Thanks for Watching! Find a link to all of my "Must Have", Favorite Tools HERE!! www.amazon.com/shop/chickanic?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsfchickanic_9ERPFPBNGQ924P8NS63B

Have a 43 year old snapper rider still going strong.

For the John Deere oil change, you can get a kit to convert it back to a regular oil system for around $20. I got three new cheap E120s for lawn crews to run and as soon as they each were due for the first oil change I swapped them to the old style system. $60 is $50 too much for an oil change, especially with three units getting 150-200 hours a season each, so 10-12 oil changes per year saves me $500-600 a year converting back those three units

This site is always worth a thumbs-up, but it's sure discouraging to see what passes for equipment now. The Tecumseh on my 45-year-old Garden Way still runs strong, although the spindles on the mower itself have been replaced several times. The engine is also a single cylinder, a type of engine that is perfectly reliable if it's built properly. Tens of millions of one cylinder motorcycles and older lawn care equipment have been superbly reliable since forever. We're just being dealt crap these days.

One piece of advice I would like to give anyone looking into buying a new mower, avoid the big box stores, if your going to be spending a few thousand dollars then go to an actual dealer who not only sales the mower but has repair facilities for your mower, that way you can get your mower repaired at the same place you bought it from and avoid playing phone tag.

I've had my Craftsman yard tractor for 20 years now, with a single cylinder, and the only thing I have changed is the spark plug, blades and the oil. No complaints. The one banger is still running great!

Delivered a nice even cut, has the super tight turning ability kzfaq.infoUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend I was looking for, and is just a blast to drive. It takes a little bit to get used to driving one after driving a normal tractor style, but once you've got it, you've got it. If you're cutting lines, you have to be careful spinning the mower around or the back tire will dig a bare spot. Just take it nice and slow during the turn and then it's back to full throttle across the yard!

I bought my Husqvarna from a large dealer that only sells Husqvarna products. It is not sold in box stores as it has the 22 horsepower Kohler twin in a 42 inch deck. Also have an 18 inch Husqvarna chainsaw. No problem with either one of them. Great products.

I worked an assembly line at MTD years back. The Cib Cadet, craftsman, and others seemed the same but there were subtle differences most often that made the cub cadet ever so slightly better.

The new smaller batteries are AGM, or non-spillable type with glass mats. They're somewhat better from a safety perspective because they don't vent and can be turned on their side, they're also more durable because they don't really lose electrolyte as quickly and can take some abuse since there's no liquid sloshing around. As long as the CCA numbers are the same, they're theoretically better batteries.

I’m a big fan of Craigslist free stuff. I score free lawnmowers routinely. Most need a good carburetor cleaning and a routine tune up and the blade resharpened. Usually up and running for $50 bucks.

I have 2 weed eaters I watched your video and got them running. Thank you for your videos. I am learning how to work on small engines and you help me learn more.

18 yr-old Craftsman 42" LT2000 w/single cylinder. I keep spare spindles on hand - like you say, they definitely go out if you hit something and I do. Fortunately they're easy to find and not particularly expensive. But the engine has (knock on wood) continued to hold up fine.

after going through 3 or 4 of the lowes mtd type mowers, i started buying 50-60 year old cub cadets for a few hundred each and use those. for the price of 1 of these lowes mowers i can have a fleet of half a dozen old ones that are easy to work on with most parts readily available and are classic pieces of american made machinery. and they look good too.

spot on about the Ariens ztr. great mower . 40 yr small engine shop here. We are Lowes warranty center . We see very few of the Ariens in for repairs .

One other thing to watch out for on the John Deere is to avoid those plastic transmissions on the lower-end models. Easy to spot, just look at from behind and you'll see that plastic housing around the rear axle.

A high quality mower that's often overlooked for the smaller lawns are the Snapper rear riders. The Hi-Vac series with a bagger will pick up pine straw along with everything else. They were once equipped with Honda engines but later Briggs.

Great video and overview of the "Big Box" mowers. A few years ago I bought a John Deere riding mower, but got it from a John Deere Dealer vs Big Box store. When time for an oil change came along I spent the $25 on the kit to get rid of the EZ change system and use a standard spin on filter. Best thing I did as $60 to change only half the oil is dumb!

I must have lucked out. I bought a craftsman mower about eight years ago and never had a problem.

