Good specs, good price on the Dixons. So I went to the manufacturer's website to download a Manual. Well, their manual search function did not recognize the model number, so no manual for me. I did note on a page of FAQs their recommendation: "Clean with compressed air whenever possible. Wash with water only when absolutely necessary. Water cannot be completely removed from the mower and will cause rust and corrosion in concealed areas of the mower. Water can also get into the wire and plug-ins which may short out those electrical connections. If water is used, use compressed air or a leaf blower to dry the unit." A lot of tractors have "wash-out ports" where a hose is attached to clean it, including the Dixon! I found this quite interesting.

"I have a yard that has a fairly constant 10 percent slope. This tractor cannot make half its flat-ground speed going up hill. Plenty of horsepower, but excessive transaxle slippage in the Tuff Torq 46 hydrostatic axle. After pulling a 42 inch lawn sweeper for roughly one hour the tractor would not back-up due to trans slippage - which I assume was due to the thinning of the 10W-30 engine oil used in the axle. After the tractor sits for an hour or so it goes again." Sounds like whomever has this tractor got a "bad" k46 tranny. I would have exchanged it under warranty. 10% grade is 5.7 degrees. The slope in my back yard is more like 20%, and I not only maintain speed riding up it.... with the plug-aerator engaged, with 200 lbs on it to boot, I get up the hill - slower but not dead slow. And I can aerate for 2 hours and there is no sign of slow-down. Pulling the sweeper for an hour is basically zero stress in relative terms. Having said that, with sears using K46's, the have eliminated a big discriminator between these brands. Good for them (Sears that is).

If you have been running a simple mower then get ready to see a significant increase in the cost of maintenance. I have had my JD for about four years. I figure it is costing about 60/yr in parts if I put them in and about 300/yr if I have the JD dealer service the tractor. It takes about 3 to 4 times the gas, plus oil, compared to my 3.5hp Murray rotary mower. The strong positive side of the JD is the additional things that it gets used for. My main accessory is the lawn cart. It gets used a lot. Moving patio paver, mulch, dirt etc. I am thinking about ways to use it for leaves, with out buying an expensive blower pickup trailer. The additional uses are worth more than the additional cost. I almost forgot. IT IS FUN TO DRIVE THE TRACTOR.

I am responding to the same issues as the JD L130. I have a scotts 2046. tuff torque k46 tranny (made by Deere) It is somewhat new and necently had a tranny problem. I push the throttle and it slows and goes little reverse, some grinding and howling. Checked belts pulleys. Nothing. The dealer says its unserviceable and new one is 650 dollars!! I finally got the tranny off wow what a job!! The oil was dirty with shavings. Can anything else be wrong with it inside the tranny or just a good oil change? If anyone could help that would be awesome. I would hate to put it all back and its a 5 cent gear inside. Thanks