Repost of Slammer's Rules...

1. Carefully evaluate the size mower you need and buy at least one size larger.

2. NEVER buy a mower from ANYPLACE that will not let you test drive it or at least a similar model. Ergonomics are just as important as performance and capability.
(Vitally important!)

3. DO NOT base your purchase on price or brand name alone! Do proper research and find all of the available models that fit your criteria and haggle, save, or trade to get the right equipment for the job. Do not compromise!

If you follow these three tips you will end up a happy camper with just the right unit for the job. If you disregard this advice your gonna end up with One or the other of the following problems:

A. Buyers remorse. Stuck with a piece of junk or simply a unit inadequate for the task at hand.

Or..

B. A teed off spouse when you start shopping for another tractor just 3 - 6 months down the road because you didn't buy the right unit in the first place.

Now go forth and shop and try and have fun!

Most all of the machines built for the lowest end of the tractor market are built for the budget customer. As a result, they are not the sturdiest or best-designed machines around. That includes the CCs, the Kubotas, the Huskys, and, yes, the current L series by JD.

According to Consumer reports, JD has a slight advantage over the others when it comes to lawn tractors. But the advantage is slight and part of the reason may be a result of the fact that JD's X300 series is included as a lawn tractor. (Most other brands don't build premium LTs; they skip right to base level GTs instead.)

Bottom line, although I think JD builds more quality tractors than the others, I caution against assuming that any one JD model is going to be more reliable than any one model from another brand.

Does that make sense?

griz, I was really hoping that somebody would make a good, solid recommendation ... many times, valid recommendations are held up to considerable redicule. It's sorta like the old "Chevy vs Ford" question. But since only one other poster has jumped in, I'll stick my neck out and give you some comments - all of which are OPINIONS, and I don't state 'em as hard-and-fast or even correct.

If all you're going to do is mow, bag, and pull an aerator, most anything you buy can handle it. Twelve horsepower is plenty for those chores, as I do those things with an old Deere STX-38. As far as 1 cylinder vs. twin cylinders, I wouldn't expect significant difference. I've got 1 cylinder splash-lube engines as old as 29 years that are still performing their tasks. The twin will run smoother, and have a little more power, but will also burn more $4-a-gallon gasoline.

A 42" deck should be plenty for less than an acre. The 42-inch decks are two-blade systems, which means only two blades to sharpen/replace, two spindles to grease/replace, and probably only one belt. If you step up to a larger deck, you'll get into a 3-blade system, which is more trouble and expense. If you had more area to mow, a 48 or 54 inch system might be called for.

I own both John Deere and Husqvarna products (yes, Craftsman mowers are made by the same company). It is my opinion that dollar-for-dollar the Husqvarnas match or exceed the Deeres. I consider both of them good equipment. Before I bought the Craftsman, I would take a look at the Husqvarnas, as you sometimes get a few more "goodies" (hour meter, cruise control) for the same or less money.

Between the two Deeres you are considering, I would spend the $100 and get the twin-cylinder model. It might not be worth it, but that's just my gut inclination. But I don't think you'd go wrong with the 1-cylinder.

Bottom line: Longevity and reliability of lawn tractors is directly related to the preventive maintenance that you perform. Use clean gas, change the oil and filter, keep the air filter clean, check tire air pressure regularly, and grease where specified by the owner's manual. You'll be surprised how long even the cheap little machines can last - I've got a 25 yr old Murray push mower, with a 3.5 HP B&S engine that still goes "uuudddenn uudden" when I pull the rope.

One more opinion - this one will probably draw some ridicule: In the under $2K range, I would stick with John Deere, Husqvarna/Craftsman, or Cub Cadet. Period. Wouldn't even consider anything else.

hey twelvegauge,
thanks for that detailed review. you answered a lot of my questions.

For what it's worth, I have a 2007 model JD LA110. It has the 19.5 hp Briggs & Stratton single-cylinder engine. I mow 1 relatively flat acre with it once a week, from early spring through late fall. I've put approx. 20 hours on my LA110, and it's as good as new, in my opinion.

If you're wondering about engine power on the single cylinder engine, I'll say this. I purposefully let the grass on my side yard get very tall earlier in the year, because I wanted to see just how far I could push the 19.5hp B&S. Well, it cut right through that tall stuff without hesitation. My old Murray would have coughed & sputtered and probably died trying to cut grass of the same height.