I have a 20 year old craftsman lt2000 with a single cylinder Kohler 17hp Command Pro. The engine is great. Still going strong.

I have a Craftsman from Sears from the 90's and was told that they are junk, but I was able to get in fixed in 2021 and it's hanging in there! I have a Briggs & Stratton from the 1970's bought at J.P. Penney, and it is still a monster. A twenty year senior to the Craftsman!

I have a Craftsman T1800/ 42” rider with twin cylinder Kohler motor to mow our one acre, it’s been trouble free. I bought it before our local Sears went out of business, gave a little over $1,000.00 when they had a friends & family sale. Your right about time to start mowing again, but with all of the rain we have a small lake in our front & back yard.

P.S. I work 16 hours a week at Home Depot, we just sold an 80volt Ryobi Zero turn for 7999.99. 8 grand , how insane is that!

I convert those JD easy oil change systems back to old school. There are kits to do that. It's cheap and simple. You remove all that and install a nipple into the block and install a normal oil filter. Also, when switching them over, you will find that you will be adding significantly more oil to fill and that is because the Easy fill system does not allow for removal of all the dirty oil. I convince everyone of my customers to do this. Check it out. BTW, I think you are the best on here!

I just bought a Bad Boy Rogue (Commercial) 72' deck with the Kawasaki FV 1000 35hp engine. As a mechanic, I am vey impressed with the openess of all the components. Eveything is very easy to get to. The deck is 3 gauge (1/4') with 3/8' side plates. It has a great suspension system with an adjustable suspension seat...love it !!

That broken down XMark would make a great restoration video! Thx for all your videos. The time you take to carefully show each step in a repair sets your videos apart from most others. Well done!

I’d like to provide one big plus on the Ariens Apex. What sold me on it was serviceable hydraulics with filters. If you plan on keeping a mower super long term, that was a huge selling point.

We have the 30 inch Troy Bilt riding lawnmower and we've had it for almost 7 years now. Wasn't that expensive, and it fit between our chain link fence gate to get into the backyard. We have it serviced every February before mowing season hits, and we've never had a problem with it. That switch near the mulcher cover was annoying at first, but it hasn't been a problem since we first bought it. It's an easy fix. Steering hasn't been a problem. One of the best lawnmowers I've ever used. Heck, I even gave our neighbor the second key and he uses it on his yard. Older, with breathing problems, and all he has to do is put gas in it. Like our little Troy Bilt.

I have absolutely no idea why I am watching this when I do not have a lawn to mow! Must be the great, factual, no-nonsense presentation!

Hey Chickanic..on that exmark you have on the trailer don't paint the fuel tanks..use Kiwi liquid shoe polish instead ..it won't flake or peel you will be amazed..I've used it in so many applications ..try it you'll see..just make sure the tanks are really clean..Cheers 🥂🥂🥂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

A lot of truth and honesty in your review. The big box store mower are built for a price point. Stay away from the single cylinder, MTD stamped decks, and plastic transmissions. Keep up the great content!

i bought their 46” husqvarna riding mower in 2016. still going strong today. use it a ton. paid $1300 back then…

New mower prices are insane. Glad I bought a second mower a few years back for $1600. 24 HP Intek, 46 inch cut. My toughest mower is a 2000 Poulan Pro 42” cut. I purchased it for $2000 from Sears in 2000. That mower has been tough as hell. Still going strong. I have abused it and it still runs great. Blades, battery, oil, and belts are the only things I have had to replace. Mostly blades. Replaced belts once. Replaced battery three times.

I love watching you. You are a blessing to all of us who work on our small engines.

The sticker shock has thus far deterred me from replacing my 16 year old Husqvarna, but the speed of a ZT is definitely is siren song having roughly 7 acres to keep up with. But so far despite using it more like a brush mower I've only had to replace 1 spindle.

We got a Husqvarna 26HP Kohler engine with a 54” deck and hydrostatic drive. It has a monster bag system on back because we live in the burbs with a ton of trees . Gives a nice smooth cut. It gets stored outdoors all year long with only a cover over it and has no rust anywhere.

I have a 1980s Simplicity (owned by Briggs and Stratton) rider, that I repowered with a single cylinder Tecumseh (10hp). Went from a crappy 12hp briggs that was worn out to a strong running 10hp techumseh, that I bought new old stock a while back. Love that thing and have less than 250 dollars in it.

