New mower to play with

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Danno77

Danno77

Minister of Fire
Oct 27, 2008
5,008
Hamilton, IL
Too nice to haul around the firewood with, probably will keep hanging onto the Deere LX188 indefinitely to save the new one from abuse.

FIL is moving to the mountains and has no use for a lawnmower any more. He's giving me a good deal on his very nice looking Craftsman YTS4500. Has a 26hp Kohler in it and a smallish (42") deck, but should be perfect for my lawn. Too bad that it's red, but I've never had a tractor with a shiney hood before!

Will be picking up the mower in 2 weeks. Haven't decided whether to take the truck or the Honda +trailer. I hit a few tolls (they really screw you with a trailer) and mpgs decrease and before you know it the cost of the trip is about the same between what is normally a 25mpg SUV and a 13mpg truck.
 
My jd is the same set-up...42 inch deck with that hp you can mow 2 foot of grass and still hit the wind rows.
 
My Husky garden tractor has a 52" deck and after one frustrating season I had to take it off. The ground is so uneven around here the thing was just too big. Wish I had that smaller deck like I did on the old machine.
 
I need to amend something I wrote. I think this has a 20hp Kohler in it. NOT a 26. On paper Looks good, but I've really fallen in love with this liquid cooled engine in the JD and so far the Hydro on the JD has been tough.

The more and more I look at accessories for the craftsman the more I start thinking I will really put it to work.

I think I'll buy the snowplow that is made for the YTS4500, but see how easy it is to fab a way to mount it to the JD, too. If I can leave the new tractor for mowing only, then the the JD can be the workhorse. I have dreams of building a cab for the JD, have you seen those on the mower forums? People have come up with some pretty good solutions.

But, if I can't easily mount the plow to the JD, then I might mess with a cab for the new one. They have a cab you can buy, but it gets pretty poor reviews.
 
Danno77 said:
I need to amend something I wrote. I think this has a 20hp Kohler in it. NOT a 26. On paper Looks good, but I've really fallen in love with this liquid cooled engine in the JD and so far the Hydro on the JD has been tough.

The more and more I look at accessories for the craftsman the more I start thinking I will really put it to work.

I think I'll buy the snowplow that is made for the YTS4500, but see how easy it is to fab a way to mount it to the JD, too. If I can leave the new tractor for mowing only, then the the JD can be the workhorse. I have dreams of building a cab for the JD, have you seen those on the mower forums? People have come up with some pretty good solutions.

But, if I can't easily mount the plow to the JD, then I might mess with a cab for the new one. They have a cab you can buy, but it gets pretty poor reviews.
Click to expand...

Mine is one pin one unit that stays together for storage.
 
Danno77 said:
I need to amend something I wrote. I think this has a 20hp Kohler in it. NOT a 26. On paper Looks good, but I've really fallen in love with this liquid cooled engine in the JD and so far the Hydro on the JD has been tough.

The more and more I look at accessories for the craftsman the more I start thinking I will really put it to work.

I think I'll buy the snowplow that is made for the YTS4500, but see how easy it is to fab a way to mount it to the JD, too. If I can leave the new tractor for mowing only, then the the JD can be the workhorse. I have dreams of building a cab for the JD, have you seen those on the mower forums? People have come up with some pretty good solutions.

But, if I can't easily mount the plow to the JD, then I might mess with a cab for the new one. They have a cab you can buy, but it gets pretty poor reviews.
Click to expand...

Why do you want to stop mowing with the JD? I'm all for great deals but the LX will probably be around even after the newer Craftsman gives up. The liquid cooled Kawi on that LX188 is as good as it gets in a small tractor and the hydro will continue to prove "tough". Let us know how you like that Craftsman vs. the JD!

PS, some polish/rubbing compound and the hood on that LX will shine like new.
 
MM, I can't come up with any good arguments against what you are saying. I do have an out, here, too. My sister and brother-in-law will need a new rider in the next year or so, but can't afford one right now. I might be willing to sell the YTS4500 to them in a year or so, if I decide that it's just too redundant.
 
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