thanks rustyj14 i have a old one i am working on but i want to get my garden up so untill it gets going i have to do the best with what i have and very little money well thanks for the advice it was not any of the stuff i was told to look at but from lifting up the rear end to get where i could see the transaxle i got alot better look at the clutch pulley and there was a plastic pulley and it was melted almost in half so it was a cheep pulley if the small town i live in would off had the part so i went to tractor supply and got a steal pulley the right size just had to do a little machining on a bushing and it worked great problem fixed but if it had not been for you telling me to look at the transaxle i would have never seen the pulley from that angle so thank you very much for the help

I think that there are millions of people out there that don't have any trouble but also millions that end up scrapping their mowers because it is almost pointless to put them on Craigslist. Let's face it. There are a lot of people who should not be allowed anywhere tools or machinery. They never read Op Manuals, know how to use a grease gun or bother to change oil in their engine. They buy stuff, use it until it quits and then put it out at the curb for pick-up. They go back to the box store buy a new one and perpetuate the cycle. There are also people who think that a Deere lawn tractor is capable of the same work that a full-sized Deere Ag tractor is. They disregard the "lawn tractor" description and use it to jerk old shrubs and tree stumps out of the ground along with numerous other tasks that the tractor was never built to perform. The item that takes the most abuse is the trans-axle because that's what links the engine power to the ground. Someone figured out that average property owner puts 50 hours per year on their tractor. Ten years of average use equals 500 hours. The engines used in these tractors are supposed to give 1000 hours of use before needing rebuilding but that's based on the owner changing oil, filters and performing other routine maintenance diligently over that time-frame. The main problem with the low-end tractors these days is the hydro. The manufacturers decided to make the hydro's a sealed unit. Presumably, that was done to put an end to owners that put the wrong oil into the hydro's and also contaminated them with dirt and water out of sheer carelessness. Sounds like a plan but the only people it benefited were the hydro builders and the tractor manufacturers because of frivolous warranty claims. The problem with that idea is this. Thanks to time and heat, multi-grade oil begins to break down and change viscosity. When that happens, the hydro no longer performs as it should and if there are no drain and fill plugs, then life is not good for the tractor owner. The oil is critical because that's what transmits engine hp from the hydro's pump to the hydro's drive motor, just as the driveshaft in a car transmits engine HP from the transmission to the rear end and ultimately the rear tires. For the most part, these lawn tractors are pretty good machines providing the owners take proper care of them and use them as a lawn tractor was designed to be used. If I owned one, then it would have an hour meter on it for sure. After every two years of use, I would remove the trans-axle from the tractor, hang it upside down and let all the oil drain out of it for a couple of days. Then I would refill it with the correct oil and put it back into the tractor for another two years. When you do that, you are not only replacing the partially worn out oil but you are also removing contaminants that are in suspension in that oil due to the detergents the oil manufacturers add. High-end hydro's have oil filters to look after that problem. Low-end one's don't. No matter which brand of LT you choose, all you are truly buying is the name because 90 percent of the tractor's components are made by companies other than the one whose label adorns the hood. You are relying on them to select decent engines, trans-axles, tires, rims, electrical components, bearings, rod ends, springs, nuts, bolts, washers, drive belts and so on for your tractor. They just stamp out the chassis and some other metal bits and pieces before assembling everything. Find a dealer in your area that has an impeccable word-of-mouth reputation and buy your tractor from him. Get to know him because box store employees come and go and box stores do not perform warranty work on what they sell. They rely on the very dealer you should be doing business with so just cut out the middleman. Go and sit on all the tractor brands and if possible, test drive them if they have a used unit around or a demonstrator. Searching the internet is helpful but we all know that happy owners don't post on the internet but disgruntled ones do because they want to get even. Take your time, do your homework and then decide which brand you like, which deck width best suits your property and which dealer you feel really good about. It's your money and it's not chump change. You and that tractor will hopefully be married for at least ten years so this should be more than just an over-night fling. Think with the big head, not the small one. LOL

Several points, all of which are just one old guys opinion: 1. grass and gdj are right; the problem, if any, would be the transaxle and not horsepower. My 12-hp Deere STX (5-speed) will do what you need - I know because it does the job for me. 2. Slammer's rules aren't completely valid, although they are frequently dragged out and posted: Rule #1. If you determine that you need a 42" deck in order to mow between your trees and get through your back gate, slammer's rule would have you buy a 46" or 48" deck, which really wouldn't serve you for s___. Virtually every lawn tractor manufactured today has more than enough horsepower for your needs, so there's no reason to buy bigger just for the sake of bigger. Rule #2 states that "ergonomics are just as important as performance and capability." Say what? Would you actually want a machine that felt good to your butt, even though it was not capable of performing the job? Performance and capability, along with reliability are necessary; comfort is nice to have. Rule #3 makes some good points, but doesn't take into account that many of us have to compromise over the dollar amount. Sometimes slammer's rule no. 3 is used to justify spending more money. If you've got $1500 to spend, don't let somebody talk you in to going into debt for a $8,000 tractor. Instead, try to determine which $1500 machine will do the job for you. Failing to consider slammer's rules does not mean that you will be "stuck with a piece of junk," or even something that is "inadequate for the task at hand." Nor does it mean that you'll be shopping for a new tractor in a few months. There are some pretty good lawn tractors available for that amount, including units by John Deere and Husqvarna (which also makes Ariens and many Craftsman units.) NOTE: The fellow who claims to have written "slammer's rules" operates a commercial lawn care service. The equipment that he buys will see as much use in one month as a typical homeowner's machine gets in 5 years. His rules might very well apply to a commercial operation, but few (if any) commercial operators come to this forum for advice on buying equipment. As to your specific question about Deere vs Husqvarna. I own both brands. The under $2000 Deeres and similarly priced Husqvarnas are (in my opinion) very close in initial quality. Deere is well known for providing parts support for their equipment for years after a model has been discontinued. Husqvarna is the current owner of the company that has been known as Roper, American Yard Products, and Electrolux; they have been in business for many years, and seem to support their products pretty well, too. John Deere dealers usually sell the small lawn tractors for the same price as the box stores, as do Husqvarna dealers. I recommend buying from your local dealer, if you have one. Finally, I pull an AgriFab core aerator, weighted down with concrete blocks and 50 lbs of bagged fertilizer with my gear-drive John Deere and also with a Husqvarna that has a Tuff Torq K46 hydrostatic transmission. I'm a homeowner, so my total aerating time is about 3 hours a YEAR. Both of these machines are LAWN tractors, not GARDEN tractors; as such, they are primarily for mowing, but I do pull the aerator and, at times, a small garden cart. Whatever you buy, it is very important that you perform the maintenance recommended in your owner's manual, particularly cleaning/changing the air filter, changing oil & filter, greasing, removing clippings from the engine and transmission, and maintaining tire air pressure.

Buehl, please do! I was just trying to save something of use. I'd been checking the GW all night, turned my back for 15 minutes to watch the Health Care vote, and whammo! all the posts were gone. I kept refreshing, thinking, "This can't be!"