On 16 Nov 2005 07:24:38 -0800, wrote:
I would look at mowers for long term use in this order:
all honda (fairly expensive, but worth it)
John Deere
Cheaper model with a honda engine.
Going any cheaper might give you grief later, but most people have not
used a good mower to know how much better they are new not to mention 5
years later. You get what you pay for.

I am now looking at a John Deere rider mower, but it is an awful lot
of money for me. I hear what you are saying about Honda engines...
everyone says they are so good... but so far my experience with this
Sears Craftsman mower with a Honda 5.5 has been absolutely horrible.
Say what you will, but I never had a Briggs vibrate or give me
blisters on my hands like this Honda does!

Maybe a Honda mower with a Honda engine would be better, but I'd have
to be convinced by a meaningful "test drive" if you know what I mean.
No more buying without trying... I don't care what the salesman says.

Jake

Jake H. wrote:

I am now looking at a John Deere rider mower, but it is an awful lot
of money for me. I hear what you are saying about Honda engines...
everyone says they are so good... but so far my experience with this
Sears Craftsman mower with a Honda 5.5 has been absolutely horrible.
Say what you will, but I never had a Briggs vibrate or give me
blisters on my hands like this Honda does!

I've got a used JD LT155 (NOT the box store JD's) and am very happy
with it. Hydro, 38" deck, 15hp, bagger, mulch kit. The repo auction had
it for $1200 and was well worth it. It's about 3-4 years old.

I'd think about looking for a semi-used JD that is well kept and you
can save a few $$.

Kirb

On 16 Nov 2005 20:40:58 -0800, wrote:
I've got a used JD LT155 (NOT the box store JD's) and am very happy
with it. Hydro, 38" deck, 15hp, bagger, mulch kit. The repo auction had
it for $1200 and was well worth it. It's about 3-4 years old.
I'd think about looking for a semi-used JD that is well kept and you
can save a few $$.

Sounds like you did really well. I do need to better understand this
whole business of good vs. bad... new vs. old... consumer vs.
commercial... model variations, etc. before buying anything from JD in
the way of a lawn/yard/garden tractor. I've done some on-line
research (including studying their website), but I'm still not where I
feel confident enough to make an intelligent purchase. The bottom
line is that I've got to get my money's worth next time around. I
can't go on throwing away money on junk forever.

Jake