I'm glad i bought my Murray Select 42" 17.5hp Briggs back in 2019 for $900, brand new on clearance at Walmart and still running and cutting today.😊

Our next door neighbor has an old Toro. It hadn't been started for at least 5yrs. I swapped the battery, checked the oil (which was clean), pulled the choke & hit the key! At first for some reason it wasn't getting fuel. So I pulled off the fuel line at the filter & blew into the tank from the top. Something came out of the line & gas began to run. I hit the key again & ol' Red Rider came to life! Enjoyed rolling the lawn with it.

After 2 failed riding mowers, a Ryobi and a used MTD, my wife and I just got a great deal on a returned and refurbished Husqvarna at Lowe’s for $1200. 22HP. Still comes with full warranty.

Just bought an ariens apex 52 from Lowes. Did lots of research and this is basically an entry level commercial mower. It's awesome

GE made an excellent electric tractor back in the late 60's to early 70's called called the Electrak. Used golf cart batteries on a 3 acre property, Had a 3 motor 3 blade front mounted deck that didn't trample the grass before cutting it. Worked very well cutting below spruce tree branches too.

A couple of years ago I got a Craftsman 30" rear-engine rider at Lowes after years of buying older Snapper rear-engine mowers. I went to start it this year and couldn't even turn the engine over. Turns out the cylinder was full to the brim with gasoline! My biggest problem, though, especially compared to the Snappers, is the balance is very different. It won't mow sidehills my Snappers have no problem with--it falls on its side with me on it. I went to ride it up ramps to load it into my truck, but it reared up, tossed me to the pavement, and then fell on me, breaking my back and some ribs (on the plus side, I lost 30 pounds on hospital food!) I'm now endowed with 2 titanium rods and 11 screws; been doing it for years with the Snappers. The only other mower I've had that with was a 1950's era Roof 3-wheel rear engine 24". My other problem with new mowers is they have so many safety features to protect us I can hardly use it!

Something to remember when buying a big box store mower is that they are not gone through . They have a 3rd party company that slaps on whatever isn't on it and they take it to the front. The tires are often over inflated , the deck levels are way off and so on. You really need to go over these mowers good when you get it home.

Yeah I see how these mowers have significantly gone up in price in last 2-3 years and they can just sit on the lot as far as I'm concerned.

On the exmark, I use "Mother's back to Black" on the plastic trim and fuel tank, etc. Very easy to use and returns a nice shine while cleaning off the dirt and fade. On the big box store mowers, I was told by a John Deere mechanic that the models sold at bigbox stores are not the same as those sold at a Deere dealer. Motors and other drive components are cheapened down to compete against the other brands. You get what you pay for.

I'm personally not sold on zero turns. I have one now and the only time savings I get is the bigger deck and faster ground speed. But on average I mow around the same ground speed as my old mower. If I had it all to do over again, I'd get a simplicity. Their decks do a great job striping the yard and had good cut quality.

I have a 2006 Troy-Bilt 50-in zero turn. They only build it for 1 year and then they switched in 2007. It's built so much better than the other models and I'm so glad I bought that one when I did. I haven't had any issues from it. One PTO switch and almost 20 years.

I turned the stamped deck on my 50 inch White Horse rider to a fabricated deck as various parts developed cracks and holes. Most of the reinforcing was around the spindles as you might expect.

I remember when that Forest Gump special was around $1000 and that wasn’t long ago. I was blessed to buy a lightly used Toro time cutter for that back in 2015. Started a weekend lawn business and it paid for itself very quickly. Great stuff as always.

Back in 2018 I bought a Toro SS5000 Timecutter Zero Turn. It's been great so far. Normal maintenance , blade replacement, oil changes, etc. are cheap to perform. Stamped deck has survived 5 years so far with no rust out. Had to replace spindles due to noisy bearings but the replacements are about $70 for all 3. The jewel on the SS5000 is the Toro designed and built 26.5 HP vertical twin engine. This thing is a powerhouse! Easy starting, quick to warm up and never quits. Even the battery lasted 4 years before requiring replacement. This was a great deal at $3200 back in 2018.. I imagine they cost more now but this one seems to be worth it...