Don't let folks on the internet scare you away from the L-series mowers. They are very good for what they are (lawn mowers), and they're dang good looking, too. My LA110 seems VERY sturdy compared to my previous riding mower (a '92 model Murray that I couldn't quite manage to kill).

Happy hunting.

I just had a LA135le delivered today for my less than an acre lot. I was able to get the front yard cut (before the rain)and while driving this around I was happier then you could believe. I plan to move dirt and the like around the yard with it as I did with my yard machines mower that had a 15.5hp motor in it and did the job just fine.

My $0.02 here is go for the LA135 from your local dealer. When we were building our new home the thought of push mowing 1 acre of grass was not even a consideration. I did some research looking at the Cubs, Sears/Hus and JDs in my price range and decided on a JD from my local dealer. I bought a 135 (no L on the model name) over the 125 for the high back seat and the larger tires. I chose the JD because it appeared to be a quality machine at that price point, I had a local dealer about 4 miles away and I wanted a JD. I do not kid myself into thinking it's a GT. I mow, dethatch, aerate, pull a roller and cart with it and that's it. If you take care of it and do not abuse it the JD you choose will server you well for many years.

Good luck!
Jeff

Hey, I bought a LA135 3 months ago and I flat out love it.
It is supurbly comfortable, very good looking, it cuts the lawn with a surgeon's precision and is a work horse, relatively speaking.
It is NOT a ground engaging machine, it is not meant to be.
But it cuts and mulches well with zero effort. It has a 22 hp engine, more than enough grunt for the typical home owner with less than an acre.
It will push snow or blow snow, with the proper weights and chains.
It will take a 46" Snow Blade and it will take a 44" Snow Blower. Another option is the 2-Bag, 6.5-Bushel Rear Bagger.
Cast iron front axle is standard, Frame made of full-length welded steel, and it comes with a Hydro/automatic drive giving you an infinite choice of ground speeds.
That's pretty impressive, IMHO.
And it is a John Deere, fully backed by the John Deere 2 year Warranty.
You just can't beat the deal.

I would go with the 135 for the Twin engine. My neighbor recently bought the 115 with the single and it is ungodly loud. Have your dealer start both up, the noise level difference will surprise you.

so all my local dealers no longer sell the 135 and i dont want to go to the 145. I started researching the Craftsman models made by Husqvrana and saw the 24 hp 42in cut model #28826. it has the briggs Twin engine and hydrostatic transmission. It is on sale this week for 1629.00. The JD 125 is $1799.00 with the one cylinder. Anyone have any cons to this Craftsman model or is that a good deal.

Personally, I'd still go with the JD over the Craftsman, simply because of the JD dealer network, and the availability of replacement parts from JD. Plus, I think the JD mowers LOOK better than the gray (& some red) Craftsman stuff.

When a Craftsman part breaks, do you have to go to Sears & order it? I'm asking because I don't know. At least with JD, you should be able to get the part you need from a JD dealer the same day, or maybe the next day if it's an ordered item. With Sears, you get your replacement parts according to ordering skills of the 17-year old kid running the register at the Sears lawn & garden department on any given day. Good luck with that.

With all that said: In the mid-90's I used to mow grass for an elderly gentleman in my neighborhood, using his (then new) Craftsman riding mower, which happened to be one of their best riding mowers at the time (don't remember the model#). I mowed his 1.5 acres with that Craftsman once a week for 2 seasons. The Craftsman was a sturdy, reliable mower that never had a part fail on me in those 2 seasons. FWIW, the elderly gentleman who owned the mower had a service contract, where a guy would come out a couple times a year to service the mower. I don't know if the mower ever actually needed any replacement parts, because I never asked.

If the '08 Craftsman mowers are still build as solidly as the mid-90's models I used, you'd probably have no problems with the Craftsman. (I still don't like Craftsman's color-scheme, though; yes I know - You didn't ask...haha)

I hope you're happy with whatever you end up with.

The Craftsman 28826 is a good lawn tractor for under $2000. I have the same engine in my GT5000 garden tractor and it runs very well, quite, pretty good power and is a good price point. Probably could wait another month for discounted models, but you might only save a couple hundred.

I also have the protection agreement, and they have been to my house around 10 times in the last 3 years to service, replace an engine, etc. Well, you get the idea. I call for service and they are out at my house the next week. I can live with that. Sears is NOT as bad as some on this forum would have you believe, especially in the L&G area.

griz4,

just for the record my JD model is just called a 135. I believe it's a 2006 model. The following year JD renamed the 100 series so I'm not sure which LA series mine is comparable to at this point. It's a twin w/22Hp, 42" deck.

