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Box store mower


deerhunter

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Someone at work ask me this question and I said none, but.... If you had to buy a box store mower, which would you buy? I quickly answered this question by giving them the location of our nearest Simplicity dealer & a link to this site.
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The Deeres. I know Deere will stand behind them. This only if I had to buy from the box store.
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I called the John Deere Dealer and they said the Home Depot product is exactly the same as they sell and at the same price, Also they do support the product. So The Deere's at the Depot are, so far a safe buy for the consumer. My local dealer will now make house calls. They are probaly attempting to get a bigger market share. Perhaps a leg up on what Briggs is going to do with their recent aquisitions.
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I have a halfway decent '95 Craftsman with white lettered tires and a Mack Bulldog on the hood. I suppose I could transfer the Bulldog. I fixed enough of them- why stop now;). Tim - Is there a Simplicity dealer out that way??? I love Schotts in Washington but its hard to get that way sometimes-
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Jovee Rugh equipment in Greensburgh it's near Lynch field on 119. 724-834-3950 Also Brownsville hardware has a shop in the back, they carry OEM Simp/AC equipment, they don't have a lot of new machines but all the parts you need. If they don't have it they can order it.
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Lowes doesn't have the high end Cubs, only pure junk cubs. You have to find a dealer that sells the high end ones and even then they are about $5000 base price. I think the Craftsmans (poulan pro) are pretty good, depends on the model. The LAWN tractors with the 6 speed peerless are not very good. The decks are hard to remove and the transmissions are problematic. I have one which the gears busted out of the housing. But if he gets a GARDEN tractor with the 6 speed HI LO, it should last a very long time. My neighbor got one with a 50 inch deck and 22hp?Briggs for about $2000. I think thats a good buy. You can't even get the Home depot deere's with 5 lug wheels anymore. The craftsman garden tractors also accept a variety of attachments. I have mowed with one of the newer craftsman garden tractors and found it to do all right. My only complaint is that the shifters are a bit low as the seat is up high, the old sears suburbans with the same transmission, I feel, are more comfortable to operate. As for product support, many lawnmower shops if not all can service these products. Though Deere will likely make parts for a longter time for their machines.
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Has anyone payed attention to the Huskavarna that lowe's carries? I talked to a local Deere dealer last year, he said that he carries the same model that Home depot carries, but that they are a low quality machine compared to the upper end models. He also said that he would have to service any perchased from home depot. If it were me they would wait in line behind the ones that were purchased at the dealership! The funny thing about this guy was he said that he used to be a Simplicity dealer also but that they didn't sell compared to the Deeres? What's up with that???
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If I can't get a high end Cub at Lowes then I would go to Sears. Husquvarna is built by the same company as the Craftsman (AYP), they also built the Poulon Pro, Weedeater, etc. probably as many as MTD. With Murray out of the picture (sort of) they, MTD and AYP, are basicly the only companies still producing Box Store Mowers except John Deere for HD. Electrolux is looking to sell off it's outdoor power div. ,AYP, and I believe Briggs is looking. One reason I think Briggs is not planning on keeping the Murray plant open. This may be all rumer and to much over thinking on my part so don't quote me on this.
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quote:
Originally posted by deerhunter
Has anyone payed attention to the Huskavarna that lowe's carries? I talked to a local Deere dealer last year, he said that he carries the same model that Home depot carries, but that they are a low quality machine compared to the upper end models. He also said that he would have to service any perchased from home depot. If it were me they would wait in line behind the ones that were purchased at the dealership! The funny thing about this guy was he said that he used to be a Simplicity dealer also but that they didn't sell compared to the Deeres? What's up with that???
I spoke to a WOMAN at The JD dealer here and it was she, who said they are the same unit. They guy who works on them knows best. If they are cheaper built and they cost the same yet the JD company is behind them, maybe it is a foot in the door for those who become unsatisfied to trade up with significant incentives. Simplicty doesn't sell compared to Deere's out here either. no news there. Simplicty does not do factory direct and they don't do home and garden shows Here. With out exposure beyond a previous satisfied customer base sales will suffer. Even John Deeres Web sites rock compared to Simplicity's. The support you have here on this site with active users is 2nd to none.
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Ran across this nice, concise description of the differences between "Light" duty and "Heavy" duty tractors, excerpted from "The Small Tractor FAQ" (http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kb13/ans_brands.htm) Might be a good thing to show a potential box store buyer. They should understand why you pay much less for that type of equipment. Of course, if the buyer understands and accepts the limitations then I say more power to them. Frequently Asked Questions "Which brands of tractors are good and which are bad?" Good and bad are relative terms. There are generally two types of lawn and garden tractors: light duty and heavy duty. Light duty equipment is usually much less expensive to purchase, has low required maintenance, is made of sheet metal and plastic, is belt-driven, has short-term parts availability and is designed to last for a short period of time. Many failures on light duty tractors simply can't be repaired and used machines can't usually be traded in for credit on new equipment. However, light duty equipment is very popular, largely due to its low purchase price. With proper care, light duty equipment can perform useful chores for many years. But, beware that some manufacturers of light duty tractors place over-powered motors into light duty tractors, in order to make them more attractive to buyers. This causes stresses and strains beyond the tractor's design limits, resulting in rapid failure of the drivetrain, suspension, steering and/or other tractor mechanisms. On the other hand, heavy duty equipment is typically expensive to purchase, has more required maintenance, is usually based on an iron or steel frame (although certainly will contain sheet metal and plastic parts), often has true axles with cast iron housings, is shaft-driven, has long-term parts availability and is designed to last for many years with proper care. Most breakdowns on heavy duty tractors can be repaired -- although parts can be very expensive -- and it is common for users of heavy duty equipment to "trade up" to a newer model after several years, as is typical with automobiles. This means that there is a good supply of used heavy duty tractors to choose from. ......
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Definitions of Typical Lawn and Garden and Turf Maintenance Vehicles [url]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39977[/url]
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Hummm.... I don't like those definitions; or I don't agree with them. From what I read, the 101, Landlords, even my Soveriegns are considered Lawn Tractors... ouch. Heck, I ram a lot of dirt, gravel, and really clearing my yard nicely... When I saw some of the rocks my 101 moved, I was quite impressed. :)
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