Victa vs john deere

[Turbo Piston Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Turbo Piston]

Hi guys,

Bit off topic here but wondering if anyone has used these machines. Parents have recently bought a rural property. We know nothing about ride ons.

Looking at a victa spx 23/52 or a john Deere d140.

So the victa has a 23hp Briggs motor with a 52 inch diameter.

John Deere has a 22hp with a 48" diameter.

Anyone can suggest which one is better in terms of reliability, parts etc?

Thanks.

[Guest Close Guest]

Having owned acreage. It's worth considering some other things than just brand.

Acreage type? Rough/smooth. Flat/ sloped etc.

I've had john Deere and TORO before and been happy with them. I had a victa years ago and had some issues. But it was an older model.

Some good reading here: http://www.powerequipmentdiscounters...Page&artno=100


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[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

Turbo if I were to buy sago I would be looking at a "zero turn " type as my yard isn't a rectangle and hs lots of obstacles to mow around.. I own a Murray Sentinel which wasn't an expensive brand but does have a Briggs & Stratten which has never let me down.
Cheers Matt

[JLB-150 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JLB-150]

I have the JD D130 as it has the 23hp motor and 42" deck. As I am on 5 acres and often cutting long and dense grass I wanted more HP for the deck size. I have never had an issue with it bogging down or struggling to clear the cut grass. Also, the bar in the front of the D130 is handy too. I use it to pull 100ltr sprayer, harrows, etc and it does the job with ease.

I looked at the Victa before buying the JD but it had too much plastic for my liking. My only critism of the JD is that it doesn't have a diff lock so sometimes it can be a bit hard to get through some places, although if you drop the throttle to idle it will normally get through rather than spin one wheel.

Hope this helps.

Oh, and the JD was cheaper...

[AK7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AK7]

My Dad has a JD x520 series with a 26hp motor & 54" deck. He also has another older, smaller JD. They both cop a beating and still go well. They mow about five acres, with probably 60% of that on a big hill. The big mower zips about and doesn't have any issues. The smaller one is a bit tired and labours a bit. Parts are easy to source through local distributors and also on eBay, and the decks are pretty easy to work on too. Mostly modular.

My Mum used to have a Husqvarna ride-on that was probably the equivalent of the smaller JD 500 series. Huskies were/are essentially rebadged JD's. They were mowing 2-3 acres but had more dips and rises around the property. The engine on that thing was great, but the deck would shred belts if it got tilted too much. Bloody annoying. This is definitely something you want to look at closely on any mower if your property has a few bumps and grooves.

All of those mowers are fairly cumbersome to operate compared to Greenfield ride-ons. The Greenfields I've used were great on any terrain. Super reliable too (and they have a reputation for reliability) - definitely worth a look.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

How many acres / hectares are they mowing? What type of grass and terrain? I have lived on acreage for lots of years now and there is no substitute for size and a diesel engine.

23hp in a petrol will struggle with a 52" cut in any grass that is thick or long or wet.

I had a petrol Kubota rideon with a 48" cut and 18hp. The same machine as many councils used to keep areas tidy. I had 8 acres to keep clean and it struggled and drank fuel. It would take close to 20L to do my current 5 acres if left for a week or three. I changed it for a very second hand diesel tractor with midmounted 60" deck and it used less than 10L of diesel under the same conditions and about three hours less time.
That 20 year old tractor made way for a new one three or four years ago.

I fitted a front end loader to the tractor Christmas before last and while it is easy to take it off I find it very handy when mowing around trees, picking up broken branches etc. but it makes it awkward to cut around the house and particularly the front verandah. My wife wouldn't drive it because she couldn't judge the front overhang and turn radius so we just bought a 38" cut Toro with a 20h petrol engine. This won't do many acres or hours and just cuts close to the house, gazebo, carport and shed.

A final comment is pay extra for a hydrostatic drive. No gears to change or preselected and one pedal for forward and one for going backwards. I would avoid the belt or rubber block gearless drives as well, potential nightmare for maintenance especially on a sloping block.

Any rideon made in the US will lock out the deck in reverse. Which is a pain. Easily bypassed but you need to be aware and make sure you are either happy with that or happy to bypass it. Some use individual blades and some cutter bars. Check and get a feel for how expensive new blades are and how easy they are to change.

