Been doing some research...

[w_r_ranch]

on a new riding lawnmower. I currently have a John Deere LX279 that is 13 years old. It has been a regularly serviced/maintained by the dealer & has always been very dependable... until last season. I put about $800 into it over the last season & for the last few months it has a transmission problem (oil spewing from the upper oil tank). A new transmission is about $1K & I don't have time to rip it apart myself right now (although I will at some point).

After the last few weeks of research & after talking to a lot of guys that work on all makes of riding mowers on various forums, I'm leaning towards getting a Husqvarna GT52XLS (52") 24HP Kawasaki Garden Tractor.

Anybody hear have any actual experience with Husqvarna Garden Tractors???

 

[Lost in mn]

Just curious, any particular reason you want a tractor as opposed to a ZTR type or front or rear deck mounted mower? I would assume you have quite the area to mow and getting away from a tractor to something with quicker and better steering and faster mowing speeds might be more suitable. Unless of course you are using the tractor for other purposes such as with implements?

Husqvarna makes good equipment however they use several engine types in their lawn mowers, Kawi, Briggs, Kohler which is kind of odd. It's like they are a mismash of other companies parts.

If it was me I would get whatever Brand of mower that has the closest Parts and in-house service to your location.

John Deere in the similar size tractor is using the same Engine however you end up paying for the name. I dunno for me lots of grass = ZTR mower! With a ZTR you can mow at 6.5mph as opposed to 3-3.5mph on a tractor and get the same results.

Just my 0.02

 

[w_r_ranch]

I do about 80% mowing/20% implement related stuff. Basically I use it around just the homestead (~ 1 acre) & sometimes my wife mows if I'm busy... Speed is not an issue at all with us, reliability/durability is (hence my choosing a Kawasaki engine).

I believe that a garden tractor fits our needs much better than a zero-turn, plus at 65, I don't want to waste $10K on a Kubota.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Sam,
It would be an easy decision, if you could justify a Kubota, but neither could I, for this half acre. I had a half dozen Kubota powered tractors, loader and excavator,while on the farm, and next to Caterpillar, the most satisfying Diesels to own. But I parked a barely broken in belt driven Sears 42", and bought a 42" John Deere, with the hydrostatic tranny. I use it more for a scooter than as a mower or a tractor, and have been pleased with it. I never cared for JD construction machinery, but loved the old Popping Johnny farm tractors.

I also have a Husqvarna front tine tiller and not sure what kind of motor is in it, but one of the easiest starting and most powerful little motors i have ever had. I am think it is a Husqvarna. The Sears mower has a Kohler, and i was not impressed with it, but lots of difference between different motors made by same company.

Lots of fun shopping for a new machine, so enjoy.

Ernie

Ernie

 

[Mike]

Sam I was in the same boat as you just about a year or two ago. I ended up going with a ZTR mower and love mine. In regards to tractor mowers I'm not familiar with that particular model you mentioned but will warn you in case you don't already know. I would steer clear of most any models sold by the big box stores (lowes, home depot, sears, etc) as most of those Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, etc are actually produced by one company (mostly MTD) and rebadged with other company logo and color schemes. The do this obviously to compete with consumers wanting something for nothing.

I went to several big box stores and found several models across a number of the store that was very easy to tell the frame and build of the tractor was the exact same minus the color difference. I ended up finding several local farm equipment stores and shopped there instead. You'll spend a little more but the quality of mower you'll get is far better.

 

[w_r_ranch]

This is not a 'big box' model. This is their top of the line & is sold only through dealers... I'm going to call around to locate one tomorrow, although I'll probably have to order it.

 

[Lost in mn]

I do about 80% mowing/20% implement related stuff. Basically I use it around just the homestead (~ 1 acre) & sometimes my wife mows if I'm busy... Speed is not an issue at all with us, reliability/durability is (hence my choosing a Kawasaki engine).

I believe that a garden tractor fits our needs much better than a zero-turn, plus at 65, I don't want to waste $10K on a Kubota.

Understood. I thought you had more area to mow. Kawi motors are very good.
PS can I borrow it? Kidding!

 

[w_r_ranch]

I wish I could just use my tractor, but it would be impossible to maneuver it in this yard... even without a shredder attached.

