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Lawn Tractor Questions
I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in
Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
Lawn Tractor Questions
Why do you want a lawn tractor for a yard that size? Do you have a physical
disability that you cannot walk? Is the lawn such a steep grade it is to hard to push? It is a waste of money on a yard that small a push mower might take an hour to mow. Get a good push mower maybe even a self propelled if you need it. Get one of the rear wheel drive with the caster wheels in the front. I have an 80 year old grandmother who push mows a lawn bigger than that and I am not joking. "M. Osborn" wrote in message ... I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
Lawn Tractor Questions
"Chris" wrote in message ... | Why do you want a lawn tractor for a yard that size? Do you have a physical | disability that you cannot walk? Is the lawn such a steep grade it is to | hard to push? It is a waste of money on a yard that small a push mower might | take an hour to mow. Get a good push mower maybe even a self propelled if | you need it. Get one of the rear wheel drive with the caster wheels in the | front. I have an 80 year old grandmother who push mows a lawn bigger than | that and I am not joking. | | "M. Osborn" wrote in message | ... | I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in | Charlotte, NC. | | Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot | for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their | mowing | deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a | 17.5 | HP mower. | | Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was | touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. | | A couple of questions he | | 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the | John | Deere L110? | | 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S | V-Twin, | (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise | control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the | largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? | | Thanks.... | | | | Very helpful, Chris....thanks. |
Lawn Tractor Questions
"Chris" wrote:
Why do you want a lawn tractor for a yard that size? Do you have a physical disability that you cannot walk? Is the lawn such a steep grade it is to hard to push? It is a waste of money on a yard that small a push mower might take an hour to mow. Get a good push mower maybe even a self propelled if you need it. Get one of the rear wheel drive with the caster wheels in the front. I have an 80 year old grandmother who push mows a lawn bigger than that and I am not joking. Your 80 year old grandma push mows over 22,000 sq ft of lawn? -- GO# 40 ------------------------------------------------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ 50 GB/Month |
Lawn Tractor Questions
Yes she does, she has lived on a farm all of her life. She has been mowing
the lawn at her current home since she was 60 wrote in message ... "Chris" wrote: Why do you want a lawn tractor for a yard that size? Do you have a physical disability that you cannot walk? Is the lawn such a steep grade it is to hard to push? It is a waste of money on a yard that small a push mower might take an hour to mow. Get a good push mower maybe even a self propelled if you need it. Get one of the rear wheel drive with the caster wheels in the front. I have an 80 year old grandmother who push mows a lawn bigger than that and I am not joking. Your 80 year old grandma push mows over 22,000 sq ft of lawn? -- GO# 40 ------------------------------------------------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ 50 GB/Month |
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"Chris" wrote in message ... Yes she does, she has lived on a farm all of her life. She has been mowing the lawn at her current home since she was 60 So this means that we all have to use a push mower as well? Back to the original question. I don't know anything about the Sears model, but I hear people swear by the Deere's. Peter H |
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"Peter H" wrote in message ble.rogers.com... | | "Chris" wrote in message | ... | Yes she does, she has lived on a farm all of her life. She has been mowing | the lawn at her current home since she was 60 | | | So this means that we all have to use a push mower as well? | | Back to the original question. I don't know anything about the Sears model, | but I hear people swear by the Deere's. | | Peter H | Peter, Thanks for the input....that's kinda the type I was looking for. Regarding Chris's grandmother, maybe she'd cut my grass, too, and I wouldn't need the mower at all? |
Lawn Tractor Questions
On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 08:38:17 -0400, "M. Osborn"
