Garden Tractor

[PeteD]

I am in the market for a used Garden Tractor. Is there anyone well versed in this space that can offer advice?

For example, some of the older John Deere tractors look like a great deal, but after further investigation the caveat to the good price is that certain aspects of the machine are no longer serviceable. I'm ok with hunting down parts for an e30, but for a tool, I need it to work and be able to be serviced quickly.

:thankyou:

[mrsleeve]

old cub cadet/international 982 from the 80's kinda pricey to find a good one thats been cared for and in tip top shape, you can still source 90% of the parts with relative ease. and are a actual garden tractors NOT lawn mowers........ Diesel or gas powered and come in red in black branded as an international, or white and yellow Cub Cadet, I want one I like old stuff thats built to last

Image for reference slightly modded of course

[PeteD]

Thank You! That one is awesome. I agree on the pricing premium, the one near me for sale is listed at a "firm" asking price of $2500. The seller says it was restored, yet the rear end still leaks. I think he just painted it. There are a lot of Bolens and Wheelhorses available. Sometimes, I see an old Ford or Case. I'd like to stick with American made - that's for sure.

[mrsleeve]

IIRC there was the slightly newer Hydro Stat 1450(???) as well though not quite as powerful and more purpose built to mow 42" deck again iirc, but still works well for garden tractor duty, that was made in a higher numbers......

I found a 82 series near a job I am working on, I think I might go look at tomarrow, just dont have a way to get it home lol

[flyboyx]

i guess it would be best to define what it is exactly you want to do with the tractor? a price range would be good also. we could then provide you with better advice.

for my needs, i would buy the best zero turn i could afford. the reason i say this is because i already own a 27hp 4wd kubota with a loader. even this tractor is often too small for what i need to do.


if you do actually want a small tractor, i would set my sights a little higher and buy a small older kubota. you can easily buy a 2wd diesel tractor for the money sleeve is talking.

here is an example on my local craigslist.
real tractor:

http://houston.craigslist.org/hvo/4998258633.html

garden tractor:

http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/5019306405.html

you can actually get a lot for your money. they are way cheaper than john deere and of very similar quality.

[mrsleeve]

well he did say garden tractor not compact tractor, or hobby farm tractor ;) So I obliged.

It is in IL but looks pretty good for 2900

http://bn.craigslist.org/grd/5004399814.html

[PeteD]

Hi flybox, thank you for the questions. I want it all! But, that is not realistic at the moment. Right now, I just want something to help with all the yard work (only an acre of mowing), gardening, hauling of brush, firewood and MAYBE to help with the winter. I am in New England and we received so much snow that even on this 85 degree day I have been thinking about how I am going to better deal with the snow next winter. So I figured a garden tractor with a belly mower, ability to attach ground engaging equipment, ability to tow and maybe push/throw snow would be good for me. The older garden tractors seem like a mini tractor - which to me is simple and bullet proof.

I'd pay market rate $1,500-$2,500 on one well cared for and ready to go. For example if something was a package deal with all sorts of implements I'd be happy to buy it all at once (There was one for $2000, but it was a Craftsman - granted top of the line Craftsman). Especially considering some of the older tractors' attachments might be hard to find. I can't believe that guy will just trade for his!

I drive by an old Kubota Garden tractor with a bucket, backhoe and belly motor. I don't know how well that works, but I have to image that would help with stumps and small projects.

[PeteD]

well he did say garden tractor not compact tractor, or hobby farm tractor ;) So I obliged.

It is in IL but looks pretty good for 2900
http://bn.craigslist.org/grd/5004399814.html

Around here those hub caps would not be part of the deal. Everyone loves them!

Slightly off-topic. There is an old John Deere light duty loader/backhoe in the front yard of this house near me. It's been sitting for years. I want to knock on the door, but fear chasing that restoration would be big $$.

These are the ads that distract me: http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/grd/5020608900.html $6,000 for a loader/backhoe. I could almost justify the four hours pushing a lawn mower around.

[PeteD]

Any idea on attachments for a Kubota b5100?

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4981323335.html

I understand this is Compact Tractor rather than a Garden Tractor. Seems like a good price though.

[flyboyx]

Any idea on attachments for a Kubota b5100?

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4981323335.html

I understand this is Compact Tractor rather than a Garden Tractor. Seems like a good price though.

