Lawn Tractors 42" ride on

This is new territory for me. Had never seen them before coming to North America.
So what size engine what brand machine. Can get a good deal on 42" John Deere D130 what say all the experts.

I need help and guidance here please. I know its pretty basic gas engine like my motorcycle was....but there are makes and models some good some bad.
Help family...please.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

If all you want is grass cutting, look for a ZTR (zero-turn-radius) mower. I've seen comment after comment on other forums (mostly SMC) that these things can dramatically cut down on grass mowing time -- like in half.

well rob first thing is how much area you got to mow? then if it warrants a lawn tractor in my opinion john deere is the one to get for best value.. they hold there value very well.. also the one your looking at rob is a lesser tractor.. its a side version made to home depot or lowes specs not john deere specs .. talk with rex bloom he sells the real mccoy.. its kinda like a general international rather than a general rob.. they have cut corners somewhere to make them more affordable.. the zero turn mowers do a real nice job rob but are costly.. you need to be mowing alot of grass to make them ot a large tractor worht while.. you have seen my yard and it takes me 2 to 2.5 hrs to mow it.. not weed whack and preen everything just mow grass to a shorter level..

Larry Your doing it all wrong you have seen my yard and it take me no time at all to say boy go mow the yard.

It does not look to be a home depot deer and it also looks that they are selling for as much as 1,500.00 USD to the lowest I found at 900.00 USD Those prices are from JD dealers that have them in the used inventory. All the reviews I found say it's a good tractor.

I'd have to agree with Larry on what you're having to mow as well as with Art about what accessories you'll want. If you're looking for accessories, you won't find too many for the zero turns. The zero's will save you about half the time, but are a little pricier. As for JD, they really hold up, but can't speak for the ones at the borg though, haven't looked very close at them. My 214 is about 30 years old and can still get a majority of the parts for it, but it's getting replaced later this year or in the spring. Good thing is that I'll get every bit of that $500 I spent on it back if not a little more since it's got new green paint and new belts.

Ok this is territory that I know. The Deere units sold at the borgs are the same as at the dealers. They are marketed at the same price, this was set by Deere to protect the dealers. There are times when you will find the price at the borgs a little cheaper because they decide to knock off the setup fee. I don't know haw big of a yard you have, but would consider moving up to a 48" deck as in my opinion they do a nicer job. ( read that as a smoother and leveler cut ) I would also look at moving up to a X320 as it is a heavier built unit with a better transmission and front axle. You may want to check out the Deere dealer for used X series. Some low houred (30-50) can be had for very little more than a new D series. I have not seen too many problems with the D series yet. The L series tended to have some tranny problems. Some wouldn't go up a hill after 120 hrs. Trannies are not rebuildable in these units. The engines in the D series are B&S while the X series have a Kawasaki. This is a better engine. The up graded engine, transmission, and front axle all add to the cost, but they will live a lot longer. Not sure that they will live as long as the old 214, but then again they were bullet proof.

rob, you need to get a riding mower with at least an 8 litre engine, with a 6 speed transmission that you can double clutch with a good gear ratio for lawn mowing at a speed of not less than 60 kph. you also might want to look at the optional snow blowing package, with the 3 stage, turbo assisted boost, that will blow that snow into your neighbour's yard, 2 counties away.

larry merlau said:

well rob first thing is how much area you got to mow? then if it warrants a lawn tractor in my opinion john deere is the one to get for best value.. they hold there value very well.. also the one your looking at rob is a lesser tractor.. its a side version made to home depot or lowes specs not john deere specs .. talk with rex bloom he sells the real mccoy.. its kinda like a general international rather than a general rob.. they have cut corners somewhere to make them more affordable.. the zero turn mowers do a real nice job rob but are costly.. you need to be mowing alot of grass to make them ot a large tractor worht while.. you have seen my yard and it takes me 2 to 2.5 hrs to mow it.. not weed whack and preen everything just mow grass to a shorter level..

Click to expand...

I beg to differ on that one there. I got 490 hours on my John Deer LA125 and haven't had a bit of trouble out of it. I got mine at home depot. It's the v twin engine with cast iron cylinders. Wouldn't own one of those single cylinder pieces of junk!

Guess someone needs to tell me whats different as its got a cast iron front axle, it actually has replaceable tie rod ends. Norma cuts 4 other properties plus ours with it.

