Must of been lucky. Bought an MTD at Ace hardware (Ace Special Edition) with a 42" cut and 16hp Tecumseh. Aside from the normal problems of your MTD of that era IE having the grille mounts break off after a few years) it's been great, and it was only replaced as it was really starting to not work well on hills, and in the last year has been a case of "What's going to break next when I mow?". A key to remember is any NEW tractor in that range is going to be light duty. If you have more an acre to mow with it, a newer, higher end, used model is a probably a better option. You'll get a lot of life out of one though if you keep it well maintained. Take care of it and there is no reason why you should not get a good, usable life of about 10-12 years. one other thing to keep in mind; the chief complaints of many people on a mower it seems is the motor. That is the most important part of a mower besides the transmission on a Hydro equipped tractor. The engine is going to what will go wrong 9 time out of 10 on a mower, and is often going to be to blame for issues with cutting (due to lack of power) and reliability.

I have a scotts 2046 (20hp/46 deck) - this information below is found under the seat - it even tells me the age of the unit. Tractor Serial Numbers: GSX2046010750 20V46T DATE: 110698 Says "Deere and company" on the sticker Engine Model number: 406777 Type: 0115E1 I paid $250 for mine - it had a flat tire and some other minor issues. Since it was a John Deere Sabre clone - I felt I was making a relatively safe purchase. I have found my scotts to be very reliable and a comfortable unit (I like it a lot) . 1) I probably would be happy with a smaller engine for fuel consumption purposes (im really cheap) ... A single cylinder would have been fine for my 1 acre of mow-able property (2.5 acres total). But the V-twin is soooo smooth... 2) I wish I had a slightly smaller deck (mines a 46") ... I cant get my scotts through the shed door. Very important for winter storage. Thinking about it - Im not really complaining about the motor - as I use the scotts to pull a lawn cart around with never a problem (fill and firewood). As for power - I have more power than I know what to do with. Heck - most times I mow the lawn with the engine actually idling. Except when Im having company - I might go just above idle for a nicer finish on the lawn. Mine has a hand controlled Hydrostatic on the right side rear fender. Reverse is a bit whimpy - forward is fine. You should check this on your next purchase. Gear drive trannies (in my opinion) are a little less friendly to shift and manipulate when mowing - However they tend to be more durable. A bulletproof hydro tranny equates to a big buck tractor... If you dont have a lot of obstacles then it wont matter much. I must admit I really like the hand controlled hydro tranny - others swear by the foot controlled units. I would not let a hand or a foot operated hydro be a deciding factor in the purchase. (unless of course a disability gets factored into the equation). One bummer for me is that Im having trouble finding a bagger for my unit - I really could use a bagger for fall cleanup. Apparently their in the range of $700 dollars and I only spent 250 on the mower ... So Im still looking for a used bagger. If you think you need a bagger ( then know it up front ) as finding one later could be a problem. Another thing - you should note these units are not industrial strength GARDEN TRACTORS and putting them through hard labor; such as towing stone up and down the yard isnt something they were designed for (unless you have a level property - i dont). For example I move a lot of stone on my sloping property - I use an old Sears rider with a 5-speed gear tranny for that type of work. With the idea that I dont want to burn up the hydro pulling big weight around - I probably would be fine, but I like the little 10hp sears for this type of work for some reason. I think you found a decent deal, and with your back problems you will immediately appreciate a riding mower. Regardless of your decision, good luck to you - and happy mowing. Dave

As someone who has migrated from a JD 57 (new, for 15+years and a 2nd engine)to a JD 165H(used, for 15 years) and on to a JD LT160 (used, four years so far and no end in sight) I'd suggest that you will very much enjoy the way the newer models have improved. Each of mine has mowed better, bagged better, ridden more smoothly, generally felt higher quality than its predecessor. This is all on the same lot, so it is really comparable. Unlike the earlier advice, I would steer awy from v-twin, big deck, lower quality brand machines for your target use. I would hunt for a well maintained used high end brand (JD, Snapper, Simplicity, etc.) and for a product line within that brand that is at least a step up from anything sold in box stores. I think you will find a wide deck (48, etc) to be more of a hindrance than a plus on less than a half acre with culverts, etc. - Also, the listed brands that come with v-twins and big decks are almost all from the bottom, big-box store, product line so you need to be very careful hunting down a quality keeper machine. I got a killer deal on my current used JD LT160, just by following Craig's List for a couple of months. I paid $900. for a $3,000 machine with around 64 hours use, with teh optional at extra cost Freedom mulching deck, adn with the optional JD 10P pull cart. I subsequently bought a 42C side discharge convertible mowing deck for it on Ebay (almost new trade-in to a dealer for a Freedom deck) for total with shipping of about $200. This is a quality machine with a Kohler Command single cylinder 16hp engine which is a step up from the Kohler Courage, B&S Intek level usually seen in lesser machines. Big horsepower is almost purely a sales gimmick on mowers of this league - Anything over around 12 hp will do everything you ever will need on your land. Buying a machine because it has big hp numbers and a big deck seems to be the way the general public goes, thinking more is better, but in my opinion, each of those features is more of a negative when traded for quality of teh machinery, and in teh case of the big deck, used on a lot that is easier to do with a smaller deck.

Why are you limited to Lowes or Home Depot? If you're set on getting a throw-away MTD, you should look at Sam's. They sell a few MTD tractors and you can buy the extended service plan, which I think is available for up to three years. If it breaks, you just take it back and they'll give you a new one (or a full refund). I did that with a 2200 psi pressure washer I bought a couple years ago. They didn't have the one I wanted in stock, so I settled for the smaller one. After using it three or four times, I decided it wasn't adequate for washing my house, so I took it back (6 months after purchasing it). They gave me a full refund with no hassle. And they had the 3000 psi Karcher in stock that I wanted in the first place, so I bought it (with the extended warranty again) and have had no problems. Out of your list above, I'd chose the CC 1045. The Husqvarna YTH 2348 is nice as well, but I'd rather have a Kohler than a Briggs, even if it is a twin. A 46" deck is more than adequate for an acre. Not sure where you plan to park it, but a 48" deck (probably more like 50" total) can be difficult to fit through most shed doors. The Cub Cadet is made by MTD, but it's pretty much the only line of quality mowers they produce. It doesn't have a whole lot in common with the lesser Yard Man/Troy-bilt/Bolens lines. The Husqvarna is made by the Husqvarna group, which also includes American Yard Products (Craftsman, Poulan). They're generally better than MTD products, but I feel that Cub Cadet is the exception.