Klotsch Help- Riding Lawn Mower Reviews

[BengalHawk62]

My current lawn mower is on its last legs.  Its an old 1990 Snapper than my Dad gave to me.  I'm finally looking to upgrade.  Lowe's has a 42" Husqvarna with a hydrostat transmission on sale that I'm really liking.  I just don't know anyone around me that has a Husqvarna and I've never used one before. The wife and I went out this weekend to look at mowers and I found quite a few different mowers all in my price range, everything from Huskee to John Deere to Husqvarna to Troy Built and Cub Cadets.  Is there really any difference between the different brands or is it all just a color preference?   

[fredtoast]

I have only bought the very cheap riding mowers ($1000-$1200). Many of them are exactly the same except for the paint job. Same sheet metal, same Briggs-Stratton engine.

I assume the John Deere and husqevarna have different machines.

[BengalHawk62]

(04-11-2016, 12:54 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I have only bought the very cheap riding mowers ($1000-$1200).  Many of them are exactly the same except for the paint job.  Same sheet metal, same Briggs-Stratton engine.

I assume the John Deere and husqevarna have different machines.

Ya I think the Husqevarna has a Kohler engine and the JD has a Briggs? 

Have you ever bought one brand new, still in the crate?  Was it delivered in the crate too? 

[XenoMorph]

get you something like this.. maybe not this brand but this type of riding lawnmower

https://www.badboymowers.com/bad-boy-shop/introducing-the-maverick

[Benton]

I had two Husqvarna's. The first was a 7-8 year old hand me down from my dad. He used it to mow 5 acres of very rough rural yard. I used it 2-3 more years. I had a regular few problems out of it, but probably not more than you'd expect on a 10 year old mower that had seen a lot of use. I will say it was fairly easy to work on, and I never had a problem with the hydrostatic transmission or motor, the only issues I had were the belts and hoses and fuses; normal wear stuff.

The other one had too heavy a deck for the deckwheels. They told me that when I bought it, that it was cheaper because they had made some with a heavier duty deck than the normal models. I should have asked why that made it cheaper. The weight just sheered every pin you put in there. If it had been on a smoother lawn, probably wouldn't have been a big deal. But every time I hit a bump, it sheered the pins and one or two decks wheels would fly off.

That's not normal, though. And I never had a problem with the mechanical parts, just that deck. Which I should've asked the sales guy when I saw the lower price.

Anyway, I'd recommend them. I've got a much smaller yard now and just pushmow.

[Garrus]

I just bought a Troy Built a few weeks ago, and it works great thus far, better than my old John Deere honestly.

[jfkbengals]

I technically have one. It's a Craftsman YT4000, but it is just a Husqvarna with a different paint scheme and label.

The V-twin gives it plenty of power, and the transmission is nice.

My problem with it is the frame flexes quite a bit as it goes over terrain, so it isn't strong enough to use heavy duty attachments.

I also own a Troy-Bilt, and the frame on it is like a tank.

While I technically should not use ground engaging attachments with either as they are lawn tractors, I have successfully done so with the Troy-Bilt.

I wouldn't even dream of doing it with that Husky, as I'm pretty certain the frame would break from all of the deflection.


Hope that can help your decision!

[Tiger Teeth]

(04-11-2016, 03:23 PM)Garrus Wrote: I just bought a Troy Built a few weeks ago, and it works great thus far, better than my old John Deere honestly.

I swear by my Troy Built.  It has been reliable for....hell, I can't even remember how many years.

[BengalHawk62]

Well I went out and bought the Husqvarna last night from Lowes.  It gets shipped on April 29th. 

I just like the color orange. 

[Benton]

(04-13-2016, 09:32 AM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Well I went out and bought the Husqvarna last night from Lowes.  It gets shipped on April 29th. 

I just like the color orange. 

Good. Now put some stripes on it.

[mallorian69]

Love my cub cadet. It's one of their cheaper models but other than a new battery this year no problems in the 6 years I've had it.

[Vas Deferens]

(04-13-2016, 09:32 AM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Well I went out and bought the Husqvarna last night from Lowes.  It gets shipped on April 29th. 

I just like the color orange. 

I've made purchasing decisions based solely on this when all things seemed equal otherwise.  Nice. 

[fredtoast]

This is my history with riding lawn mowers. Keep in mind that while I had a fairly large yard to mow (about 1.5 acre) it was relatively flat and free of rocks or heavy growth. I also kept them stored inside during the winter.

Bought a cheap Craftsman in 2001. First time I used it all the oil poured out of it. It was under warranty, but when the guy came out to fix it I told him I wanted my money back because I did not trust a mower that would blow apart the first tome I used it. They agreed to give me one that was more expensive as an equal trade.

Next summer when I tried to use it it would not start. Still under warranty the guy came out and put in a new battery. He told me that this always happened. he had me compare the weight of the battery that came in the mower and the new one he put in. The original weighed about half as much and he told me they never lasted more than a year.

That mower only lasted two more years before it broke down. I had it fixed and in less than a year it broke down again. At this point I was so mad at spending so much money working on what I considered "new" mowers I decided to just buy a used one for $300 dollars.

Went through 2 used mowers in 2 years and decided to but another new one. This time I bought a cheap one from Wal Mart (Murray?). That one lasted less than 3 years until a belt broke. While I had it sitting on blocks to replace the belt it was stolen.

I then bought a cheap Troy Bilt from Lowes. It broke a belt in less than a year. when I went ot the store to get a new belt under the warranty they told me that since I did not pay for the upgraded warranty the only thing they could do was ship it to the factory to get repaired. I blew a gasket and went off on them. They eventually just gave me the belt.

That mower is still just about 3 or 4 years old and this summer it died, I was not using it at the time, but the person who was told me there was just a lour POP and it dies. I tried to start it, but it did not even try to fire. all it did was spin the starter. I loaded it up and took it to a shop to get fixed. Just 2 days ago they called me and told me they could not find anything wrong with it. they started it and drove it around for a while with no problem. that cost me $40 and I am sure there is still something wrong with it that will make it die the next time I use it.

Meanwhile my parents bought a cheap riding mower about 20 years ago and are still using it.

[Sabretooth]

Fred what brand of rider did your rents buy, that lasted 20 years?

[BengalHawk62]

(04-14-2016, 01:53 PM)Sabretooth Wrote: Fred what brand of rider did your rents buy, that lasted 20 years?

I'm guessing a Big Mow.  My Grandpa and Dad swear by Big Mows.  They are the innovators to the zero turn's we see out there now.  They only have 3 wheels.  one up front and two behind.  Chain driven, front wheel drive little buggers.

[fredtoast]

(04-14-2016, 01:53 PM)Sabretooth Wrote: Fred what brand of rider did your rents buy, that lasted 20 years?

I don't know, but it was not an expensive brand like John Deere or anything like that.  Just some bargain brand.