My old John Deere Lawn Tractor, that's about 20 years old, needed $600 of work recently. I have such terrible experiences with small engine repair that I take it to a shop. Last year I spent a couple hundred and the year before that was another couple hundred. Not exactly in the realm of "money pit" but far from trouble free. The next time it needs anything but air in the tires I think it will be time to move on.
I absolutely love JD lawn tractors, they are smooth running, relatively quiet and they have good power, i.e. my 17 HP JD pushes snow easier than my 20 HP Yard Man. However, they are $$$.
So, my options are buy a used JD, probably $5000 for the tractor and attachments that I need, add in the time to find the tractor and attachments because my time has value,
Buy a new JD, probably $8000 with accessories,
Or a new Sears for $5500 or so.
The toughest thing I do with my tractor is clear snow off a 300' long, 14' wide shared driveway plus each of the shorter driveways that connect to it. Takes about 4 hours with a snow blade for 8" of heavy snow.
Of course, my wife wants to move south...
I absolutely love JD lawn tractors, they are smooth running, relatively quiet and they have good power, i.e. my 17 HP JD pushes snow easier than my 20 HP Yard Man. However, they are $$$.
So, my options are buy a used JD, probably $5000 for the tractor and attachments that I need, add in the time to find the tractor and attachments because my time has value,
Buy a new JD, probably $8000 with accessories,
Or a new Sears for $5500 or so.
The toughest thing I do with my tractor is clear snow off a 300' long, 14' wide shared driveway plus each of the shorter driveways that connect to it. Takes about 4 hours with a snow blade for 8" of heavy snow.
Of course, my wife wants to move south...