wrote: I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... I have the L120 and so far its been great, only have 25 hours on it though. I mow 3 acres, it does a great job. I got the grass catcher with it and that also has worked out real well. Dont know about the sears. |
Lawn Tractor Questions
X-Trace: NewsReader.Com P@FM261wm6Sbw6gGHD,ew1BrrCmk,e=gXk_Awh@cl/HCng
X-Face: B/EthrX[FE4sJrvnTZc\tVr,/idBSo&}0FrCAHWz.8J/8IR!lww&Uu:vfvAKT;ee,:.4% !p~iUq2Gl$DM`'5'F)jU`(Q2'eL/IXTb:''Llbl_lbYNB#jQm9-j6w*'nH@$"U\3r{/A#]|V}:4{H# F`U~?c~\_-XG*io;0RVlG.Y=cSQ\B.cthXj=6vrZtpN3,%}a~pG}]Qok!(Q]B-&V@/O@"=aH8 Lines: 11 Path: text-east!propagator-sterling!In.nntp.be!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!feed3.n ewsreader.com!newsreader.com!news2.newsreader.com! ellis.newsreader.com!not-for-mail Xref: 127.0.0.1 alt.home.lawn.garden:5042 "M. Osborn" wrote: Regarding Chris's grandmother, maybe she'd cut my grass, too, and I wouldn't need the mower at all? I want some of her vitamins. ;) -- GO# 40 ------------------------------------------------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ 50 GB/Month |
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I would lean towards the Deere, assuming there is a Deere dealer near you
that will service it should you need service. Occasionally, I have heard of Deere dealers who have issues with servicing equipment bought at HD. But I'm partial to Deere. The DLT line at Sears (actually made by AYP, a division of Electrolux of Sweden) is not bad. Sears likes to put (or have AYP put) mega horsepower engines on their tractors - far more than anyone really needs. It's mostly a sales gimmick. You don't need 25HP to cut grass. My JD LX277 has a 17HP Kawasaki engine and I cut and mulch 2 acres with no problems, and I can haul a cart and blow snow. Take a look at the Deere web site, at their higher end lawn or garden tractors (LX, GT, and GX series) - none of them have 25HP engines. And the GT and GX series are garden tractors (meaning they accept ground engaging equipment like tillers). But if I were buying the DLT, I would lean towards the Honda engine. Not that there is anything wrong with the B&S and Kohler. But I have a relative in the landscaping business and he says Honda engines are top notch. "M. Osborn" wrote in message ... I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
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why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ?
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Lawn Tractor Questions
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why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ?
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 5 NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.203.55.98 X-Complaints-To: X-Trace: rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net 1058171841 12.203.55.98 (Mon, 14 Jul 2003 08:37:21 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 08:37:21 GMT Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 08:37:21 GMT Path: text-east!propagator-sterling!In.nntp.be!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!wn14fee d!wn13feed!wn12feed!worldnet.att.net!204.127.198.2 03!attbi_feed3!attbi.com!rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net .POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: 127.0.0.1 alt.home.lawn.garden:5045 Regarding Chris's grandmother, maybe she'd cut my grass, too, and I wouldn't need the mower at all? mowin is very good exercize |
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"Die Spammer !!!" wrote:
wrote: "M. Osborn" wrote: Regarding Chris's grandmother, maybe she'd cut my grass, too, and I wouldn't need the mower at all? I want some of her vitamins. ;) you dont need vitamins. exercise and a proper diet keeps you energetic and strong... his grandmother most likely dont sit around drunk, stoned, wired and eating pizza and bon bons all day... I didn't ask about your lifestyle. -- GO# 40 ------------------------------------------------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ 50 GB/Month |
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"Die Spammer !!!" wrote:
why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ? Are you the moderator here? -- GO# 40 ------------------------------------------------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ 50 GB/Month |
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"Die Spammer !!!" wrote in message ... | why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ? | I only posted it one time.....dunno why you saw it twice. |
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"Peter H" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com... Back to the original question. I don't know anything about the Sears model, but I hear people swear by the Deere's. I can assure you, hundreds and thousands of homeowners swear AT their Crapsman. Buy the Deere. -Tim |
