Lesco 15hp 48" Belt Drive

[JJOHN22042]

LESCO is having a Sale on the 48" 15hp Mower is this a good machine for the price. Please some feed back on this

Price $2300

[Evan528]

Do a search! I heard only great things about there walkbehinds from owners on here! There riders are another story!

[geogunn]

I have run the lesco 48, 14 KAW for several years now without regret and few complaints. I'd be willing to put the quality cut up against any wb out there costing over twice as much.

I don't know about the 15 hp motor but the 14 has been a champ.

belts pulling in wet grass is something that always comes up as a problem. HOWEVER, mine pulls great wet or dry. that does not mean you can cross a creek with 5 inches of standing water but on wet grass conditions I think the lesco belt system is superior.

I don't know about mulching with that unit. I do it but on rare occasion. I think toro or exmark will win the mulching battle.

the real question is why not wait 'till they offer the same unit with a hydro for about $3500? good luck!

GEO

[dlandscaping]

i have one i got for 2400 and i hate it, the cut is alwful i have brought it to lesco,new blades, high lift, gator nothing, spacers in betwwen the deck and not no luck, the cloth bagger does not fit properly on the deck, and when doing an acre lawn in the spring, it stalled many times and i was only taking a 35-40 inch swath, but my toro fixed 36 cut it with no clumping or stalling. Also, the machine once started in gear and i brought it to lesco and they said they mite look it all over if it happens again and i once turned the blade on and the engine died and i wasnt on the lawn yet i was in a driveway. even though it is a great price spend the money on a quality machine like exmark or toro .

[edward hedrick]

I have a 1996 52 Lesco with T bar and 14Kawi, my friend has a1995 48 w 14 Kawi. There was a previous post about the machine, the problem was operator error. Paid 2900 1996
good investment, do my own maintence. The deck is almost
the same as other brands except for the castor assembly. All
have Kawis, peerless trans. Dayco belts.

[George777]

My partner and I have the 48" Lesco. It is built like a tank. It works fine in wet turf and mulches good. I've also got a steal bagger, but it could be a pain having to stop every couple of runs.
As for the cut it does a fine job with high lifts.

The only thing I dont like is adjusting the deck ht. between customers.

Over all I'm satisfied with the Lesco.

[kutnkru]

Although I am never get a warm fuzzy feeling about Lesco Equipment, I think that the opportunity for a 48" belt drive cheaper than a 36" belt drive is always a GREAT deal! :p

These are the kinds of situations where you basically cannot go wrong. You could buy that machine, turn around and sell it making $1k before spring.

I prefer eXmark, but LOVE a good deal!

[fivestarlawnken]

I would check on a hydro unit I paid 3000 for mine new.It was a dealer demo with 5 hours on it,didnt bother me a bit.Also if you have the money check out there sulky,it's real nice. :D

[geogunn]

dllandscaping--you enumerate problems with your lesco without giving enough details!

has it never cut satisfactorily? ever?

sounds like you are having safety switch problems to me. I posted recently that the neutral ground wire came unhooked at a plug and my lesco ran away with me. but it wasn't the mowers fault. I snagged sometning that pulled the wire loose before I got the mower hung in a bad shape and it ran away. keeping the safety switches in good operating order is an OPERATOR RESPONSIBILITY, not a manufacrurer reponsibility.

also, I'll bet I can put any mower out there in grass tall enough to stall it.

as far as you reporting your lesco dealer being ambilivant regarding your reporting problems, it seems to me that if you let them talk to you that way then it isn't their fault! no dealer talks to me that way! not truck, car, or mower!

a member here recently posted that his bosse's lesco 52 didn't cut well (he posted it in other terms). then we find out that he had 4 spacers under the blade. HA! problem solved.

I don't have a problem with people posting legitimate complaints, even about my favorite mower. and I assume that yours is legitimate, but anybody can post a slamming comment without adding the facts to back it up or using the investigative skills to find out what the problem is.

good luck to you.

GEO

[JJOHN22042]

The Mower looks like a well built Machine. But wonder about Lesco for the Service? :confused:

[edward hedrick]

Both geogunn and I are long time Lesco users. I service my machine. Only the engine and transmission are difficult. Lesco
some times has a central service. In Conn. there are 4 service
centers and one full service store. I could not afford to have mine
serviced. If you were to buy another brand same problem with
service. Lesco's parts supply is fairly complete. Its there only brand.

[dlandscaping]

when the machine ran away from me it was not because of my operator error, i had just gotten the machine the day before and this was my first time using it so there is no way i could have messed up the safety system which i know can happen because it has on a 32 exmark of mine which got caught by a low branch. As for the lesco, there is plenty of airflow coming from the machine causing leaves dirt an grass to come over the front of it and into my face, and the dealer told me it was because all 48-52 's do it and to lower the height, i cut at 2.25 inch and cant go any lower with the burnt lawns here and the cut is still horrible, i have 2 spacers between the blades and the deck is slightly higher in the back like suggested by other members, i am just not pleased with the cut and am sick of the stuff in my face so i am switcing to toro.

[geogunn]

dlland...--sorry you aren't able to make the best of your lesco.

there is a safety switch problem with your unit that when fixed should not be a further problem. whos fault is that? seems to me that the unit should have been checked out completely by you and the dealer at the time of delivery. that's the way I'd do it.

as far as the crap back in your face, you must mulch full time. I hate mulching with that unit. I see no need to do it! but again, that is my preference. I posted the following initially:


Originally posted by geogunn
I don't know about mulching with that unit. I do it but on rare occasion. I think toro or exmark will win the mulching battle.
GEO

dlland... if you aren't mulching then you got a problem that needs to be looked at. my lesco with high lifts will throw grass over 20 feet and not back in your face.

good luck to you. I think you got a good unit there there's just some things aren't right and can be fixed.

GEO

[laserman]

:D
I run the mtd pro (I hear it's the same) 48 hydro. I love mine Probably not the best deck or cut but does cut good and I don't have any trouble. Built like a tank and give em away @2995!