Big question is what’s the budget?

 

Under 3K, closer to 2K preferred. But I am willing to upsell myself if I know why I'm doing it...

 

I think I would start at the 3XX series.

 

Under 3k budget eliminates x3 series.

 

I have read a few threads about what transmission is in what series mower. If I remember right the 1 and 2 series mowers have a weak transmission, probably not intended to be used for much snow pushing. I'm not knocking anyone's 1 or 2 series, just going from my memory, and if it serves me correct, the 3 series does get a much beefier unit, but I may not be remembering correct... do some searching here.

I am pretty confident in saying you want the rear wheels to have lug nuts on them, that should be a good sign it has a work horse for a transmission.

There are experts on here, so sit tight, hopefully they will chime in soon...

 

If you want an upsell that isn't crazy but will last your son most of the rest of his life an x370 is a nice option.

Hydraulic power steering and hydraulic lift make the machine a dream to use. The added hydraulics bump the tractor up to a k57 transmission. It's a bit stronger that a k46 which is standard in the x300 series and gives you an external filter for easy transmission oil changes.

The power steering on JD tractors is pretty much bomb proof and it's worth the price to get it.

 

If you want an upsell that isn't crazy but will last your son most of the rest of his life an x370 is a nice option.

X370/42 is $4500!! That is over twice the OP’s desired budget.

 

You might consider the 1 & 2 series as disposable tractors not worht repairing unless you are very handy with a wrench. I am not saying you won't get good service from one, you just have not expect to keep it for 15-20 years like the higher end units. What ever you buy, if getting it from the dealer, at the last minute, ask them to throw in the service manual. Any work you intend to do on any machine is far easier if you have the manual and my dealer gave me the manuals with no issues and I have used them when required. Even if I have to pay for a manual, I don't hesitate, I believe the service manuals for my 2004 Pick-up cost me well over $300.00 and it has paid for many times over. Even caught the truck dealer mechanic in a lie and made them do the job properly.

 

To give my true opinion I guess I’m going to have to push aside the budget limits lol.

Forget the 100 and 200 series. Not bashing them or their owners, but the just aren’t built to last. The X300 series would be a good place to start. I think an X500 series would be best especially since he’ll be plowing snow, but that’s out of the budget. I’m no expert on lawn tractors, so that’s about all I can say. Keep in mind that this is all my opinion, and in this case I guess my opinion is not in the OP’s favor.

 

Harry I have a J.D. D155 that I mow with .I put a 46" snow plow and chains on it for 2 winters it did ok on my flat driveway for a light up to 4" snowfall .I also had a 30" Arians snow blower for deeper or heavy snow.
I did have a Chevy 3500 PU with a 8' fisher plow but it gave up the ghost. so when I retired I thought I'd get by with the lawn tractor and snow blower but my back said no way.
So after 2 year of dealing with a sore back I bought my 2038r tractor.

Welcome to GTT from NW Ct.

 

Not for nothing but as the owner of a 100 series machine, look on Machinefinder.com and see if any of the dealers near you happen to have a low hour used X370 (or higher) machine. Stay away from the K46 transmission... unless ya don't like yer kid!

 

Not for nothing but as the owner of a 100 series machine, look on Machinefinder.com and see if any of the dealers near you happen to have a low hour used X370 (or higher) machine. Stay away from the K46 transmission... unless ya don't like yer kid!

If used as intended, is the K46 really that bad?

 

One thing to think about is the attachments. Some things will not be available in the future when they are series specific. On my 445, I can no longer get the Mid Mount Mower Deck. The front Snow Blower, Blade and Broom are still available as they are Quick-Hitch compatible and fit many tractors for the last 25-30 years. My Mother-in-Law can no longer get the blower, mower deck or rototiller for her 214 due to age of the old 210-216 deries. If the blower is in the future plans, I would recommend getting it as early as possible. The front blade will be only using gravity to lower it and will not be very good removing snow unless you are on Blacktop or cement and keep it scrapped down as soon as possible. The front blade on the MiL's 214 is gravity and they tried it only one season and gave up as they have a gravel drive way. Blade originally was on their 1967 112. Reason they got the 214 in 1987 was the attachments from the 110 were compatable with the new tractor. They didn't upgrade any more as the newer tractors would no longer use their current attachments and they didn't want to replace them for the little they were used. When the mower deck died, MIL just bought an MTD and religated the 214 to snow blowing duty only, the tiller and blade are no longer used. She will be 91 in May and a new tractor is no longer even thought of. Either I or my BIL will take over the yard chores when she wants to quit or the JD or MTD quit for good.

