I could go on and on about the horror stories ive heard and experienced with craftsmen, everything from leaking geakboxes when brought new to the tractor literaly falling apart after the first cut...If you have to go with a craftsmen then at least get one with the Kohler engine. I would suggest going with the used deere though if I were you.

Also, check Sears service. In my area, they come to your house. About $60 a service call off the top just for the trip. No facility to bring the mower to. It wasn't for me. YMMV.

I just bought a used 445 JD for $3200, well maintained and garage kept. Still got to go get it(latter part of Sept.) I looked at everything Sears had and while they might work for some people, there was nothing there that would come close to the 445JD or capable of what I use a garden tractor for. Check e-bay to get an idea of what the different tractors are selling for. If you decide on the 345, ask if you can have a mechanic or a dealer check it over for you. If they say no, you don't want it.

I have a Sears GARDEN tractor (DSG 6500) and have had no problems. Used it for landscaping with a JBJr on the front, and ploughing with with a Brinly moldboard plough in the rear attached with a sleeve hitch. I can't imagine it falling apart mowing the lawn as some contend! LOL ;) I of course have heavier lug tires and wheel weights. I have the manual transmission and a 26 HP Briggs engine. I know that Consumer's Report rates the Craftsman highly but just compares it to other big box offerings. I bought it with a service protection agreement that I haven't used but it gave me piece of mind. Some models of Sears LAWN tractors have been problematic of late but I know of no consistent problem with the garden tractors (neither did Popular Mechanics in a recent review). If money were no object, I would buy a new Kubota. Used tractors are good if you have the time and luck to search out a good deal. Certainly some of the other garden tractors are built heavier than the Sears in some ways and have PTO's and other nice features however my Craftsman reminds me of an old Datsun 510 my friend owned in high school. That was back when standard wisdom said Japanese was cheap and Japanese cars were built too light to last. The Datsun outlasted my pickup and most of the cars of my friends! My advice is buy what you like. Craftsman and JD are not the only two tractors on the market. Have fun in your search.

I had a Craftsman DGT 5000 for two years. It was my first tractor and did okay but couldn't handle my steep hill. It would slide down the hill especially when the grass was damp with dew. I also sprung for the extended warranty since I knew nothing about tractors at the time. The shift handle came off in my hand once (broke on a weld) in the heat of the mowing season and then I found out just how good the warranty was. Even though I called them with the broken part number, they wouldn't just bring one out. I had to wait for a service guy to come out and confirm that it was broken which took several days. He then ordered the part and came out and installed it after it arrived. The whole thing took three weeks and of course, the grass didn't wait for me! Another time the belt broke and I just bought a new one and installed it myself rather than wait for the service guy.

Three years ago, I sold it and got a JD GX335. It has a locking differential and climbs my hill easily wet grass or not. Also, it's faster, quieter, more maneuverable (better turning radius + power steering) and the double foot pedal drive is sooooo much better and quicker than the hand lever. I cut over an hour off my mowing time for 2-1/2 acres.

Buying used is a great way to save money. In my area, it's fairly easy to get a good used tractor from a dealer who took it in on trade or craigslist or newspaper ads.

You will see from the majority of responses that people who have had Deere's will swear by them. It does not matter what model. (Not the Home Depot's) Deeres are reliable and long lasting. One should not have problems with a brand new Craftsman. The question is, what Brand will pass the test of time. You will hear complaints from owners of old craftsman not old Deeres.

If you are going to spend 2500 and your sole use will be to mow up to 1.5 acres, you can look for a 2004 or 2005 JD LT160 or the like for about 1800. Or you could go new and get into a JD X300 for minimally more than 2500 at this time with the current incentives.

I have owned a LT160 and am trading up to a x500 series. It is of course your decision whether you go with a JD, I do urge you to stay well away from the Craftsman if you want your mower to pass the test of time!

There is no such thing as good luck, only good choices!

To the OP - Sears and John Deere aren't the only people that make garden tractors. If you're willing to spend that much $$ you have any number of choices, especially if you're buying used...

There is definitely a selection process for those who post here. Why not just call it the "JD club"? JD's are nice tractors but Kubota and others make tractors that are equally if not more reliable. Reminds me of Harley owners (I ride a Honda Valkyrie). Another bike can be faster, more reliable and handle better but to the Harley guys, there is no other bike in the world. At least the Harleys impress the chicks.

The JD345 is more tractor then anything Sears has. Liquid cooled, power steering, hydraulics, and foot controls. In my book nothing beats power steering and foot controls. When I first saw power steering I thought it a foolish option but now would not own a machine without it.

