rbastedo Well said, and I think the point the "feel good" crowd in yellow and green are missing is they leave the recommendation to all readers that one has to buy the same machine they did, or they are being a fool. Many, I suspect most, just can't afford the higher priced machines. And, if they have to replace their Craftsman in 10 years, so what, they again have a new tractor. In addition to my 1993 GT6000, still running strong with all original equipment (plus new belts and oil) I have a 2005 DYT4000, purchased for $1,039. It is a great mower and I'd strongly recommend to anyone on a budget to look for an end of the year "sale" at Sears to get a great deal. As I may have said earlier in this thread, I like the bright red color too.

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

Does your deck spindles have greaseable zerks? Have you greased them before each mowing? If NOT then there's your problem. Trying not to be scarcastic, but there's some people out there who just put in gas and don't do the proper maintenance each time they mow. I have a 2003 GT5K, but it has a 48" deck with around 170hrs on it and it's still going strong. I use synthetic wheel bearing grease on the spindles as it's a high speed/temperature grease. I also took off the outer spindle pulley protection covers to keep an eye on the grass cutting buildup which has a tendency to buildup around the spindles and burn them out due to the heat buildup. If you do remove the spindle covers, do so at your own safety, as now you have moving parts out in the open to catch on pants or getting your feet tangled in the pulleys while in operation if you forget or slip while getting on/off tractor while deck still engaged. Also a couple times a season(usually beginning and towards the end) I remove deck to scrape out old grass clippings and repaint the underside. This gives me a good chance to check blades,deck belt and hand spin blades to check for binding/grinding and replace/repair anything if needed. Good luck Tim

I tried a 3/8" standard bolt and the threads are slightly different. They looked like they match but the bolt goes in hard and when taken out the threads are rolled. I looked on the internet and could not find any place that sells self tapping 3/8" bolts. I am sure someone makes them. They are similar to what you find all over your car's body attachments. Dave, I was not trying to install this bumper for "eye candy." I am concerned about bashing the front end when I have it tied down in my trailer or when I am mowing around the pine trees at my cabin. I thought there would be a lot(some?) of readers who installed this bumper and could let me know what they did. I guess I will run a 3/8" tap though it and try a regular bolt. Thanks for the comments.