Lawn Tractor Questions
"Die Spammer !!!" wrote in message ... | | "M. Osborn" wrote: | | "Die Spammer !!!" wrote in message | ... | | why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ? | | | I only posted it one time.....dunno why you saw it twice. | | I saw it twice. once for your original post then again in your reply to | chris .... | LOL....whoops! Busted by the NewsNazi's..... |
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"M. Osborn" wrote: "Die Spammer !!!" wrote in message ... | why did you repost your original message again m. osborn ? | I only posted it one time.....dunno why you saw it twice. I saw it twice. once for your original post then again in your reply to chris .... |
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I can assure you, hundreds and thousands of homeowners swear AT their
Crapsman. Buy the Deere. -Tim I had a Crapsman. Now I have an MTD and love it. Not just cause it has more power, but cause the rear bag picks up so much better Also I bought the Crapsman for $10 and sold it for $40 |
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I saw it twice. once for your original post then again in your reply to
chris .... Who died and made you the moderator here? |
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LOL....whoops! Busted by the NewsNazi's..... I am here to trip you up while you are high ... haha |
Lawn Tractor Questions
Tim Fischer wrote: I saw it twice. once for your original post then again in your reply to chris .... Who died and made you the moderator here? relax gomer.... |
Lawn Tractor Questions
"M. Osborn" wrote:
I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. I mow .75 acres of mostly steep hills with an L110 and it's been great so far. I have about 18 hrs. on it. That bit about the deck not getting clogged could be far fetched though. I cleaned mine 2 weeks ago and it was pretty well packed. BUT, I'm cutting with the mulcher cover on the deck. Luckily, the deck is a breeze to get off and on the mower. If you bag or side-discharge it could be a whole different ballgame. This is the first time I've had a mower with an auto tranny and I'm NEVER going back to a stick. -- Donnie Vazquez Sunderland, MD |
Lawn Tractor Questions
"M. Osborn" wrote:
I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. I mow .75 acres of mostly steep hills with an L110 and it's been great so far. I have about 18 hrs. on it. That bit about the deck not getting clogged could be far fetched though. I cleaned mine 2 weeks ago and it was pretty well packed. BUT, I'm cutting with the mulcher cover on the deck. Luckily, the deck is a breeze to get off and on the mower. If you bag or side-discharge it could be a whole different ballgame. This is the first time I've had a mower with an auto tranny and I'm NEVER going back to a stick. -- Donnie Vazquez Sunderland, MD |
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I'd agree with the notion that _normally_ a half-acre lot wouldn't
warrant a rider mower unless it was extremely steep and/or you have some sort of physical problem with walking behind a self-propelled unit. You'd save a ton of money, and cleaning a walk-behind is a piece of cake. But it's your money. Mike On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 08:38:17 -0400, "M. Osborn" wrote: I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
Lawn Tractor Questions
You don't even need a walk behind, surely you can do the job with a pair of
nail clippers.... wrote in message ... I'd agree with the notion that _normally_ a half-acre lot wouldn't warrant a rider mower unless it was extremely steep and/or you have some sort of physical problem with walking behind a self-propelled unit. You'd save a ton of money, and cleaning a walk-behind is a piece of cake. But it's your money. Mike On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 08:38:17 -0400, "M. Osborn" wrote: I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
Lawn Tractor Questions
If you think you can do a 0.6 acre lawn in an hour with a push mower, you