Down side of liquid cooled is that they take longer to warm up. Until the thermostat opens a 345 has very little power. I have a hobby farm with thousands of christmas trees to mow between so waiting a few minutes for the engine to warm up is not a deal. With 1.5 acres you might be better off with an air cooled engine. Lots of JD mowers with air cooled engines.

My 345 had an engine fire. Didn't hurt the engine but burned up the plastic air cleaner, fan, and fan shroud. Most expensive part was the carb at $140 for a new one. Could of had a rebuild kit for $70. Poor design of carb over exhaust. After the fire I bought an x485 with the carb on top... kept the now ugly 345 for tight spots and throwing snow.

You might want to check out your yard with a tape measure. What size deck will fit your lawn, gates, shed door or parking spot. The 345 had 48" and 54" decks. My JD dealer has in the past offered to swap decks around to come up with a tractor/deck combination that worked for me.

Attachments are expensive for the 345. The snow thrower I bought was $1400 with a set of chains. Snow thrower is very close to the ultimate home snow remover. Small enough to get in close and powerful enough to throw snow 30' with ease. Never did buy the hydraulic tiller because it was $2k as I recall.

jsharpscs is correct....there are any number of makes out there. Just make sure you know where you can get parts and service, especially if you buy used. That fact eliminated several brands when I was looking.

cjsm is also right about the used JD LT160. It's a great machine and I just saw one at my dealer with 80 hours on it and they were asking $1,900. It was a 2005 model and the dealer says it was from a steady customer who just likes to have the latest and he buys a new tractor every two years.

1* If money were no object, I would buy a new Kubota.
2* reminds me of an old Datsun 510

Posted by lakeguy43
************************
1*Make that A BX1500 for me.
2*I had one of these . It was a 1970 , ran it till the front floor boards fell out . Ran good though.

Yugo or BMW?

You get what you pay for.

browngrass,
If you decide to go with a used JD garden tractor, I posted a buyer's guide on ebay. I'd send you the link but I'm on a gov computer and can't access ebay. It's fairly easy to find if you just go to reviews and guides and type john deere or something.
I probably know less about tractors than anyone on this forum, but that guide spells out most of what I learned in a year of researching and window shopping before I bought my JD. There is not a blue book for used tractors that I know of, so I had no idea what I was going to spend for a good tractor. That guide should give you a pretty good idea on a lot of common models. Of course the ebay bastards limit the space; I could have written twice as much but I ran out of characters.
There's no question you'll get a lot more for your money with a used JD vice a new Craftsman. The disadvantage to buying used is you'll either have to be patient, waiting for the right one to come along, or willing to drive several hundred miles to pick up the tractor you bought in a different time zone. Because just about every model JD ever made is for sale somewhere in the US at any given time.
Good luck!

browngrass,
WHATEVER you get, post a pic if you can to show off your new tractor!

The disadvantage to buying used is you'll either have to be patient, waiting for the right one to come along, or willing to drive several hundred miles to pick up the tractor you bought in a different time zone. By marine guy
**********************
Another disadvantage of used is finance charges on used VS no finance charges on new.

I have a motto: if you need a mower get a mower, if you need a tractor get a tractor. Use it for its intended purpose and you will be pleased. I have had my little Craftsman w/15.5 Kohler going on 11 years now and have changed, excluding the normal oil, filter and blades a breather tube and a battery. I treat it like I paid 5K for it but only paid $1200.00. I believe the reason for the amount of problems you hear about Craftsman is because the shear amount of Craftsmans out there. When you sell as many mowers as Sears does you are bound to have some break. Ultimately get what is going to give you a good piece of mind because at the end of the day that is what will make you happy, not the name

One thing about used, IMO you need to be able determine if anything is wrong with the used machine and be able to turn a wrench. If not they maybe mighty costly regardless of the brand. Most lawn weenie's start her up and drive off until on day it makes strange noises, don't start, don't mow, or why won't the thingee make a noise when I turn the key???

New, it on the dealer for a while, used you got to figure out why this guy is selling this prefectly good LT. Especially the Green ones!!! beings they are so relieable.

Well said zoomie.

rcmoser,
You're right, one of the biggest things to look into when buying a used tractor is the story behind it. I bought mine from an old guy who moved out of his house into a retirement community, so his story was confirmed on pick-up. When people sell their fully-functional old tractor after buying one that's the same size with similar features, maybe just a couple years newer, that's when I'd start to wonder...

I like buying used gear. I can buy a larger and nicer machine and not fret over the first scratch or bump that the machine will get. I do a lot of service to keep things oiled / greased and clean and find that time well spent.

