Ariens (42") 19HP Lawn Tractor

We purchased this lawnmower back around 2013 to assist in upkeep of our grandparents 4.3 acre estate while they were hospitalized. If this had been the 17.5HP version I’m sure my review would have been Far More Critical, but the 19HP Kohler turned out to be capable and performed good enough to make me feel like I got my money's worth. Hindsight being 20/20 I really should have gotten the 21HP V-Twin Briggs and Stratton because the HP output curves are so much higher even at lower RPM so when you encounter long grass the mower won’t get bogged down as easily.

That being the 19HP had absolutely no issue with Mowing regular lawns or even when the lawn started getting out of hand. I only ever had to back off when tackling the 2-3 Foot tall grass in the pasture and even then I only stalled it from overloading grass a couple of times the first season.

It’s 6 position deck leaves much to be desired and the number 1 and 2 positions just forget about it unless you wanted to scalp everything and the number 3 was only good if you regulary watered your lawn weekly during the hot months. With only 3 usable heights you might think Id complain but the reality was the number 4 was PERFECT for maintaining the yard and 6 left the pasture long enough not to turn bone dry, The simplicity was actually a great thing.

My favorite feature though was the hydrostatic transmission handle at perfect position for right handers. Never had an issue with slippage or any sign of transmission wear. My experience, it was rock solid.

So what I didn’t like / issues:

As mentioned it was noticeably under powered when encountering heavy grass.

The steering wheel bolt tended to lose. up with the constant shaking and needed to be lock-tite to stay put.

The exhaust header bolts vibrated off along with some frame bolts after 4-5 years and the biggest issue was the Metal Frame actually broke from fatigue just under the seat near the rear wheel wells. We actually continued to operate the mower without noticing until I saw it was cutting a slant. However, the fix was relatively easy.

You simply needed to jack up the rear remove one tire and put blocks to get the frame lined back up. I ordered the cheapest flux cored Mig welder off Amazon having never welded a day in my life nor had any welders to ask was able to weld a steel plate across the break and weld the break back together. LOOKS terrible but 5years later it’s still holding so I must’ve done OK.

Ariens lawn tractor was made by Husqvarna and is strong and reliable. Well built out of sturdy materials and good components. Very, very pleased with the function of this mowing lawn tractor. Great price for this high quality piece of equipment.

After much research I decided to purchase this model Ariens. It never really lived up to the research I did. Sometimes I had a hard time gettiing it out of reverse and the shift handle would stick half way. This year in May it started going slower and slower in forward but okay in reverse. There were still times I couldn't get it out of reverse. This mower only has about 15 hours on it. Thankfully it is still under warranty so off to the repair shop. It's been approximately six weeks and still have no mower and keep getting the run a round. I would not recommend this mower. I have told the repair people if it's not back this week that they should contact Ariens and supply me with a new mower, I would accept a lower model without hydrostatc transmission and some sort of rebate.