have another guess coming. I have a 0.5 acre lot and with a self-propelled Honda mower it takes twice that long...and that's if I don't collect clippings. A half acre is the break point where a small lawn tractor starts becoming a reasonable idea simply because it will have 2X the swath of a normal lawn mower, so you will get done much faster and be much less fatigued when done. You can then use the saved time to go get some real exercise, riding a bike for example. Lawn mowing is not good exercise. It is hot, boring drudge work and anything that helps you get it done faster is desirable. -- - GRL "It's good to want things." Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic programmer) "M. Osborn" wrote in message ... "Chris" wrote in message ... | Why do you want a lawn tractor for a yard that size? Do you have a physical | disability that you cannot walk? Is the lawn such a steep grade it is to | hard to push? It is a waste of money on a yard that small a push mower might | take an hour to mow. Get a good push mower maybe even a self propelled if | you need it. Get one of the rear wheel drive with the caster wheels in the | front. I have an 80 year old grandmother who push mows a lawn bigger than | that and I am not joking. | | "M. Osborn" wrote in message | ... | I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in | Charlotte, NC. | | Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot | for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their | mowing | deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a | 17.5 | HP mower. | | Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was | touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. | | A couple of questions he | | 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the | John | Deere L110? | | 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S | V-Twin, | (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise | control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the | largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? | | Thanks.... | | | | Very helpful, Chris....thanks. |
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And I can assure that after using a $1,000 Craftsman (15.5 horse B&S motor)
hydrostatic lawn tractor for almost 10 years now (Michigan) with the ONLY maintenance being oil changes, one blade set change, periodic blade sharpenings, every other year battery changes, and annual air-filter clean-outs, it still works great. Starts immediately EVERY time. Transmission works great. Engine works great. No problems. Still on the original plug, too. This RIDICULOUS prejudice some people have against Sears Craftsman equipment is laughable. There is precisely nothing wrong with Sears lawn tractors for typical homeowner use. Nothing. It saves you a ton of money, too, compared to the pretty hat brands. - GRL "It's good to want things." Steve Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic programmer) "Tim Fischer" wrote in message news:MPyQa.51860$OZ2.9254@rwcrnsc54... "Peter H" wrote in message ble.rogers.com... Back to the original question. I don't know anything about the Sears model, but I hear people swear by the Deere's. I can assure you, hundreds and thousands of homeowners swear AT their Crapsman. Buy the Deere. -Tim |
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"GRL" wrote in message
... This RIDICULOUS prejudice some people have against Sears Craftsman equipment is laughable. There is precisely nothing wrong with Sears lawn tractors for typical homeowner use. Nothing. It saves you a ton of money, too, compared to the pretty hat brands. Sorry, GRL, but my "ridiculous, laughable" prejudice against Crapsman is based on real, concrete experience with owning one of the beasts, and enhanced by many stories, both from folks I know personally and others I don't but have heard here on the 'net, that have had the same results. You can locate my Crapsman woes via a google groups search with a little legwork. But I assure you, I don't have a "blind prejudice". -Tim |
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"Tim Fischer" wrote in message news:hpnSa.101741$N7.13339@sccrnsc03...
"GRL" wrote in message ... This RIDICULOUS prejudice some people have against Sears Craftsman equipment is laughable. There is precisely nothing wrong with Sears lawn tractors for typical homeowner use. Nothing. It saves you a ton of money, too, compared to the pretty hat brands. Sorry, GRL, but my "ridiculous, laughable" prejudice against Crapsman is based on real, concrete experience with owning one of the beasts, and enhanced by many stories, both from folks I know personally and others I don't but have heard here on the 'net, that have had the same results. You can locate my Crapsman woes via a google groups search with a little legwork. But I assure you, I don't have a "blind prejudice". -Tim With the number of units they sell, it is inevitable that a small number of people will get a lemon. (Hell, even Lexus gets off a groaner every now and then.) The great majority will not. Since Sear's stuff is mostly oem'd by major suppliers like MTD, Ryobi, and so on, you basically get the same level of performance you would expect if you bought the branded flavor. What that means is that you can expect the stuff to hold up well in the kind of use a typical homeowner would provide. I personally have never had any trouble with my Sears branded lawn tractor, leaf blower, string trimmer(s), and snow thrower. That's all the Sears power equipment I have. And that is over 10+ years of use with most of it. I was not impressed with the cordless drill I bought long ago, because the batteries gave out after about four years, but other than that Sears stuff has always held up well for me. The Craftsman hand tools are simply excellent. Sears would not sell the volume they do if the complaints seen on the usenet represented any significant number of cases. - GRL |