I like simplicity products a lot and have lots of respect for kubota,,, the craftsman stuff works fine , but usually is not quite as well designed for a really long life and easy service. I would think a used JD or simplicity a very good way to get what you want at a decent price.

quantico,
a balanced commentary. "craftsman stuff works fine , but usually is not quite as well designed for a really long life and easy service." For the most part I agree with what you said. Just thought I'd share: I answered a ? about drive belt replacement a week or so ago on a JD L120. Not that I'd ever done one but I looked up how to do it online. My gosh, what a pain! The manual suggested getting it done at the dealer. Got me thinking about my Craftsman...what horrible procedure would I have to do? Turns out the whole thing takes 15 min. and is well outlined in the owner's manual! LOL :) Needless to say I was surprised. I agree, I check the grease, oil, adjustments often.

Thanks lake guy for the info. I am a simplicity guy and they have things that are great and they have weak areas like everyone else. The craftsman tractors that I have looked at new and had to help neighbors with are a mixed bag. They usually have decent parts and access, but the fasteners are not always high quality and they often make due with smaller parts and plastic parts that deere and simplicity and kubota make from metal. A guy a work purchased a husky tractor a couple months ago... his deck hangers broke.. I was not impressed with the hardware, but was able to get him in business with a couple universal clevis pins and a bit of information to help him out...

I see your point quantico. My craftsman is my 1st garden tractor so I'm pretty much a newbie. I imagine I'll eventually graduate but for now I'm thrilled with the way I can mow, plow up hard ground, grade (with JBJR), dethatch and aerate my lawn, all with the same machine! It concerns me that Simplicity is going through some tough times right now. I can't believe that Briggs would buy the company to drive it into the ground. I CAN see them screwing things up for a while until they get things sorted out. The last thing we need is another cheap (Chinese?) tractor. That market segment is more than filled. Unfortunately it seems it's all about making the most profit. The CEO's of many of these companies probably don't even do their own yardwork! Last week they ran Home Depot, now they build cars. Obviously a parrallel but you get my point. I think you bought a Simplicity at the right time.

If Deere's are the best, most dependable, desirable tractor ever made....why on earth is E-bay full of them as well as the local papers? Why sell the best thing ever painted green?

JD tractors ARE good tractors and because of that they sell a lot of them and hence there are a lot for sale for various reasons. These days I'm beginning to think we had better start buying American. I remember when we were threatened by the Japanese. NOTHING compared to the Chinese juggernaut on the horizon.

Lakeguy,
Amen to that.

Mowen I upgrded My Deeres I started with what I could affore at the time and up graded through the years to what I wanted went from a R70 rider to a JD240 then a 425 finally a X485 which was my first Brand new Deere. Nothing wrong with the other Deere very dependable.

Don't worry sergeant. Mowen's just upset 'cause when he see's a JD add by the time he gets there it's already sold! LOL ;)

I currently have two craftsman mowers. One is a lawn tractor about 4 years old and the other is a garden tractor about twenty years old. I mow 3.5 acres and also have a snow thrower. The long and short of it; the lawn tractor is junk, and the garden tractor is nearly bulletproof. I got the garden tractor used 12 years ago for free. It had been in a flood and was completely underwater for three days. Although the deck rusted out two years ago, I still use it to pull the yard roller and push the snow thrower. On the lawn tractor, I replaced the front axle last year and the rear axle broke a couple of weeks ago. I'm going tonight to buy a new Craftsman professional 27hp 54in Garden tractor for $2800.00. I will never again own a lawn tractor of any brand.

My $.02,
Dave

I didn't know Craftsman made professional garden tractors? Is there a new commercial series or something?

New this year I believe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Found Here

OK Guys, enough bad mouthing the Craftsman Garden Tractors.

I bought my new GT5000 with the 25 HP Kohler Twin two years ago and its a Gem.
I mow 2 acres of Mountain terrain at least 3 times a season and just last week I hauled 10 yards of 3/4 inch rock up my 100 foot 12% grade driveway.
The Craftsman all steel trailer was loaded and they hold a lot of rock.
The GT buzzed up the hill like it was on the freeway.
The only problem that occurred was the pain in my arms and back from shoveling the rock into the trailer.

The secret to the success of the Craftsman is to treat them like family. Change the oil, grease all the fittings, and wipe her down after every use.
An occasional wax job is also a nice touch.

One thing that really impresses me, besides the great service, is the tractor body, engine cover, and fenders are all steel.
The slick dump trailer is also all metal and they both match my Black and Silver F-150.
Absolutely no plastic to crack, burn, or fade.

"Enough bad mouthing"... Waaahahahaha! Geee.. maybe that's because

crapsman/ayp tractors really ARE JUNK! DUH, HELLO!

