Riding Lawn Tractor Recs?

1970FuryConv

Old Man with a Hat
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My 2001 Statesman (Southern States brand) Briggs & Stratton, 42-inch deck, has a lot of hours and burns oil as well as oiling the spark plug. Still runs and does it's job, but thinking of replace. Any brand recommendations, need 42-46 inch deck? Briggs & Stratton versus Kohler? Thanks, Ben
 
My 2001 Statesman (Southern States brand) Briggs & Stratton, 42-inch deck, has a lot of hours and burns oil as well as oiling the spark plug. Still runs and does it's job, but thinking of replace. Any brand recommendations, need 42-46 inch deck? Briggs & Stratton versus Kohler? Thanks, Ben

Brigg & Stratton has gone bankrupt earlier this year. A lot of the new larger deck mowers have Honda engines which are pretty reliable.

Dave
 
I think Briggs is now a part of some financial conglomerate? In at least the push mower realm of things, it seems that many brands have been consolidated into MTD or Yard Machines?
ew
Seems that Kohler is a smoother running engine? Or is it that they are mostly V-twins rather than single-cylinders? In shopping for a lawn tractor mower, I think that getting a good one is easier now than in the past. At least from Lowes or similar. I suspect the decks are all now pretty similar, but some might be more HD than others? Just as some of the hydrostatic transmissions might be better than others. Key things to me, shop for price and features. I'd been advised, when I was looking at 42" deck lawn tractors, to get at least a 20 horseepower engine. after the sale is usually through the OEM's service network, which might matter more if you are not close to a larger metro area.

Price, service, and not getting more "amenities" (lights, cruise control, etc.) than you really need (which drive up the cost incrementally!). I ended up co-opting a Husqvarna 54" ZTR mower that's a couple of years old. Needs new blades so I don't have to make two passes for a good cut. Got an electric/battery powered oil extractor to do oil changes with. Seems that Rotella T5 10W-30 has an additive package similar to what the genuine B&S full-syn oil has, but comes in gallon jugs rather than small bottles. That, plus some NGK plugs will keep it running quite a while longer. DO shop for the best price on replacement parts online!

Have fun!
CBODY67
 
My 2001 Statesman (Southern States brand) Briggs & Stratton, 42-inch deck, has a lot of hours and burns oil as well as oiling the spark plug. Still runs and does it's job, but thinking of replace. Any brand recommendations, need 42-46 inch deck? Briggs & Stratton versus Kohler? Thanks, Ben

I am not sure how much grass you mow but I mow about 8 acres and years ago I purchased a Ferris zero turn mower. Besides having a true suspension system on the unit vs. a seat suspension it mows grass around 10 MPH and does a great job doing it depending of course on how high the grass is. Other mowers like Simplicity now have a four wheel suspension. The Ferris unit is a commercial mower and is a very rugged built machine. As far as warranty. I lost the drive clutch for the blades about a year and a half after I purchased the unit and when I called the dealer to get a replacement clutch as soon as I mentioned the serial number the dealer said it was under warranty and came out to my property (about an hour drive each way) picked up the mower gave me a loaner to use and cleaned, repaired and sharpened the mower blades all at no cost. Yes it is an expensive unit but I feel well well worth the money I spent for it.
 
I have 3 different JD's a 84 116 and it has a 16hp briggs/stratton twin, a 2000's L110 with a 17.5hp Kohler single and a 90's F725 with a liquid cooled Kawasaki. My push mower has a 5hp Honda on it. The 725 does all the large mowing area, L110 pulls the lawn cart and small area mowing. The 116 is sitting and waiting for some love. The Kohler is a good running engine and so is the Kaw, I love the Honda on the push mower. The older Briggs is a good engine, not sure about the newer ones.
 
I am not sure how much grass you mow but I mow about 8 acres and years ago I purchased a Ferris zero turn mower.
Hi Timothy
I mow about an acre. I don't think I want to spend 5 grand to mow such a small yard. I am looking for something that's a good mulcher, reliable, and not an oil burner. I could keep adding oil and wire wheeling the spark plug. Also, the deck has loosened somewhere and hits a drive pulley, sparks, when I raise it out of cutting mode while moving. That problem can be addressed by only raising the deck into non cutting mode while tractor is stationary. The mower is not terrible. It just feels like I do oil changes by adding oil.
Troy Built and Husqvarna are cheapest around here. Cub Cadet and Craftsman are the next step up. John Deere is expensive. Not sure how much of the price is in the name.
Would like to avoid Chineseium as much as possible.
Ben
 
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Thanks. What is non-fouler? Is that the hotter plug?
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Thanks. What is non-fouler? Is that the hotter plug?