 

I’d look at older machines like the 345 GT or the 425,445, 455. Has more modern ergonomics, old enough to have reasonable deals out there with lots of attachments available. Pretty simple to work on if needed and will still last the next owner a lifetime.

 

As others have said, steer clear of the 100 and 200 series lawn tractors. I bought an L120 from Home Depot for $2400.00 and it only lasted 300 measly hours on flat and hilly terrain. Cheap hydraulic transmission just couldn't take it and my neighbor two houses up lost his about 3 month's later. Traded it in, got $900 for it, on a new 2010 Z445 Zero Turn. Still have it as it is a grass cutting machine and will never get anything but a Zero Turn from here on out. Cut my mowing time in half! Yes, it was $5000.00 but money well spent in my book. They build cheaper Zero Turn but I don't know how good they are.
If I was purchasing my first mower, I would look into a good used unit for sure. Just because it's not new for your son doesn't mean you don't love him. I rather have my father get a good reliable used unit that served someone else well for years.

 

If used as intended, is the K46 really that bad?

If the driveway Is Fairly flat and No steep Hills a K46 will be fine for snow removal and if the Yard is flat to gradual rolling hills it will be Just fine. My Last house which I moved from Had a Neighbor with a LT180 which has a K46, He Had about a 1 acre Yard which surprisingly the front Yard was more of a hill. The Backyard was slightly slopped and so was His Driveway. He used it for mowing, snow removal with a front Blade and Tilling with a Bercomac tiller. He has since moved to a smaller Yard (I think he is 98 now) and His son took over the Property. His son is still using that JD LT180 which was Bought New In 2003 for the same tasks and that Transmission has never Had it trans fluid changed. The drive belt was changed by me about 5 years ago for him

Forums only represent a small portion of actual purchases of Deere's Machines and many other Brands. If a K46 was as bad as what is represented on these tractor forums, Deere would have replaced it years ago. But it has shown to Deere and Many other Manufacturers to be very reliable. I have seen the data Deere collects through the years, and problems really seem to be a drop in the bucket compared to what we all say on these forums on how bad the sealed K46 is.

My Younger Brother was a service Manager for a Deere AG/Residential equipment dealer for years(now a Deere construction equipment Service Manager) They May have replaced a total of ten K46's in the time he was a Service Managed from 2008 till 2022, and It was usually do to someone using the Tractor beyond its design limits with one or two Failures just do to something was wrong in it to began with. That was a Very High Volume Deere sales Dealer he worked for, so they sold a Lot of 100, X300 series, X500 & X700 series etc

 

I totally agree the K46 is a victim of it's own ubiquity. There are so many million tractors out there with a K46, that there are bound to be some failures along the way.

Add to that the people who push it well beyond it's limits because it's all they could afford. You end up with grumpy forum people.

I 100% knew I was going to push my lawn mower to do as much as I could get it to do. Thanks to the forums I realized how important it was to focus on the axle and ignore all the marketing hype. So some of the K46 isn't all that great of an axel talk can be helpful to some of us.

My recommendation for the x370 really isn't about the axle. The power steering really makes a world of difference on lots where you need to make lots of turns or back into a shed regularly. Yea it's a good 1k more than the budget but it's really a great machine that will last a very long time. It also takes what is a chore feel like something easy and fun to do.

 

Ok here it is,...
I think the right answer is the X758..
A bit over budget but...will do all the required chores and the trans will never fail.
And it will look so pretty too!🤣

 

Ok here it is,...
I think the right answer is the X758..
...

Finally a voice of reason

 

How much snow?

Pushing snow is where the need for a heavy tractor comes in, with a strong transmission.

If not for pushing snow, get any lawn mower.

But for pushing snow, you likely get chains and weights. The plow can be heavy, and should be heavy to be sturdy, to hold up to pushing. You'll want hang weights on the back to counter balance, and to provide traction. Along with the bracket to hold the plow. That setup all costs money.

If getting a blower, costs even more money, and is still heavy, and no doubt will benefit from the weights and chains.

The plow will likely see some dirt/stuff use, because once you have it, why not?

And if you are going to bother to spend all that money on a good sturdy plow and bracket, and weights and chains, why not get a good tractor? Big and sturdy, within the lawn/garden line. Most likely within the garden line.

Where the real question comes, and the big money, is in deciding between hydraulic and non-hydraulic. 20 years ago, I went with a nice study non-hydraulic GT235 and heavy duty 48" plow blade. Has worked great, and still works great.

