RE: What kinda of riding mower should i get Posted by: RaptorMan03 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 13, 04 at 1:55 That is nice but i do not wanna mow with 3 blades, I hear too much about bad cuts!!! Raptor Do not believe every thing you hear.I have heard the same story about 3 blade systems.But atleast in my case it is false.I prefere a 3 blade system.I have owned several of both types and the 3 blade decks win.I have an LX277 with a 48C 3 blade and a 2 blade Cub Cudet 2166.The Deere does a better job of cutting.I also had a 2 blade John Deere LX178 38'' deck 2 blade that did not cut as well.I have had others through out the years and the 3 blade systems all out performed the 2 blade systems. Another example was my brother had a Sears Craftsman LT1000 2 blade.He griped about how poor it cut.He sold it and bought a JD L-120 that is a 3 blade 48'' and he is now happy with the cut quality. I would not rule out either 2 or 3 blade systems but.I feel a 3 blade system offers the best cut.The only bad thing about 3 blades is it seems they need scraped and cleaned sooner then a 2 blade.The grass clippings build up faster.

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.

You'll have to forget about the tiller with these mowers. These will cut grass and maybe push a snow blade, but they cannot not tear up ground. These are all entry-level lawn tractors. If you want something with more capability in that price range, you'll have to shop the used market. The John Deere is a better product than any of the bargain-priced MTD products, but that should be no suprise since it's nearly 70% more expensive than the Bolens. Any one of them will cut an acre of grass without a problem, but they are not garden tractors. If I were you, I'd either buy used or forget about the MTDs and compare the John Deere to similarly-priced Craftsman, Husqvarna and Cub Cadet mowers. There are decent new tractors for sale in the $1500+ range. Once you get to $1300 and below, the quality/capability drops off significantly. Frankly I just don't see the point in buying a new tractor for under $1500. There are so many solid used mowers for sale on the Internet for $700-1500 which will outlast any of these tractors twice over. For people who don't care how they get their grass cut, those mowers offer a cheap and simple solution. But for someone who takes the time to post on a forum like this, you'll probably want a little more tractor to satisfy your grounds maintenance needs. Here's a new discontinued Husqvarna in Kentucky which might be worth the drive: Here is a link that might be useful: Husqy in KY

The mower died at a site I cut gratis. I'm not in the cutting business. It's about 5 minutes from home. It acted like a dead battery. Turned over real slow but wouldn't start. When I got home I found the rightmost cell dry. Added water but I just kept adding. Pulled the battery and there was a groove in the bottom of the battery holder. Checked the battery and a groove in the bottom of it. I rinsed the area very well. I thought. My bad. All this took maybe an hour. Three years later there is no visible corrosion anywhere I can see. rant Two years ago I replaced all 4 tires during Rita cleanup. Took a month to get everything cleared. You realize that includes two weeks running a generator. We only lost the garage and everything in it. 16 trees down. Oaks, hickory, pecans, pines and an ash. The house came out ok. That little Murray worked its tail off. Three acres waist deep in limbs and brush from the ones that didn't come down. First time I had to live for a while on MREs. They're better than the C rats back in the sixties. I swear the K rats we had were from Korea. Insurance doesn't come close to replacing everything. Try putting a value on an heirloom. I'm still remembering stuff that was never submitted. /rant Yea I admit it. Once I found out that the battery had dropped acid on the pulley I should have torn down the rear end and cleaned it properly. I didn't. I posted what happened to me so it might stick in somebody's mind if they ever find a groove in the bottom of their battery. And no, bushleague, it wasn't a Craftsman. Or a Walker. ;^)