[stinkbug]

been lurking for a while,
finely joined so I can ask questions.

I currently using a old Yazoo 48 inch Master Mower, which works well, but keeps getting stuck due to its tiny drive tires,
because where I mow is rougher than a normal suburban yard, even though it is a suburban yard.

Id figure out a way to just add larger tires but since its a direct drive and not a hydro drive, that would make the gearing far to fast to use.



im looking for a garden tractor,
around me it seems there are a few of the Iseki clones;,Bolens G152 , 1502, ,Massey 1120, Ford 1100 etc. or possibly a Case Ingersoll 44x
that are close to my budget of $2000

hydro drive would be a plus, but not a requirement but I dont know which of these machines have hydro,

and which would still have parts availible, the od yazoo parts are getting hard to find ,
If i keep mine, Im going to have to buy another one just for parts


the small Kubotas and JDs Ive seen are out of my budget

im looking for something with a rear 3 point lift and if it doesnt have a belly mower, one that can be added.
although Ive not seen any Iseki rigs with a belly mower.



I have a small food plot at my hunting cabin that I would use this for also.

anything I should look out for on these ? and is there other rigs I should be looking for?

thanks

 

[Ingersoll224]

In addition to the ones you mentioned, the vintage versions of:

Cub Cadet
Wheel Horse
Sears

were stout garden tractors.

I like the Case/Ingersoll for the hydraulic PTO to run a tiller and even a log splitter. I have the smaller wheel 224 which is still very capable.

You might look to see if Ocelot Scorpion tires are available in your size. They made a world of difference in traction on my zero turn.

 

[stinkbug]

In addition to the ones you mentioned, the vintage versions of:

Cub Cadet
Wheel Horse
Sears

were stout garden tractors.

I like the Case/Ingersoll for the hydraulic PTO to run a tiller and even a log splitter. I have the smaller wheel 224 which is still very capable.

You might look to see if Ocelot Scorpion tires are available in your size. They made a world of difference in traction on my zero turn.

your zero turn has much taller tires than my old yazoo.
the yazoo tires are 9.5 x 18, and are 15 or 16 inches tall in reality I think


I saw a few Cub Lo Boy tractors that looked like they would he harder to get stuck since the tires are so tall.

I have agricultural type tires on my Yazoo, but they are so small they just dont have any traction if its not perfectly level.

I recently saw an Economy power king 2418 that had a 3 point hitch and a belly mower but it looked really old, and I wasnt sure what their value was, at $1600 seemed kind of expensive for such an old machine. but it did look quite rugged.

 

[Achto]

$1600 seemed kind of expensive for such an old machine.

Welcome to GT Talk.
The price on the Economy might seem high for an old tractor but you will not touch a newer tractor with the same capabilities for the same price. The garden tractor has kind of gone away unless you step up to a compact or sub-compact tractor. I prefer the older garden tractors, they are easier to work on and more rugged than the new stuff.

 

[stinkbug]

Welcome to GT Talk.
The price on the Economy might seem high for an old tractor but you will not touch a newer tractor with the same capabilities for the same price. The garden tractor has kind of gone away unless you step up to a compact or sub-compact tractor. I prefer the older garden tractors, they are easier to work on and more rugged than the new stuff.

yeah a compact or sub compact tractor would be great but I dont have the budget for that,
weird how the smaller the tractor the more it costs.
the older stuff is definitly easier to work on

currently building a garage and recently purchased a non working 35 foot boom lift to repair my soffits and paint the house,

 

[boyscout862]

Welcome to GTT. Most old Garden Tractors(GT) were very good machines. I have about 100 tractors and my favorites are the very large GTs sometimes called Estate Tractors. Finding a tractor isn't that hard. Its parts, attachments, and somebody to work on them that can be difficult. If you can do the work yourself, you're at a big advantage. The Power Kings were good tractors. Many parts are generic(off the shelf). The engine is probably a Kohler cast iron. They are excellent engines. Attachments for Power Kings are scarce around here. You may be luckier. A good place to shop for tractors and attachments are the tractor shows and swap meets. I get about 8 of them each year in my area. Look in our Manuals Section for the manuals that you want to download. They're free. When you have questions, ask clearly and post clear pics to help us understand. You might want to look through the galleries of pics. BTW, my favorite tractor is a 1968 Bolens 1250. That is a Large Frame which fits me better than the medium frames. It has a plow, 48" mower, and a 36" tiller. Good Luck, Rick

 

[stinkbug]

Welcome to GTT. Most old Garden Tractors(GT) were very good machines. I have about 100 tractors and my favorites are the very large GTs sometimes called Estate Tractors. Finding a tractor isn't that hard. Its parts, attachments, and somebody to work on them that can be difficult. If you can do the work yourself, you're at a big advantage. The Power Kings were good tractors. Many parts are generic(off the shelf). The engine is probably a Kohler cast iron. They are excellent engines. Attachments for Power Kings are scarce around here. You may be luckier. A good place to shop for tractors and attachments are the tractor shows and swap meets. I get about 8 of them each year in my area. Look in our Manuals Section for the manuals that you want to download. They're free. When you have questions, ask clearly and post clear pics to help us understand. You might want to look through the galleries of pics. BTW, my favorite tractor is a 1968 Bolens 1250. That is a Large Frame which fits me better than the medium frames. It has a plow, 48" mower, and a 36" tiller. Good Luck, Rick

I can do all the repairs and maintenance on them myself .

I’m putting together another list of questions about specific tractors.

will post those upmaybe later today .

 

[twowheeler63]

Welcome to the group.

My favorite is the Sears ST16, mainly because I have 3.
That said, with your budget, I would look for a tractor with onboard hydraulic capability. It'll be a better choice down the road, in my opinion.

 

[Vigo]

I think you should give the Power King another chance. Believe it or not, the age of that tractor actually overlaps with the Case 400s and others, it just so happens to ‘look’ much older in styling.

However, all the ‘old looking’ power kings were gear shift tractors, no hydros. Depending on how you think about it that could be good or bad. The PKs used transmissions and rear end similar to what youd find in a very small car. Not many other garden tractors can say that. The Cub Lo Boy is another one (also available with a 3pt and 24” wheels), but its also a bit larger overall. Not that you necessarily need all that strength, either.

You might consider running oversize tires at very low inflation pressure with tubes. As far as ground speed, this is sort of counterintuitive but only the drive hub’s radius to the ground, NOT the tire’s diameter or circumference, dictate the effective ‘drive ratio’. So a 22” tire with 3psi in it, sagging to the same ‘loaded radius’ as a propery inflated 18” tire, will travel the same speed (but with more frictional losses). The difference is that it CAN grow to its normal 11” radius if it is unloaded a bit, whereas the normal 18” tire will stay the same 9” radius and simply come off the ground.

Its a bit of a hack but if 22” tires will clear your mower deck you might consider getting some and running them at very low pressure with tubes (to prevent de-beading aka popping open from the wheel) to give a semi-suspension effect.

 

[stinkbug]

the power king sold quick for $1500

saw a case with belly mower and tiller for $2500
also three hours away.



and any Iseki under $2500 sells fast, I actually saw one recently for sale with a belly mower.
I should jump on it, but its 3 hours away. and at a dealer, and Im leary of dealers.

the hydrostatic case would be more convienient for mowing, but the iseki would be more usable for anything else I guess since its heavier
ive seen a couple of hydristatic iseki but not many.