How much can I REALLY tow with a garden tractor?

I bought my 149 for $260 in Northern NJ and spent about $100 to get it in good shape.

Darn kids and their ATVs...

I wonder how the Gators belt drive would hold up to heavy towing.

Excellent in my experience. I used to fix 'em for a living and those belts last a long time. Repairs to the clutch/belt components were relatively rare. I've used golf carts, gators, and mules (all have a similar belt drive system) to tow at the vehicle's rated capacity. The only thing that really foils a belt drive is getting it wet. Polaris and other ATV manufacturers have been using belt drives to great success as well. And if it's tough enough to handle the horsepower a snowmobile engine puts out (sometimes well in excess of 100 hp) then I think it can handle all an ATV/Gator engine can throw at it.

Thats good news I have lots of green and yellow on this farm including a 500 buck witch I have been unable to stop chasing cows on steep ground during roundup,"better than a horse in my opinion".

Ok, I don't know what "hydro" means? Has hydrolics? I'll google it and learn me uo. But if that cub was near me, it would be mine already for 375! I just emailed somebody on CL selling a cub with a plow attachment, it listed no price. YOUZA! He came back to me with $8,500! That ain't gonna work.

How are Murray Tractors? Any good?

One I used had a low range on it, the 4 back tires were all driven and the front tire just steered. Don't know what could stop it, was a tank!
AMT600 I think, was an 80s model.

Here ya go MM.

http://albany.craigslist.org/bar/3577028694.html

Trade that guy some chainsaws and you are in business!

Murray is very low quality. Stick with Allis Charmers, IH Cub, Deere. Realize there are lawn mowers from each of these companies also. The heavier duty units are garden tractors. Just because someone calls it a garden tractor, doesn't make it a garden tractor. A GT has ground engaging capabilities.

What he said.

Hydro is short for hydrostatic drive. Rather than a gear drive, like a manual transmission in a car, a hydro uses a hydraulic pressure to drive with infinitely variable speed control.

Add Wheelhorse too.

Massy 10 GT

$600 he wants for that 1650. That won't leave a lot of room for me once I get it looking like it should. Cub's don't have the resale that Deere's do.

Those old AMT's were workhorses too. Same belt drive system as the later Gators. AMT didn't have a low range tho IIRC. Used to run an AMT622 quite a bit on a gardening crew. Low Range on the Gators didn't happen until the HPX series came out. (Early 2000's)

$600 is about right for that Cub if everything is in order. I'm not crazy about the Quiet Line series though. I much prefer the generation before that. 109/129/149/169 or 108/128 for gear drive. I think that an IH Cub 149 is about the best of them, unless you want to spend quite a few bucks more for the later red ones with their 2 cylinder Kohlers.
Here's a break down of the IH Cub Cadet models. http://www.xtrememotorworks.com/Cub_cadet_History.htm
BTW, I might have a 149 for sale this spring.

Thats true... I just figured you could barter him something for it and make out pretty well in the end!

I need to try and do that with a motorcycle this spring....

Probably was modified over the years, it had a powered dump bed as well.

What do you guys think of this one?

http://longisland.craigslist.org/grd/3566442023.html

Jags is our AC expert. He should be able to help you out.

That looks nice, the vertical exhaust is a nice touch, I don't know who built AC I think my MF was built by simplicity. I would defiantly add a few bucks for the trailer as a package deal.

How about this guy?

http://albany.craigslist.org/grd/3594152170.html

From an era when Sears sold decent tractors. While great for a personal trip down memory lane, there's not much in 'em for resale purposes. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having it if I had more land and room to store every tractor "I wouldn't mind having". But I have to keep the fleet small here and my game is buy low, repair as cost effectively as possible, and re-home the machine with enough profit to cover the parts and make it worth my time.

For my personal use, my Deere LT180 (which was given to me ) does all the lawn mowing and snow removal I need and even tows my little 10P cart around quite nicely. Long term I'm thinking a 4x4 ATV with a good trailer or a Gator-type UTV (and possibly a trailer) to get the wood back to the truck. For now however, most of my wood sources are quite accessible via a 4x4 pickup and I have some pretty big priorities before I can spend serious $$ on my wood-haulers.

I just scanned Long Island CL for anything available. LI has nothing. No wonder why I moved.