My $161.95 early bird service for my JD GT275 turned into $375.81 service. see under posting "John Deere Lawn Tractor Buying Advice Needed: X300 or LA series" Thing of it is I've gotten just as good as life out of my Sears, oh well, The same thing happened when I bought a Lincoln Continental, T-birds were just as good but cost a good deal less. Now retired, I sold the Lincoln 2 weeks before I retired, because of the cost factor. Now, I use my wifes Avalon when I need a car, or just climb up into the Dodge Ram - yeh, it's a hemi. Like I've said I like HP. Enjoy, the cub, dragging that deck alittle at the shed door will do alot less damage than leaving it set out in the weather.

I am just looking for something that is going to last me a long time with our breaking down or apart on me. Posted by ajaxbro CT ()(((((())))))))))))) That hain't a troy built then. Potential buyers of used tractors often want to do other things with them beyond just cutting grass. If no attachments are available, then you just eliminated a sector of the buyers. Posted by castoff XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx An important factor in why you should never pay as much or more than the cost of a sub compact for a garden tractor. What MTD is doing with the Troy Bilt name should be outlawed. Posted by net_worker And Bolens and HUSKY. Deceptive advertising and marketing at best.

I have roughly 2+ acres of landscape. The entire area is very well manicured and it's a big job, I can't handle the maintenance as it's about 15hours per week worth all year, so I hire that out. I do however love getting into the yard once a week for therapy and exercise. I have a mackissic hammermill style shredder and a 19hp Deere lawn tractor. In my yard, the lawn tractor would not be a practical substitute, however it serves its purpose. The leaves that fall on the lawn get mulched up with the Deere, and the massive amount of leaves that fall into the various bedding areas get raked into piles and I bring the mackissic around and shred them in each bed. In fact I just raked and shredded about 1000 lbs worth this evening! I love the Mackissic, although it does wear on my back having to constantly bend over and pick up the leaves to put in. I have a couple retaining walls, and it really helps to rake the piles on the edge of the retaining wall, and scoop them into the mackissic, however thats only part of the yard. Being able to shred them right in the bedding and then rake it out as mulch works great. If anyone has a system to make the job of picking up the piles easier, please share... That's the only drawback to this type of shredder...

You're right Justalurker. Not long ago I started a thread here about wanting to buy a Deere riding mower. I said then that I always wanted a Deere even though I have been happy with other brands in the past, including my present Craftsman, which still runs good and has given me no problems during the past five years. I commented that I have saved up around $3000 and can now afford a John Deere. Some posters to that thread thought I was trying to "impress" my neighbors which could not be further than the truth. I can get by with any mower really because my yard is flat and less than an acre. I have no garden and no snow here in Texas. I just cut grass. I have always wanted a Deere for personal pride and to say that once in my life I owned one. It would go a long way in making my grass cutting "chore" much more enjoyable than it is now just to be on top of a John Deere. At least that is what I thought. I went to two dealers right after Thanksgiving to start pricing a 300. I was not impressed with either one. One showroom was messy with crap everywhere (even with old parts). The yard in the back looked worse and like a "you-pull-it" car junk area. The salesman seemed okay and a good guy but I did not like the looks of the place. The second dealer was much better appearance wise but it was obvious this dealership was far more concerned with big equipment and serving ranchers and farmers than a guy looking for a lawn mower. Make a long story short, I finished the day rethinking my John Deere position. Then a great sale ("friends and family") took place at Sears. They had the Sears 42" Professional model with specs to match and beat the John Deere at what appeared to be an all time low plus extra percentage off for this special sale. On top of that, I could get 10% cash back by using my Discover card and buying it on-line. It was a steal! Half of what the Deere would have cost although I must admit, it only has half the warranty period too. Well, it was too good to pass up, especially after my less than satisfactory experience shopping at the Deere dealerships. That John Deere value is down, as the OP suggested a couple years ago, is as true now as it was then.