Finally don't get hung up on brand. Most are not made by the big players so going for a Massey or JD isn't getting you something with the same quality of engineering as a tractor. Be diligent and just see how they are put together. The Toro is very light and very average but it is ok for what we want and the price. And don't just go for maximum cut or maximum hp get the right package overall.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Mate of mine has 8 acres, sloping block, combo of bush, pasture and lawn. He's tried a Chinese tractor and slasher, Husky ride on and Toro zero turn. None did everything well. He has finally settled on a Massey Ferguson and it is a ripper. Diesel, 4wd, diff lock, hydrostatic, 60 inch deck and fits a loader on the front and all sorts of gear on the back.

http://www.masseyferguson.com/EAPAC/...pact/1935.aspx

[Turbo Piston Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Turbo Piston]

Wow heaps of info thanks guys! Didn't expect that much actually!

It is 2.5 acres max. Mainly flat, few trees but I don't think I will need a Zero turn. Some valid points above that I will look into more.

Thanks for the help so far!

[slimf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slimf]

I have 2.5 acres with trees. Trust me, if it's flat you want zero turn. I have a Husky RZ4222 (42" deck) with 22hp Briggs and Stratton engine. Perfect for a flat block your size, and has a fabricated deck ( not thin pressed deck) - so if you have a lot of sticks or rocks it will last more than 250 hours (which is what you will get out of a pressed deck)

[slimf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slimf]

Reason I say go for zero turn - they are way faster than a normal ride on, they cut in any direction. Only down side is a) not easy to drink and drive b) no good for slopes.

[Turbo Piston Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Turbo Piston]

Well there are a few steepish slopes on the ppty which might be do-able with the ride on. But will have to see.

[slimf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slimf]

Get a ride on with a steering wheel if you have slopes :-)

[Shovtel Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shovtel]

My dads got a JD x595. Its about 10 years old or so now. 800 hours on it. 4wd, dual diff locks, diesel, mulching deck. Cant remember how much HP it has but its one of the larger ones. It is a gem to use on the farm. the diff locks are great to use. its stable on hill sides, even some hillsides that it shouldn't be on. I cant recommend it highly enough.

Some things to think about...
4wd is very handy to have.
Diff locks are important because these things have 0 flex so its pretty easy to lift a wheel up off the ground and not go anywhere.
Mulching decks are great - but as soon as the grass gets longish the quality of cut is no good... you wouldn't buy a mulching deck if u wanted to slash grass...

Before the JD we had a Kubota... 2wd petrol. It was good but no where in the same class as this JD (though its an unfair comparison).

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

My grandmother had 2 acres that she used to cut with a Biggs and Stratton hand mower. As she got older, dad and I got the honours of that job. Soon got a little ride one. Can't remember the brand, but it was a red tractor type similar to the OP (maybe Husqvarna). The property was rectangle, 3 lawns, mostly flat that included an apple orchard, and a couple of sheds.

Not sure of the price differences, but you don't necessarily need zero turn if its fairly rectangle. I was taught this technique by our school groundsmen. Two laps round the outside of the block to give you a turning strip. Then one strip down the middle. Then each pass moves in one deck width. Eg. Up left Side, turn and down middle, turn, up left side but +1 deck across, turn, Down middle +1, turn , up left etc etc, so you move across the rectangle with each pass (If that makes sense)

We used to do it flat out, not touching the brakes at all.

Tidy up round the trees afterward with the hand mower.

[Turbo Piston Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Turbo Piston]

My grandmother had 2 acres that she used to cut with a Biggs and Stratton hand mower. As she got older, dad and I got the honours of that job. Soon got a little ride one. Can't remember the brand, but it was a red tractor type similar to the OP (maybe Husqvarna). The property was rectangle, 3 lawns, mostly flat that included an apple orchard, and a couple of sheds.

Not sure of the price differences, but you don't necessarily need zero turn if its fairly rectangle. I was taught this technique by our school groundsmen. Two laps round the outside of the block to give you a turning strip. Then one strip down the middle. Then each pass moves in one deck width. Eg. Up left Side, turn and down middle, turn, up left side but +1 deck across, turn, Down middle +1, turn , up left etc etc, so you move across the rectangle with each pass (If that makes sense)

We used to do it flat out, not touching the brakes at all.

Tidy up round the trees afterward with the hand mower.

You can cut mine then hehe!

Thanks for all the info guys