Just bought my first lawn tractor....

17 years ago

First of all, I want to say that I first logged onto this forum about eight months ago and it has helped me immeasurably with the purchase of my tractor. I'm the guy who moved to Maryland and faced with 1.2 acres of grass to mow, had to use a Craftsman self-propelled walk-behind mower last season because our house in South Carolina hadn't sold and cash was tight.

Well, the South Carolina house sold on Friday, April 13 and Lawn Tractor forum notes in hand from the past eight months, I went a-shopping today.

I had considered Simplicity, Deere and Craftsman/Husqvarnas. The Simplicity dealer is a bit of a hike and I'm not concerned about striping and the perfect look. So it was down to Deere and the Sears offerings.

SEARS -----------------------------------------------------

Sears is closest to our house (about 3 miles) so I stopped by there first. My list had the model #28728 for $1685 and the MTS Monster Mower model #28742 for $2080.

Note - Sears is offering a special deal where if you buy selected tractors you can get a spreader/aerator for 20% off but I wasn't too impressed with this. The aerator was a spike type and I have never liked using a drop spreader. So the special deal was no real incentive for me. The Sears broadcast spreader holds 85 pounds and sells for around $90.

I also would rather not have to buy a separate mulching attachment but thats the way it is at Sears, so you go with the flow.

I started lifting hoods and such and the salesman came over but he was nice about not bothering me when I told him I was just looking and that I would seek him out if I wanted to buy or had other questions.

I focused on the 28728 model. Now, I don't know much compared to some of the other users on this forum, but I noticed the chassis, constructed of L-channel steel, seemed thinner than I would have expected and flexed a bit when I pushed on it with my hand. Just an observation, because sometimes flexing isn't bad when the alternative is breaking. There was also a good bit of plastic on parts near the ground. Again, not necessarily bad.

At this point, I called the salesman over and told him that I had done quite a bit of research on these models and wanted his best deal on a tractor, a broadcast spreader, an optional mulching kit, and home delivery. He started off by saying that home delivery to my house, 3 miles away, would be $65. No deal on buying a bunch of stuff at the same time in one purchase. They couldn't accomodate my request for a test drive. No special financing options.

I asked him about service. He said that for the first two years, Sears would come to my house and do any repairs. I recall that some of the members of this forum have complained about bad home service from Sears and asked him if they would come within, say, a preset length of time if I had a problem. No, they don't have any policy like that, he replied. He then started off on the extended warranty but I cut him short and asked him about out-of-warranty service, like if I wanted to bring the tractor to Sears, instead of the nearest Husqvarna dealer, which is about twenty miles away, or another shop.

He replied that there was no way I could bring the tractor in for repairs; that Sears Craftsman service on lawn tractors is STRICTLY they-come-to-you. This blew me away and I asked him again for confirmation - that there was NO WAY I could bring a tractor to a Sears repair facility? He replied that this wasn't an option. I dunno...maybe my town is so small that they don't have a big repair facility, but this was a major turn-off. So I asked him what the service charge was for one of these home visits and was told $96.00. This gave him the opportunity to start in on the extended warranty hard sell again but cut him short again.

I told him that I was now going to the John Deere dealer to compare his product against one of theirs and that if I decided in favor of Sears, I would come back and buy from him. Fair enough, he said, but not before getting in a bit of Deere bashing.

BTW, I also looked at a Husqvarna model #28756 ($1800) at Sears but it didn't seem to be as well built as the Husqvarna built Craftsman models, so I focused on Craftsman.

JOHN DEERE ------------------------------------------------

I seem to be lucky in that Westminster, Maryland has a really comprehensive Deere dealership with several locations (Finch). The nearest to me is 8 miles away. So I left Sears and went there. Walked in and was greeted by a sales rep but no pressure. The place was fairly busy and parts and service, which was off to one side, seemed to be pretty well stocked and organized.

The LA140 was my tractor to look it. Possibly overkill in that I could probably get by with an LA130 but we have a bit of a slope in our front yard, our yard is fairly clumpy due to the activities of our dogs and their by-products, and I am a fairly heavy guy.

I lifted the hood and started looking. The first thing I noticed was that the chassis, instead of being L-channel metal, was C-channel steel. I couldn't flex it when I pushed against it. There was a lot more metal near the ground... again, just an observation.

The Deere broadcast spreader was a lot more expensive (around $250) but it was double the capacity and seemed sturdier, with better wheels.

I called the salesman over, told him I had done my homework, asked him for a test drive, and asked him to quote me a price on the LA140, a broadcast spreader, and home delivery. he asked me how far I lived from the dealership. I told him 8 miles and he told me they would deliver it for free.

He took the time to answer all my questions and showed me the service department. I opted for the 12 month no interest financing and it took maybe five minutes to do the paperwork.

