If the subject wasn't so serious, I guess I would find some of the responses amusing. Trotting out stories about what you and your friends did as kids is totally immaterial to the PROVABLE statistics that get recorded by hospitals who treat injured children every year. So what if you did what you did 60 years ago? Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe.... you and your friends were lucky? As I kid, I was lucky too. I've cheated death too many times to remember. So....I'm not talking about the "lucky" kids like you, me and your buddies. I'm talking about the unlucky kids who have to go through life with two arms missing or a leg missing. The OP is old enough to figure it out for himself. Everything a person does on a daily basis comes with an element of risk. We wear a seat belt to reduce the risk of injury should we be unlucky enough to be in an accident. We wear bike helmets, hockey helmets and motorcycle helmets to hopefully keep us from death or becoming a vegetable on life support. Accidents are NOT always our fault. To suggest that child injuries happen because of stupid decisions made by stupid adults is the height of arrogance. Talk to anyone who has been in an accident and ask them this question. "At one point, you were doing what you were doing and you felt totally safe and comfortable, yes? So, can you tell me how long it was between feeling safe and comfortable and the moment when you realized that an accident had just taken place?" 99% of the time, they will tell you that is was a split-second. They will tell you that they were doing all of the right things at the time but they never saw what was happening or they never saw it soon enough to prevent what ultimately happened. So if the above makes me a PC hot-air soap boxer but I manage to prevent the OP's grandchild from being hurt, then I have no problem with that title. Guys like you come on these forums and essentially preach unsafe practices to novices and then try to use terms such as "American culture" to justify it. But if the unthinkable happens to one of the OP's grandchildren, will you be around to help pick up the pieces? Hell no! You'll still be on forums like this one spouting the same sort of neanderthal advice without a seconds thought about a little thing called consequences. Every forum has guys like you. Sad really. People look to these forums to get good advice but are forced to try and decide who's knuckles still drag on the ground and who walks totally upright. As for the X-300 suggestion, the OP is in search of a NEW machine with a warranty, not some well-worn unit that someone else got the best years out of and is now dumping it. For a property the size stated and the tasks outlined, any decent LT will do the job. There's no need for him to own a garden tractor.

Hey! New here.. but had to post.. Read your msg & lots of the posts.. very informative. I just had to comment... we have similar as u.. acres with about 2 we mow (after minus pond etc). Hubby is gone alot & we needed reliable & EASY since I'll be doing most of mowing. Plus JD has an excellent rep here for service/etc & this came w/4 yr warranty (dont know what others have)which didnt decide it but is nice. We just got the JD 304... I'm in LOVE!! It is awesome! I was scared at first but.. WOW sooo easy to use! I still cant get over the '4-wheel turn'.. Im just super impressed! Hubby wanted a zero-turn but I was .. scared of them lol! I researched -found the 304 being rated top.. I thought kinda what we both wanted (tight turn w/steering wheel). Even though it's like a reg mower, that thing turns SHARP (never driven zeroturn but.. cant imagine a major diff unless u wanna .. spin in place lol!) I normally wont even mow ditches or hills but.. will now! It's great.. actually found it.. far exceeding our expectations! DEFINITELY worth paying a few hundred extra for! I keep thinkin.. hmm.. Im female.. dont think Im supposed to 'be in LUV' w/a Mower but.. XOXOX!! Heck, I felt guilty thinkin.. I shouldnt be having so much fun 'working' u know lol!! As far as the teens, they'd have np... my 14 yr old daughter is gonna learn.. she's responsible & I'd be very comfortable w/her using this.. sure most have em but great safety features & superb ease of use! Trust me - if I could learn in mins...anyone could! I know everyone is different w/diff opinions but.. just had to let you know.. Our JD 304 ROCKS!! Neighbors drove it.. (they have JD.. older think 345.. they wanna trade it in now hehe!). Well, good luck with all! I know for us it was a big decision & purchase with much research beforehand. My nerves/doubts were quickly put to rest by JD 304.. Heck just talking about it makes me wanna go mow :( sigh... LOL!! Let me/ev1 know what yall decide!! Good Luck Again!! PS No I dont work for JD or get commission LOL!! ; )

That guy in Florida is a nut. He's got a $17k tractor which won't even fit in his backyard! If it cut his whole 1/4 acre lawn in 5 minutes, that would be one thing, but he can't even finish the job without using his LT to trim around the corners (and the back yard). I think 1/4 acre is a justifiable lot for a small rider. There are just two things to consider: are you looking to save time or effort? It might actually take you longer to mow a small lot with a rider vs pushing a mower around, but if you're looking to avoid the physical strain of pushing a mower due to health reasons or otherwise, a rider might be the way to go. The key to saving time is to dig mulched flowerbeds around obstacles to eliminate the need for trimming. It's a lot of work, initially, but pays huge dividends in the long run.

Oh come on Duke88! That was as watered down as I could make it. I didn't say anything bad about the LA series, just that I wouldn't recommend it. No my foot was never run over by an LA series, but my L100-wheeling neighbor did cut two feet into my front lawn one time while trimming around a mutually owned tree, scalping the heck out of my Bermudagrass as the edge of the mower dipped in the turn. Maybe that was the root cause. I don't much care for VWs these days either, but seven years ago I did, and I just can't seem to wear that Jetta out. Seven years and 100k miles of running it through the gears to redline, and the clutch is still tight, lifters don't make any noise, still rides like it's on rails. Basically the only difference between that car when I bought it new and now is a couple of scratches and a broken hinge on the center armrest--oh, and a small indentation roughly the shape of my left buttcheek from when I fell off my workbench and landed on the C-pillar. Don't ask why I was standing on my workbench; let's just say I didn't think that one through. I guess having Mobil 1 since 1,001 miles and always being garage kept has helped a bit, but it's a good car. And you've got to give props to the Germans for getting 150hp out of a 1.8L engine (the 2002 model put out 180 with a slightly larger turbo) while still maintaining reliability. By that math, my Yukon should be putting out 530hp! ***** I have to kind of agree with Metal... Unless your husband's been talking about buying a mower, and you have a really good idea what he would like, suprising him might not be the best way to go. My neighbor's wife bought him a new-style Mustang as a welcome home from Iraq gift (with his money--she doesn't work). It was a lime green six cylinder automatic. He absolutely hated it.