I currently have a 28hp/60" Cub Cadet garden tractor and it's a pretty good unit. It replaced a similarly-sized John Deere garden tractor. I cut about 2 acres around the house and both units performed fine (I have three hayburners to handle the rest of the farm). Of the two, I prefer the John Deere. It felt better built and more solid, did a great job on the yard, was more nimble, and finally, it didn't scalp the uneven areas like the Cubbie does (like most of WV, my yard is a little hilly in places).

FYI, the mass-market JDs (Lowes, Home Depot) are built offshore and the lesser Cub Cadets (Tractor Supply, Farm & Fleet) are built by MTD. They're not bad tractors, just lighter duty and therefore less expensive.

Actually all cub cadets are built by MTD as are the mass market Toro units. I have a Toro 260 that is about 5 years old, and haven't had any troubles. To find a good unit it boils down to the old logic- you get what you pay for.

Recommendations:

Top end John Deere- not the ones that you find at Home Depot or the like- go to a John Deere dealer.

Top end Cub Cadet- MTD has not fooled with the higher end units- still very well built. You want a unit with shaft drive- not belt between the engine and trans. Look at the 2500 or 3000 series units

Simplicity- great units, still independent.

Kubota

I can't recommend Toro any longer since Toro has decided to compete on the cheap with Craftsman type product.

Expect to pay $4000+ for a good machine

Since you are only cutting a 3/4 acre lot the Home Depot Deer should be just fine. The dealer also sells $2,000 dollars tractors as well.

You might also consider a three wheel unit?

I mean a unit like this

http://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs/s...3817&langId=-1

http://www.scag.com/zcat.html

http://www.toro.com/professional/lce...500/index.html

X54.4- I think you are missing his point. He already has a $2000 machine and its garbage after only a few years. It doesn't matter which $2000 macine you buy, they all contain pretty much the same parts. The $$ in a lawn tractor are in the hydrostat, mower deck and steer axle. Whether its silver, green, red, orange or yellow and white they all use the same major components. The devil is in the details- in a 2K machine they don't use wear bushings in the hydrostat at the wheel end making them non-repairable, steel in the mower deck is thinner, wheels are smaller, frame thinner, front axle is weaker, steering not as tough. To get a good lawn/garden tractor these days it costs $4000-$6000 and you should get at least 20 years out of it with proper care.

The lot size doesn't have much to do with the size machine you need. It is what you do with it on your lot. A 2K machine will have a hard time plowing or blowing snow, tilling a garden, hauling a trailer, etc. My yard is 1-1/4 acres and I have a Toro 268 18HP 42" machine and a Kubota B8200 with a rear mount 48"mower, loader, and backhoe.

No question that a $4,000 machine is built with heaver steel and will do a better job of plowing and pushing snow. It will also last longer.

However most people don't use a lawn tactor for those uses and a 115 Lawn Tractor - SKU20310 for $1599 will get the job done. I do think the lot size is a issue the smaller lot means less run time and less wear.

Does anyone have a 115 Deere?

Pete G, what did you end up doing?

I've decided what i want to buy. the problem is when. I went to the local John Deere dealer and decided on the JD X300. He still has them on hand at this time of year. problem is, he said in all honesty He would question me buying it for one or two last mows of the season where we live, only to then put it in my shed for the winter. I probably wouldn't bring it out again until May. He thought it would be a shame to have my tractor burning up warranty time for 6 months after only a couple of mows. I may wait until spring, but will probably get the JD X300.

Thanks for your help.:thumbup:

Waiting makes sense, did you look at one of these?

http://www.scag.com/zcat.html