I prefer Mr Sheep over John Deere myself, less work

Seriously the john deere tools I've had have consistently been top quality and lasted quite well. I haven't had one of their mowers (see above) but know several people who are more married to neatly groomed lawns than I am that have and haven't heard much bad.

I had a cheap 42" Murray from HD for 6 years. Ran great for 4 of them then self destructed. I bought a used JD this summer (stx38) probably 15 years old. Runs fantastic. Has a Kawasaki engine. The dealer I bought it from say's the Ariens is a great machine too but I'll stick with JD from now on.
With a tractor cutting the lawn is actually fun. 42" is fine for my 2 acres of grass.

Rex Bloem said:

...consider moving up to a 48" deck as in my opinion they do a nicer job. ( read that as a smoother and leveler cut ) I would also look at moving up to a X320 as it is a heavier built unit with a better transmission and front axle... The L series tended to have some tranny problems. Some wouldn't go up a hill after 120 hrs. Trannies are not rebuildable in these units. The engines in the D series are B&S while the X series have a Kawasaki. This is a better engine. The up graded engine, transmission, and front axle all add to the cost, but they will live a lot longer. Not sure that they will live as long as the old 214, but then again they were bullet proof.

Click to expand...

As a repeat Deere customer, I've gotta agree with everything Rex has said. MY 8 year old L120 42" had the tranny go at about 250 hours, and I'd been kinda nursing the engine along for about the past year before that (fuel system and electrical problems) Early this year, I traded up to an X360, 48", and wow what a difference! The 360 has more power, tows a roller or vacuum trailer easier, and the three-blade 48" deck does a nicer job than the two-blade 42". The 360 is at the top of the X3xx line, and has hydraulic deck lift and power steering, making it more maneuverable than my old L120, too.

The other thing you'll probably want to consider it plowing snow. The small tractors do it well - up to about 6" or so - when equipped with chains and weights. You can't plow or tow with a ZTR, so the tractor is a multi-functional tool in that respect.

My only complaint is the RIO (reverse implement operation) system, but all Deeres seem to have it. (took me about 30 minutes to modify it, btw)

I use a 42" J.D. I've had it about 7 years. I've had no problems with it to date. I got the one you don't shift and very glad I did. My previous rider was a shifter and that got pretty boring. I didn't buy a zero clearance one because I also tow a little dump trailer and go out across the field. I didn't thing a zero would be as good for that. As talked about above, if you want to plow snow, and actually work it a little, then you need something a little bigger than the 42"

I recently had to get the main drive belt replaced on my Crafstman 42", 20 hp., nine year old mower. Had a conversation with the repair guy (many years experience). He said all the mowers in the $1,000.000 to $1,500.00 range are the same quality wise. He did admit you get a much prettier paint job on the John Deere's. He personally favors the Craftsman because of simplicity of design they are very easy to work on. He said to get real quality you have to jump up to the $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 class of ZTRs.
I choose 42" over 48" because I have a lot of trees and the smaller cutter was more manuverable.

I've heard that the Cub Cadet is also a good machine. Never had one though.

I have a snow blower so using my tractor as a plow or adding the blower attachment doesn't appeal to me. Plus having to put on wheel weights and chains, plus the cost of the plow or blower seems way too expensive and troublesome to me anyway. I'd rather have a dedicated snowblower. I also don't bag the clippings. Emptying the bin all the time seems like a real pain it the butt.

The 48" deck sounds pretty cool but then it would take me less time to cut the lawn but it would shorten my be alone and at peace time so I'll stick with a 42"

I pull a small cart plus a lawn aerator and spreader so I don't think the zero turn type would be practical for me. They are really cool though.

What I really lust for is one of these. Raking and blowing leaves is a full time job in the fall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIj7sg4m_f8

Bob Gibson said:

...What I really lust for is one of these. Raking and blowing leaves is a full time job in the fall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIj7sg4m_f8

Click to expand...

I have one made by "Agri-Fab" which is pretty much the same thing. Mine has a 6hp B&S enging driving the fan, and it'll even pull wet leaves out of the grass. Of course, the wet leaves are much heavier, and compact better into the trailer, making it much harder to empty. With about 25 oak, maple, and ash trees on the property, I fill the trailer about fifteen times over the course of Fall. Makes for a huge compost pile!

another vote for yard vac setup .. and you need fairly good sized tractor to pull and back up the full trailer like jim said even wet leaves will go in..

