# Thinking about a new lawn tractor



## markfnc (Sep 16, 2003)

I bought my Craftsman DLT 3000 IN 2003. So its 12 years old, and probably around 400 +/- hours. 

Its been good and lasted a long while (its still running). I've done regular oil changes, spark plugs etc. Had the carb rebuilt a while back. changed blades most every year. 
no real issues now. Need to replace drive belt, needs a new seat. 
Options :
1. keep it and do repairs needed
2. buy something used that might be better
3. get something new. need to be in $1500- $2000 range. I think the Sears I have was $1800. 

Main question is what are best new ones out there in that $1500-$2000 range?


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## Wil7171 (Apr 27, 2014)

Don't by new rebuild it and make it better than new


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Absolutely hands down, do the maintenance, replace that belt and seat and keep it.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Long as your handy w/wrench etc. keep her purring along.


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## TominDallas (Aug 4, 2015)

Unless you've got major issues with your existing machine I believe you'll be hard pressed to find many guys on this forum in favor of something new. If you're just in the mood for something new, fix it up and pass it down to a family member.


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## fatjay (Dec 6, 2013)

First, replace the seat and drive belt so that it's opperational and comfortable. Then, hop on craigslist and find a nice '70's era tractor with driveshaft and cast iron transmission, so you have a dependable "forever" tractor so you're never left without one. Then, find your local sears outlet center, and go pick up a new mid range tractor. This way, you've covered all your bases. Old and dependable, new and shiny, and something you can wrench on in your spare time to become familiar with the machines. While you're at it, head over to the home depot and pick up 150 cinder blocks, 12 sheets of ply wood, 40 2x4's, and a few boxes of shingles, so you can build yourself a nice shed for the machines.


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## Trubble (Apr 13, 2015)

markfnc said:


> I bought my Craftsman DLT 3000 IN 2003.
> 
> Its been good and lasted a long while (its still running).
> 
> ...


In my opinion, if you have a current ride that's servicing your needs, keep it and repair. 
Only way I'd tell you to jump ship on it would be if you honestly needed a C.U.T. (or bigger) for doing food plots, or other more agricultural work. But it sounds like you'd be buying something very similar to what you already have. 
Your money, your call, but if it were me, I'd stay with what you've got.



markfnc said:


> Main question is what are best new ones out there in that $1500-$2000 range?


I've been shopping since spring, and haven't found anything I like enough jump on.
Then again, you already have a tractor, so stuff I think I 'need', you may know you can get by just fine without. I'd guess "the best" is going to be dependent on what features you really need to have.


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## lcrepairs (Jul 25, 2015)

I feel like Zero Turn Equipment has made Lawn Tractors a thing of the past, at least for me. I currently own the new Scag Liberty, much better than the piece of junk Cub Cadet I owned for 9 yrs. Not sure what the point of a Lawn Tractor is. Maybe someone could tell me. I've owned them in the past but not anymore, no need. Of course I do have a Polaris Ranger that we use around the place for hauling stuff around. But in my quest of looking at & talking to people (some professionals) Scag & Kuboto are among the best.


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## TominDallas (Aug 4, 2015)

I've been using lawn tractors since 1967 and I've had a handful. In 67 it was my father's Sears and I was 8 years old. Now I have a Cub 482 and a Craftsman mower and I still have the one I was using in 67.
I got married a year ago to a woman who used to run a lawn mowing service. She said "Once you try a ZTR you'll put those old tractors out to pasture!"
Went out and bought a Dixon 46 with 10 hours just to shut her up.
Well I hate to admit, she was right.
We had to have model T's before we had Silverado's and we had to have DC-3's before we had 787's. In a decade there'll probably something else come along, but the ZTR is so much better for just mowing. Much MUCH better, but for tilling and plowing and pulling, still gotta have the tractor.
The ZTR ain't made for pulling and you'll ruin it if you try, so I get to keep my tractors. I did give the Craftsman to my son-in-law.


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## Trubble (Apr 13, 2015)

TominDallas said:


> Went out and bought a Dixon 46 with 10 hours just to shut her up.


When I was trying to whittle down my choices with new tractors, the wife knew if I had too many options, I wouldn't be able to decide. So she kept after me to consider the ZTR's. No. Not interested.