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Lawn Tractor Questions
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I have a John Deere Sabre model 1438 HS with a 14.5 B&S engine on a 38-inch
deck with high lift bagger blades, and bag kit installed that I purchased back in July 2001, and it has worked flawlessly for me since. I've mowed foot high grass with it, and that 14.5hp B&S motor had no problem dealing with it while going up a hill with my 285 pound butt parked in the seat. Now the bag unit does need for the grass to be dry and not too thick, and high lift bagger blades installed in order to work well. Now I've never had a problem with the deck clogging up on me even after mowing soaking wet high grass. I was shocked the first time I went to drop the deck for cleaning fully expecting the usual thick heavy built up, but found it nearly clean as a whistle somehow even after mowing wet and thick grass for weeks. Well that was back in the fall of 2001, and I've not had to ever clean it since. I check it, but it stays clean. It should be clogged to beat hell, but it never has. Now I've only ran it with the high lift bagger blades installed, and perhaps that could have something to do with it, but I don't know since I have yet to try it with the standard blades installed. I really like the little 14.5 hp B&S motor, its twist to open oil drain makes oil changes as simple as one could expect. Yet to have to replace the air filter thanks to somebody designing a foam rubber filter that fits around it, that has kept all the dust and dirt from getting to it, and checking last week, it still looked as good as the new one I bought just in case. Like you I was checking out all my options, and looking at brand, price and all of that, and talking with my neighbor when a friend of his drops by who just so happens to have owned and ran his own lawn care business for over 30 years. After introductions I told him that I was really wanting to buy my first riding mower and with him being in the business, what brand of mower would he suggest, and he instantly said, "Get the John Deere!!" Then he told me why. Yes you will pay a little more, but they really are solid built machines, John Deere really stands behind and supports their products, and know how to solve just about any problem you might have. A John Deere mower will hold its value like no other brand, so if you want to sell or trade it in that can be a big plus, but best of all 20 years from now John Deere will still have parts, support and service for it. That was his #1 problem he encountered with all the other brands, 4-5 years down the road getting parts just became a nightmare. Also once again, no other brand seemes to hold its trade in value like a John Deere will. Me, I'm pretty sold on John Deere, and also bought one of their snow blowers, which has yet to fail me, and blows snow higher and further than any of the brands my neighbors have. Now what brand of riding mower you go with is up to you, but if you only have a .6 acre sized yard, you might save a little money with a 38-inch cutting deck over the 42-inch one, and a 14.5 hp motor should be plenty. My neighbor just bought a Craftsman 42-inch with a 24.5hp motor, and side by side in foot high grass, at the same speed & height his left a ridge of uncut grass, and my 14.5hp motor chugged a bit, but it cut the grass without leaving an uncut ridge. Now he was running standard blades, and I had high lift bagger blades, and that could have been why mine didn't leave an uncut ridge, but all that extra power didn't get the grass cut better than mine. As for that DLT 3000 model at Sears, just go to Google, and type "DLT 3000 problems", and do the same with the John Deere, and judge for yourself. Next find a friend who owns one of their mowers that is say maybe 5 or 10 years old. Write down its info, and then go to Sears and ask for a part.. But before you do that, go back and ask that salesman this question. If I need a part for this mower say 10 to 15 years from now, how would my need be handled, and what could I expect? Then after he has spoken, walk away for about 5 minutes, and then go right back up to him and tell him that you need this part for this make and model of mower, and see what happens. Now go find any old John Deere mower, and go ask them for a part or whatever for