Hello cls,
While 'best' may be an ambiguous term here, Consumer Reports, a
well-respected consumer publication testing all manner of products,
has reviewed lawn tractors. The top 5 in both gear-drive and
hydrostatic-drive models are
Gear-drive tractors:
Sabre by John Deere 1438GS
Cub Cadet 1000 Series 1170
John Dere LT133
Craftsman (Sears) 27207
Murray Wide Body 4050x92
Hydrostatic-drive tractors:
White Outdoor LT1650
John Deere Spin-Steer SST-16
Husqvama YTH1542XP
Stanley 425605X692
Toro Wheel Horse 16-38 HXL
To see the complete listings, go to this page at Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=55385&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=32899&bmUID=1033933298340
Then click on "Lawn tractors" under the Latest Ratings column and
login. The US Coast Guard is kind enough to make their login publicly
available. The username is 'USCG Academy' and the password is
'Library' - no quotes, of course.
If you live in Canada, Consumer Reports has a special Canadian
section. Just under "Lawn tractors" is "Lawn tractors sold in Canada"
- the procedure for seeing it is the same.
The hydrostatic-drive models, while more expensive on average, are
also ranked better than the gear-drive tractors. The single reviewed
rear-engine tractor tied with the worst overall scores in both gear-
and hydrostatic-drive categories. |
