Garden Tractor

[M-technik-3]

The 400 was the big daddy at the time about the size of that MTD which is quite nice.

I found this site and did some quick research before pulling the plug.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/

[flyboyx]

wow! that is about as pretty as it gets. the p.o. took amazing care of that. either it was restored or it certainly never spent a day of its life sitting outside.

i am pretty sure it would have been the top of the line tractor for its day. 23hp is a ton of power for a rig that size. if you wan't a cab, keep your eye on eBay. something will come up eventually.

sounds like you spent less than 2k on it. if thats the case, it was a steal-especially with those attachments.

my dad has a pretty good sized john deere that he uses to cut his grass. i don't think its as big as this one, but it also has an onan engine. oddly, his is liquid cooled.

[M-technik-3]

Put money down on this today.



Came with snow blower and tiller but no cab. 23 hp OMAN engined older with lower hours on hobbs gauge. 702 hours and was made in 1984.

48" mower deck and cost less than a fancy one at home depot that will fall apart in 8 years.

[lti_57]

I have one of these,a MTD 990 ( not me on the tractor) 52 in deck always runs i got 1.5 acre to mow PTo hydrostatic they cam under a bunch of different names. Its actually to big to mow my front yard with.

[rcsoundn1]

that is cool. Id be all over that.

[PeteD]

I have been referencing this thread while perusing CL - lots of good information, thank you!

This one might be a bit of a novelty, but price certainly seems right.

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/grd/5031858054.html

[flyboyx]

the motor was seized in my case. i think it was run without oil. but yeah, i don't think i would buy anything with bad hydros. small engines are somewhat universal. drive units may or may not be.

[M-technik-3]

Hydrostatic drive? ^ gearboxes tend to get torn up.

[flyboyx]

i bought one with a bad engine for 300.00. bought a used engine for 200.00 off eBay. bam! 500.00 for a nice zero. its smaller than i would prefer though. 14.5hp. i let one of my tenants use it and unfortunately, it hasn't run since. i have not had time to see what is broken on it.

[rcsoundn1]

Well I have been looking at 0 turns, woah are they more expensive than I thought. Any advice on buying used?

[M-technik-3]

I live in NH and use my 3 cylinder diesel AWD Kubota to mow and snow blow. The thing is a monster in the snow. It has no problem getting through any amount of snow or snowbank. The mower works great too. I had a Toro prior to the Kubota. It had belt drive and didn't work or hold up nearly as well as the Kubota. Yes the Kubota was expensive but it is definitely worth it IMO.

Agree with you Keith a small tractor is nice. Zero Turn Radius mower is gonna do squat for me except take up space in the barn come winter. You can't add a PTO drive to them or use them for any other purpose other than mowing the lawn.

I will have a nice low hour Scag Tiger with 23hp Kolher for sale next year.

[squidrope]

I live in NH and use my 3 cylinder diesel AWD Kubota to mow and snow blow. The thing is a monster in the snow. It has no problem getting through any amount of snow or snowbank. The mower works great too. I had a Toro prior to the Kubota. It had belt drive and didn't work or hold up nearly as well as the Kubota. Yes the Kubota was expensive but it is definitely worth it IMO.

[rcsoundn1]

Thanks for the advice. You think I need one 70"? Old homeowner had a 48" said it took 1hr 45min to cut. It's not all grassy, but lots of clay soil out here

[Steveb68]

OP needs a gas powered "lawn& garden" tractor. If the one acre has hills or a lot of trees or other obstructions (like my property does), keep it smaller, and strongly consider a zero-turn. If the acre is wide-open, a belly-mount with 46" or 48" deck is plenty. Keep the weight down or the tractor will compress and tear up the ground. I've made this mistake; you can learn from it. On the other hand, bigger is better for moving snow. Most old stuff (pre 1980, but it varies by brand) was built better, but newer stuff is fine for residential use. Stick with premium brands, and the better models within those brands.

The guy in GA, on the other hand, needs a "compact tractor". 60" - 72" deck. 20-30 HP. Diesel. 4x4 if nice is the property has spots that stay soft. Kubota, Deere, Case / IH. My father uses an '88 Ford 1920, which has been great. (I was in college when he bought it new, so I'm not some kid pimpin' my Daddy's toys) The Fords from that era are rebadged Japanese tractors, and they have an excellent reputation. Hydrostatic drive is fantastic. In this size range, there are lots of good choices. Older tractors are fine if well maintained, and really hold value, but you had better know what you're looking at. Nearly all parts are available online.

Both posters should cruise some tractor forums.

[flyboyx]

this is my rig. its just big enough(barely) to pick up half an e30.

kubota L275 dual traction(4wd) with power steering and factory correct bf400 loader. the grey square thing on the side of the dash is a cup holder for my beer.

i would guess it is worth around 7500.00 or so.