If you are like most of us, you have a beer budget. A new machine that is truly capable of doing all the things on your wish list will cost you ten to twenty grand. Deere only makes one garden tractor series and that's the X-700's. Go to Deere.com and look at the MRSP's for the BASIC models and then add on the cost for a loader, hitch and all the implements you desire. The top Sears tractor is over seven grand and the costs to fit it out will mount equally as fast. According to you, the property is ONE ACRE TOTAL in size. Subtract the foot print for the driveways and buildings plus any planted areas and you likely have a half acre of grass to cut. To use a garden tractor in your garden effectively, you need lots of open area on all four sides of the garden so that the tractor can leave the garden area on each pass and turn around on the lawn for the next pass. Most of the experienced gardeners cross-till the soil and some take it further by finishing on the bias. I think that your needs would be better served in the garden by way of a quality walk-behind, rear-tine tiller from Honda or BCS from the used market. After all, most people only conduct a full-till once or twice per growing season and then spot-till during the season for weed control and re-seeding of fast growing crops such as radishes, onions, lettuce etc. You already own a Mantis and those are perfect for spot-tilling. I think that your other needs would be well-served by way of a quality, used garden tractor that is simple for you to maintain. A Case 444 would fit that bill. As good as Deere and Simplicity tractors are, they are also a royal PITA to work on. Do some research by visiting the site below and learning more about what a Case can do for you. Here is a link that might be useful: link

rustyj14, Here you go... click here for JD dealer who ships  and has good prices and GREAT service. Call 'em up they'll take good care of you. As far as your local JD dealer situation, it could be worse. Here JD killed of the Mom and Pop LT-GT JD dealership and gave it to the uber JD dealer who sells the big green and yellow and the even bigger yellow stuff. They couldn't care less about L&G and stock little in the way of L&G parts. They charge retail plus for stock parts and charge retail plus and add inflated shipping charges on everything they order for you. All we can do is remember the treatment we don't like and vote with our wallets next time.

The pedal has to return rearward to allow the variable speed pulley to move into position. That would men your control has to move all the way into the high speeds.Are you saying that the control won't move past number 2 or that the speed seems like it is only about #2? It is an MTD built mower BTW.

You would probably get farther removing the deck and think your way through the process. There should be tension on the belt when the clutch is released. Look to see that springs are hooked up and the belt is on track. One strange thing on Deeres are the link spring that hooks in a notch on the clutch pedal and then rearward to a bell crank. If that spring slips out of the notch when you are frogging around, you won't have tension. Watch those fingers!