Got me a craftsman from 1987 26 or 28 inch deck I forget but still running like a champ

Your video is the most practical overall opinion (review) and best I have heard for anyone wanting to purchase a rider for mowing their yard. Great tips on Mfrs, construction and possible service issues from a Lady who sees these machines pass through her shop. Fine job and well done there Chickanic!!

husqvarna 46 rider here,...was a return paid 1300. had choke outa adjustment hard start,...magneto air gap excessive,i changed wheel bushings to actual bearings,after fixing a few issues its been reliable, i also added a tubular bumper, i keep the deck pressure washed,and use wd40 😊...i also added L.E.D headlamp bulbs,

My grandmother had a GE Electric lawn mower. It had 6 car batteries "under the hood" was pale yellow and this was in the early 1980's.

I found a really simple, no cost way to never have another bad experience at Lowes.

You are becoming a super star Bre! Love this channel

I learned a long time ago not to buy mowers , chain saws etc from big box stores . Much happier now buying from the dealership. My Husky riding mower with fabricated steel deck , metal axle housing, and Kawasaki engine is great . Enough power that I’m never close to full power even in tall 1-2 foot tall grass 🤔👌👍

It has been about 10 years since I bought a mower at Lowes. It was a troy-bilt rider that came with a free push mower for about $900.00.

I agree 100% with your mower Choices! Great video!❤️❤️

Those AGM batteries cost more to replace but need NO maintenance and don't leak... The stamped decks work great if you have sand instead of rocks!

In may 2016 i bought my first ever rider a 48" Husqvarna and the triple bagger unit from Lowes with a 10% off coupon, I change the oil and sharpen the blades every 2 years and blow out the air filter once a year and it's a beast. I absolutely love it

This is a Lowe's mower buying guide. Here's a tip. If you want a mower that'll last, go to a real outdoor power equipment shop. Lowe's doesn't sell the top-notch level products you'll find elsewhere. And you won't generally get that much of a better price either. Even if it does cost less initially, upkeep and repairs will bite you down the road.

John Deere AUC12916-KIT will convert engine to standard oil filter. ~$40

IMO, the Husqvarna's are made pretty well. I've had mine for a while and it's held up quite well

Try finding a modern woman that could compete with this genuine woman. I myself spent a few years in the power equipment industry after retiring from the automotive industry and I can tell you, this young lady knows her stuff. I absolutely love a woman with brain power. Thank you for your videos with true "know how" and proper terminology. No B.S.

Good advice, thank you again. I bought lawn mowers at Sears for years and it's a shame that Sears is gone. The best was the one with the larger wheels on the rear and I think was a Briggs and Stratton engine, gave it to my son when I bought the Husqvarna I now have, big mistake.

Bought the basic Ariens almost 8 years ago. Only oil changes and upkeep. Love it. The John Deere is a Pain in the butt.

I have a 1993 John Deere GT 262, wouldn't trade it for a new Zero turn. Like you said keep up on maintenance. Love your program, Thank you for all the tips and tricks. Take care 👍

This is actually a really useful video, especially at this time of year. You brought up some ideas I would never have thought of!

For those of you who actually read these comments and own a Sears rider from around 2010 to 2012, they were made by Husqvarna. If you go back in time and look at 2011 Sears YT3000 and a Husq rider of the same size of the same year they look IDENTICAL except for the hood shape. The knobs, switches, engine, tranny, everything is the exact same thing in the exact same place. Also, all parts cross reference back to Husq parts. So don't worry about Sears going of business. They don't make lawnmower parts anyway.

I'm running a 11 year old Husky YTH24V48. I've replaced a couple of belts, one spindle and had to reweld the front deck support after an unintended collision with a solid object. The engine is going strong. I dread the day when the old Husky won't get the job done. Current pricing for that model is up $1100 from what I gave for it in 2012. Thanks for the great videos, I've learned a lot!

My brother has as 2013 Kubota ZD 326. That thing is a beast. The deck alone weighs nearly 400lbs. Machine weighs 1,800lbs with full fuel tanks.

I read a John Deere mower manual recently and it was printed by MTD. Some checking shows that MTD bought the John Deere residential mower line. I know MTD bought Cub Cadet, Husqevarne, Bolens, Yarman, Craftsman, Troy Bilt, etc..

I used to work at the Murray factory in Lawrenceburg TN back before they were taken over by B&S. We used to make craftsman for sears back then. My own mower is a snapper rear engine rider i bought new in 2001. It always starts on the first pull. I only paid $1000 for it back then. My dad just bought a new one and it was $2000.