 

[Lost in mn]

You know you could always get a few goats instead. Keep your yard nice and short, fertilize it and in a pinch they are tasty on a grill lol

 

[ErnieCopp]

Sam,
To go back to your earlier post, asking about experience with Husqvarna tractors, I had a bad experience with the Husqvarna Tiller and Husqvarna Customer Relations.
There was a plastic clamp that holds the throttle lever on the handlebar, that was broken during the shipping. Paperwork said to contact Husq Factory for claims. Factory's only suggestion was that i send the entire tiller to them for inspection.
That pissed me off, and luckily, i had bought it through Amazon, so I emailed Amazon, and they said they could not supply the part, but they would be happy to give me a 20% refund, if that would be suitable. So, I accepted the refund and repaired the broken bracket with some epoxy putty and weather prrof tape.
So, be sure you order through a dealer that is close enough to deal directly with. Dealing with the Factory does not seem to be something i would want to do.
But, as i said before, I do like the tiller, and it compares very well with the Honda tiller i had a few years ago, that cost several times as much. So they do make good products.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

I appreciate the feed back. I located a GT48XLS about an hour from here and will pick it up next week...

Apparently the dealers in small towns don't like to tie up too much money in the 'higher end inventory', preferring instead to stock the models that tend to sell quicker (I fully understand that from the business point-of-view)...

I did find a GT52LSX right here in town & he gave a decent price, however he doesn't have the best reputation for service, so I kept looking. In the end, I believe it all worked out for the best... 52" verses 48" in width is not that much of a difference (old one was 48"). In addition the GT48LSX has one feature that sets it apart from the GT52LSX & will certainly be nice to have... that being the locking differential.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Well crap... Went to pickup the GT48XLS today & it turns out the guy lied to me, he didn't had it. He tried the old 'bait & switch' to a yard tractor instead, so we walked out. On the way home we stopped in town here & bought the GT52XLS instead. He will deliver it to the ranch Saturday morning. I'll post pictures then.

Sometime I feel like I live in a 3rd world country...

 

[Mike]

It's a wonder how companies like that are still in business Sam.

 

[ziggy]

how you like dat mower?

 

[w_r_ranch]

Mike, I have no idea... I guess being closer to Houston, they have a steady stream of suckers to draw from. I don't like businesses that pull that, I especially didn't like wasting 3 hrs of my time & the fuel. Grrr...

I don't know ziggy, as I haven't used it yet (grass is way too wet right now). I will say that it is built way better than the John Deere it is replacing. I'm especially impressed with the fabricated deck & frame.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Sam,
That looks like a dandy.
How many cylinders and how many Horsepower?
What kind of transmission, Hydro, hard gears, or ?
One thing I find handy on the JD, is the button that allows me to reverse with the cutter engaged. Sears did not have that feature.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Ernie, it has 24 HP, 2-cylinders w/Tough-Torq K66 Hydro. Both this one, & the JD it is replacing, will mow in reverse.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Sam, It looks like you are all set, except for an umbrella or canopy. You have your beer holder, so you should not need your wife to do the mowing any more.
The Sears not being able to mow in reverse, and so rough changing gears or direction were very aggravating, It only had a 100 hours or so on it, and only 30 or 40 actually mowing when I just gave up on the belt drive, and got the other one.
Ernie

 

[Mike]

Good looking mower and that mower deck will outlast the mower itself.

 

[Whistler]

that's almost as good looking at my handy snapper mower. haha

 

[majorcatfish]

after 14 years my girls deck it's rotting out, have a mtd yard machine 21 hp garden tractor looked into replacing the deck, found a place up north that had a new deck they only wanted 1400.00 for a couple hundred more i could buy a whole new mower and a bagger. so as soon as taxes come back theres going to be a new 46" Husqvarna doing the mowing here.
but still going to keep the mtd for garden/hauling work since have all the attachments for it.
the only thing i am missing is a hiller, but going to have one fabricated.

and of course the backbone in every garden the tiller.
my father in law gave this to me 13 years ago and has been a on going project
it's a ariens rocket 7 tiller since this picture have put on new tines. oh my would hate to slip and get my feet caught in those
they have no mercy while digging up the dirt in the garden.

 

[majorcatfish]

that's almost as good looking at my handy snapper mower. haha

View attachment 545

the first year we moved out here we pushed the whole property for the summer with a 13" walk behind mower
thats 3.5 acres every weekend.. yup we sweated off a few pounds that year

 

[Lost in mn]

How is this HusQ working for you? I am in the market for a new tractor for my dad as he just bought a house in the area. 3 acres of grass and he want's to use it to plow snow as well. Possibly get some attachments for a garden.

 

[w_r_ranch]

It's been great thus far. Makes me wish I never bought the John Deere in the first place.

 

[Lost in mn]

We were looking at a JD D140 because of the ability to attach the plow to it. The problem up here is Lawn Mower only gets used 4-5 times a year. Our growing season is so short that I can not justify spending $1000's on a tractor. However I have heard that the JD's quality has gone in the toilet. Not sure what to do. Trying to talk him into a 4 wheeler with a pull behind deck mower and snow blade lol. At least he could use that more often.