"I have a 1990 Toro GTS 5 with the suzuki 5hp, bbc, 3sp rear bagger - GREAT mower! I use it to mow my 1/3 acre yard and have done my best to preserve it because I like it and how it cuts so much. On top of that, so many of the new mowers just seem cheaply built for the money - my toro is SOLID!" RB> There are well made expensive mowers sold now as there were when you bought the Toro. "Anyway, it's been running and cutting great with the bag on, but I put the mulching attachment on the other night (after not using it for about 2 years) and started having some problems. In moderately heavy grass, the mower bogged down significantly and as it did, started knocking - severely." RB> It's generally not a good idea to mulch heavy grass, especially if it is at all damp. Take small cuts until you get the grass down and then do mulching cuts frequently. Many perfectly good mowers will choke up if you try to mulch too much a time. You might look for a buildup of cut grass under the deck. "It knocks every time it boggs down and knocks louder and louder the more it boggs. The grass was heavy, but not heavy enough to clump up or even notice any clippings. Mower has always been well maintained and blade is sharp - it's a high lift blade, oil is full. I'm forced to mulch lately in an attempt do everything I can to improve soil conditions. " RB> Although it is possible that the motor is suddenly giving out I doubt it. A knocking or banging sound is common when too much grass is built up under the deck. So check that out first. If that doesn't do anything, I would ask your local mower shop to take a look at the BBC mechanism and evaluate the engine. RB> I have to assume the motor is wearing out - being that under load, it's severely underpowered." RB> There are several other possibilities, so eliminate them before buying into the less likely choice of a worn out motor. "I have a backup motor, but it is just as old, so I can't rely on it for much longer either. Should I consider replacing the mower? " RB> Not yet. "I've been looking around on the internet and narrowed it down to two mowers I would consider. The JD JX75 and the Honda commercial HRC216HXA." RB> Unless you are running a lawn mower business why do you want a commercial grade mower. Seems like gross overkill for a 1/3 acre lot. "I want a bbc, set speed trans (no personal pace), and a honda, suzuki, or kawasaki engine (no briggs for me - no disrespect, just have seen too many that don't last and/or burn oil)." RB> There's not an engine made by a major manufacturer that won't last 30 years IF it and the rest of the mower is maintained properly. It is just as easy to abuse and burn out a Kawasaki engine as it is a Tecumseh. "Would prefer to pick up a nice used one but may buy a new one, IF you agree that I need to buy a new one! Would you tell me to look at any other mowers? Toro Pro-line's look good too, but not quite as user friendly as the JD or Honda. Should I just rebuild the motor in my current Toro? Help! " RB> Unless you have a burning desire to buy new equipment why not try to fix what you have. It's only 15 years old.

You definately need a garden tractor for your described needs for mowing slopes and snow removal. Anything less than, you will put too much stress on your tractors transmission and you will be buying again in a few short years or so. Next, definately purchase a Garden Tractor from a dealer for the support, repairs and parts. You will be spending some dollars on your purchase so you will want a dealer that will be there to stand behind your purchase. I would concur with the guys above with at least looking at the John Deere line. The current X500 line would suit you well. I have owned JD mowers. The dealer suppport is GREAT! You will not be disappointed. If you want to safe a few bucks but still have a great, durable and very reliable garden tractor, go with marineguy's advise and look into the John Deere GT series. JD sold these through 2006. Last year I was looking at the X500 series line but after much researching, I feel I could get what I needed from a newer GT series. I saved some money and got the attachments I wanted. Good luck to you!

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.

I like these debates... I myself would also go for the wheel horse - mainly because I really use my stuff for much more than cutting lawn. But I will also say that if I were only cutting a lawn - and bagging leaves on my 2.5 acres - I wouldn't spend my money on a $3k Deere. Heck you can get away with a much lesser machine to do leaves/lawn ($400-$1000 bucks should do you fine)... have a look on Craigslist... even Lowes/HomoDepot can hook you up with a low priced JD that will bag leaves / cut grass... Or of course that fine wheel horse will do nicely... I was over at sears the other day looking at what I think was a 6500 and its looked WELL BUILT RUGGED for roughly $2300... It looked much more rugged than any of the JD's at Lowes/HomoDepot ... looking at the Sears web site at the model 6500 it states " This is a Garden Tractor capable of using ground engaging attachments Powered by a 24 hp Kohler Pro V-Twin" I see the 3 models have Hydro trannies ... But I was pretty sure I saw one of them at the store with a 6-spd Gear tranny (no hydro)... I had a few beers in me - so i'm not certain. I dont know about that Kohler motor - id probably take the chance on it... I really prefer a gear tranny for those rugged jobs. I have a little sears mower with a gear tranny that I love. I dont have a mower deck for it (wish i did), but I use it for towing stone, boat trailers and firewood. I have a Scotts 2046 with a hydro tranny - and its reliable but noisy - but I just dont trust hydro tranny for the brute force jobs... maybe if it was rigged up with a real oil cooler... On the other hand - the Scotts 2046 with the hand adjust hydro - is great for mowing my very uneven property - where I am CONSTANTLY adjusting my speed... (very annoying with a gear driving tranny). You can do better than that deere ... Good luck with your.... Wheel horse :)