We got an Ariens this year from Lowes. Got the 52" one at $3999. I really like it being a larger fella. It's seems to sit me at the right height and is easy to get out of the seat after a few hours of mowing.

I’m planning on retrofitting my easy change JD this year. It is a great mower. Although, I like the look of the lawn after I cut with my 21” 2006 snapper, but the rider gets to cleanup afterwards. ✅ Thanks for all you do👏

I agree a fabricated deck is better then a stamped deck. I have both. The only thing I think is the stamped deck clears the grass better then the fabricated deck. A 23 year old yard man with a 46" stamped deck and a 9 or 10 year old Cub Cadit Z-Force with a 48" fabricated deck and both are rusty on the bottom.😁

My 32 year old STX-38 is still going strong and it has a 12 HP single cylinder Kohler Command engine that occasionally puts out some smoke. Back when even the low cost JD's were built better than most mowers today. Good to know Cub Cadet is just a MTD like the Craftsman. If I had to buy a new mower today, I would search for a used one in good shape. The new ones just are too much money.

the comment about an 11.5HP engine on a rider...my first tractor was a 10HP Craftsman single cylinder Briggs, with 42" deck. I mowed professionally with that mower for 5 years. LOTS of repairs but it was FANTASTIC. Later had a Deere rider with an 11HP Kawasaki twin, another fantastic mower that punched above its weight...used it to mow my 5 acre lot for several years...nothing but gas, oil changes and belts for all that work...

Against the odds, lol. So far I love the 46" Cub Cadet and had no issues with it. Love the seat and adjustable for my height. Cuts great. Also, came down to what was available in 46". Lowe's had NOTHING in 46" or anything else at the time last year ! Covid manufacturing restrains ! John Deere And Craftsman are NOT what they used to be known for !

Thanks, great advice as usual. You’re not kidding, sticker shock! Like twice what my YT4000 cost 12 or so years ago. “Craftsman” apparently changed manufacturers. The old YT4000 parts all seem to cross to Husqvarna parts which are usually less expensive than Craftsman. The advice on spindles is right on. Usually a rock breaks it before the bearing goes bad. Luckily the genuine Husqvarna spindles are not expensive, though it is still a pain in the neck to change them. I have wood sticks cut to length to wedge the broken off mounting tabs below the deck so I can back out the bolts. If there isn’t enough of the tab left to wedge, I use a Dremel tool to cut it off. Sometimes you can grab the tab remnant with Vise-grips.

Bought a Craftsman T210 going on 3 years ago. I compared it to a similar John Deer setting next to it. Craftsman had better comfort by far. Higher back seat. Better feel as far as turning goes. Near zero turn turning ability which going on 3 years for me has been awesome. That higher back seat was a huge plus for me. I mow about 1 acre where I currently live then over 3 more on property I am currently developing into a small farm/homestead. I was personally not impressed with the John Deer at all. The craftsman is very quiet as well and my neighbors owns a John Deer and the thing sounds like a Sherman Tank when he mows lol. No kidding we hear it plain as day inside our house and are always very pleased when he finishes mowing 😂. My family says they don’t even know I am mowing unless they are in a room close to where I am mowing at the time. Could not be happier with that T210 Craftsman. It rides great cuts even and with the ability to steer so tight combined with the hydrostatic drive my mowing time was cut in half or better. Love this thing. Hope it holds up. I usually take families older broken down mowers and fix them then run them till there is nothing left. It was a cheap way to save a lot of money over the course of my life. At near 60 I finally decided to spoil myself for a change. I am glad / thankful the good lord gave me a very strong mechanical ability allowing me to fix pretty much everything I have owned my entire life. Its saved me tens of thousands over the course of my life. I gotta say though having a mower you can walk up to and pretty much count on to do its job every time is nice. I will say there was an issue with this particular model back when I bought it. The deck drive belt jumped off a couple times when I hit heavy grass. I had seen videos about it and people were trash talking this mower. So I took a look. Grabbed the pulleys one by one and sure enough there was one loose. The bolts were never tightened at the factory. I tightened them and checked the others which were all good. Never a problem since then. It was brand new but I was not a bit upset. I expect human error with most anything these days as quality seems to no longer be a priority. Terry