I asked him if he would throw in a John Deere cap for my wife and he did so - a nice pink one. My wife, btw, was very anti-lawn tractor, telling me when we moved here that cutting 1.2 acres of grass with a self-propelled would be "good for me". After explaining to her that there was a difference between fitness and cardiac arrest, I engaged HER HELP in the grass cutting and she came around pretty fast. So she can wear the John Deere cap when SHE is out there riding the lawn tractor this coming grass cutting season.

OK, some folks might be saying this is an apples to oranges comparison, that my John Deere experience at about $2700 could no way compare to a potential Sears purchase for maybe $1900 -$2200 and that the difference in prices could pay for quite a few Sears at-home service visits but for me, the issue came down to PROCESS and CONFIDENCE first. I don't know if Finch John Deere will come to my house or not for repairs but it's nice to know I can take the mower to them as an option. They had a well organized service center that impressed me. I don't know what Sears Service has - it was the great unknown. The Sears salesman kept pushing an extended warranty but I rarely get them anyway. I don't even know if Deere has an extended warranty but the saesman said nothing about one, and it was nice to not have to fight off this kind of chatter.

This is just my own personal experience. Had I lived a long way from a Deere dealership, or if the it was a small, no-care Deere dealer, or if a Simplicity dealer was closer, I might have made a different choice, but for me, dealer support and service is a big deal. I have paid through the nose in the past with a penny wise/pound foolish approach. I would rather not sweat poor dealer service or long waits for service if 1.2 acres of grass is growing in what seems to be inches a day and I'm unable to cut it because my mower is down.

The next issue in my decision was CONSTRUCTION. Again, I am no lawn tractor expert but the Deere seemed more solidly built. Do I need it, to the tune of a $500 price difference? Maybe not, but I feel better about it.

The last factor for me was FINANCING. Sears had none, the Deere plan will at least make the difference in price a bit more palatable.

Hope this helps you guys who are making the same decision. I had researched this stuff until I was sick of it.

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Comments (19)

glero
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
That's funny!
jrkahoona
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gee, and I thought I had done research prior to buying mine. Enjoy the purty green and yellow colors. I know I enjoy mine
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wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
>> Gee, and I thought I had done research prior to buying mine.

Ha! Ben Franklin said "Hunger is he best pickle" and when you are faced with having to cut the grass with a walk behind during a slow real estate market, you have a lot of time to think and check around and get your ducks in a row.

You ought to see my wife's list of things she wants to buy. I figure a few retailers will be able to take a week or so off.
don21
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, you're comparing 'apples to oranges' - "Service to no service" is more like it and no matter what the prices and features may have been, you did better buying where you did than shopping at Sears . . . . . as about 95% of the country has discovered over the past 25 or 30 years

Sears used to be a quality outfit but now they are owned by the bankrupt K-Mart Corporation and it's pretty easy to see why

There was a time 20 or 25 years ago that Sears used to send me extended warranty offers on all the things I had bought from them and it was 2 or 3 pages long. We haven't bought anything there for 15 years or so . . . . ever since our proposed purchase of a central air conditioning system went about the same way your proposed tractor purchase just did

Don
docrx
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wankel- I live in Carroll County also.I moved here 13 years ago and was a newbee. I take care of about 1.5 acres,haul wood,mulch,etc. I have been dealing with Bob's Welding (rt 26 past Taylorsville) for 6 years. I have purchased my Husqavarna tractor,snowblower and parts from them. They are very helpful and available to answer any question about parts,service,etc. I am very satisfied with them and my Husq products.Welcome to Carroll County docRx
wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Don, the Sears saleman asked why I came there to look. I told him that I had been on this forum, read pretty good things about Husqvarna and wanted to keep my purchase to within about a ten mile radius.

Also mentioned that the self-propelled walk behind I have been using is a Craftsman, that I have never had a problem with it and that it is 22 years old.

He rolled his eyes and confessed, "Well, I can tell you you won't see ANY product in this section built like that these days."
oldtimer_2007
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I was looking for a tractor with a snow blower combination back in November '06. I spent 20 minutes or so looking at the Craftsmans before a salesman came over. He knew absolutely NOTHING. Then when I asked if I bought the tractor, would Sears put the snow blower on he said that they didn't do that. I left and went to a Husqvarna dealer 30 minutes from me,and he set up my GTH2448T with the snowblower,chains,and weights. No setup charge,and no delivery charge. and a better tractor, imho. I even bought a similar cab to what sears sells for the same money that they had it on sale for from him.
Sears just isn't what it once was.
ya-ya
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Reply to "wankel" I really don't have anything to add to the tractor conversion here but I just had to break in and say that the following line:

Quote: "My wife, btw, was very anti-lawn tractor, telling me when we moved here that cutting 1.2 acres of grass with a self-propelled would be "good for me". After explaining to her that there was a difference between fitness and cardiac arrest,..."