it, and see what happens. Then sit down and judge for yourself based on the results of who was better able to help and assist you, make your choice. Also try the other brands as well, do some Google searches about problems and parts, and see for yourself. Take your time, don't rush, check and double check everything, and go for it. "M. Osborn" wrote in message ... I'm getting ready to buy a new lawn tractor for our .6 acre lot in Charlotte, NC. Initially, I thought for sure I'd buy a new John Deere L110 at Home Depot for $1799. It looks like a good unit, and they are advertising their mowing deck to be better for reducing the grass buildup underneath it. It's a 17.5 HP mower. Then, I stopped at Sears to see what they had. The salesman there was touting their DLT 3000 tractors as better than the John Deere units. A couple of questions he 1. Any opinions on the quality of the Sears DLT 3000 tractors vs. the John Deere L110? 2. I see the DLT 3000 tractor comes in 3 "flavors"....(a) 25HP B&S V-Twin, (b) 20HP Kohler Pro, and (c) 16.5HP Honda V-Twin (which also has cruise control). Oddly enough, the smallest engine (Honda) costs more than the largest engine (B&S). Any opinions on which of the three is best? Thanks.... |
I bought a Craftsman LT1000 20HP V-twin about 2 years ago. We had just
bought a place with 2 acres of grass. I had really no previous experience with riding mowers, so I went with Sears because the price was not too bad and hey, their hand tools were good. I also had heard that they had good service if you have problems. The grand total was about $1950 after tax, 3 year service plan, and dump cart. So how did it fare over the last two years? Well.... If I had a time machine and I could jump in it, set it for July 2002, and go back to Sears on that day, I would tell myself: 1. Don't do it. It will run great for the first season, then its downhill from there. You'll have the carburetor replaced, the throttle cable sticking and finally replaced, the blades stop engaging, and every time you mow you will have to get on the ground with a wrench to level the deck, or else your yard will have grooves in it. Oh, and that popping and backfiring? Get used to it, the service guy won't hear it. 2. Speaking of the service plan, it looks good on paper, but during the peak of summer when grass is mowed every week, and you will actually need it, they are so backed up that if you need service you have to wait 2 weeks. By then you will have already fixed the problem yourself out of desperation or had to hire it done. Also, if you call them out and the problem is not there, they charge you 80 bucks. So, you will end up with always having problems with it not quite "bad enough" to call the van, but bad enough to wish you had a better mower. 3. You will find yourself looking at other lawns and wondering how they cut it so smooth. 4. Spend your 2K on a good used John Deere or other high quality mower. Also, in my opinion Sears somehow overrates their mowers when it comes to horsepower. There is just no way that thing is 20 HP. |
My John Deere is my pride and joy. 5...10....15 years down the road John
Deere will still have parts and service for it. I also have a TRS-26 John Deere Snow blower that I love as well. You walk into a John Deere dealership and the person behind the counter knows the product, and can answer you questions. Also a John Deere mower actually holds its trade in value like no other brand. This has even caused a funny little problem for me every time I clean out my garage, cause if I don't hide and cover them up, just about every other person driving by that sees them will stop, back up and come ask me if I'm selling them. I don't think any other brand causes that sort of reaction in people. Also they stand behind their product. The 2nd year I had my mower the battery went. I took my old battery up there to make sure I bought the same one, and they gave me a new one "NO CHARGE" I said it was my fault for leaving it in the mower during our entire -30' below winters we have here, and I even said, isn't that only covered for the 1st year? He said no problem, regardless that battery should have lasted longer than that. Now that's SERVICE!!! I'm not well off, and I had to save a little while longer to pay the extra amount I did for my John Deere, but I have found it was worth it. Welcome to the club. 1. Don't do it. It will run great for the first season, then its downhill from there. 2. Speaking of the service plan 3. You will find yourself looking at other lawns and wondering how they cut it so smooth. 4. Spend your 2K on a good used John Deere or other high quality mower. Also, in my opinion Sears somehow overrates their mowers when it comes to horsepower. There is just no way that thing is 20 HP. |
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