However, the weight of that blade out front sure could use hydraulics to help lift it. Some people say they think power steering is important, but I don't. The GT235 steers fine without power steering, even with the blade. But what has become tiring, now that I'm 20 years older, is lifting that plow up and down, and holding it at various heights, in constant changes throughout a typical plowing session. It uses the mower deck lift arm, which is spring assist. Works well, but left arm gets tired, and after 20 years, one of the reasons I recently bought a 1025r.

I know the G235 is not a current option. I don't know which models compared. But I've never in 20 years thought I should have bought less of a tractor. Also got it with the 54" deck. Of course these thing are either mower deck on, or plow on, not both at the same time (deck bracket comes off, to allow plow bracket to go on).



So in conclusion, if just mowing, get anything. But if going to "push snow" then might as well get something worthy of that effort.

 

I would go with a 100 Series S140 or higher so you get a 48'' deck and forget the snowblade. Tell your son to get him self a walk behind snowblower with the money he did not have to spend on a lawn tractor.

 

He's got about an acre of grass- some flat, some hilly.

You have gotten a lot of advice. What is right for your son (and you) depends on what your expectations are. There is a reason there is there is a 10X increase in price from the cheapest to the most expensive "mowers". While they all mow their capabilities, the way they feel, and how long they will last are all are very different. Ultimately, it comes down to how much are you willing to spend and what are you will to put up with?

Deere makes a bunch of different models that are a couple of hundred to a thousand or so dollars apart. They do this so there is always something better/bigger/easier to use/more powerful/more capable you can purchase. Depending on your property a 100 series might be more than adequate and you might even like it. Most people who fit into that category never visit a tractor forum. They have a solution that is working for them, why would they waste their time there?

What you find places like here are people that have had a bad experience (for whatever reason) with a machine and what to talk about it or learn more to keep from having that again. 15 years ago I bought an X300 after I test drove it. At the time I knew nothing about mowers or tractors and thought the 100 series was what I wanted. The dealer got me to try the X300 and I loved the way the Kawasaki engine sounded. It was supposed to be for my wife (I am allergic to grass, so did not plan on using it, though I was looking longingly at the bigger machines). A few years later I learned about the "issues" with the K46. My X300 came with a K46, so I got worried. For a decade I worried about the K46, but it was fine and I don't have a flat property. A couple of years ago I upgraded to an X534 because it has diff-lock and I was tired of having to extract my mower every once or twice a year that I got it stuck. I like the X534 a LOT better, but it doesn't really mow ANY better. However, it doesn't get stuck in places the X300 used to and I can take it places I would not have dreamed of doing with the X300. Now, I paid more for a 15 year old machine than I did for my X300 when it was new. If you are thinking 100 series price, the price of a new X500 series is going to be unreasonable. I felt that way a couple of years ago, which is why I bought a used one that appeared to be in good shape. But, that has its own challenges, as it took me a year to find one, pre-Covid.

The S100 to S200 series all share similar frames and most major components. They do have different engine choices. Most people think Kawasaki makes better engines than B&S, but they all generally work reasonably well if maintained well. They do sound different.

When you get to the X300 series you get the better frame, but the transaxle is still going to be a K46 or perhaps a little better. The better ones, also have the ability to change the oil, which should allow the transaxle to last a lot longer in most cases.

You have to step up to the X500 series to get a really good transaxle. I think this is worth the thousands of dollars extra it costs, but mostly for the diff-lock. Since I have gotten more than a decade of service from my X300, I can't say the K46 is bad. I do understand the concern and this is why I have 2.5 spare transaxles waiting for my K46 to die. It might also explain why mine has never died 😉.

The X700 series is in a completely different class. I have an X749, which some consider to be the ultimate one, diesel, AWD, AWS. I don't think it is a good mower for my property (too big, too heavy, too tippy). But, my property seems to be quite extreme. I have the back 0.40 that has some fairly significant slope. It is mostly greater than 10° with about 1/3 that is at about 15-18°. Since there is a fence that goes across the slope, I have to mow part of it side slope. This is very dangerous. I didn't really realize how dangerous until I measured it and read the manual. It is also why I added bar tires and had them filled. It is also the reason I got the X534. It REALLY handles the hills well. If you don't have a challenging property, you don't need such a capable machine for just mowing. Remember that I used the X300 as my mower for more than a decade and it was fine most of the time. I didn't really like using it, but it was fine. I love driving my X534 everywhere on my property. I still like my X300, it just isn't as much fun to drive. My property is not nice suburban lawn. Much of it is trails and pasture that is lumpy and bumpy. I am pretty sure that would have wrecked the front-end on the S100 or S200 series machines in less than 5 years. That probably would have been a strong incentive to upgrade machines much sooner. The more expensive/better machines will last probably as long as you will want to keep them, as long as you are reasonable with maintenance. I expect my X534 will be okay well into its twenties and maybe past 30. Most 100 or 200 machines will be mostly used up in a decade or less. The choice is yours.

