Best tractor/ZTR for slope

[milchuck]

Hello, new guy here and stumbled across this site while researching mowers. I have 1.2 acres and my old John Deere 180 has about had it. Since I am looking for a new mower, I want to find something that can handle a 1/3 acre sloping grade. It's not too bad (not sure on degree slope) but I won't risk mowing it on the JD180 (although my brother-in-law did). I really don't want to spend over $3000 or so and I have been eyeing the Cub Cadet ZTR with the 50" cut. It seems to have a wide profile which should mean a lower center of gravity and be less likely to tip (i.e. safer). Any ideas? Thanks

[ToroLandscaper]

With 3000$ thats a tight budget i would look into lesco walkbehinds becouse they come pretty cheap

[milchuck]

The Cub Cadet I mentioned is $2799 (on sale) but was wondering about the slope issue with a ZTR mower like this. My ideal solution would be not to walk it...I do that now with a self-propelled mower and its a pain.

[ToroLandscaper]

NO NO NO with a walkbehind you dont literally walkbehind it you have a sullky or velke that you ride on it so really its a ride behind

[MowingInAZ]

ZTR's aren't known to handle slopes very well. Many CAN, but sometimes it takes a while. $3000 for a ZTR is cutting (no pun intended) it pretty close price wise for a ZTR. Have you looked like at a John Deere LX series tractor? They could easily handle a grade and are very reliable.

[milchuck]

Ah, see told ya I was new...lol

[MowingInAZ]

Sorry I meant LT lineup, the LX would be out of your price range, here's a link. There is also a comparison to residential ZTR's

http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/products_equipment/riding_mowers/compare/lt_series_residential_z_compare.html

[Smalltimer1]

I agree the LT-series will be your best bet. Or find an older JD that has been well taken care of or rebuilt/restored and use that. They will be much more stable on hillsides than a ZTR.

My personal recommendation would be an older 1975 through 1987 JD 200 series (212/214/216) with a 46" deck. Then put the rear wheels on backwards to widen its track, giving you more stability. Remember always mow up and down a slope, not side to side. The 200 series has the bulletproof Kohler K-series cast iron engines that will run forever if you keep the oil and air filter changed. They also have a granny low 1st gear as well as 3 more higher gears. In the condition that you are looking for a good 200 series tractor will run anywhere from $800 to $2000, depending on its mechanical shape, paint and aesthetics, as well as what comes with it as attachments.

If you don't feel comfortable getting an older machine then I would go for a LT-160 at least, and if you can run another $500 up on your budget go for the LT-180. The bigger the machine you can get, the better. There is no substitute for quality and durability.

[milchuck]

Thanks for the info

[milchuck]

Sorry I meant LT lineup, the LX would be out of your price range, here's a link. There is also a comparison to residential ZTR's

http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/products_equipment/riding_mowers/compare/lt_series_residential_z_compare.html

Question on the LT. Are they known for handling slopes better than other mowers? I checked out the comparison to ZTR's but all it really said was "terrain friendly" which didn't really tell me alot. Do they have a wider stance or lower center of gravity somehow? Thanks!

[MowingInAZ]

The LT series John Deere's are a normal lawn tractor that can handle slopes. If your going to mow a slope, don't get a ZTR. A Craftsman GT5000 might work, but they are very large and heavy machines. LT's don't really have a lower center of gravity, but they can handle hills better than a ZTR.

[milchuck]

Understand now, thanks

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

With Deeres financing you cant afford not to go that route

[Itsgottobegreen]

I am will smalltimer on the finding an older JD 200 series. Mine has close to 3500 very hard hours on it. Engine is worn out now. And its on its 3rd trans. But its used to plow snow commerically for the last 7 years. My father plow our whole street and neighbors with it since 1986 until I got it. These JD 200 series are bullet proof. A set of rear wheel weights when mowing would be good too.

[milchuck]

Just noticed the GT5000 is on sale at Sears right now for $1999--$300 off regular price but only til tomorrow. Guess I better do some quick researching...thanks

[MowingInAZ]

My advice, if your going to drive a slope, get the Hydro (true automatic). The GT5000 would be perfect for 1 1/5 acres, just make sure you get the hydro, well worth the extra $200.

[Smalltimer1]

Just one thing to say about the Craftsman......

