I have a friend who really really likes his Hustler Dash Zero w/42" deck. He has several acres of moderate slopes, dips and w/trees, and mowed it for many years with the JD GT225 that he sold to us. So of course night & day difference with the zero turn.
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Ordered a new lawn tractor....
- Thread starter mowkep
- Start date
jonesg
Well-known member
I have a friend who really really likes his Hustler Dash Zero w/42" deck. He has several acres of moderate slopes, dips and w/trees, and mowed it for many years with the JD GT225 that he sold to us. So of course night & day difference with the zero turn.
Shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate a zero turn from a lawn tractor, need independent drive wheels in the back, castors in front.
Caterpiller track driven snowblowers have independent drive tracks.
The zero turns seem to be way overpriced for something merely turns on a dime. Zero turn snowblowers aren't as expensive. My neighbor got one used for $200.
Forddrivinman
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 16
I'm assuming that K46 is trouble?
I think depending on the yard, your mileage will literally vary. I've had good luck with my JD L110 (built in '04) which has the Tuff Torq K46 under it. That being said, these hydrostatic transaxles don't like hills all that much, but I've been able to keep mine running with some regular maintenance. I like to do a oil check/drain every 50 hrs and then break it apart to replace the filters, check the brakes, etc every 200. I have a fairly hilly yard and it has held up well so far.
On a side note, I've found that the Tuff Torq company is awesome and really supports their stuff well, with plenty of documentation and parts available. Their staff is also very helpful. You can do all kinds of things with these like upgrade parts to strengthen the transaxles for a fraction of the cost of a new unit.
redmondjp
Well-known member
Shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate a zero turn from a lawn tractor, need independent drive wheels in the back, castors in front.
This has already been done! John Deere tried this idea back in the early 2000s (can't remember the exact model number) and it didn't work out so well. Sears also now offers the "Turn Tight" technology which allows essential the same thing but doesn't use caster-type wheels.
I bought the closest thing to a zero turn, which sadly Deere discontinued a long time ago: the F510/525. My F510 was actually built in 1990, but it was designed as heavy-duty (weighs 750 lbs.) as their farm equipment. I've been using one for the past three years now. At full lock it will cut around a 18" diameter circle. It's a fantastic machine to mow with, so long as you have a relatively smooth surface to work with.
Minnesota Steve
Well-known member
Responding to a couple things in this thread.
I went through this last year and ended up buying an X370. I considered the E120 and it probably would have been fine, but I wanted something a bit heavier. I really enjoy using it, and it has a nicer cut than my Honda push mower. I have a trailer and I use it to haul a lot of stuff, mostly mulch(25 yards this past year) but also 9 yards of soil this year as I'm trying to level off areas in the yard.
All the Deere's for the big box stores are assembled and delivered by a local dealer. As others said, the dealers are more accommodating to those who buy direct from them. The dealers do carry the E series, along with all the other options up the line.
John Deere E series is not made by MTD. It is built to make a cost point, so not as sturdy, lower priced engine/****** and such. I agree with the other comment that they last about 10 years, maybe more if you do solid maintenance. In particular make sure you grease it well, multiple times a season. They use a lot more bushings rather than bearings for wheels and steering, so it needs to be greased more often. My brother has gone through a couple of big box tractors and that's usually where he has failures, mainly cause the first tractor he didn't realize he had to grease it. He does have 3 acres and it's mostly hill, so he's pretty hard on them.
One thing you'll find interesting on the E120 is the quick change oil. If you don't like doing maintenance, I guess it's a good thing... better than never changing the oil. But if you would otherwise like to do it proper, they sell a conversion kit that might be worth considering.
I went through this last year and ended up buying an X370. I considered the E120 and it probably would have been fine, but I wanted something a bit heavier. I really enjoy using it, and it has a nicer cut than my Honda push mower. I have a trailer and I use it to haul a lot of stuff, mostly mulch(25 yards this past year) but also 9 yards of soil this year as I'm trying to level off areas in the yard.
All the Deere's for the big box stores are assembled and delivered by a local dealer. As others said, the dealers are more accommodating to those who buy direct from them. The dealers do carry the E series, along with all the other options up the line.
John Deere E series is not made by MTD. It is built to make a cost point, so not as sturdy, lower priced engine/****** and such. I agree with the other comment that they last about 10 years, maybe more if you do solid maintenance. In particular make sure you grease it well, multiple times a season. They use a lot more bushings rather than bearings for wheels and steering, so it needs to be greased more often. My brother has gone through a couple of big box tractors and that's usually where he has failures, mainly cause the first tractor he didn't realize he had to grease it. He does have 3 acres and it's mostly hill, so he's pretty hard on them.
One thing you'll find interesting on the E120 is the quick change oil. If you don't like doing maintenance, I guess it's a good thing... better than never changing the oil. But if you would otherwise like to do it proper, they sell a conversion kit that might be worth considering.
Responding to a couple things in this thread.
I went through this last year and ended up buying an X370. I considered the E120 and it probably would have been fine, but I wanted something a bit heavier. I really enjoy using it, and it has a nicer cut than my Honda push mower. I have a trailer and I use it to haul a lot of stuff, mostly mulch(25 yards this past year) but also 9 yards of soil this year as I'm trying to level off areas in the yard.
All the Deere's for the big box stores are assembled and delivered by a local dealer. As others said, the dealers are more accommodating to those who buy direct from them. The dealers do carry the E series, along with all the other options up the line.
John Deere E series is not made by MTD. It is built to make a cost point, so not as sturdy, lower priced engine/****** and such. I agree with the other comment that they last about 10 years, maybe more if you do solid maintenance. In particular make sure you grease it well, multiple times a season. They use a lot more bushings rather than bearings for wheels and steering, so it needs to be greased more often. My brother has gone through a couple of big box tractors and that's usually where he has failures, mainly cause the first tractor he didn't realize he had to grease it. He does have 3 acres and it's mostly hill, so he's pretty hard on them.
One thing you'll find interesting on the E120 is the quick change oil. If you don't like doing maintenance, I guess it's a good thing... better than never changing the oil. But if you would otherwise like to do it proper, they sell a conversion kit that might be worth considering.
Thanks for the heads up on maintenance. NOW if I can only figure out how to get the Mrs. off it. She is loving it.