I just have to tell you that line made me laugh out loud... it was darn funny! I've been married 36 years and can really appreciate the humor. Thanks for the laugh.

Ya-Ya (yes it's from the grandkids and niece)
wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well, I have to say in her defense that she is looking forward to using it too. I think getting her involved in the manual cutting helped, plus the fact that it took us two days.

She wants to get one of those sun shades for it, though... And after I went to all that trouble to get her a cap.
aesanders
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I lived in Frederick County for about 20 years before moving to Florida last Summer. I am very familiar with just about all the dealers in this area. Some very good ones at that. Their is a very good Simplicity dealer about 10 minutes north of Westminister (Wertz Power Equipement) and another in Frederick (Ogg Equipment) Their was a Massey/ Simplcity dealer right in town, but closed shop about a year ago. They were not as established as Ogg and Wertz.

Finch is a pretty large well established Deere dealer. They usually don't have the best prices on their larger tractors but do a good job with service etc. I generally frequented their store in Hanover.
quantico
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think you made an excellent decision... get your wife a sun shade for her tractor... and be sure she gets lots of time to play with it...
jerry_nj
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If you had measured a JD at Home Depot, don't know if they sell the same model, you'd likely have seen the same poor interface you got a Sears. That's part of why buying from a dealer cost more, you get better/knowledgeable interfaces. In my case I don't want any help or home repair, albeit I'd not object to a warranty repair, never had one on 40+ years of yard maintenance,the last 20 with over 3 acres of mowing, plus all the other stuff... I am about 95% Sears/Craftsman, and that included my wood shop and auto tools too.

While I was disappointed in Sears dropping its extensive catalog business (guess that's been more than 20 years, some of the young types on this forum didn't have any experience with that), and was again disappointed when K-Mart (of all the companies) bought Sears. My last tractor purchase was a DYT4000 in 2005, and while it has a much more flexible frame than my still in use 1993 GT6000, it is a great lawn mower. About to replace my 20 year old Sears self propelled lawn mower with a Walmart Yardman with a Honda GVC160 engine, so that'll be a break with Sears on may years of using their lawn mowers.

Sears, like all other business, have to win customers every day, but I am a lost when I read complaints about Sears in the Past...I've been and continue to be happy with their products, and couldn't care less if the salesman knows anything beyond filling out the purchase order.
wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
>> If you had measured a JD at Home Depot...you'd likely have seen the same poor interface you got a Sears.

A friend asked me why I went to the dealer rather than going to Lowe's or HD. One thing's for sure - I don't think the salesperson at Lowe's or HD would have had the latitude to offer free home delivery (and they don't even stock caps).

The fact I don't see Deeres discounted at Lowe's or Home Depot made the decision a lot easier, but it was also important for me to establish a commection with resources that I will need post-sale.

The Sears approach to service was the dealbreaker for me - I mean, $96 per visit is one thing, but possibly having to take time off from work to let service people in, the probability of late or no-shows (these things happen), and just not having the option of being able to take the tractor in sounds pretty odd. I wonder if this is a universal policy at all Sears stores or just unique to my area.

No wonder the sales reps push the extended warranty, aside from more money in their pocket. I mean, I heard the schtick with other customers. A young couple before me bought a regular mower and they finally gave in and purchased the warranty.

I know I could have taken the tractor to the nearest Husqvarna dealer for out of warranty work but I wanted to keep the sale and service as close to home as possible.
metal
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The salesman (if that is what you want to call them) at Sears make more money on the extended warranty than they do on the tractor sale, so that is what they push. Very seldom do you hear of a case where buying the overpriced extended warranty (which overlaps the manufacturer's warranty) paid off.
jerry_nj
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wankel,
I was in HD just a couple of hours ago and looked at the LA140, just raised the hood and looked at the "frame". Great looking machine, and while not a GT (the frame could pass for one in my eye) it looks every bit the machine of the largest Sears GT, which sells for something like $2,500 on "sale".

Enjoy your new tool (toy), and I hope your wife enjoys it too, whether that means operating it or just finding you have more time for other "honey-dos" .
wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The honey-do list is quite lengthy. But at least it won't take me, uh, US two days to cut grass anymore. Man, I used to pray for no rain...
grassmaster
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
GO GREEN GO!!!
butchs_hobby
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Congrats on your new machine! Just my 2 cents worth--- I agree with your thinking and purchase. Keep up the maintance, waxing doesn't hurt a tractor either, and you should enjoy a long relationship with your machine.
wankel
Original Author
17 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My wife is still on this fitness kick, though. Last night she told me that if I lose some weight, it will be easier on the tractor's transmission...

Just bought my first lawn tractor....

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glero

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