Anyone own a TROY BUILT GTX 2446 Riding Mower?

[Seasoned Oak]

Im looking for info on this model. I think its a 2004 Model. Have not been able to find a manual online or on the troy built site. My tenant wants to sell this unit to me for $600. Claims to have completely rebuilt it and the deck for $1200+ . New it was around $2500.Tenant claims about 300 hours on the hour meter.
Can anyone recommend or NOT recommend this model. Probably came from Lowes.

 

[gzecc]

I was given one by a customer a few years ago, because he was frustrated with it. IMO its not worth $600. Used it probably worth between 2-300 depending on condition. IMO it is very poorly built.

 

[bsruther]

Troy built is owned and made by MTD, the same company that made my '07 Cub Cadet LT1046. Every year something breaks on that mower, with the exception of the Kohler engine. Don't know what will break on it this year, but I'm sure it will be something. I'll never again purchase a product from Cub Cadet or anything made by MTD, for that matter.

 

[Highbeam]

A 10 year old mtd mower for 600$! Crazy. I don't care how much he put into it to make it functional, that was his loss. It certainly doesn't add value over a non-rebuilt but functional mower.

That mower is probably a hydrostatic transmission and that part was probably not rebuilt. That transmission has a life and will just die.

Go shop for new ones.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Thanks for the heads up guys,i knew there would be some fellow burners here who ran across one of these already.
My son bought a well used John deer just on their reputation,but it seems theres always something breaking on that too.
Any recommendations on reliable brands?
I had a CASE mower once,dont remember it ever breaking down.
A massey too, but the deck was junk.

 

[greg13]

Troy built is owned and made by MTD, the same company that made my '07 Cub Cadet LT1046. Every year something breaks on that mower, with the exception of the Kohler engine. Don't know what will break on it this year, but I'm sure it will be something. I'll never again purchase a product from Cub Cadet or anything made by MTD, for that matter..

Don't be too quick to judge Cubs, the old [pre MTD] Cubs are bullet proof, I'll put my 40 yr.old cub up against any new MTD.

 

[gzecc]

Unfortunately buying by color is not that easy anymore. All the better brands have watered down or completely entered the low end market with their whole line or certain models. Tell us what you expect this machine to do and how much you want to spend.

 

[Smoke Stack]

Depending on what you intend to do with this machine, and assuming that you are comfortable in the $600. range, I would look for a used middle of the line commercial grade mower. Something that is belt driven, unless you need it to be hydrostatic, which, most homeowners don't. Personally, I don't buy anything unless it comes with a Kawasaki or Honda. You'll get your money's worth in the long run if you search out that shiny penny.

 

[bsruther]

Don't be too quick to judge Cubs, the old [pre MTD] Cubs are bullet proof, I'll put my 40 yr.old cub up against any new MTD.

I figured that it was kind of obvious that I was referring to MTD Cubs. They capitalized on the Cub name and ruined it.

 

[Highbeam]

I figured that it was kind of obvious that I was referring to MTD Cubs. They capitalized on the Cub name and ruined it.

This is the problem. If you can find it at a big box store than it will be the same as anything else at the big box store. That's not to say it is junk but that you shouldn't pay more for a home depot john deere than you would for a home depot "yardman" or mtd. They are all built for the same price point and often in the same factory.

Kubota mowers and even john deeres from a real john deere dealership are your typical high end mowers and will cost much more for what appears to be the same thing.

I chose to buy a nearly new craftsman and run it till it dies. The briggs engine already blew a head gasket!

 

[bsruther]

This is the problem. If you can find it at a big box store than it will be the same as anything else at the big box store. That's not to say it is junk but that you shouldn't pay more for a home depot john deere than you would for a home depot "yardman" or mtd. They are all built for the same price point and often in the same factory.

Kubota mowers and even john deeres from a real john deere dealership are your typical high end mowers and will cost much more for what appears to be the same thing.

I chose to buy a nearly new craftsman and run it till it dies. The briggs engine already blew a head gasket!

I bought my Cub from a Cub dealer and it was the same crap they were selling at HD. I think the Deeres are different though, like you say. I think they have an MTD line and a high quality line that they sell at their dealers.

My backup mower is an early 2000s Craftsman hydro and it never gives me any trouble, always starts right up, in the spring. I'm really hard on that mower too.

 

[Highbeam]

There was even a time when Poulan chainsaws and Husky chainsaws were highly regarded. They've sold their souls.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

What I have to mow takes about 3-5 hours. Not really that much and i do it with a standard walk behind self propelled mower. The problem is if im in a hurry and dont have much time. Its good exercise but i just dont get to it somtimes and its quite high before i can tackle it. So a moderately small work load for a rider. How are craftsman riders ? Same as the rest or not?
MY son likes john deere ,says they take standard parts and are cheap to repair. Did deck bearings for $5 @

 

[gzecc]

What I have to mow takes about 3-5 hours. Not really that much and i do it with a standard walk behind self propelled mower. The problem is if im in a hurry and dont have much time. Its good exercise but i just dont get to it somtimes and its quite high before i can tackle it. So a moderately small work load for a rider. How are craftsman riders ? Same as the rest or not?
MY son likes john deere ,says they take standard parts and are cheap to repair. Did deck bearings for $5 @

How many acres to mow? Is it hilly? Anything else you will require of it? Pull trailers full of firewood? Snow duty ? etc....

