417xt vs. 314-8

[wheelHorse 312-8 0]

Hello,
My old 312-8 deck cracked and torqued and it looks like more work is needed to get it up and running again then I am willing to put in.
I am looking at 2 Wheel Horse tractors for sale and would appreciate input on the best way to go.
I primarily use the tractor for  mowing, 1 acre slightly uneven, and plowing in the winter with a 42" plow. My driveway is about 150 ft long plus there is a parking area.
The 2 tractors are a 417xt with about 150hrs on it and a Kawasaki 17hp motor  vs. a 314-8 with a kohler and 400 hrs.
Both have 42" decks
Both are priced a little over $1000.
Thanks for your input,
Howard

[can whlvr 994]

imo both seem a little high on price,unless they are in real nice shape

[boovuc 1,090]

Buy the 314-8 Speed. You have your choice of over 25 years of continuous manufacturing of implements and parts that can inter-change with it and you already have some implements that will hook right up to it. The 417XT tractor is NOT a Wheelhorse and will not interchange with anything that used to hook up to your 312-8. The Kohler engine is much better than the Kawasaki and the 314 is overall more reliable than the pure Toro tractor

[bmsgaffer 2,053]

What about just replacing your deck? If that's all that's wrong you can get a pretty decent one for a couple hundred bucks.

[wheelHorse 312-8 0]

I have been looking for a deck on craigslist and thru this forum and have expanded my search thru 3 states. It look as if the cost of a decent deck,if I could even find one, is about 1/2 the cost of a decent tractor, and by the time I finish with some routine maintenance the new tractor will practically be a freebie.

[refracman 167]

Don't want to jump on your thread, but to clarify the 417xt, the deck and the snow plow is the same as the 312. I can interchange my C160 deck and plow with just a belt change on the deck and plow i put the 520 conversion kit on it and it works fine. I bought my 2003 417xt new and the Kaw has run flawlessly with 375+ hrs.
 Now granted its not the "classic" WH but it has its place.
 I would recommend it for grass cutting as I wouldn't and don't use anything else. 

[shallowwatersailor 3,214]

Don't want to jump on your thread, but to clarify the 417xt, the deck and the snow plow is the same as the 312. I can interchange my C160 deck and plow with just a belt change on the deck and plow i put the 520 conversion kit on it and it works fine. I bought my 2003 417xt new and the Kaw has run flawlessly with 375+ hrs.
 Now granted its not the "classic" WH but it has its place.
 I would recommend it for grass cutting as I wouldn't and don't use anything else. 

Thanks for pointing this out. We seem to forget that there were some later tractors that still could use "Classic" attachments.