I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything, it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.
Instead, consider a low end hydrostatic drive. It is infinitely variable
and smooth.

Brand means less than the weight. Horsepower means little for towing and if
you're over 12hp, you have enough for mowing as well. Weight is important
for plowing, dragging and towing. It isn't the "go," it's the "stop and
turn" that matters, and that's where weight counts.

Cub was a darned good line in the 80's, but I am not familiar with it
nowadays. If I was going to just go buy something without much research,
I'd look at Cub, John Deere and (?) the one sold at Home Depot- is it
Husquevarna?

If you're just mowing a typical, flat, small lot, consider getting the
MTD-type of bottom end riding mowers and trade it off every 3-5 years. The
MTD types actually do a decent job of mowing.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"BRN" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked
at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the
off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area)
now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at
least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability.
I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be
a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than
the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart