question about seating and Murray wide bodies

Though I have been repairing and selling everything from push mowers to ZTRs for a few years, it was not until recently I have actually OWNED and used riding lawn mowers.

My regular mower these past two years has been a Craftsman 42" and one thing I dislike besides the finicky hydro is that huge transmission tunnel.

One thing I have really liked about my well abused wide body Murray that I have been using for pulling and everything else, is it is easy to get on and off of.  Sometimes I literally do that dozens of times a day. Sometimes I am wearing my much heavier and stiffer chainsaw boots and safety chaps and lifting my leg over a hump would get old fast.

I recently bought a bunch of mowers.  Some I thought were Murrays going by the color, I guess with the F-N-R transaxles they are MTD.  Thought I did get one wide body Murray with just the forward reverse pedal on the right side.

I bought a Cub Cadet 2183 and never sat on it until today. Then I sat on the John Deere LX-172 and Murray I bought (with the shifter in between your legs).  They all feel cramped, the steering wheel is between my knees, and on the Murray it is kind of a hassle getting on because my foot barely fits next to the deck lever.

Out of the 5 mowers I am only going to keep 2 at the most, the others are for parts.  The Murray looks nice, but, I dislike the hump.

So, is there any reason for an off road mower, to pick one with a transmission tunnel - hump in the middle?

The John Deere LX-172 is okay to get on, BUT, I am literally hitting my legs on the steering wheel.  I would have to move the seat way back to be comfortable. The CC it looks like I can adapt the seat and move it back 2-3 inches.

The thing with the CC is if that thing fell on me off road, I am not sure I could move the beast off me.  It supposedly weighs 678 pounds, but, it feels more then that.  In comparison, I infrequently pick up the Murray by a corner and scoot it over when needed.

Two things I have noticed, is I need a better seat on any mower so I do not slide off and with the Craftsman, it is a lot harder to lean to one side and jounce on the tire to grab traction when the tire is just spinning, to transfer weight to it.

i know it is subjective, but, which would you keep for an off road mower build and is the Murray special enough not to trash? Or is a a dime a dozen?








The JD looks to be a much heavier duty frame then everything other then the CC.  I had to put a wheel on the front to tow it and I was surprised it was a 3/4" axle instead of the 5/8".  A rear 16" wheel fit right on and I used a 3/4" lock collar to keep it in place since I did not have a E clip that big.

I bought the Murray hoping it had a Peerless 700, looks like it does not.

Do you think the Murray is too nice to trash for parts? Except for a battery it looks complete.

The JD has no hood, but, is complete and probably has a Peerless 801 in it.  Think that would be a good off road platform while I experiment on my build?

It looks like I have (2) F-N-Rs, some kind of small hydro with an external tank, whatever is in the wide body Murray with the forward reverse pedal on the right, plus, the shaft driven hydro in the CC.

I've never heard anyone in the off road community talk about this.  Although Wheel Horses especially anything before about 1979 has a narrow trans tunnel which makes maintenance and modification a lot easier.

Are you getting off your riding mower frequently to pick up toys, sticks, and trash?  Then I recommend building one of these.  I never get off to pick up debris anymore and you can always pick up one of those extended reach grabbers as well from Harbor Freight.

Little confused with the title and the pics.  Lots of info there so I am confused maybe?

To me all the tractors that are not FNR or hydro would be good candidates for me.  Even the non-widebody murray you have pictured.  It probably has an MST205 in it.  Good for Doc Locking.  Also, depending on where you live can be all over the place, some places not so much.

I'd build the John Deere for sure! With the 14hp Kawasaki (full pressure lube) and Peerless 801 trans sitting on what ought to be a solidly built chassis it's a no brainer, the seat is a minor detail don't get hung up on it

> Are you getting off your riding mower frequently to pick up toys, sticks, and trash?

Yes, trash, toys, and clothes from my neighbors. I will run over sticks, branches, pine cones, and paper, but, I avoid shredding plastic and I do not have the heart to run over their toys and footwear. I bought a trash pick up tool:

40" Grappler "Extended Reach & Pick-Up Tool"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023V15JE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00

BUT, I stopped using it because I could not figure out a good way to store it while riding and stuffing stuff into plastic bags was not working and too awkward while moving. That bucket holder looks like a better idea. I never considered having a 5 gallon bucket on the back because I was thinking hanging by the handle.

I have mostly been using the picker for pine cones and sweet gum balls in my raised bed gardens.

> Lots of info there so I am confused maybe?

No, my post was not concise.

> I'd build the John Deere for sure!

Then I will build the John Deere, maybe keep a Murray wide body for parts and just disassemble the rest for spares.