I need to buy a Riding Lawn Mower. I will be mowing a one acre parcel, which is normally mowed weekly from April through October. I am looking for advice on good brands to look for plus brands to avoid. Plus any other advice you might have to offer regarding this purchase. Thank you!

MTD and Murray are basic models but do the job OK. Toro and John Deere are nearly 50% more in price but they will alst longer and do a better job. I currently mow an ac with a Sears LT1000 with a 20hp Briggs V twin. It is middle of the road for about $1300.

Riders take a beating, I have allways been a fan of used because the new one will have the same failure points such as, blade spindles, steering issues, bad batterys and contaminated fuel. If new is your choice then dollars are the issue, when buying under $1800.00 they are all about the same with different features, I would not buy from Lowe's or Home Depot unless you have a servicing dealer in the neighborhood that will honor the warranty and stock components. Don't take the box stores word for it check them out yourself but be ready for the sales pitch from the dealer trying to sway you.

Craftsman is allways a reasonable choice, the quality is slightly better than the box store stuff and parts are a breeze with the web site, if going this route buy the service contract (I NEVER buy service contracts) It will be money well spent.

There is a difference between lawn tractor and garden tractor generally the garden tractor has a beefier drive and transaxle assembly.

When spending over $2,000.00 Then the obvious choice is john deere if you have a dealer local, Do NOT be fooled by the John Deere in the hardware store it is no better than the Scotts or any of the other budget stuff.

Good Luck,
Don

John Deere riders are exactly the same price at the John Deere dealer as at Lowe's here. Parts the same and Lowe's has JD filters, blades, belts, etc. I haven't found JD dealers to be worth much more than a place to order expensive parts. I've owned 6.

It seems JD and Husquaavarna were Consumer reports top rated models. $1500 for apx 20 hp auto models. Dual blade mowers mow much smoother than one with a 30" or 36" blade. They stay sharper longer too. Get an auto, they are far superior to the 5 sp and do not buy one of the old rear engine baggers. The engine is in a terrible location regarding dust, dirt and with full grass bags they won't turn well as there is not enough weight on the front tires.

With the buying power of the Big stores the Manufacturer is pushed to lower quality to meet price points and the dealer really gets an attitude when performing service on a machine they did not sell. But you are correct the price of parts at the dealer is a crime. They will typically mark up 20% over retail.

Don

I bought a JD L110 two years ago. The spindles didn't have grease fittings and lasted less than 6 months. There was no warranty either. My new one bought last week had grease fittings. Although I bought both of these at JD dealers the mowers are identical to the ones that Lowe's sells. Same price too.

In fact one reason I didn't buy at Lowe's is that the ones they had were still crated and JD has to uncrate them, assemble, lube, check them out before they can be sold. Lowe's employees aren't allowed to I was told. The fact that JD is competing with other mowers at stores like Lowe's might be the reason for the change from Kawasaki and Kohler engines to B&S, and the lack of heavier spindles, steering gears, etc.

It is us the consumer that drives the quality down by wanting it for a few pennies less and spending $30.00 in gas to save $5.00. We are easily fooled by brand recognition, remember when a McCulloch chainsaw was the best? People still buy it because of its previous reputation. But you can only ride the rep so long before memories fade. I hope John Deere Remember's that.

Don

I was going to buy a John Deere because the Consumer's Reports rated them so highly. When I went to purchase they were a lot more money than the rest and the dealer told me about the wonderful warranty and had me sold. Then I found out that I had to purchase the warranty at some exorbitant price and I said screw that and bought a 20 HP Yard Works. I know the cut isn't as 'polished' as the JD, but all in all I am very happy with it. Would have rather had an old Graveley or something though. :D I would definitely spend a few bucks more to ensure I had an auto transmission and reverse cut, but that's me.

Oh, and if you buy a JD at Home Depot then you have to take it to a dealer for servicing because they don't do any of the warranty work there. The JD dealer told me that even though they had the same model #'s at HD, the tractor's really weren't identical. I felt he was lying to make a sale, so that was another reason I didn't buy from him.

Didi