^for the money, i would buy this all day long before i bought a garden tractor-especially since its 4wd. but that is just me. that fucker is pretty small, though. i am guessing about 17 hp. 4 foot brush hog, 3 foot tiller, 4 or perhaps 5 foot finish mower. if you can afford it, i suggest buying a tractor with agricultural tread tires. turf tires are useless for anything other than mowing grass. that thing will just spin its wheels if you load it down in wet environments. a good rule of thumb is that pretty much any tractor you buy(except the back hoe you posted in #8) will be too small at some point for some job you want to use it for. the problem with that international backhoe is that you won't be able to use three point implements with it. also it might not have a pto drive on the back to run a rototiller or snow blower.

one thing i can promise you is that if you plan to plow or blow a decent amount of wet snow out of your driveway in the winter, a little garden tractor isn't going to cut it. they just don't have enough power or enough traction. i spent my formative years in michigan plowing the neighbor's driveways with my dad's 46 hp Zetor. even though my avatar says houston, i have some 'sperience here!

for the needs you listed, i would buy a used 4wd tractor with a loader. i would shoot for something in the 25ish hp range. as far as your lawn is concerned, you can get a set of turf tires for it if you are worried about tearing up your yard(a set of turfs sell really cheap used because no one wants them). also, you can get a 5' finish mower attachment for perhaps 400.00 used.

below is my dream tractor. unfortunately, these go for 20k+ i like that it is relatively compact, 4wd. you can detach the backhoe and put on 3 point arms and use it like a normal tractor. this tractor is physically about the size of my kubota 27hp, but it is 41 hp, heavier and more modern.

I have a 3pt backhoe attachment for my tractor. i don't use it much, but it has paid for itself in just 2 or 3 jobs.

[TurboJake]

I am in the market for a used Garden Tractor. Is there anyone well versed in this space that can offer advice?

For example, some of the older John Deere tractors look like a great deal, but after further investigation the caveat to the good price is that certain aspects of the machine are no longer serviceable. I'm ok with hunting down parts for an e30, but for a tool, I need it to work and be able to be serviced quickly.

:thankyou:

I'll sell my Furgeson TO20 for the right price. Works every time. Everything rebuilt. Meticulously maintained. Indestructable 6 volt system.
Picture!


Price:$More than you're willing to spend for more tractor than you need.

Seriously though, I second the old school cub cadets. Or even old craftsmans (Gt-5000(?).




EDIT:
I FORGOT ABOUT OLD WHEEL HORSES! We had one when I was growing up that was just stellar. Had tons of add ons for it, including a rediculously overwide plow for it, which rendered ours stuck and useless, so we got the snowblower attachment. But we get way more snow than you, so. There's that difference. They also have tow hitches on them, so a trailer can be pulled (Bigger ones than you think too, not just a ball mounted to sheet metal), and agri implements as well. LOTS of different things to bolt or attach to it. No modding needed.








Double edit:

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4993764387.html

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/4977115500.html

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/5007106925.html

http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/5012892685.html

[rcsoundn1]

Literally just bought a house yesterday with 3acres and a tractor is my next buy. I am here for any advice. I am in GA so snow is not an issue overal.

[flyboyx]

i have that craftsman lawn tractor turbo jake posted with the loader attachment(mine doesn't have a loader) it is a good lawn tractor. it comes with a horizontally opposed kohler 18hp twin. it has a lot of power for what it is but unfortunately, it isn't much. that loader on that little tractor would be ridiculous. you won't be able to pick up shit without it tipping forward on you. as far as lawn tractors go, if anyone has ever used a nice zero turn, you will agree with me that zeros are 10 times better for mowing grass than a conventional tractor-especially if you have plenty of trees to mow around.

about 13 years ago, i started with an old '60's model cub cadet it had a 10 hp cast iron kohler single cylinder engine. it was built like a fucking tank. 40 years later, i could still go to the dealer and buy pretty much any part for it that i needed. the problem was that the tractor itself was completely fucking worthless. it needed at least 15-18hp to do a decent job of simply cutting grass higher than your ankle. so lacking in power, i basically was unable to do much of anything with it. it was kind of like a 7 foot tall guy who has size 26 shoes but a 2" dick. needless to say i sold it after only a year or two.

those wheel horse tractors in jake's pics above are also really cool tractors. however, do you think you can pull that plow or disk through any kind of soil with those tractors? think again!

in my opinion(flame away), those tractors are pretty much a novelty for everything other than cutting grass or blowing snow(as long as the snow isn't too heavy) for the money invested in a tractor like that and implements, you can have a nice little 20 something horsepower real tractor with real implements that will actually do real work.

so....in summary: if you want a toy to tinker with that is capable of very light work, these little guys are for you. i guess if you buy one and it doesn't fit your needs, you can always resell it and buy something bigger.

[PeteD]

Is this an accurate rule of thumb so far?

Diesel > Gas

Old Tractor > New Tractor

4WD > 2WD

Agricultural Tires > Turf Tires

PTO Must have

I think, regardless of the job size, so far, this list is what to look for in an “investment quality” tractor.

BTW - I wrote more than this when I got timed out, I'll continue the response in a couple of hours.

[mrsleeve]

I don't think your going to find all that for 5k or less though it can be done if you wait and shop every day