Hi. I am going to buy a riding lawn mower and want to spend under $3000.00 I am looking for one that is a direct drive as my property is hilly. Any suggestions?


Bob

I would start with this on tweaking it for brand and money.
Lawn tractor Ratings & Reliability

Snapper, Cub Cadet and Honda each make some but you may find it difficult to keep under $3K

Just posting for all here. The question on the best lawn Mower brand made me think of who makes them. Years ago I was shocked on who makes what in mowers. I remember buying a John Deere chainsaw in 1977 with an echo motor in it. Very young naïve me thought John Deer made a Deer motor.

When you look at a MTD lawn mower and think it's a MTD. When you look at Troy Bilt you think Troy Built. Here's where this goes.

MTD, founded in 1932 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, started as a
Tool and die supplier to the local manufacturing community. Through hard
Work, dedication, integrity and an emphasis on customer service, MTD
Quickly gained a reputation as a high quality tool and die supplier, and
This reputation helped the company make the natural expansion into steel
Stampings. The company became involved with consumer products by supplying
Stampings to the toy industry, but this expanded quickly to include
Complete products such as tricycles. Wheelbarrows were added to the
Consumer product line in the early fifties, and this simple product line
Had profound effects. Satisfied customers encouraged MTD to expand the
Product offerings for the yard, and in 1958 the company produced its
First lawnmower


The MTD family of brands include Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, Yard-Man, YardMachines, Bolens, McCulloch and White Outdoor while the Cub Cadet
Commercial brand is targeted to the commercial industry' needs. MTD
Products can be found in all channels of distribution such as home
Improvement stores, mass retailers, hardware, independent dealers and
Farm supply

Pretty much explains the manual situation