"Stubby" wrote in message
...
In the good ol' days, Sears guaranteed repair parts would always
be
available. I bought a lawn tractor, mowing deck and grass
catcher and need
some parts. The part numbers are listed as "no longer available"
and in
fact one number represents 4 different parts for a variety of
appliances.

Because many things are wearing out, I'm thinking of buying a new
tractor
and mowing deck. But I want a quality unit with repair parts
available.
Maybe John Deere, Toro, Honda. Does anyone have a
recomendation?

[I think it is sad that "American quality" has now been
compromised.
Everything is turning into a commodity flow where things keep
getting
replaced rather than repaired. TV sets are the best example. ]

I ran into the same problem with my ten year old riding mower. I
shopped for months, read articles and reviews, and came to the
decision that I wanted a Scags. The problem here is that they were
way - way above my budget so I had to cross them off.

What I finally decided on was a 50 inch Cub Cadet - one of those
zero turn jobs. I have a bit over an acre to mow and have mowed
perhaps ten times and am quite satisfied with the performance.

The reason I bought it was that it appeared better built, well
powered, and had the features that I wanted. I did not purchase it
at a big box store, but from "The Tractor Supply Store". They give
a three year warranty on Cub products, whereas other stores only
offer a one year warranty. I asked how they could give a three
year warranty and they told me they made a special deal with Cub,
and the warranty is in writing in a company pamphlet, which I kept.

In addition, I was able to do some negotiations, got $100 knocked
off, they gave me a set of mulching blades, and a few other things.
Try getting this at a big box store.

So, that is the way I went when I encountered your problem, and so
far I am happy with my choice, but time will tell.

By the way, I sold my Craftsman mower through Craigslist in one day
for $500. I was glad to get rid of it.

Bob-tx