Why buy a machine that will be shot in 5 years when you can buy a 20 yr. old John Deere that will be good for another 20 years for 1/2 the money? :confused:

[MowingInAZ]

I love John Deere, but Craftsman is a great brand. Craftsman will last just as long as a John Deere, but John Deere does have its loyalists (aka Smalltimer). I could never argue that John Deere isn't a great brand, but I'm saying that Craftsman should always be considered.

[lawnmaniac883]

Smalltimer, I belive you are supposed to mow slopes side to side, not up and down...

[milchuck]

Hey, just got done reading through the other threads about how Sears mowers are of such poor quality. I had almost had my mind made up to go buy the GT5000 tomorrow. A couple of folks had suggested I go with an older John Deere and well, i have a John Deere 180 I was replacing so now I'm wondering if I should just invest the money in a new starter and keep it running instead of buying a new one. Problem is, I know I'd never take it on that hill.......decisions, decisions.....

[stumper1620]

Hey, just got done reading through the other threads about how Sears mowers are of such poor quality. I had almost had my mind made up to go buy the GT5000 tomorrow. A couple of folks had suggested I go with an older John Deere and well, i have a John Deere 180 I was replacing so now I'm wondering if I should just invest the money in a new starter and keep it running instead of buying a new one. Problem is, I know I'd never take it on that hill.......decisions, decisions.....Add one more thought to your decision process, be sure whatever you buy has full pressure lubrication, a engine on a slope will burn up if it slopes to far without pressure lube. A deere 737 handles hills great but, thats 8 grand.

[MowingInAZ]

Just remember Chuck, it's opinions. My uncle mows 2 acres with a GT5000 and he has never had any trouble. I would get a new mower, insted of getting a new starter and having to buy a new mower 2 years from now cause the starter doesn't work!

Craftsman mowers are solid built machines, but its just your personal taste that closes the deal. I would take a good long look at the Craftsman GT5000 and the John Deere LT series.

[milchuck]

Thanks again....after some more reading, Im going to go to Sears tomorrow and check out the GT5000 in person. If everything looks/sounds right, will probably buy. Thanks for all the help folks.

[MowingInAZ]

I'm sure you'll be very happy with your purchase. Just make SURE to get the hydro.

[jd270]

for that much you could get a nice used jd 318 i have one it is a nice tractor i also have a 110 and a 265 and a 525 i just picked up a nice lx 186 from my dealer for 700 dollars so i know there are some good buys on quality used stuff out there..........the 318 has wheel wieghts so it works well on ditches

[Smalltimer1]

Smalltimer, I belive you are supposed to mow slopes side to side, not up and down...

It is mow up and down, not side to side, side to side is what causes rollovers.

[Smalltimer1]

Hey, just got done reading through the other threads about how Sears mowers are of such poor quality. I had almost had my mind made up to go buy the GT5000 tomorrow. A couple of folks had suggested I go with an older John Deere and well, i have a John Deere 180 I was replacing so now I'm wondering if I should just invest the money in a new starter and keep it running instead of buying a new one. Problem is, I know I'd never take it on that hill.......decisions, decisions.....

That 180 is a tough machine. My grandfather mowed 5 acres with one for 15 years and it never gave him a lick of trouble, turned around and sold it for $1500 in 2003 and bought a new LX-288.

I try to stay away from Craftsman just because 1. they are just not built to the standards that John Deere and Simplicity are, 2. They use lower end to mid grade engines and transmissions at best, and 3. When they get older than about 5 years old they start nickel and diming you to death, such as today where I had to replace a starter switch and solenoid on a 2003 Craftsman LT-2000. The only thing that I can see that Craftsman has going for themselves is parts interchangeability. I can take a 1987 Craftsman LT-2000 6-speed and the whole clutch assembly will fit a new 2005 Craftsman LT-2000 6-speed, same goes for the transmissions.

In fact I am selling a 1993 K-Gro (K-mart branded Craftsman) 18hp/42" 6-speed lawn tractor right now. I have a Craftsman parts tractor that will go with it as well to whoever buys it. I'm asking $150 for it, just needs a battery and belts. Not a bad deal IMO.

