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jon_boy

Deere new LA120 vs old LT155

jon-boy
17 years ago

Hi, this is my very first post here. I'm in a conundrum: hunting for a John Deere tractor and my local JD dealer has 2 1997-98 LT155's and the new LA110 & 120. Budget is up to $2,000. I plan to buy from him irregardless.

I trust this dealer, both sides of my family have bought from him for years. He tells me the LT155's are built better, heavier frames, heavier decks, Kohler engines, everything and is recommending them over the new LA series. He says he thinks those 10-yr old LT155's could likely outlast a brand new LA110/120. I'm just not sure I want to buy a 10 yr old mower -- when, if I have a $300-400 repair in next 1-2 years on it, I could practically have bought a brand new one for that total. He also naturally recommends the new X300, but it's out of my price range. And is probably overkill for my meager needs:

This will be a light duty situation: just mowing once a week and hauling the occasional load of dirt or yard bricks, etc. That's it -- no grading, heavy towing, etc. My lawn is 0.5 acres worth, maybe slightly more, with some soft hills and clumps of trees, which I'll probably have to trim with push mower unless the turning radius is good enough on the tractor. I've never owned a tractor before, and have only driven one a few times.

The 2 LT155's:

 '97-98 LT155 15hp Kohler, 38" deck, hours unknown, good condition, hitch plate shows some heavy scrapes/use, mulch kit.....starts and runs well, no smoke, etc. - $900

 '97-98 LT155 15hp Kohler, 38" deck, hours unknown, "cleaner" condition than the other LT, mulch kit AND 2 yr. old bagger system.....to be honest, he's getting this one in soon, I have not seen it yet. - $1200

The brand new JD's:

 LA110: single cyl 19.5hp B&S, 42" deck -$1650

 LA120: V-Twin 21hp B&S, 42" deck, bigger tires, hour meter -$1850

 Deck Mulch kit on these LA's is $25 -- cuz it's only plastic!

If it comes down to a 50/50, I'll ride them all and pick by that, something I haven't done yet (want to investigate first). The old LT155's start and run well.

I looked up the L series from last 2 years on epinions.com, the 125 gets decent reviews, but the L130 got LOTS of bad reviews. Maybe my dealer is right that the lower end L's and (new) LA's are not nearly as reliable. Same site has LT155's with some bad reviews, some good, but brand new it was $2500 give or take 10 yrs ago.

My Q's:

1) What do you recommend for me?

2) I hear Kohlers are better than B&S, but *if maintained well*, is a 10yr old 15hp Kohler better than a brand new single or V-twin B&S 19.5-21hp?

3) Dealer says no diff between B&S V-Twin and single cyl except less vibration. (not more reliable, etc)....True?

4) Do bigger tires make a big difference? Is it just the ride comfort?

Sorry for the long post!

-Jon-Boy

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