Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hey Gang! I have been absent/quiet for awhile. I've been busy with many repairs & some personal quandries...

Like Kevin (Vangellis), I began looking at new tractors last week. Heres why:

My JD 160's starter problem STILL exists (yeah, I know - its been over a YEAR ) so that was kind of bugging me. Then I went to use the 160 for my first cut of the year, and I couldn't get the starter to crank no matter what I did. I recently acquired a literally like-new, JD STX46 tractor with ultra low hours, minus bagger for $500. I had no intentions of keeping the STX until I used it (since the 160 was dead) - what a nice machine! So I figured that if I want to keep the STX, I need a bagger. HMMMMM... the 160 has a bagger, so will it work? All the bag attachment hardware fit ok, the chute needs to be altered to mount on the deck, and the chute needs to be modified to curve into the hopper's top. I could just purchase the plastic chutes for $140, but that also requires a power-flow attachment for an additional $400. UH, no way! - I'll modify & fabricate something. All in all, no biggie so far. OK - I noticed the STX's grass discharge velocity was rather lackluster due to its flat, no-lift blades. OK - so I need high lift ones. This shouldn't be a problem, right? HA!! I began searching for 16" high lift blades & came up empty. Apparently Deere never made many 46" cutting deck designs, so the blades are hard to find. I found Gator's, but I wanted to see them before purchasing, as I didn't want to spend $60+ on useless blades (the STX has a 3 blade set-up) that will not allow me to bag my clippings. After some exhaustive, non productive internet & local searching, I decided to go to the local JD dealership to see if they could help me with my quest. He found an old commercial walk behind high lift blade but its no longer available & even this blade would require modification to make it fit my application. We then both perused thru books for over an hour & came up empty. Feeling rather frustrated at this point, I begin thinking about a new tractor. What the hell, I work hard - I deserve something nice. The Deere L118 was my choice but the price was $2500 plus another $325 for the bagger, plus tax. I go looking for blades & almost buy a tractor instead - my wife would have LOVED this one. So I go to Lowes to look for blades (again, no luck) & notice the Cub Cadet 1042. Nice little machine but I still would be in the $2k price area for tractor & bagger plus tax. After thinking about it for 2 days, I searched again & found a small, mail order farm supply house that offered the Gator high lift blades for $33 out the door, so I take a chance & order them. I have the bagger issue mocked up & almost completed. I finally get to the 160's starter for the 50th time. I find a corroded positive battery terminal & replace it - no change. I check voltages at the starter & all's fine. Apart comes the starter for the fourth or fifth time in a year. Everything looks & tests fine. I'm stumped. Then, somehow I decided to remove the connector from the back of the ignition switch for laughs. Guess what - all SEVEN terminals were badly rusty & corroded. They would pass sufficient voltage, but would NOT pass proper current. I take the Dremel & clean up the spades & lugs. After applying tune up grease to the connections, I slid the connector back on & the starter problem is FINALLY fixed! YIPPEE!! Once I get the blades on the STX & get the bagger/chute finished up, I can sell the 160 knowing its 100% and then have a sweetheart of a tractor for a fraction of the cost, and that makes me even happier than buying a new one.

Moral of the story - I gave it a few days & didn't make a snap decision. I want to add about 200' of PVC six foot privacy fence & enlarge my patio this year. Buying the tractor would have really killed my budget due to a rash purchase. I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger!

Thanks for listening!
Marty

Hi Marty. I'm going with the lower end Conquest package. I already pushed the envelope with the finance minister
by going with that model. It has the 20 hp Briggs Vanguard V-twin with a 44 inch deck. That actually works for me. I would have liked a 54 inch for out in the flat, but the 44 inch will save time with the trees and bushes to go around. It only took about 30 seconds of sitting on it, to really like it. I moved the seat up to accomadate my short legs and boom. A perfect fit. Just waiting on the finance app to get approved, hopefully today, then close tomorrow morning. C'mon already.  LOL

                                                                                                                            Kevin

Hey Kevin, smaller decks give a more shapely looking cut too. The wider the deck the more it will skip over areas that are a little lower.

Marshall wrote:
Never thought of it that way, but sounds good to me.   LOL
                                                       Thanks,   Kevin

I would agree with Marshall's statement bigtime! I have seen first hand a difference when I mowed a lawn with a 32inch deck and it looked so nice, then I mowed it another time with a mower that had 54inch

Well, my report on my STX's progress is not good.   I just installed the trio of Gator blades & found these the "high lift" blades (90-407) provide very little propulsion of clippings in order to bag, and now I also have two, one inch strips of uncut grass left after I make a pass. Granted the grass was slightly damp, but I don't feel these made a change for the better. My flat, low lift JD blades (M41967) cut perfectly but offer no bagging ability. I am saddened & very sorry to say, my JD STX46 has to go. Believe me, I am really upset about this as the STX would have been a real step up from my 160 by offering a MUCH better seat, wider cut, better turning radius, and it simply is GORGEOUS... Marty

Marty,
As you know sometimes the three blades don't transfer clippings as well as the two blade setups. Can you switch decks?

I like to gator mulch and let it fly. Do you have a pool or something?

Deck height?

Rob - Thanks for the suggestion but decks cannot be interchanged as the mountings are entirely different. I do have an inground pool (Abby's Group picnic in July?!?), so I have to bag near it or else I have a mess to clean up in the pool after I mow. I also have a dog who is outside frequently (my wife & I are also outside frequently), so clippings must be bagged or she'll eat the clippings (the dog, not my wife ) , & I also don't want to track the clippings into my house. Another discovery today was is that the cutting deck is much too wide & won't pass thru the fence's gates. I tried the discharge tube attached to the deck today & all it does is just clog up after making a single pass from the front of the yard to the rear - the clippings just accumulate in the tube instead of blowing out. There just isn't enough airflow to bag clippings, even with different height settings. Deck was re-leveled too. The JD powerflow blower bagging attachment is $400+, then the bagger & tubes have to be purchased (another $350+). IMO, Thats just too darned much chingwa to spend on a darned bagger. I even thought of having a small rear bagging push mower just to do by the pool, but then I still have 3/4 acre to do! SO - I've given up on this completely.

Here's why I'm so dismayed. These pics really don't do this machine justice...

Marty

PS - She'll be up for grabs on Ebay come late Friday...    

Marty,
No problems. You'll be able to sell that and buy just what you want.

Marty, that's sweet. Great looking ride!

Hi Marty. Nice ride. Your detailing still amazes me. Maybe time for a new ride? We'd be glad to give ya a push.  LOL

                                                                                                                          Kevin