HOW TO CHOOSE A NEW GARDEN TRACTOR
(Page 3 of 4)
July/August 1979
By the Mother Earth News editors
Can your chosen garden tractor match those figures? To find out, look at each linkage point for the belly mower and imagine yourself connecting every bolt, spring clip, pin, and pulley belt. Also, take into consideration that you'll be adjusting the tension on each belt once the mower is in place beneath the machine. Is there clearance for your hands to reach the points of adjustment? Finally, ask yourself if-once you're away from the smooth tile of the showroom floor-you'll be able to see what you're doing under the vehicle without lying on your back in the wet grass.
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In my opinion, the designers of compact tractors have almost uniformly failed to give sufficient thought to the matter of attaching and removing implements, and-unfortunately-only a few manufacturers show any common sense in this area at all. The J.I. Case Company uses a convenient hydraulic drive for many attachments . .. but, even so, the firm's belly mower cannot be installed without a fair bit of bother. Both Ariens and Gravely deserve gold stars . . . because both supply power to the belly mower through well-located power takeoffs (PTO's) rather than belts, and Gravely has an optional frontmount mower-with near bush-hog capability-which is a "breeze" to install.
My other "best of the group" choice is the Power King, made by the Engineering Products Company. This manufacturer provides a "no-foolin' " three-point hitch with real tractor capabilities. But, again, the King's belly mower is something of a "bear" to fasten and remove.
Nevertheless-although the Engineering Products Company vehicle may be the ugly duckling of the garden tractor family-its rugged styling and automotive-strength components have earned it a following of outspoken admirers.
The transition from spring to summer to fall may require as many as a dozen attachment changes. If these "swaps" can't be made with ease, you'll soon find yourself turning to hand work . . . just to avoid wrestling with ill-fitting and ill-conceived equipment.
[3] Belt, hydrostatic, or gear drive? My inquiries turned up a lot of different opinions on the question of which type of drive train is actually superior. Of the 115 models available in 1979, 66 are primarily gear-driven, 4 are belt-driven, and 45 feature hydrostatic (hydraulic or fluid) drive.
The industry trend seems to be toward the use of hydrostatic transmissions. Such systems offer two advantages: They give the operator an infinite range of travel speeds from zero to eight or nine miles per hour, and the hydraulic fluid provides some measure of protection to the engine should an implement strike something or create an overload. On the other hand, hydrostatic transmission usually adds to the cost of a vehicle. (Belt-driven models also give engine protection to some degree . . . since a belt can slip or stretch under severe strain.)
