 160 with its bullet proof Kawasaki motor (kicks self).
For what it's worth, Cub Cadet is outright over priced crap, it's been a long time since it's heyday as part of the International family.
I must be a masochist as I've had two. Both throw belts, electronics are dicey. Local dealer is an arrogant SOB. To think I gave away a older John Deere 160 with its bullet proof Kawasaki motor (kicks self).
Tony
"They say that dreams are growing wild just this side of Burma Shave" - Tom Waits
"They say that dreams are growing wild just this side of Burma Shave" - Tom Waits
- rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
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The problem is that they've made the low end tractors have everything while maintaining big box store pricing...power steering, hydrostatic drives, power lift, larger decks, and big gas sucking air cooled engines, while keeping the price really low. More complexity at a lower cost is bound to lead to problems...with no dealer support. As soon as John Deere made models for big box stores they destroyed their good name, and the dealers selling the "real" JD equipment want nothing to do with them.m3m0ryleak wrote:I realize that Sam has done the deed, hopefully the new models are as good as the old ones. My buddy has one (actually his wife uses it) and like the old Timex watches....
For what it's worth, Cub Cadet is outright over priced crap, it's been a long time since it's heyday as part of the International family.
I must be a masochist as I've had two. Both throw belts, electronics are dicey. Local dealer is an arrogant SOB. To think I gave away a older John Deere 160 with its bullet proof Kawasaki motor (kicks self).
Richard