Ever since I've owned my Craftsman riding mower I've always dreamed of something better (it came with the house, and I've kept it running but its got to be about 15 years old or so my guess.) It looks like the time of year where people are selling decent riders for cheap money. All I'm after is a decent cut in a 38"-48" deck with a bagger and the ability to tow a little trailer around the yard to haul whatever debris or material. Really basic, I've got a smaller CUT for harder work. I found a well used JD 240 on CL for an asking price of $150 or bo with a bagger. It "runs great" and I can't imagine not being able to get that back in parts alone if the mower turns out to not be a worthwhile project. This guy has the 14hp Kawasaki and not sure of the deck size. In the spring I could probably sell my Crapsman for more. What problems should I be aware of? What areas should I check out closely? Or should I just go pay the guy?? Thanks.
Just pay him. Deck is worth more than that alone. So is the bagger. For that price, his phone is blowing up FO SHO!
Yeah, get moving.... The 240 was legendary for its ability to snag tree branches with the massive deck lift lever. They are not anything special as Deere's go. The Kawi engine is pretty bomb-proof however and the price tag is fantastic. If the plastic hood is in good shape, you could easily triple your money for it as a runner/driver/mower.
Geeze, $150, around here they start at 6-700 and go up. 150 might get a rolling chassis. which may or may not have a working tranny. Going to pick up a AGCO/Allis 918 ( Simplicity Sovereign) in the morning. I have JD L120, figure I better try and move it out before the tranny takes a hike. Hydro Tranny is non-serviceable, 2/3 of new price to replace. It only mows a 3/4 acre lawn but 1/2 of that is up hill and they do not like that. ( same problem with most of the box store units brand name not-withstanding) I have an old lime green thing that I use to pull the firewood trailer around with, just so I do not overload the L120 tranny.
A yup, missed it by about a mere 19 other responses. So if anyone still cares.... What's the ideal mower for just a relatively flat 3/4 acre of grass with light hauling duties? I've read the older Simplicity models have a great cut, of course the JDs have a good following, IH/ Cub....
Well if ya want to really haul stuff around and or use ground contact equipment a gearbox is a lot of the time better than the hydros, On the otherhand in the bigger Simplicities the Sunstrand/Perless combo is supposed to pretty near bullet proof, with proper maintenance. Now when ya talk about Case some of those are hydro motors on the wheels like in a skid steer. Only problem now is that the prices on this stuff are getting to be pretty dear. Around here a 7xxx series Simplicity series start at 9 and walk up from there,with some of the other brandnames( same tractor different colors) commanding premium prices depending on condition and rarity.
Mostly mowing with occasional light hauling is perfect for a Deere LX series. Plenty of them out there. LX1xx units are about 20 years old, followed by the LX2xx units. Great machines with excellent parts availability. They will handle hauling duties without trouble, very heavy duty transmissions compared to other lawn tractors.
Yep it mows and handles great. Only small issues is it takes a decent amount of cranking to start initially.
Is the choke closing completely? Fairly common on those for the throttle cable/choke adjustments to get out of sync and create minor annoyances like that.
