John Deere Lawn Tractors -New Vs. Old

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Under 3 grand? Husqvarna Yard Tractor Model# 24047. It has a 54 in deck and a 24 HP Kawasaki engine no less!. Your not going to ever beat a Kawasaki. It's what they put on the older Deere's and they (the engines) went forever with reasonable care. Sears Home Stores are selling them at about $2400.00.
 
Ok, this may be a bit wordy, but hopefully you will see my point of view. I have been collecting/restoring/flipping tractors for 30 odd years. I have owned just about every product worth owning. I have purchased cheap 100 dollar MTD's to brush hog a field and they held up remarkably well. Generally you simply cant beat a quality tractor from the late 70' through the mid 90's.

The John Deere 318, along with the 332, is generally considered the best all around lawn and garden tractor ever produced. They are built like a tank, the transmission is indestructible, the attachments are fantastic, they are comfortable, easy to use with such features as power steering, dual wheel breaks three point hitches, hydraulic 4 way plows and so on. If you spend 2k on that 318, you will likely recover every dime when you sell it, not so the x304. The 318 is a real tractor, not a toy X304 with a K46 transmission, lousy attachments, fair resale and not even in the same league as a 318.

My personal favorite is the WheelHorse machines, an incredible attachment system where all attachments made from 72-07 will fit on any C-Chassis regardless of model or year. The attachments are incredibly well made, they dont break, the chassis is 1/4 angle iron frame rails with a beast of a cast iron transaxle, They are comfortable, easy to operate, simple to service and are dead reliable. I also like the Bolens Gtx series and of course the tank H20/23 series.

If I where going to spend three k, here is examples of what I would be looking at;

http://maine.craigslist.org/grd/2932193596.html
http://maine.craigslist.org/grd/2942158858.html
http://maine.craigslist.org/grd/2931614434.html
http://is.gd/7gteVQ
http://is.gd/pbvwo0

With any of those you will be happy.



For 3k in a new machine;

Husqvarna gt2654
Cub Cadet GT1054 (from dealer)
Simplicity regent (light duty with a stout transmission)
Craftsman GT6000 (same as the husqvarna 2654) good tractor for the money with a decent warranty.
 
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Update: I ended up purchasing a used JD GT275 - in like new condition. Runs great and is so easy to operate. I expect this tractor to last a very long time since it will be mostly cutting grass (and lots of it).

Thanks for all of the input. Much appreciated.
 
That is a good choice! My family had a GT262 for many years. It was a 1991-92 model year IIRC. 17hp Kawasaki single and a 5spd fender shift TuffTorq gear drive- back when they made gear drives.

Joel
 
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