Much longer answer than I expected....

I think the key to survival on the ones with the cheaper clutches is to
avoid using the clutch when going uphill unless you are certain you can
ease it out smoothly.

Tom Gauldin wrote:

Chuck, they're OK on a flat lawn. The back flip my neighbor did was when he
started up a ramp. Assuming that the belt tensioner is reasonably good, and
assuming that the lawn doesn't have hills, then the trade off is between a
decent clutch and being able to just trade mowers every few years. That
eliminates a lot of hassles, like tires, battery, starter motor, BELTS and
bearings in the mower housing.

--

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

"C G" wrote in message
...
Tom Gauldin wrote:

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.

You recommend them? Why, cause you like doing backflips while mowing?
:-)

Chuck