 

My $.02 here. It's best to get something bigger now than you really need to allow yourself the ability to add attachments and such later w/o having to go out and get a bigger machine to handle them. Same type of discussion comes up on RV forums (3/4 ton VS 1 ton) and for the price diff, better off w/ the 1 ton. So while everyone seems to be in agreement that the 1&2 series tho ok, may be just not enough. Yes Deere does make "bargin center" tractors which these kinda are just to compete w/ other mfr's and people buy them cuz they say Deere. Ok units but designed for a simple task. Going w/ the 3 series is better, again as others have pointed out, and going w/ the larger 3 series will net you a better unit overall. But, IMO, the 5 series would probly be best in as it's more versatile, can handle most attachments w/ ease, better built unit over the 3 series. May cost more up front, but will save you $$ down the road. How long will a 1,2, 3 series last compared to a 5 series?

Now that someone brought up the X7 series, so yes I've got a 758 for my postage stamp property, but it's what I wanted more so than what I needed. Do I need such a unit? Nope, but being a semi driver, having previous diesel tractor, and working on my sister's farm for many years, knew that diesels have a distinct advantage (but it does come w/ a price for it). Don't have to worry about attachments etc. Oh probly THE most important reason why diesel: "Diesel fumes make you H_rny"!

 

Since iam one the 100 series users, I want to share my 2cents as well... I use/maintain a X100 series with a T40 tranny and 420hours on the meter. (mowing and a little towing only). had no major issues in the past 10 years! Since you want to push snow as well I would not recommend the S100 either....BUT maybe the S240 would be a good choice because there a many major differences between the S100 and S200 series (can be found on Tractordata). The S240 has the better K46 transmission and the better Kawasaki Engine. And the price would be right under 3K.
I hope it helps 😁

 

For His Budget for His son the S240 is the Perfect Machine

S240 gets You a K46 transmission, Kawasaki engine, Electric PTO 42 or 48-inch Mowing deck, Can Handle a 46-inch Front Blade Or a 44-inch snow Blower with available electric lift kit


S220 Had a TLT-200(same as a T40J). I would not recommend the Trans For snow blade work In the winter or a Hilly Yard, Probably OK for snow blower work on a Flat Driveway


Both Models, Basically fancier S100 series Tractors(both built on the same Frame S100 series) Take the exact same snow removal equipment as the S100 series. You also get 1 extra year of Factory Warranty as well Plus 80 Hrs More so 3 years or 200hrs on the S200 series


S100 series Tractors with K46

S170 & S180 have Rear tire Upgrade to 22x9.5-12 and Front tire size upgrade as well over the rest of the S100 series Tractor's 48-inch Deck On S170 & 54-inch deck on S180

Warranty 2 years or 120Hrs on S100 series tractors

X300 series You get the same Frame as a X500 series except different rear Hitch Plate & you get 4 years Warranty or 300Hrs which ever comes 1st

 

We moved 2 years ago. Place came with an LX176.
At the time we were L/G tractorless.

Property seller thought they had bought the LX about 8 or 10 years earlier when it couple years old.
Looked up the serial number and its a 1996 model.
This makes it 25 years old rather than 12.

They used it for mowing, rear mounted leaf/debris collection and hauling around a homemade trailer.
About an hour and a 1/4 or so per cut.
Some grade from front to rear of are that gets cut. More grade along roadside are that gets cut and in area the mower travels in the treed portion of property.
I don't know what they did for snow work, but I don't believe they used the LX176 for that.


Point is, I'd be inclined to find a cheap older unit (or buy one of the smaller ones) and run it til you know what, if any additional capabilities you want.

You might find that a smaller unit will serve all your needs for many years.


We clearly didn't need to add the X738 to the fleet -- I won't bore you all the reasons we did.
We still use the 25yo LX176 for towing the trailer and for the rear bagger system. No blower, just standard blades and the tube from deck discharge to rear mounted bags.
We also have used the LX176 for cutting work at a vacation property. It may someday get left there permanently.

 

I've had the same experience as @JimR : I had a HUSQVARNA YTH22V46 that I got with less than 50 hours on it. I used it for mowing my FLAT property, and pulling a garden cart into the woods with clippings (shrub pruning clippings, etc.. nothing heavy).

At 200 hours the transmission started to slip, to the point it wouldn't climb the only slight hill I have on my property.

It used the K46 transmission, and it shows

I ended up with a 330 and couldn't be happier.

 

It used the K46 transmission, and it shows

I ended up with a 330 and couldn't be happier.

Old school 330 or X330? The new X330 uses the K46 trans.

 

Old School

 

Old School

Old school can be a decent deal if you wrench on stuff yourself or… until you need a part that is no longer available.

 

We mow 2.5 acres of yard, mostly flat, with slight hills. We also have 150 mature oak trees within the yard, so there are lots of leaves to deal with in the fall. We had an old Craftsman rider with a 42” deck with a hydro drive that never had any transmission issues. I have no idea what transmission it had in it. We decided to get a second mower so both my wife and I could mow at the same time. I bought a D170 from my Deere dealer. He tried to persuade me to move to the X series, but I felt the D170 would be fine. Two months later I bought a Cyclone Rake XL to pick up leaves. When the leaf bag was half full of damp leaves, the D170 couldn't even back it up and struggled to climb a slight hill. Then I started researching what transmission the D170 had in it and found it was the K46. While it’s a good transmission for mowing and light cart pulling, it is not designed for anything more.

We took the D170 over to my FIL’s and let him have it as his mower had just failed. His yard is flat. I went back to my Deere dealer and bought an X380. No issues pulling the Cyclone rake with that. What I really noticed was how much better the 54” Accel Deep deck on the X380 mowed than the 54” Edge deck on the D170. The next year the Craftman was really getting tired, so we sold it and I bought an X570 with the K72 transmission and traction assist. I use that to pull the Cyclone Rake now.

Bottom line for us and our needs, I felt I like I completely wasted $2700 on that D170 thinking it would be up to our tasks. It was less than four months old when I realized I’d made a mistake buying it. My salesman tried to tell me it wasn’t a strong enough machine to do anything more than mow but I didn’t listen. Your son would probably be fine just mowing with any of the entry level machines except for pushing snow. While it might do it for awhile, it won’t last very long. Then you’ll lose most of that investment and have to spend more to get what you should have bought in the first place. I would suggest going to a Deere dealer and discussing what your intentions are for the machine and weigh the pros and cons. The big box stores are just going to take your money and send you on your way.

 

Lots of great advice, probably some you didn't want to hear. It is never easy learning your budget is really significantly low to get a "best" machine. It sounds like your budget is okay an okay new machine. It is also probably okay for a great but significantly older machine, probably in the 20 or so year old range. That choice comes with its own set issues. EVERYONE wants the nearly new machine that only has a few tens of hours and is half the price of a new one with nothing wrong. If that is your strategy, I would suggest buying lottery tickets as it is about as likely to happen and if it does you can buy ten of any mower you want. I hate paying too much for things. The only thing I hate more, is paying too little. In hindsight, I consider buying the X300 a mistake for my needs. But, when I really think about it, despite it not really being the "right" machine for my needs it satisfied them well enough for more than a decade. It cost me a lot of money to get something better. I wasn't in as good of a position to spend that money 15 years ago. So, think about the timeline you expect out of the machine. Buying a machine that will work for 5 years is going to be cheaper (now) than buying one that will last 20 years. The resale value of a well cared for machine of that kind (lasts 20 years) will still be quite high 5 to 25-30 years. The resale value of the cheap kind will likely not be too high ever, so consider it disposable. If it only gives you 5 good years, you probably will be disappointed and blame Deere for making poor quality machines. But, Deere gives you the option to pay for as much "quality" and features as you can afford (or more). It is up to you to figure out how much you are willing to spend. Most people who visit these forums love tractors and don't understand why anybody would buy the lesser machine. I think the 100 and 200 series machines of the latest generation are made to compete at a too cheap price point (despite not really being cheap). I really like using quality tools and am willing to pay for that. With small tools it is not too hard/expensive to do that. With lawn tractors it starts getting expensive quickly, especially for new. If you don't want to become an expert on the differences between Deere models over the decade, and study the different sources of used machines till the right one pops up, and be ready to jump on it as soon as it does, you need to buy new. That will be expensive and stock appears to be low for many new machines due to supply chain. Good luck with the search/decision. For mostly mowing, there are other choices that aren't green. They can be cheaper, but sometimes there is a good reason for that, as they really are much lesser machines.

 

I started out with a D130, 1/2 acre to mow and a little hilly. Also blew a pretty big drive. It did fine but it was hard on it. I upgraded to an X370 and I'm glad I did! Yes, it's a lot more expensive, but then again, it's a lot more machine. You get what you pay for. Good luck with your search. Jevers