Wyatt Wright wrote:

I'm in the market for a new riding mower/lawn tractor. I mow about
3/4 acre of grass in a flat yard with few obstacles. The only thing
that I will do with this mower is cut grass and pick up leaves in the
fall. I may buy an airator in the future and possible a cart, but
that's it.

I may buy a cheaper model from a box store, but prefer to go with
something a little better built from a dealer that can service and
repair the unit in the future. For me, that means Toro or John Deere
- I'm not sure if there is a Cub Cadet or Simplicity dealer in my
area. I know many people love their Deere's, but I'm not sure that I
want to spend the $$ to get into the LT series and am unsure of the L
series' quality and general "Deereness". The Deere dealer told me
that the biggest issue with the L series is that the front axles need
to be greased frequently. Considering that I can get an L110 with 42"
cut and a 17.5 hp kohler for $1800, and a LT150 with a 15hp engine and
38" for $2500, greasing the front axle everytime I add gas doesn't
seem like that much of an issue. I would appreciate other's opinions.

I don't see many people posting their opinions or experiences with
Toro riders. I have worked with the dealer near me and have been
satisfied with his service. The only model that he carries in my
price range is the 16-38HXL. It is on sale for $1900 right now.

This is from the Toro website:
http://www.toro.com/home/tractors/xl/1638h.html

Please advise.

~ Wyatt
3/4 acre is a nothin'. I mow 5 acres, sometimes with meadow grass, with
Craftsman mowers from Sears. The first one I had was an 18hp Kohler
which blew a rear seal from excessive blow-by after 12 years----I rode
that baby hard and sometimes put her away wet. I replaced it with a
Craftsman with a 22hp Briggs and it seems to work better than the old
one ever did-----I went from a three blade deck to a two blade deck and
the cut looks a lot better. For a winter project I may overhaul the old
Kohler. For what you want to do I think your present choice of mower is
going to cost you an extra $1000. A lot of the newer Cub and JD stuff
is made with a lot of the same parts as MTD and Craftsman----you're
going to pay a lot for that Yellow or Green paint. Sears parts are both
available and reasonable in cost, not very hard to fix.