My father is looking to purchase a riding lawn mower for his new house.

He went to home depot and saw a Murray riding lawn mower for appx 800 bucks.

HE also saw a John Deere for a couple of thousand.

John Deere being a Toyota or Mercedes diesle in terms of reliability, where does a Murray compare?

Are they $hit or just middle of the road?

Is this the same Murray that made bikes years ago?

Thanks

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

Murray has several trade names - Murray Tractor Division aka MTD from Ohio and yes the old Bike manufacture. They also make some private label items

I am not biased but Gravely is the only way to go

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Look at the Snapper model line too. Take care of it and it should last a very long time.

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Jim

My dad had one of each, a MTD and a Craftsman that he bought about the same time. Don't ask why. I don't know. The MTD was a POS and died after a couple years. The Craftsman I now have, and am still using some 10 years later.

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past MB rides:
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'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
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'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
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I have a Kubota. From doing my research, I see that it is a toss up between the Kubota and the JD. I bought the Kubota because it had a deck that was a little smaller by a couple of inches so ti would fit into the confines I had in the shed better after we attach the grass bagger.

I am talking about the JD line, BTW and not the Sabre line which is the cheap JD.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Kubota, is the best for the money IMO. You can spend lots more on Case and a few others but I LOVED every Bota I had the pleasure to play around with.

But we have a Craftsman lawn tractor and I say it's so so but adequete to do the job. I'm not too sure how much you have to gain by going John Deere because Deere quality isn't what it was years ago.

You might be able to find a used Gravely, Deere or Cub.

Plantman - this is what I have.

Snapper mower

It is a good mower. I have seen these types with the Honda engines installed which I think is a better engine than the B&S. Mine is 16 hp with the 33" wide blade.

Looks like you have plenty of Snapper dealers in the area too.

Snapper dealers in Miami Fla area

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Jim

Let me back track, Kubota and anything with a Honda is best IMO.

My only problem with Kubota was that after 7 months I had a carb problem and it wasn't covered. They said I used old gas and it gummed up the carb. They cleaned it out and there hasn't been a problem since. Also I have always put half a can of Sea Foam into the tank before winter. I use it less in the winter tho because in the summer, it gets fresh gas from the constant mowing but it is used only for snow ploughing in the winter. I have a T-1770 BTW.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

not sure about that. I had a couple of Honda small engines with problems out of the box. I bought my high pressure sprayer with a Honda engine and it didn't work out of the box. I sprayed ether into the carb and it would run for a couple of seconds. Pumped fuel but the plug was dry. So, I figured that there was a carb blockage.

Not sure at this point if my T-1770 Kubota had a Honda engine too. See above post. Of course, before this incident, I never used any sort of gas stabilizers on my cars or lawn equipment because every month in the winter, I would just fire them up and run them for the hell of it. Looks wierd when the neighbour sees me fire my lawn mower up after it has snowed but I do it on the first of the month.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

OK Nar, I think you nailed this one.


This guy thinks honda sucks because his Power Washer wouldn't start any biters?

The Power Washer had a Honda engine on it. It was traced down to a blockage in the carb. And to make it worse, they tried to say that it was my fault for running bad gas. I asked them to prove that it was bad gas. Back and forth with the warranty department till they did a "goodwill" repair on it. Never mind that with gas in the tank, they found spark but no ignition. They couldn't get gas into the cylinder. I told them that was the problem from the get go. It was brand new and never used.

No, I don't think Honda sucks. I just don't think they are gods and make everything perfect. Oh, they are above average but not perfect. I have a Honda Rincon 650 ATV and it was ok. Personally, if Polaris had an 800 EFI, I would have liked it better. I do like my wife's Polaris Sportsman 500 quite a bit.

Once again, Honda doesn't suck. By the same token, not everything that has their name on it is perfect either.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Ummm that's a given I think that's almost implied actually.

Brief thread hijack please ignore:

I totaled my Rincon last summer and replaced it with a Rubicon and couldn't be happier. I don't know what climate you're in but the Rubicon cold starts on the first crank every time and the transmission is WAY smoother, almost unnoticeable shifts and it does well when it's cold as well. I might even buy another Rubicon if my IRS bill isn't too bad.

You're joking. I actually prefered the Rincon 650 to the Rubicon 500. My wife who used to ride with me behind me, liked the Independent Rear Suspension better than the straight axel. Also, the Rincon had 2WD or 4WD mode. I felt the Rubicon was harder to steer especially when the Rincon in 2WD mode. Even in 4WD, the Rincon was easier to steer than the Rubicon and the Rincon felt more peppy. BTW, especially with the jet kit and K&N, the Rincon would also start on the first time.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I think I'll talk him out of the Murray.

The funny things is, he really doesn't need one, I don't think. His land is a little less than half an acre. I think he just WANTS one. Well he is 71 and never mowed a lawn in his life. I think he's scared to have to pay someone 40 bucks once a month. Remember, he's cheap.

Who am I to argue. He's pretty frugal and will settle for the cheapest thing on the market, hence the murray.

I may look into some sears clearance centers and check it out.

Thanks

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Enough about me, how are you doing?