Best rider in $2000 range

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Many people swear by John Deere

they usually have some kind of spring sale with 0 payments for a year.


i think you can get certain models around 2500
 
Best engines I've ever had are the Kawasaki's in John Deere products.... and have never had an issue with a JD drive train.
 
FWIW, Consumer Reports rated lawnmowers in the May 2014 issue, likely available at your local public library. The best-cutting ones were John Deere. And, John Deere had the lowest number of reported problems by far.

I'm looking at mowers in the $1000-2000 range, and the John Deere D100 is my pick so far. It looks to be a Briggs engine in that model line. It was basically a nicer-built version of the Briggs engine in the Ariens down the row at HD. Looking at the Deere, it was obvious that they meant this thing to be easy to service. The starter relay and solenoid were out in the open, the gas tank looked like a snap to refuel even with a EPA gas can, and little details like the transmission disengagement were easy to operate.

The local Deere dealers have 0% financing for 1 year on Deere mowers right now. Given everything, I'd get a Deere and call it good.
 
I was looking at the Husqvarna and Cub Cadet with the Kawasaki motors. I'll check out the John Deere's

Thanks.
 
John Deere, even a used one. You can find an older one that is built like a tank and still in good shape for that price. My John Deere is going on 600 hours. The best part about John Deere is the parts are so easy to get. If you don't want to pay dealer prices, there are plenty of online sources that have exploded diagrams listing every nut and bolt. You can still get parts for almost every model they made since the 1960s. Try doing that with a Cub Cadet (MTD) or Craftsman.
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Consumers Reports has a brief article on riding lawn mowers this month.

JD rated most reliable.
 
Last year I bought a Cub Cadet with the Kawasaki engine. So far I am very happy with the purchase. The mower is built well, and I think the Kawasaki twin is GREAT!
 
Yes but only because they are ment to be lesser of a mower. While you can get the low end deeres at a dealer the dealer is the only ones that sell the high end stuff
 
Originally Posted By: Eddie
The guy set the limit at ~ $2,000 so go to HD or Lowes or?


Well I can go a bit higher (2,500 max). I want the Kawasaki motor and both the Cub Cadet & Husqvarna models with that motor were under 2,000. I do want something with a good rear end that isn't going to fall apart after 5yrs.

One of the largest JD dealers in Michigan is about 15 mi. from where I live, I'll go there Friday and see what they have.

Thanks
 
I would find a shelter kept, low hour, used machine and I am sure that I could find something seriously better than new for that price.
 
Originally Posted By: JLoy
I would find a shelter kept, low hour, used machine and I am sure that I could find something seriously better than new for that price.


Yes I could and I've been looking....nothing so far that I would buy.

Here's the deal...I just got old so the wife and I sold our huge home & 54 acres of land and we down sized. I sold my Grasshopper 430D Z-turn which was real nice. I now have a normal size yard in a normal neighborhood. I don't want a Z-turn...least not a small one, they are to bumpy of a ride.

I still have my 1973 Wheel Horse C121 that's in great shape. It's big and heavy, it has rear discharge deck and I hate the lawn sweeper routine. The way it's geared you're either going to slow or to fast, my wife (keyword, remember that...haha) hates driving it, she was scared to death of the Grasshopper after putting it in the pond her first try.

I want to set the Wheel Horse up for snow plowing only. I don't want some old heavy JD that's the same as what I have.

Now that I got old I want a nice rider so I look like every other old guy in my neighborhood, plus (this is where key word comes in)if I get a nice rider my wife will be more than happy to jump on it and cut grass.....ahhhh that would be nice, don't you think ?

Thanks
 
My John Deere 757 with a 25HP Kawasaki engine has almost 1700 hours on it and it's still going strong.

I don't know about the dealers in your area, but around here there are plenty of trade-ins and demo units available from real dealers. You can get a much more solidly built lawn and garden tractor used from a real dealer (usually with a warranty) for about the same as you'd pay new for the big box store versions.
 
Well, a new JD rider with a Kawasaki starts at $3105.
Its the X300 model.
For your $2000 budget, you can get a D140.
It has a Briggs v twin. Still a decent tractor and way better than the MTD made tractors.
 
FastGame, Pretty sure by now you've seen $2500 doesn't buy you a real solid brand-new machine. It will however, buy you one that can mow a relatively smooth and flat residential lawn for many years with reasonable care.

I see you're really wanting a Kawasaki engine. That's great IMO, but the engine is only a piece of the puzzle. I love Kawasakis, but I just don't see how one in a $2500 rider is the same Kawi you'd find in a $6000 JD.

To me, make/model of the transaxle, quality of the steering components, cutting deck and supporting hardware outweighs if it's got a Kawi, Briggs or Chonda engine on it.
 
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