BUT.... "I" like them to a degree. Why? Because only a CHUMP would buy

that junk. Then.. after the one, or MAYBE two seasons they operate, the

pissed off owners give them away. "I" get FREE CRAPsman tractors left and

right. "I" feel that the constant repairs are the price I pay.

So... I fix all the belt guides because the belts are always flying off

these junkers. Then I weld on flat guide plates where needed so it doesn't

constantly chew up the belts on some models. I NEVER buy the parts from

Sears because their "chump price" is 3x. Those deck spindle castings are

only 10 bucks from the right place, and Auto Zone has $10 belts if you know

what to ask for.

AAMOF, today I have to fix the starter solenoid SW circuit. Am I irritated

about that? Why should I be? It won't cost me a dime because I can fix it

myself, and I got the tractor for free. So folks, go buy the CRAPsman if in

north GA, USA. See you on craigslist when I come to pick up the junker!

:oD!!

Bottom_troller registered just today - I'm sure just to make that post.

For the record...My Craftsman is on season three. No problems so far...other than a mouse making a winter home under the engine cowling. I fixed the damage it caused for nothing with parts laying around the basement.

Otherwise, this 1000-dollar lawn tractor has performed just fine. The cut is decent. The bagger works very well. It hauls a lot without bogging down. The single-cylinder Briggs engine is strong yet good on fuel. An old-school 6-speed gear transmission gets the job done.

Feature-wise, the John Deere LA-100 is comperable to the LT-3000 I got. However, I do think the build quality and ergonomics on the Deere are just a notch better. Of course my Craftsman was 500 dollars less, so that is to be expected.

Peace.

Marco

I'm the proud owner of three JD's, two small ones. The first, a '64 110 with THOUSANDS of hrs, the other, a '68 140 with about the same hrs as the 110, lots and lots of 'em!

Both require care, attention, maintanance, etc. Both have more than outlived their expectations. I wouldn't trade 'em for anything but I'm in the market for a 345 as an upgrade (I'm retired, I want something newer). I mow about two acres.

My other acreage is cared for with my '55 JD40 Utility. It also works steady without major repairs since I purchased it in '79 with a bunch of hard farm hrs. I rebuild/repair as necessary. No problem finding parts yet. Again, wouldn't trade it. Easy to work on and work with. Could use a few more HP and a bigger rotary mower but I get by.

Yes, I worked for JD in the '60's before working for GM for 40+ yrs as a line tech. I still believe the JD line is good quality stuff. Like any brand, some models have their problems but if one is careful and does good maintanance, most will perform well.

"Bottom_troller registered just today - I'm sure just to make that post."
..

Absolutely! And it's bottom "feeder", thank you very much. I not only troll, I feed. :oD And on the bottom, I find crapsman and murray.
..
A crapsman CAN be patched and maintained, and that will vary a lot from model to model. AYP, who manufactures these creatures, seems to change their designs a lot. (Sears does not manufacture tractors.) Most consumer level users do not have the repair skills needed to maintain these units. Keep a welder handy! I have no respect for Sears or AYP as they victimize consumers with their product. My list of repairs on various models would be pretty long.
..

I found this post, BTW, by googling "Craftsman tractor sucks". :oD

Deere, from a dealer. You will not regret. And it is Seargeant Approved! (long time Sarg, I received plenty of great advice from you over the years).

I bought my JD LT-133 (in 2000) on a no interest promotion and paid over a year or so, this thing is used for plowing dirt, haulin rocks, pushing snow and mowing grass. Still goin strong.

Read my post "New Craftsman wont start" and you be the judge............BG

I just wanted to post MY CRAFTSMAN HORROR STORY HERE....I bought a 15 1/2 horsepower 42 in cut from sears about 7 years ago,the first problem was probably the second mowing, i hit an apple mowing under an apple tree and it bent 1 of the blades lol.Next thing was the screws kept comming loose "everywhere",then the mowing belt broke,and the steering -sheeesh ,, hit a bump,touch a fence post,get it in a bind and the steering strips and keeps striping,there's not much you can do for that sucky kind of setup,and the steering rod fell off several times...next i noticed it was getting hard to crank and didn't have much power - i noticed the head gasket was leaking because the head bolts had came loose, the gasket was burnt into so i got a new 1,about a week later it stopped running,,turning the motor you could tell it didn't have any compression so i removed the head thinking it was the gasket blown again,,,but noooo wow 1 of the valve seats had popped out of the motor holding the valve open,, i used jb weld to stick it back in,,somewhere along the way the rear end went out and i replaced it,,other than that it was great!
In 2004 i bought a murray 15 1/2hp O/H valve 42in cut mower ... all i do to it is add gas,change oil and mow. I do have an older murray stripped down into a riding machine,best tool a small farm can have for hauling small loads and going out in the fields.