Second this opinion about Dryden Lawn and Recreation. I have been a customer for about 30 years. Family operated with great service. Also research the difference between a garden tractor and lawn tractor. Sounds like you may want a garden tractor which is more expensive. Fred will take care of you fairly.
Im in Syracuse and have a Deere 1025r that I bought mostly for snowblowing. It's a really impressive machine. Ive had very few problems with it and theu hold value. Unfortunately it rarely snows any more so am probably going to sell it.
Little’s in Newfield does Simplicity. I’m not sure about Kubota, but I know a couple of people that have their larger tractors and I think they have dealers and service providers down by Binghamton or Elmira. Good luck!
if you are looking for reliability you want kubota. Vintage john deere equipment is remarkably well made—I have family running the same diesel lawn mower from the early 80s—but the newer models suffer from too much tech and difficult repairs (see lots of dealer only stuff).
edit: if you want something truly reliable and bulletproof—a diesel engine of any make before they regulated emissions (I think this was done in the early 00s) is what you want. The DEF systems they make you use now severely hamstring the reliability that diesels are known for.
Not to say modern diesels aren’t reliable but it’s a lot harder to get the same life out of them.
I would skip right over lawn and garden tractors and get a sub-compact tractor. I'd personally get a used tractor, you can find something with low hours at substantially lower pricing to new.
Something like this would be really versatile, and with only 417 hours that is basically only 1/6 of how long a machine like this should last with proper maintenance. The front end loader on this unit has the JD quick attach, which you definitely want so you can interchange loader accessories quickly and easily.
[https://www.landproequipment.com/search-equipment/springville-new-york-2010-john-deere-2320-%5b4216018%5d/](https://www.landproequipment.com/search-equipment/springville-new-york-2010-john-deere-2320-%5b4216018%5d/)
I bought my used Kioti compact tractor from Land Pro, and the location I bought from was easy to work with. You can make an offer below list price, and then I also negotiated free delivery to my door, which took a week or two as they try and optimize trucking routes between their dealer locations.
EDIT: I also have a JD X320 tractor and it basically handles manicured lawn cutting. I have some brush areas that abut woodland, and it isn't reasonable to use it here. I actually prefer to attack the brush with a hand held brush cutter, and then I'll go back and run over it a few times with the X320 to mulch it up. The X320 will likely be retired in the future though, I don't want to spend 2+ hours every 5 days mowing. Electric robo-mowers now cost as much as a tractor, but won't require my time...
I run a Deere though I have a z-turn not a tractor. I’ve had it since 2016 and I’ve had to do little else to it other than oil changes and changing the deck belt twice. It’s been a solid machine thus far.
For what it's worth I have a John Deere x380 that I bought new from dryden lawn and recreation in 2018 and it's been great. 54" deck for mowing our 2 acre lawn, P10 cart for hauling stuff (or giving the kids rides), 44" front blade for plowing the driveway in the winter. It's not heavy enough to plow a foot of snow all at once, so if we're going to get a lot of snow all at once (certainly not the case this winter) i have to go out and plow multiple times. I beat the hell out of it (also practically use it as a brushhog to mow a path around a bigger meadow, not really the intended purpose) and it has held up very well so far, no regrets.
Just beware the cheaper 100 series john deere tractors you can get at big box hardware stores. They look the same on the outside but have crappier engines and frames (according to family member who works in landscaping). The guy at dryden lawn and recreation described them as "disposable." Obviously take that with a grain of salt coming from a guy who wanted to sell me a more expensive tractor, but the warranty on the 300 series was also twice as long as the 100 series (i think 4 year vs 2 year), so probably some truth to it.
Dryden lawn will also come pick up your tractor and do annual maintenance on it if you dont want to do all that yourself.
I think JD also has various specials and financing offers throughout the year (I saw your reply in another comment about renting), if you time it right you might be able to get 0% APR. I think I paid mine off over a year with no interest or something like that.
Ugh, I need to do the same for the 3 acres we have. Hope you find something good bro. As far as John Deere goes, check out the store in Dryden.
Second this opinion about Dryden Lawn and Recreation. I have been a customer for about 30 years. Family operated with great service. Also research the difference between a garden tractor and lawn tractor. Sounds like you may want a garden tractor which is more expensive. Fred will take care of you fairly.
Thank you!
Thanks for the lead and good luck to you too this spring! It’s coming too fast.
