R.I.P The beloved Garden Tractor

[GrassLakeRon]

Maybe I'm slow to the party on this, but after spending time looking up who makes a Garden Tractor, in it's best sense, the one company left stand is Deere. Simplicity even stopped all tractors this fall. One video from Messicks pointed at zero turns and the bx as the killers of the garden tractor. From the late 1940s till 2020's home owners could buy one...... Now just Deere remains. I do see how a scut is better in many ways, but if a person had two acres and needed to push snow, a good garden tractor was hard to beat. So in a few years even the term garden tractor will be gone to buyers..... Lawn tractor, scut,cut......

call me nostalgic I guess.....

 

[Fordtech86]

We got a couple

 

[Trimley]

My previous was a JDx739. It was GREAT for what it was. In my research before buying what I did, they're eliminating the heavy garden tractors to get away from liability. The GTs are heavy machines for what they are, but they're skirting the necessary need for ROP. Soon JD will eliminate the 1023E as well, even though it does have ROP.

 

[NCL4701]

I have one as well. There’s even a snow pusher blade for it buried somewhere in the dark nether regions of the shed. It towed a mess of firewood over the years in that gray cart beside it.

 

[Trimley]

I had several old JD Vintage. I got a wild hair one day and sold it all.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Had a legacy. Loved it. Worked for 20 years.....

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

lots of brand new under 20hp options with 3pt and pto's out there for those who want small hp work horses. these are available canada w/o dpf/def emissions. Maybe not every state though.

new holland ................ Massey Ferguson 5118

Mahindra ................. All battery Electric Sonal

Swaraj

 

[jimh406]

Just doing a quick google search, there are several options for garden tractor besides JD. Also, companies seem to use lawn and garden interchangeably.

 

[ken erickson]

Maybe I'm slow to the party on this, but after spending time looking up who makes a Garden Tractor, in it's best sense, the one company left stand is Deere. Simplicity even stopped all tractors this fall. One video from Messicks pointed at zero turns and the bx as the killers of the garden tractor. From the late 1940s till 2020's home owners could buy one...... Now just Deere remains. I do see how a scut is better in many ways, but if a person had two acres and needed to push snow, a good garden tractor was hard to beat. So in a few years even the term garden tractor will be gone to buyers..... Lawn tractor, scut,cut......

call me nostalgic I guess.....

I would have to consider the Kubota GR2020 and GR2021 garden tractors. The diesel version pushing 1000 lbs. All wheel drive, pto, snowblower and plow available.

After giving it more thought, (yes, I might have stepped in it, lol), maybe the Gr2021 and 2020 are glorified lawn tractors? I think a key feature of a garden tractor would be the ability to pull a small tiller? Have a sleeve hitch or a 3pt hitch available as an option.

 

[KKBL]

View attachment 118233
We got a couple

We are lucky to have two Case garden tractors 1978 446, 1984 448, a Kubota L2501, plus brother / sister grandchildren that live on the adjacent property to us.
The 446 was purchased new in 1978 and has mowed approximately 2 acres of hilly rock infested "lawn" area every year since. Don't think a newer garden tractor would make it 45 years with regular maintenance and minor repairs.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Only the Deere x700 series (x900 series in europe) is listed as a garden tractor, the rest as a sub compact. Messick's put out a video called "The death of the garden tractor". When I owned mine i never thought they would be on the out, when i went to replace it, they were gone. I what I bought was billed as one, but sadly it never was.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

'death of the garden tractor' is just a marketing scam..same as everyone NEEDING a 4WD, 4 door, 400HP $100,000 pickup truck as their 'daily driver'.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

'death of the garden tractor' is just a marketing scam..same as everyone NEEDING a 4WD, 4 door, 400HP $100,000 pickup truck as their 'daily driver'.

What happens when you need a 4WD,4 door, 430HP, $47,600 pickup as your daily driver?

 

[William1]

I still run my 23 year old Sears Garden tractor (mower really) 46", 22Hp, HST. It has I think about 1250 hours on it. I've done a lot of repairs over the years. Re-did the steering, getting rid of the stupid plastic bushings and replaced with sealed ball bearings. New deck (old one rusted out). A few sets of blades. Sheet metal is aging, a bunch of dents, some rust. All the belts a few times. Engine runs like a champ, only had to replace the seal at the flywheel along with normal servicing.

But the writing is on the wall and its' days as a lawn workhorse are numbered. It will get replaced with something like the GR2120 and then the Sears will just pull a garden cart about in its' retirement.

I'd like to find a Sears Garden tractor with low hours whose owner neglected servicing it to salvage the sheet metal and wheels from and save it from a crusher.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

I still run my 23 year old Sears Garden tractor (mower really) 46", 22Hp, HST. It has I think about 1250 hours on it. I've done a lot of repairs over the years. Re-did the steering, getting rid of the stupid plastic bushings and replaced with sealed ball bearings. New deck (old one rusted out). A few sets of blades. Sheet metal is aging, a bunch of dents, some rust. All the belts a few times. Engine runs like a champ, only had to replace the seal at the flywheel along with normal servicing.

But the writing is on the wall and its' days as a lawn workhorse are numbered. It will get replaced with something like the GR2120 and then the Sears will just pull a garden cart about in its' retirement.

I'd like to find a Sears Garden tractor with low hours whose owner neglected servicing it to salvage the sheet metal and wheels from and save it from a crusher.

Glad your Sears is still working. My Sears lasted 1 day( Craftsman 917.25890) when I picked her up and her transaxle blew. Returned it the next day. In 20 years of service, 1 belt , plugs every year and syn oil, my Legacy served me well. I love my 8200, but there is just something about one more thing from my past becoming extinct that has got me in a pinch.

 

[fried1765]

Maybe I'm slow to the party on this, but after spending time looking up who makes a Garden Tractor, in it's best sense, the one company left stand is Deere. Simplicity even stopped all tractors this fall. One video from Messicks pointed at zero turns and the bx as the killers of the garden tractor. From the late 1940s till 2020's home owners could buy one...... Now just Deere remains. I do see how a scut is better in many ways, but if a person had two acres and needed to push snow, a good garden tractor was hard to beat. So in a few years even the term garden tractor will be gone to buyers..... Lawn tractor, scut,cut......

call me nostalgic I guess.....

My oldest son has a JD318 ( 1984 ? ) with original Onan engine.
Still runs like a Swiss watch!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I have a SEARS ST12, repowered with 9HP chinesy honda clone, pulls the Brinly plow GREAT, with 50# weight up front. Has the 'rare' Cat0 3PH. Sold the original engine for more than what I bought the tractor and 4 implements for.
It is a true garden tractor, 6 speeds, torky, full selection of implements.
The LGT125s I had(3 of them) weighed in at about 700#, each. 36"tiller did a nice job for years.

 

[Yotekiller]

Sure did a lot of work with my Deere 318 and 425. Wish I had both of them back just to tinker with...

 

[NCL4701]

What happens when you need a 4WD,4 door, 430HP, $47,600 pickup as your daily driver?

Get the “work truck” model and skip the heated/massaging seats. It will be white and people will occasionally ask you questions like how much you’d charge to add a room to their house, but it costs a lot less than those pickups that have everything but a kitchen sink on them.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Get the “work truck” model and skip the heated/massaging seats. It will be white and people will occasionally ask you questions like how much you’d charge to add a room to their house, but it costs a lot less than those pickups that have everything but a kitchen sink on them.

21 F350 supercab, longbed 4x4....... XL! Roll up windows and no power doors! But it does sport the 7.3 godzilla, 4.30 gears.......

My Unicorn at less then 48k....