#Lawn & Garden Tractors
2 messages in this thread
Having never bought a lawn and garden tractor, I now need one that will cut
two very hilly acres. Which one should I buy and what size? Is belt drive
good or bad? Is a two cylinder engine better than a one cylinder engine of
the same horse power?
Daniel: I have two *very* flat acres. I have owned two tractors, one a
K-mart special from about 1976, and a John Deere, since 1984. Since having
the Deere, I would advise strongly *against* an el-cheapo special. My
K-mart special used an aluminum block, and it siezed up one fine August
afternoon (about 104 degrees out). Considering that I had to re-weld the
'special' about 15 times (every metal piece on it broke at least twice, it
seems), and the fact that the sheet metal was very thin and hard to weld —
it is hard to recommned them. The JD has been very reliable, and is
constucted quite well.
One concern would be to find a tractor with very large rear tires. This
helps to prevent them from tearing up the grass on a steep slope when it is
wet, and thence starting sliding on the grass. Make sure that you have one
with a strong hitch on the back, so you can hook a rope or chain to it and
pull it out of any ruts — especially if you get a lot or rain, or flooded
low areas.
I have a 14-HP motor, which Bermuda grass, and Johnson grass absolutely
require with a 38" mosing deck. If I had it to do over, I would have
gotten the 48" mowing deck. I average about 2-1/2 hours to mow the 2
acres.
Good luck. – Tom (Dallas)