[Soupy]

Hustler holds hills great, but they are not cheap. I cut some hills now, that I thought I would have never cut. Actually I bid on a lawn this year that I thought I would have to walk behind, but after landing the job and giving the Hustler a try I now see that the Hustler even outperforms my bold standards on were a ZTR will go. Not only does it mow the hill, but it mows it in all directions. I'm talking hills that ware you out walking up them and they are only 20-30 ft in height.

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

hey smalltimer, got a question for you on the 180, ive got ones going by the #'s it was built in 88 well it wouldnt start a few weeks ago (only use it with a snowplow) and it wouldnt start, so i put the large jumper charger on it and crank that baby up and smoke shoots off the positive terminal, parts manual says there should be some 20 amp fuses but where are they i cant find it, also the battery had to be jumped last winter so i know it has a leak but have no clue where

also had the transmission rebuilt last year after i burned all the gears out on 14 inches of snow ;)

im thinking of hunting down a 185 with a hydro on it and keeping the plow and weights and selling the tractor and deck (which wont remount correctly, since i bent the mounts on the front from the pressure on the snow plow

[Smalltimer1]

hey smalltimer, got a question for you on the 180, ive got ones going by the #'s it was built in 88 well it wouldnt start a few weeks ago (only use it with a snowplow) and it wouldnt start, so i put the large jumper charger on it and crank that baby up and smoke shoots off the positive terminal, parts manual says there should be some 20 amp fuses but where are they i cant find it, also the battery had to be jumped last winter so i know it has a leak but have no clue where

also had the transmission rebuilt last year after i burned all the gears out on 14 inches of snow ;)

im thinking of hunting down a 185 with a hydro on it and keeping the plow and weights and selling the tractor and deck (which wont remount correctly, since i bent the mounts on the front from the pressure on the snow plow

I don't quite see why the battery would be 'smoking' unless you have crossed the terminals. Have you checked your voltage regulator?

14" is way too much snow to be pushing with ANY 100 series lawn tractor, thats why your tranny threw its hands up. You need to step up to at least a 200 series. It will hold up much better because everything about it is heavier.

The snowplow tractor in the pic is a JD 420, which is a lot of tractor. I'm guessing there's about 16" of snow on the ground in that pic, and you see he pushes with the blade and when it gets too thick he uses the 3 pt. rotary snow plow to get it gone.

You could get by with a JD 200 series and a 48" blade or 42" snowthrower.

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

how hard are the wiring harnesses to replace on those?? A dealer in illinios has either a old 210 or 214 with plow for 500 not sure if its worth the drive tho

[Itsgottobegreen]

210 or 214 has a variable speed manual (4 forwards, 1 reverse) trans. Damn near built proof unless you plow snow with it for 12 hours each storm doing driveways. The back and forth between reverse and 2nd/3rd constantly while ramming snow piles will cause you to smash up a few gears.

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

what wore out on mine was the keys that hold the gears in damn things were rounded off

[Smalltimer1]

The 200 series have a granny low 1st gear you'll almost never wear that out. When I was plowing with that old Allis I had I always used 1st gear and WOT. I tried doing it in 2nd and 3rd, but they were simply too high to be safe on the tranny and engine.

[Smalltimer1]

how hard are the wiring harnesses to replace on those?? A dealer in illinios has either a old 210 or 214 with plow for 500 not sure if its worth the drive tho


Any 200 series that runs is worth $500 by itself. Sometimes the plows bring $500, heck if you bought that one you could almost consider the tractor as free since it comes with a blade. I say go for it.

The wiring harness is pretty straight forward. If that is determined to actually be the problem, go ahead and get the new one, and then just unplug one part of the old one, plug the corresponding new plug in that location, and so on until its all in. Not very hard at all. The 100 series don't have all the shields that the larger ones like my sold 140 and the 300 I have.