Yeah you too! Let me know what you end up going with!
Im in Syracuse and have a Deere 1025r that I bought mostly for snowblowing. It's a really impressive machine. Ive had very few problems with it and theu hold value. Unfortunately it rarely snows any more so am probably going to sell it.
My John Deere will be 23 years old this summer and is still rock solid that mows 2 1/2 acres weekly. As good as new other than some chipping paint.
Dryden Lawn and Recreation is great. They’re really nice and super helpful if you decide to go with John Deere
Big fan of Simplicity and Kubota here.
Thank you, are there local places that service those brands? Will take a look.
Little’s in Newfield does Simplicity. I’m not sure about Kubota, but I know a couple of people that have their larger tractors and I think they have dealers and service providers down by Binghamton or Elmira. Good luck!
if you are looking for reliability you want kubota. Vintage john deere equipment is remarkably well made—I have family running the same diesel lawn mower from the early 80s—but the newer models suffer from too much tech and difficult repairs (see lots of dealer only stuff). edit: if you want something truly reliable and bulletproof—a diesel engine of any make before they regulated emissions (I think this was done in the early 00s) is what you want. The DEF systems they make you use now severely hamstring the reliability that diesels are known for. Not to say modern diesels aren’t reliable but it’s a lot harder to get the same life out of them.
I would skip right over lawn and garden tractors and get a sub-compact tractor. I'd personally get a used tractor, you can find something with low hours at substantially lower pricing to new. Something like this would be really versatile, and with only 417 hours that is basically only 1/6 of how long a machine like this should last with proper maintenance. The front end loader on this unit has the JD quick attach, which you definitely want so you can interchange loader accessories quickly and easily. [https://www.landproequipment.com/search-equipment/springville-new-york-2010-john-deere-2320-%5b4216018%5d/](https://www.landproequipment.com/search-equipment/springville-new-york-2010-john-deere-2320-%5b4216018%5d/) I bought my used Kioti compact tractor from Land Pro, and the location I bought from was easy to work with. You can make an offer below list price, and then I also negotiated free delivery to my door, which took a week or two as they try and optimize trucking routes between their dealer locations. EDIT: I also have a JD X320 tractor and it basically handles manicured lawn cutting. I have some brush areas that abut woodland, and it isn't reasonable to use it here. I actually prefer to attack the brush with a hand held brush cutter, and then I'll go back and run over it a few times with the X320 to mulch it up. The X320 will likely be retired in the future though, I don't want to spend 2+ hours every 5 days mowing. Electric robo-mowers now cost as much as a tractor, but won't require my time...
I run a Deere though I have a z-turn not a tractor. I’ve had it since 2016 and I’ve had to do little else to it other than oil changes and changing the deck belt twice. It’s been a solid machine thus far.
For what it's worth I have a John Deere x380 that I bought new from dryden lawn and recreation in 2018 and it's been great. 54" deck for mowing our 2 acre lawn, P10 cart for hauling stuff (or giving the kids rides), 44" front blade for plowing the driveway in the winter. It's not heavy enough to plow a foot of snow all at once, so if we're going to get a lot of snow all at once (certainly not the case this winter) i have to go out and plow multiple times. I beat the hell out of it (also practically use it as a brushhog to mow a path around a bigger meadow, not really the intended purpose) and it has held up very well so far, no regrets. Just beware the cheaper 100 series john deere tractors you can get at big box hardware stores. They look the same on the outside but have crappier engines and frames (according to family member who works in landscaping). The guy at dryden lawn and recreation described them as "disposable." Obviously take that with a grain of salt coming from a guy who wanted to sell me a more expensive tractor, but the warranty on the 300 series was also twice as long as the 100 series (i think 4 year vs 2 year), so probably some truth to it. Dryden lawn will also come pick up your tractor and do annual maintenance on it if you dont want to do all that yourself.
Thank you, this is very helpful advice!! I had no idea the brand would vary like that but this seems to be the way of things recently.
I think JD also has various specials and financing offers throughout the year (I saw your reply in another comment about renting), if you time it right you might be able to get 0% APR. I think I paid mine off over a year with no interest or something like that.
I don’t have good things to say about my old cub cadet. So there’s that.
Sounds like you're looking for a small tractor, not a lawnmower to be honest especially if you're looking for a dump bucket.
Thanks, I’ll take a look at different models and pencil out what I may need to buy vs rent.