 

[Seasoned Oak]

How many acres to mow? Is it hilly? Anything else you will require of it? Pull trailers full of firewood? Snow duty ? etc....

Mostly flat ,cant be more than a half acre or so. No trailers YET? No plowing. IIl decide if i want to make an offer on the Troy if and only if it passes a thorough test mow in the spring. My tenant needs storage space till then so perhaps some kind of trade is in order. I am the type of guy who does NOT like to waste money on cheap products ,ill pay more for quality every time. But the work load is light so ill be testing my sons John deere as well to see how i like that model.
Since ill be hauling the mower back and forth this year,from my home to the country site (no storage there yet) i wanted something easy to load and unload onto the truck.

 

[gzecc]

Mostly flat ,cant be more than a half acre or so. No trailers YET? No plowing. IIl decide if i want to make an offer on the Troy if and only if it passes a thorough test mow in the spring. My tenant needs storage space till then so perhaps some kind of trade is in order. I am the type of guy who does NOT like to waste money on cheap products ,ill pay more for quality every time. But the work load is light so ill be testing my sons John deere as well to see how i like that model.
Since ill be hauling the mower back and forth this year,from my home to the country site (no storage there yet) i wanted something easy to load and unload onto the truck.

If its your first rider, you can get an entry level used machine on CL for under $500 that should last you a few years. From there you can trade up or not.

 

[Highbeam]

These buggers are heavy and loading into a pickup bed is not much fun. They are wide too so fitting between the wheel wells is a bit tricky.

3-5 hours of walk behind is ridiculous. You are wasting your life. You need a riding mower.

The craftsman mowers are the same as the other brands like poulan, husky, troybuilt, etc. All MTD. All pretty good but not lifetime machines. I like basic. Manual clutch and manual blade engage. Both of these use a pulley pushing on a belt to engage the engine so no electronic junk to break and it is not internal.

I mow most of one acre and bag the clippings. It consumes quite a bit of my free time, and quite a bit of gas money in the summer.

 

[stee6043]

MTD is to power equipment what Stanley Black & Decker is to tools. They own so many brands they are becoming nearly impossible to avoid (if that's what you're trying to do). I personally have had decent luck with my big box Cub Cadet. I've owned it since 2006 and the only problem I've had is with the Kohler motor (exact opposite of a poster above). For my sub 1 acre lot I don't need a $3,000 mower even though I would look a lot cooler on one.

That being said....if I have the coin when the time comes to replace the Cub I will try to buy one made in the USA. But I won't do it for the quality, I'll do it because I want to put my money where my mouth is and buy American when I have the opportunity.

 

[Highbeam]

When switching to a rider you may decide to make some landscaping modifications to allow for more efficient mowing. Corners, for example, should be cut to a larger radius so that you can mow them with the rider without slowing down. Another is larger zones around fruit trees so that you don't damage their trunks with the edge of the deck.

I would love to have a large deck mower, 6 feet or so, and a yard setup that allows me to use it for 30 minutes instead of 60 minutes with a 4 foot deck. Time is so valuable.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

My sons 1973 John deer is still going and its small . THat would fit on the truck pretty easy.

 

[wenger7446]

What about a good zero turn?

 

[Seasoned Oak]

What about a good zero turn?

Sounds expensive

 

[blades]

If you can stay away from the box store units with hydrostatic trannys. that is the weak link on all of them. They all use the same unit in the 2k under new price range, just different mounting configurations. Units work fine on fairly level mowing jobs but can't stand up hilly terrain and are in no way meant for any type of pulling or pushing. ( sometimes refereed to as ground contact equipment) There are 3 basic hydro tranies now in use k4x series k5x series and the k6x series. the 4 have apx 100-150 hr life span. k5an 6 are far superior with 6 series being very good still no where near the old sunstrand tranies on the simplity line of olden times. or the case hydro drive system from the same time period ( worked just like a skid steer drive) don't know about the consumer zero turn units

 

[Highbeam]

My old john deere rider had a sunstrand hydro trans. It was old, and would slow to a stop and puke fluid due to overheat.

Hyrdo trans in my tractor, yes. In a mower, no. 6 speed with clutch for me thank you.

 

[blades]

A good cleaning/ flushing and new fluid/filter might be all the jd needs , those old sunstrand units were bullet pruff if just a little care taken

Those k4x units really arn't rebuildable have no provision for changing out the fluid, no filters, and almost zero cooling ability. so basicly they just burn up. There is at least one class action suit in the works on them. Current jd L series of mowers uses them.