Paid entirely too much for the fence to bonce off a tree root and grab a handle out of panic and put a mower right through said fence. 

Looked at the Toro Timecutters. I liked that those are more tractor (w/ traditional actual steering linkage), and the ZTR styling is really largely cosmetic on them. They got wiped off the table for two reasons, One being the sliding mechanism that retards the inside trans is mounted out of sight, and in the line of fire for under-deck clippings, sticks, and assorted gunk, didn't look at all pleasant to maintain and clean. Two was that they costed 2-3 times what I was looking at for comparable tractors.

The OP wanted to stay below 2 grand for something new, I have my doubts if ZTRs are available that cheap. Even if you opened that amount up to the used market, I still think pickings would be pretty slim for ZTRs, and the dollar would go a lot further on the tractor side.
(I didn't include the possibility of used machines in my shopping as I would need to use CC or PayPal for that kind of money. If I'm going to shop at a dealer of some sort, so I can use the card, at that point, pay dealer pricing for used, or not much more for new. Rock and a hard place, to coin a phrase.)

I kinda like the idea of the front-deck models such as the Deere 725, 525, or the Husqvarna articulating mower (R120, ?), but those are, again, outside the OP's price range.


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## skunkhome (Nov 30, 2008)

If it ain't broke don't go looking to replace it unless you just want something different. I have two lawn/garden tractors the new one was built in 1982 and mows as good as ever.


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## lcrepairs (Jul 25, 2015)

You are correct, you won't buy a decent Zero job for much under $5k, don't make my mistake and do it, cause they ain't no count. Good ones are in the $8-10K range. Decent ones like the Skag Liberty are $4200. I made the mistake of getting the $3200 Cub Cadet Z-force, it's not a good example. You want welded/smooth deck, easy to blow the grass off, serviceable trans, and open and easy to work on engine. But my dad is a tight wad and he still operates the cheaper lawn tractors, but you do get what you pay for. If you want something to mow the grass good and fast get a zero turn, if you want to mess around and goof off half the day, a lawn tractor will work. Only from experience can you make your own mind up I guess. But on a final note, do you ever see the commercial lawn care guys driving a lawn tractor ? Scag,Kubota,Husler,some Badboys, etc. Don't go to the big box store and thing your getting a real machine. Like you said, the ZTR won't do it all but for mowing large size yards, it's the only way to go. 2 acres here. takes maybe an hour with all the trees and buildings to navigate around. They are expensive but I plan to keep em at least 10 yrs.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

If the Sears is doing the job, fix it. I use 25 horse John Deere mowers, and the last one was over $16,000 with quad steer, bagger, and four wheel drive in diesel. My older G series was over $3,000 ten or so years ago, and it is a gas mower that has gone through three engines and is less expensive to just keep rebuilding than to buy new. We mow over 4 acres of lawn, so a commercial type mower is needed.

I have rebuilt Craftsman mowers for friends as winter projects in the farm shop, and it always has turned out that for an average sized lawn they will last around 1,000 hours before the engine is due for replacement, about the same for the hydrostatic, and the rest of the components are low cost and easily replaced every 300-500 hours.

When it is time for an engine, I use Honda engines and they generally will last five or six times as long as the engines used by Craftsman. Hydrostatic transmissions are pretty much all the same until you get in the upper end of Kubota or the 15k and above John Deere line, and can be had from ebay for around $300 to you door. 

The homeowner types of hydrostatic generally has a fan on the top where the drive pulley is located, it is critical to keep the transmission clean so it will cool, and then they last a very long time.

Keep in mind that the newer low end mowers such as Sears Craftsman, and the John Deere's they sell at the big box stores, are "decontented" to keep the price point down to the point that they will not last like one from ten years ago. Get to the discounters and you are lucky that one of those will last a season.

Good luck,

Randy


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## palottii (Jan 5, 2009)

I believe you have a Husqvarna built tractor you can no longer buy one of those from Sears as they had some kind of falling out so you would end up with an MTD built tractor which have never been the tractor that the Roper/AYP/Husqvarna tractors were.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Markfnc..............
Well looks like discussion secert voting in.....you ain't getting new rider. :fineprint


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