Wwhat i usually do is lay down on the left side, and using a flash-light, or an extension lamp, peer in under the machine, and look for places, mounting brackets, etc., that have the paint cracked and flaking off. You may see bright, shiny, steel, and that is where it is bent, underneath. I'd say the mounting brackets are bent. If you are mechanically savvy, you can remove the deck, then bend the brackets back to their original shape, and reattach them to the deck. If that is "Over yer head", then contact a local repair shop and pay them to repair your folly! As you have probably realised by now, nothing is easy, and nothing fixes itself!

Hi, guys. Thanks to every one of you for taking the time to give me your advice and explain some stuff in such detail, esp. Kompressor. And I appreciate James' advice on the Sears Craftsman. You didn't hear back from me because the day after my sister and I purchased a lawn tractor, my sister had a double heart bypass. She's coming home today and is in for a long recovery. I'm sure you're all wondering what I finally decided to do and if I took your advice to heart. Well, what you said about buying used ones made sense so I decided not to buy a used one. I felt more comfortable knowing it was new and didn't buy someone else's problem. Sears was having their Family and Friends sale and I was considering the Craftsman YT4000 (James really liked that one) but as it turned out, the YT3000 (Model 28822) had a lot of really good reviews and there was very little difference between it and the YT4000 (28928). YT3000 is 21hp, 4000 is 24 hp 3000 deck is 42", 4000 is 46" 3000 had 3-1/2 star rating, 4000 had 3 3000 was $300 cheaper (+tax) Both have hydrostatic B&S engines The oil can on the 3000 much more easily accessible than on the 4000. 3000 has only 1 cylinder, 4000 has 2 (don't know if that was important or what it means); no hour meter on the 3000 It was on sale from $1750 for $1299 and an additional $130 off - bottom line I paid $1169.00 and saved $600 w/tax so I think I got a really good deal. I've used it twice and so far I love it. Wish the deck were a little bigger, oh well. It cut some very high wet weeds very well (I know I should avoid wet but didn't have a choice unless I wanted to go out there with a scissors...NOT). Its got a lot of power. Now maybe I won't get fined or thrown out of the neighborhood! One of the cons that was mentioned was the position of the gas tank - very close to the engine. Very stupid design. rustyj14, my next project will be to get some fill dirt and remove the stumps (when I get some money) but in the meantime, I put out tons of bright flags from HD and didn't hit any stumps. James, I didn't get to ask about the fuel shutoff valve. What's involved in installing one? One last question - I have 2 weeks to decide whether to buy their $300 3-year warranty. It would start from day 1, not after the mfr's warranty, and it covers in-home service.

Derek, As I see it, you have need of a mower for a 5 acre property but your budget is for a lawn tractor that suits a 1 acre property. I think that you should go to link below and do a little bit of self-education. I point you at Deere's website because if you examine the various series they offer, you will also see the prices these tractors sell for when new. Anyone who owns a 5 acre property and needs to maintain the better part of that land should be considering a true garden tractor, not a lawn tractor. Right now, your budget fits a 3 to 4 year old lawn tractor or a 30 year old garden tractor. What's at issue here is the durability (lifespan) of the parts chosen to build these radically different models that have radically different price tags. A new lawn tractor (LT) can cost from $1800.00 to $3000.00 plus but it is still made from lower cost components. The engines chosen for such models are made to last at least 1000 hours of use before possibly needing to be rebuilt. In comparison, engines for high-end garden tractors (GT's) are designed to last for 3000 hours and up. The same holds true for the trans-axle assemblies. Engines are the most expensive part of any tractor but the trans-axle is the second most expensive part. So, if you buy a 30 year old GT for $700.00, the engine itself becomes the burning question. Many of the older GT's used Onan engines to power them because Onan was THE premium engine of the day. Premium engines use premium quality parts that come at a premium price so you can expect to pay at least $1500.00 to have an Onan PROPERLY rebuilt today. Other premium engines are Honda twins, Vanguard twins, Kohler Command Pro twins and Kawasaki twins. These are the engines of choice by manufacturers of high-end GT's and none of those engines are inexpensive to rebuild. Hydrostatic trans-axles are equally expensive to deal with. Some can be repaired or rebuilt but if you don't have the tools and skills to do this work, then the labour cost at a shop can be devastating. If a friend of yours told you that he was thinking of buying a 30 year old sports car for 7 grand and that sports car sells for over 100 grand new at the dealership today, what advice would you give him? This is where you are at. Any old GT is going to have issues that come with it as a result of age, wear, tear and all too often, neglect and abuse by past owners. Now you could buy a used Deere L or LA model that is a few years old for $700.00 but if it has high hours of use on it, then the risk of the hydro failing or the engine letting go is also high. The same holds true with a GT for the same kind of money. A tractor at that price point is pretty much used up or it wouldn't be selling for that amount. Realistically, your budget should be at $3000.00 so that you can find a decent, used GT that still has a lot of life left in it and won't need constant repairs. While ZTR's cut grass faster than most GT's do, they have TWO hydrostatic pumps and TWO hydraulic motors in them and those equate to TWICE the expense when they are houred up. In fact, there's a good chance that the cost of replacing the pumps and motors will exceed the current value of the ZTR at that point. So, a well-used ZTR wouldn't be a good choice for you, IMHO. Another "educational" place to review is the e-Bay auctions to see what various used GT's bring in the open marketplace. You can also visit ALL the local dealers and make notes of what makes, models, years, hours showing and the price of used units in their inventory. At least...if you buy from a brand-name dealer, there is a certain amount of good-will warranty that will flow with such a purchase because the guy doesn't want to lose your future business. For a five acre property, nothing less than a 54" deck is suitable and a 60" deck is really the smallest I would want to have. To cut down seat time even further and still have a mower that would easily negotiate the tighter areas near the house, then a 48" deck is ideal for that but for the large, wide open areas I would pull a 60" trailing mower such as those made by Swisher so I could cut 8 feet of grass on every pass. However, your budget isn't high enough for that but I thought I'd toss it out so you know that such a combo is available. Here is a link that might be useful: Deere

My JD turns so tight that, while in a tight turn, the deck wheels don't turn but just srape accros the grass causing some damage especially over time and when the lawn is wet. With the swivel caster they turn with the mower. I'm sure the set up is good; the deck wheels are set just slightly above the ground with the deck at mowing height. The casters I installed are bolted to the existing brackets and are far more adjustable than the original deck wheels. It works so well that I am sure some lawn tractor manufacturers must have already thought of it. If you are interested I would be willing to figure out how to post pictures of the casters for you.