The pre-filter keeps the big sticks and stuff out of the large, inner filter, which costs more than the average home owner wants to spend to keep his machine clean in the engine department! Upon removal of the filter housing:"Oh, my gosh--what is that dirty thing in there? I'll have to brush it off!" The prefilter gets slapped on the owners thigh, the big inner filter gets a wipe with a rag, and it stays until the engine chokes out its last breath of exhaust! BTST Rustyj

Tom - I have a Kubota tractor and implements, and have done a lot of brush clearing and leveling. It's not perfect, and there's still areas I haven't got to yet, but it looks a whole lot better than it did when we bought the property. Hogs and armadillos also tend to mess things up, so it's an ongoing process. I also seeded the front pasture with bermuda year before last, but the rain turned off right after I got it out. The areas that did take were pretty much killed off with last summer's drought. This spring we've had decent amounts of rain, but the grass isn't there to take advantage of it. As far as the dealers bringing out a demo, that apparently doesn't happen around here. If you're lucky, they may have a demo machine at their store you can mow with, otherwise you get to drive it around the parking lot. An alternative is to contact their previous buyers in your area to see if you can demo their machine, which I'll probably end up doing. I really want a good hands-on feel for a machine before I lay out what is a substantial amount of cash for us! I've heard of Walker's and seen them mentioned in forums, but have never seen one around here. I don't think there are any dealers around here either. MS - I've got the Dixie Chopper on my list, but as of now it's lower down due to my lack of knowledge of the engines offered on the ones at my price point. I'm not familiar with Generac at all, and the Briggs Pro series is also a new one to me. I'm still doing the research trying to get as much information as I can before I make a decision. I found a BB Pup 48" w/30 hp Kohler for $6200, which seems pretty decent. I've got mixed feelings on the Kohler Command as I have a 15 hp on my sawmill which has been great, and a 27 hp twin in the Craftsman, which I have had some issues with. I will admit though, after doing a thorough tuneup last week, I think it ran better than it did when it was new, and seemed to get better fuel economy. Any issues with your Kohler? I still have to do the test drives, so it will be a while before I actually buy. Thanks again for your input. Andy

I think the LA series are very well built and if they aren't abused and are maintained will provide many years of service. They are not like the deeres of old but what is made like the days of old these days? not too many things. I took a LA165 home and used the 30 day promise to trade up to a x320 and am glad I did only due to having 3.5 acres of hills and inclines and I didn't think the LA series was enough tractor. I pull a 850lb yard roller and it's effortless and I weigh 240lbs with 90lbs of ballast in the tires. I think the john deere quality shows in all of their series but you can't compare them to the deeres of the past it's not a fair comparison. I spoke to several of the techs from several dealerships that said they have not seen a x320 in for tranny service in forever if that helps.

This is my first posting and thank all for their comments. I have 6-7 acres to mow with lots of trees. No hills with some slopes near creek which runs through property. My friend has dealership and has convinced me to buy commercial Hustler fast track 54" but he is 300 miles away. I live in north Texas area and there are no dealers within 40 miles of my place. What happens when there is a problem? I could buy cheaper machine from local Depot but like what I read of the Hustler.. But concerned over buying from store 300 miles away. Any suggestions?