crabjoe, My beef with Sears IS the service, or lack of, at my specific location and with my specific Sears. I did not take the position that the Sears DG6500 was inferior to a JD L&G tractor other than mentioning a couple "cheap down" concessions that Sears took to make their price very appealing. I was not aware or informed at the time of purchase that no pre-delivery service and poor QC, again Sears fault not the tractor's, was among the "cheap down" concessions that Sears chose. I did point out that John Deere, the manufacturer, mandates that all L&G tractors sold by mass marketers such as HD or Lowe's will have a proper pre-delivery service performed by an authorized JD L&G dealer. That benefits both the end user and undoubtedly cuts down on warranty claims and product returns. Sears uses a different business model and now I know that. I bought the DGS6500 because on paper the feature set was unmatched at the price and that fact is still true. I did expect to receive the tractor in operating condition. Not everyone has the luxury of being in between two or three Sears to compare or within easy driving distance of two well staffed Sears service centers and those who do are truly fortunate. In my area among the many Sears on-site techs there is only one that is qualified to repair tractors and he covers about a third of a large state. He is severely overworked hence the three week wait to get him out for the initial diagnostic call and then the wait to have him return after the parts he ordered show up. This information was not known to me until AFTER I returned the tractor. Some weeks later I ran into that tractor tech and he was indeed knowledgeable and a nice guy. He told me that over 90% of his service calls are to remedy problems that should have been caught at the factory or would have been caught in a pre-delivery service and that most of the time parts are required and that means a longer wait for the customer and a return service call for him. I sympathize with the one tractor tech who is overworked but that is not the customer's problem.

This work is being done with my Craftsman DGS 6500 with the Craftsman front scoop. This soil is mostly hard packed clay soil. This pond bank was slanted down to the pond and I'm taking the slope out so that the pond won't over flow when we have a real rainy season. How are you doing this with just a scoop on a garden tractor? I'd have a hard time breaking up that hard packed clay soil using only the Front end Loader on my Sub Compact Kubota BX23. The BX23 is a whole lot bigger & tougher than any garden tractor. You need a tiller on the back of your DGS 6500 To break up the soil before you attempt to scoop it up. If you're trying to use the craftsman for a bulldozer you going to tear it up doing that or at least bust up the scoop. It's a darn shame Sears don't offer a tractor mounted and powered tiller for their tractors! If I was doing this I would till it first then scoop with the FEl. Much less strain on the equipment. Also easier and quicker and less frustrating too

That's a nice DGS 6500! I'd recommend you clean the grass and debris off your new Craftsman before throwing the tarp back over it. Otherwise, before long it will look just as bad as that Murray. Also, it wouldn't have hurt to wax the tractor, deck and wheels while it was still sparkling clean. Lastly, you might want to consider building a real shed to store it in. All just IMHO of course.

Both are mechanically the same tractor. Both have the 26hp Kohler, 54" deck, tires, seat, both run ground engaging attachments, etc. At most there is a cosmetic difference.