Jeff

I was recently in the same situation, after going to the Deere dealer I ended up with an X300 because I have some steep hills and plan to do some minor yard work and the beefier components made sense to me. But in your case with a flat, even yard you probably dont need a 20hp+ machine. Up until now I have been using a 15 year old Bolens with a 12hp B&S single and as long as I didnt let the grass get tall it did a pretty good job.

A twin is going to be quiter, smoother and have a bit more "grunt" but honestly I think you'll be well served with most any of the mowers available today. If you can live with the nasty gold color some of the Deluxe Craftsman mowers do seem to be fairly nice.

If you're requirements are durability and ability to get the job done under 2k, take a look at the Snapper Rear Engine Riders. They are built farm tough and will be mowing grass long after the Craftsman and Husky's end up at the curb. They are not perfect machines (wish you could turn a little tighter and mowing in reverse could be easier), but for cutting grass and doing simple chores they are very hard to beat. They don't get a lot of press b/c Snapper doesn't sell to the big box stores (they did Walmart for a short time but pulled out as they did not want to decrease their quality to WalMart levels) and the machine looks like the thing Forest Gump rode on. BUT, it will last a long time and cuts a nice yard.

My 2 cents worth.
I have a Craftsman DLT2000 25hp Briggs v twin 48 inch cut, I have owned it for 6 year, and it has 235 hours on it. Its been a real good mower so far, only needing minor adjustment. I also had the 5 year service plan call them they come out and fix it.

Because you're still wrestlin' with the problem, I'm gonna throw in another 2 cents - so, you're into me for 4 cents, now.

wavinwayne is right about the JD network. Deere supports their equipment for a long time after manufacture of any given model ceases. My Deere dealer is primarily in business for agriculture, but has had in stock every part for my old STX-38's that I've ever needed. And their prices have never been out of line, that I can tell.

Can't speak about Sears support. But keep in mind that most of the parts you're going to need are available from a variety of places - belts, filters, blades, an occasional battery or tire, and engine parts (which will be from Briggs, or Kawasaki, or Kohler - not the tractor manufacturer.) Deere, Husqvarna, MTD - none of them actually make the parts that I've listed. They buy the engines, transmissions, belts, tires, batteries, etc. from suppliers, and these things are available from nearly any lawn equipment repair shop. Still, there may be a requirement to replace some part that must come from the manufacturer.

jopopsy recommends the Snapper rear-engine rider. For the size and description of your property, I think the Snapper RER would be an excellent machine. I didn't recommend it in my first response because you said you wanted to pull an aerator. Except for that, the Snapper would have been my first recommendation (note that this is an opinion). My 96-year-old mother has a Snapper RER that is at least 30 years old, and still plugging along (both my mother and the mower). That old machine has seen more use and abuse than any lawn mower I've ever seen. I've said before, the Snapper RER aint purty, and it ain't sexy - what it is is one hell-for-stout lawn mower.

I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the machines mentioned so far. If there is a Lowe's near you, go by and take a look at the Husqvarna that they sell for $1499 - it appears to me to be an excellent buy at that price. If there's a Husqvarna dealer in the neighborhood, he'll probably have it at the same price.

Why buy a new machine if you don't know what you want? Consider riding a used one for a couple seasons and then plunk money when you know more about what you want. Then you will know if a simple machine works or if you prefer some options. A used tractor is a used tractor so it should not lose much value. I've never owned a ztr but the grass mower only crowd seems to like them.

I second the used idea. Get a feel for the features, how long to want to take to cut, and what kind of power you need. Just buy a cheap used thing to get you through the season, as long as it cuts and runs.

"If you're requirements are durability and ability to get the job done under 2k, take a look at the Snapper Rear Engine Riders. They are built farm tough and will be mowing grass long after the Craftsman and Husky's end up at the curb."

While an RER may last longer, the TS is probably going to still spend a couple hours out there with one. They do last though, that is proven. I would just not advise less than a 38" on .8 acres.

Thanks for all the advice to those who posted. i did wind up purchasing the Sears 42" tractor (model 28826). The L125 i felt was not enough features i wanted, plus only single cylinder and the L145 was just too much money for my buget(no dealers in my area had any LE135 left). i have cut the lawn 4 times with the Craftsman and is doing great job. no starting issues, plows right through my tallest grass and works great on my incline in the front of my yard. just added the mulch plug on the other day and changed to the mulching blades, so we'll see how that does, but thus far i am satisfied with it.