The non-fouler creates a chamber for the spark plug to sit in and operate while shielding it from excessive oil. It can also be used with an O2 sensor. It's really a band-aid to get you through but will work for a while.

As for the mower what is your budget? Have you thought about an engine rebuild or replace if the rest of the machine is in good shape?

If you do decide to get something new I suggest a Kawasaki or Honda engine if you want it to last long term. Most of these new machines, at least the ones sold at big box stores, are price-point products produced by the same companies and simply have different branding.

My opinion is that Kubota makes some of the best equipment available. I also run Stihl so it's just a sea of orange here. :thumbsup:
 
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If yours is a single cylinder and looks like this:

View attachment 419237


Just re-ring it, how hard can it be?

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Only if it is a I/C with the iron liner. Which it should be. The older big singles with aluminum cylinder walls just wear too much.
If you buy anything new make sure it has a deck clutch of some sort (usually electric) the flip the lever and allow spring tension to hold belt tight were bad in years gone by, worse now with flimsy brackets and eliminated idler pulleys/tension pulleys in one.
Most of the single cylinder overhead valve engines now are rough running if loaded hard.
Three blade deck is better also IMO
 
To better see what's going on with the oil use issue, you might get a borescope (aka "CritterCam" on some Bulbhead infomercials, but available other places, too.) and see what's inside the spark plug hole. If the edge of piston is washed clean, then it's the (oil scraper) rings, either worn or stuck.

As for the price of a replacement engine, you might put that large amount of money toward a new mower and be done with it. Sell the old one for a bit of money, too? Or donate it to the local mechanical vo-tech school program.

As for JD, the less expensive/lower margin lawn tractors are at the big box stores, as the more expensive models at at the genuine JD lawn/garden tractor dealers. Just determine what your needs are and spend accordingly. Sometimes, getting that more powerful V-twin engine can be expensive, just for a few more horses, by observation.

Band-Aid the current one as long as you can, while you shop for a new one.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
Hi Timothy
I mow about an acre. I don't think I want to spend 5 grand to mow such a small yard. I am looking for something that's a good mulcher, reliable, and not an oil burner. I could keep adding oil and wire wheeling the spark plug. Also, the deck has loosened somewhere and hits a drive pulley, sparks, when I raise it out of cutting mode while moving. That problem can be addressed by only raising the deck into non cutting mode while tractor is stationary. The mower is not terrible. It just feels like I do oil changes by adding oil.
Troy Built and Husqvarna are cheapest around here. Cub Cadet and Craftsman are the next step up. John Deere is expensive. Not sure how much of the price is in the name.
Would like to avoid Chineseium as much as possible.
Ben
If you only mow about an acre I would recommend a conventional lawn tractor as they are more versatile with snow blower attachments, tillers and such available. What I did last year I got rid of my old (30 yrs. +) Simplicity that still ran good but was missing some of the guarding. It was used to tow my garden cart and pull brush and I upgraded to a 3 year old John Deere (that looked like new) had low hours and was used by an older gentleman to mow his yard. I found it on my local Craigslist and eventually found the one I wanted. The deck is only 46" but i don't mow with it and only use it for pulling the garden cart and dragging things. I saved a fair amount of cash buying used. I would stay away from the Cub Cadet brand only because at one time they had a issues with their Kohler engines losing value seats causing a non start condition and the need of a replacement head.
 
I have has a John Deere LT 155 with a mulch deck since 1998 that has been very trouble free. I bought it from a John Deere Dealer. It has a Kohler 15 hp single cylinder engine with a spin on automotive type oil filter and a Hydrostatic Transmission.

I highly recommend John Deer lawn tractors IF you buy one from a John Deere Dealer and it has a Kohler or Kawasaki engine. John Deere's sold by the big box store are lesser quality lawn tractors with thinner frames and components and usually a Briggs and Stratton engine.

I have worked my John Deere hard pulling trailers full of stone and other materials and have mulched many large amounts of leaves over the years. One of the best investments that I have ever made and I would not buy another brand if I ever had to replace it. I had Toro's and other brands before and they were junk.
 
plenty of junk tractors around with good motors. i would buy a cheap one and switch motors.
 
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