[stumper1620]

hey smalltimer, got a question for you on the 180, ive got ones going by the #'s it was built in 88 well it wouldnt start a few weeks ago (only use it with a snowplow) and it wouldnt start, so i put the large jumper charger on it and crank that baby up and smoke shoots off the positive terminal, parts manual says there should be some 20 amp fuses but where are they i cant find it, also the battery had to be jumped last winter so i know it has a leak but have no clue where

also had the transmission rebuilt last year after i burned all the gears out on 14 inches of snow ;)

im thinking of hunting down a 185 with a hydro on it and keeping the plow and weights and selling the tractor and deck (which wont remount correctly, since i bent the mounts on the front from the pressure on the snow plow
bad connection will cause heat which in turn causes smoke, take a voltage meter & stick it on the pos. terminal put the other end down thru all the gunk to get a real good connection at the solinoid, turn the key, what ever your meter shows is your voltage drop (lost voltage under load is different than no load) if its not zero, you need to clean or replace your cable, do the same thing solinoid to starter, then do the same test on the neg. cable. usually its just corrosion on the terminal, take them off & clean with a wire brush & then mix some baking soda & water pour it over the connecters. cleans them right up. also keep in mind that the mounting on the solinoid is also the ground for the relay to operate.

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

already new battery cables and a brass brush on the battery, battery was new in fall 04

[MowingInAZ]

So Chuck, what did you get?

[milchuck]

Well, I called up both Sears stores that are within a reasonable distance but no one had anything in stock. They offered to order it (GT 5000) but I cant see shelling out $2500 on something I can't check out before I buy it and it would take 8-10 days to get here. I went by the local John Deere place and they have a used L160 with 78 hrs on it for $1600 and I'm pondering it. It wouldn't help with my slope problem as it looks like it has a higher profile than the 180 I already have. I may just call Sears back and tell them to order it, pay for it and then just "return" it if I go to pick it up and don't like it.

[True Cut Lawn Maintenance]

Get The Deere

[MowingInAZ]

It's just a matter of your preference. Personally I don't like to buy used (anything), so I would go with the GT5000. Craftsman should have enough power to get you up the slope easily.

[Smalltimer1]

John Deere has the John Deere promise, where if you buy a mower and you don't like it for any reason for 90? days, you can bring it back for a full refund or trade it (for what you paid for it) towards a different model.

I was offered a L-110 for $1200 back about 4 months ago. It only had 5 hours, the dealer said something about the owner didn't like the hydrostat and traded it using the JD Promise in on a gear drive. It listed for $1499 new.

[milchuck]

John Deere has the John Deere promise, where if you buy a mower and you don't like it for any reason for 90? days, you can bring it back for a full refund or trade it (for what you paid for it) towards a different model.

I was offered a L-110 for $1200 back about 4 months ago. It only had 5 hours, the dealer said something about the owner didn't like the hydrostat and traded it using the JD Promise in on a gear drive. It listed for $1499 new.

On the John Deere website, it lists the John Deere promise return period as 30 days, but it's nice to have it even that long. I may go back and talk to the JD guy tomorrow too, just to see how good a deal he would make me.

[Smalltimer1]

On the John Deere website, it lists the John Deere promise return period as 30 days, but it's nice to have it even that long. I may go back and talk to the JD guy tomorrow too, just to see how good a deal he would make me.

I couldn't remember what it was, I knew it was either 30, 60, or 90. Either way its still a good way to do business.

I will just say that if you have a good local dealer, you won't be disappointed, but if your dealer is not good, then see if you can find another one. There are good ones and there are bad ones.

If you have a breakdown on a Craftsman and you go into Sears looking for parts, you will run into a bunch of people who will scratch their heads and give you buttkiss.

If you have a breakdown with a John Deere, and you go to your dealer and tell them what is wrong, they will at least be able to give you a good idea of what's wrong and what will fix it, and how much it will cost. Also the parts can be gotten overnight if necessary and if your dealer is good, they should provide you a loaner if you have them work on yours. Sears can't touch that kind of product support.

[milchuck]

Due to a series of turns and twists in my quest for the "perfect" lawnmower for my needs, I've about decided on the Cub Cadet LT1050. Hopefully no horror stories out there about this one...lol.

[Travis Followell]

Due to a series of turns and twists in my quest for the "perfect" lawnmower for my needs, I've about decided on the Cub Cadet LT1050. Hopefully no horror stories out there about this one...lol.
Regardless of what anyone may tell you MTD lawn tractors are excellent mowers for residential use for the money. My dad has one thats 14 years old thats been run hard and its still going strong. Just a few small things along the way. heck we have more little things go wrong with the engine than the machine itsself. That Cub cadet would be an excellent choice and $1999 is an excellent price for that size machine.