Hi Rob;
I saw one or two people mentioned a zero turn mower. I have a commercial zero turn exmark for my property. I can mow (mow only) my 1 acre property in under 40 minutes with my 44" lazer z.
A 48" cub cadet will not get it done in twice that time. Not that there is anything particularly bad about cub cadet but a commercial mower is just built different. The main difference being the weight of the frame and deck which allows for much heavier spindles that can handle turning at much higher feet per second. the faster your blades turn the faster you can move while cutting.

I didn't see what size property you have. that makes a big difference on choice. I'll assume you have 1/2 to 1 acre. if you were going with a residencial tractor and you didn't have a lot of turns I wouldn't spend the extra money on a zero turn at more than twice cost. If you take the 48" cub Z turn I think it is about $4k basic. it will not save you much time compared to the john deere d130 you mention and the d130 is less than 1/2 the price. (if it actually saves any time at all depending on your property size and shape)

If you found a used commercial exmark laser z or a toro 900 series with say 1000 hours on it it will make mowing very very quick and that mower would probably last the rest of your life with the number of hours you would put on it. But I would only go that route if you chose carefully. If you do not know much about mowers you could easily buy a lemon. If you wanted advice on that route then I would be happy to try and help. If you want to get it done fast and good then thats the way to go. A new one would be way too much money to invest for one lawn.

I had a Deere L120 for a short time that I rebuilt the engine on. It was a nice mower even though it was over 5 years old and not taken care of properly. the transmission was still in tip top shape and everything worked. I did think the deck was a little weak but thats par for the course on these types of tractors. I hear the D series is a good step up from the L and is much faster maneuvering. The d130 has a nice tranie set up so forward and reverse switching is easy which helps out a lot. If you get it and it has zirc fittings for the spindles and pullies and idler arm then KEEP IT GREASED. A lot of mowers have sealed bearing for the spindles though so you probably won't have to. If you have a deere service / sales near you then thats a plus. No matter what mower you get, wether you spend $150 or $10000 it may need service and buying at the dealer often gets you in towards the front of the wait list.

Watch out for the deck on any residential lawn tractor. they are light weight and WILL NOT stand up to any sort of punishment as opposed to a commercial deck like mine which allowed me to carelessly hit a sump at full speed, throwing me off the tractor. It not only suffered No damage but it started right back up and mowed. Its probably a good idea not to hit a stump with any tractor you choose though. it was quite a jolt. That is one advantage that the residential Z turns have. the decks are at least a little heavier.

Have fun with your purchase. buying tools no matter what the kind is always great.

Thank you all very much. Hearing from you all makes it one heck of an easier decision.
The place we have moved to is temp and we renting but it has way more grass i go no clue as to size. Just that now we empty nesters its up to me to do it all. I been thinking with end of season being around now would be good time to pick up a deal with clearances.
I am caught with buying for now to get buy and then sell later and get something to suite where we end up or buy big and buy once.
The second hand market here seems full of real beaten to death units or overpriced used. So buying new at clearance looks attractive.

Like i think Bob said i sussed out that doing snow with the tractor is not really on in my view. The blower attachments are nearly the price of the tractor here and i can get a blower for half that cost. So i will be doing stand alone blower which is now also in the pipeline but i will wait for snow for that. We had so little last year was hardly an issue.
I did have a motorcycle so the working on these types of engines dont worry me but again i want to try do some woodworking in my spare time not fix cars or lawn tractors etc.

I really appreciate everyone taking time out to give me their view. Cannot say thank you enough. Wish i had joined forum before i bought any of my machines in my shop. You are all worth your weight in gold.:thumbup:

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Rob Keeble said:

... i sussed out that doing snow with the tractor is not really on in my view. The blower attachments are nearly the price of the tractor here and i can get a blower for half that cost. ...

Click to expand...

I plow snow with a blade, not a blower. The blade only costs about $200 (new) for the "D" series. Less if you can find a used one.

It's getting near the end of mowing season, so check the local classified ads in your paper. You might find some pretty good deals there. My local paper had seven ads for small tractors today, ranfing from $350.00 to $4,000.00. Some dealers may have used tractors that they want to get rid of now, too - to avoid having to store them all Winter. Check them out.