You will find a lot of opinions on tractors here- so you have posted in a good place. The current Toro lawn tractors , in my opinion- have nothing above what you already have. Two thoughts come to my mind. The first is, you do seem to be cutting a lot of grass using a lawn tractor. Maybe you could reduce your time and expense by reducing how much you are cutting. I haven't found your tractor to be hard on belts. Has your dealer been selling you oem belts? You seem knowledgeable enough about keeping things clean etc. I wish you an enjoyable retirement.

Hi Tomplum,
Unfortunately, I have located my house and garage/kennel in such a way that I really can't decrease the amount of lawn and dog yard asthetically. The other three acres are mercifully maintained by a local farmer who keeps it planted in hay. We both benefit because he gets the use of three acres and I get that property neatly maintained. If I can afford it, I am going to have my current "lawn" redone so that it is grass and not shortly cut crops. That should take some pressure off the blades and engine. I am now in tune with the machine and how it sounds so that I no longer burn up belts. That was quite a jolt the first time it happened. I don't know of anyone else out here in farm country who has such a problem with the grass accumulating on the underside of the deck. We all cut with the deflector up but I am the only one who still has problems.

As for retirement, I recommend it to anyone who has interests outside of their jobs. I am poor, but no longer destroyed by the stress of being an RN supervisor.

Hey mudlady it sounds to me like you are cutting your grass either when it is wet or damp or you're cutting very tall grass with the setting set too low. Might be easier on your mower and thus you also, if you cut at a higher height when the grass is dry. I have a 48" Scotts with a 20 hp motor. I can bog it down by cutting wet grass. Or if the grass is tall and I try to go too fast it will bog also. This Scotts (John Deere) is a 2002 model and has been a very good mower for my needs....good luck...and retirement rocks!!!!....DT

Mudlady, a nice used, low profile utility tractor (International, Massey, Ford) with rear mount (or belly type) mower sounds like it would be a better fit for you. They are older but when maintained well they'll last as long as you need it and will not choke on the crop you're trying to mow. It's what they do very well, among other tasks. Being in farm country, there should be some available in the $3500 area with mower, maybe less. It's a thought.

Assuming you're in Syracuse, NY. I would take a look at these John Deere's from Craig's List:

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/816637158.html

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/814797373.html

I have two Deere's, one with 1000 hrs and the other with 600 hrs and have had very little trouble with them. I bought them both used from individual owners.

I screwed up the link on the second one

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/814797373.html

mudlady,

popcornhill gave you some good advice on cutting your grass in different conditions. I cut my grass in the highest position on my Toro WH 520xi garden tractor. That would be 3.5 inches. Also, I only cut my grass when it is dry. Cutting your grass higher promotes it to become thicker over a period of time. That will help choke out the weed population.

Right now is a good time to overseed and fertilize your lawn. This will help to establish a better lawn come next spring. What year and model is the loaner Toro that the dealer let you use? The Toro WH lawn and garden tractor models from 3-5 years ago are very good pieces of equipment.

The current lawn and garden tractors from Toro WH are comparable, or worst then what you have now. They are made by MTD. There is no comparison to the older Toro WH models as I mentioned. Take some time, and research for year round lawn/grass care on the net. It will take a little money and time to establish a decent lawn. I know, been there and done that. And keep asking questions and opinions. I hope this info will help you.

Hi Mudlady,

Just a few things to check (with any tractor)

Do you run the engine at maximum throttle when you mow. The throttle controls the speed of the blades, so youo need to do so. Then select an appropriate ground speed using the transmission.

You might also try some overlap - by keeping to the right and allowing some unmowed overlap perhaps it will discharge.

I susepct other are right. You may be mowing when it is dry but the juiciness of the alfalfa is problematic.

And you definitely want to mow this type of field at the highest setting.

I have two Wheel Horse that are over 30 years old, so I can't tell you much about the newer tractors. Toro made the direct descendants of my machines until a few years ago, but they have been discontinued.

Best of luck

I think that most of your problems stem from a lack of understanding of machinery. Whether you own a LT (lawn tractor), YT (yard tractor) or GT (garden tractor), they ALL come with a deck that is designed to cut manicured lawns. Part of your property is suitable to the design of this Husqvarna tractor but a large part is not. The area that is alfalfa, weeds and so forth should be cut with a Bush Hog style of mower or a flail style mower or even a sickle bar mower because those mowers are designed to cut fields that are overgrown with tall and very juicy vegetation. The first two mower types have blades that swing freely and will retract when they run into an obstruction. And they are built much stronger than a finishing mower, like the one on your tractor.

Bottom line... You've been asking this Husky to do a job it was never designed to do and now you are blaming it for failing you. Either your dealer is unaware of what you have been asking this tractor do to or is woefully ignorant about the product he sells.

This is a four-year old machine that has gone through four seasons of abuse. As such, parts do break and parts do wear out. That includes clutches. You must have snagged something that yanked on the wire leading to the clutch because those wires don't normally break off. As for the prices you quoted, I think that you were treated fairly by both the dealer and the local repair shop. Electric clutches are not inexpensive and the repair shop did a fair bit of work for the sixty odd bucks charged.

Everybody has retirement dreams. The question is whether they can afford them or not. If you want to lessen the problems you are having with this tractor, then you need to do something about the wild area. Either get that farmer to take over that area too or have him plow, disc, harrow and plant grass seed in it for you so that you can have a true lawn that your Husky can handle.

The alternative is to have someone else cut that area or to buy a small tractor with a Bush Hog mower on it. Continuing to subject your Husky to that type of mowing duty will hasten its demise and cause you big headaches and repair costs from now on. While Husky does refer to this tractor as a GT, it really doesn't come close to the quality that goes into an Ingersoll 4200 or a Deere X700 series but I know that you are not in the 10 to 15 thou bracket. I simply point that out so that you understand that the phrase "Garden Tractor" is a highly subjective term. Not all GT's are created equal and you get exactly what you pay for.

A solution must be found because your Husky simply isn't going to cut it.

Not a tech answer, but have you considered planting a different lawn cover? Specialized orchard grasses are available that tend to not grow tall.

Tomplum,
Are you sure Toro is owned by MTD? I'm pretty sure they're an independant corporation who still makes pretty decent equipment. Oft-confused Troy-bilt is owned by MTD. Toro is not mentioned on the MTD website.

Mudlady,
I second the recommendation to find a nice Deere GT series in the $2500-3000 range. I have a GT225, the least powerful of the lot, and I've had absolutely no problems. It grooms my Bermudagrass like a putting green, and I've used it to bush-hog the field behind my house (with the deck all the way up) a few times with no issues. It doesn't sound like the proper NEW tractor suited to your needs will be within your budget. At an end of season blowout you might save 10%. If you buy a relatively new, used tractor, you'll save 50-70% off retail.

The Husqvarna is no different from a Craftsman. They're just not designed for heavy use like that.

As for your yard, I'd recommend killing everything in sight with a thorough dousing of Roundup on about a third of the mowed section. Then in the spring, reseed it with a high quality seed. If the results are favorable, do it to the rest of the lawn next year.

Here is a link that might be useful: MTD family of products

DONT BUY A CUB CADET...OR SHOULD I SAY...CRUD CADET !!!!

The Snapper AWS 130 is a great lawn tractor.

- It's very powerful
- The controls are convenient and clearly understandable
- 4 wheel steering
- Works well in high grass

Here is a link that might be useful: Snapper AWS 130