Just subscribed today and enjoy the presentations. Saw this one and appreciate the commentary about stamped vs. fabricated decks. My first zero turn was a Toro (I forget the model) and I literally beat it to death over 7 seasons on 5 acres. Stamped deck, rusted out, blown spindles. Fast forward to a new zero turn, a Bad Boy ZT Elite that I bought in Mississippi in 2016. Less than 100 hours on it now, but I maintain it and the Kawasaki engine like they say. Since my wife and I now live in central Arkansas (hello, neighbor!) and since Bad Boy has their HQ in Batesville, AR, maybe a word or two about these machines. My research and experience with this machine indicates they're pretty stout from a construction standpoint, the Kawasaki engines (I have an FR730 2-cylinder) are excellent, and the only problem I have with it is that it's very sensitive to tire pressure. That, and the odd duck balancing of the deck can lead to stripes where you don't want them. Skag or Gravely might be a better overall machine, but they cost major $$$ when, as a homeowner, I just don't need that much machine. I needed more than the Toro offered, though.

I put a 190cca lawn tractor battery out of my Sears Suburban in my daughter's 1994 Toyota Corolla and it started it fine. I actually cranked it for almost 5 minutes when it ran out of gas. My Kubota G4200 diesel garden tractor battery went bad and it was around $120-$150 depending on where I could find it. It is a very hard to find battery so I changed the terminals from top post to ring terminals and put a 12V 35AH U1 AGM battery in it. It was 1" shorter and fit perfect in the battery tray. Was $56 and available everywhere online. Those tractors don't take much to start them if running correctly. The small John Deere with a single cylinder engine and 42" cut is a great tractor and cheap. It will also use way less fuel to mow the same amount of grass with just a couple more passes. Big decks are overrated for most yards and a smaller deck gets around things better and in small places. A smaller deck also mows uneven and hills better. My 40" Kubota mows better than my 60" Ferris Pro Cut Z without scalping certain areas of the yard.

Its literally a snowstorm here today. I think I'm safe for quite a while. Bout 3 feet of snow on the ground at the moment.

Biggest battery that fits the battery hole. Do it for the car, truck, tractor, etc. If that tractor has an insert. Remove the insert, and put a bigger battery. If you have room, make the battery hole bigger. Lawn tractors should be able to boost a car, or van, or what you drive. Get a pull start added. Lawn tractors are small engines. When the battery is dead, just pull. I have a 1976 John Deere 212 with manual PTO. Pulling a starter rope is cheaper than a battery.

I have a flat 3/4 of an acre. I don't need a big mower, it can be 30" but nothing bigger than 42", because right now I use a push mower, while that is great for a excellent work out, I'm not getting any younger (60 yrs) and anything is better than walking for 3 hours especially in a North Carolina summer. By the way, I don't need to have a Zero Turn mower, just a solid and not expensive vehicle. Thank you for your suggestions!

I send out a message via the neighborhood social media from time to time, and have got so much outdoor power stuff “destined for the trash”. Most of it was nearly in new condition .. just needed a carb kit or cleaning, etc. (ethanol gas disease). 😮

Thanks for the video! I noticed a big change in the JD zero turns at Lowes this year. My 5 year old basic 42" JD zero turn has a hydroformed heavy deck on it. I always liked it because it cleans itself below pretty easily and doesn't collect debris in corners etc. That heavy deck will not bend before the mower stops against an obstacle. However, the newest JD zero turns at Lowes THIS YEAR have a lighter gauge deck on them. The easiest way to tell is that the decks are green instead of yellow and they have a curved reinforced rod around the outside of it. I went over and picked up on the deck and was surprised at the lighter weight and thinner metal used on the deck compared to my old model. I suspect the newer lighter deck will not be as durable over time.

I just bought a JD mower from Lowes. it is 48", 3 blades, twin cyl. to replace a craftsman that is not old but keeps braking. (front tires popping off, broken frame) We have two acres on a side hill with over half in lawn converted from field. We decided to keep the Craftsman for mowing around the house and as a backup. The JD is much heavier and stronger and the triple blades provide a more even cut on our rough ground. I see people in our community with a riding mower, on lawn that would be hard to break a sweat with a push mower. Again the Duty Cycle make a big difference in the life and reliability of a mower.

Wish I knew this before I bought my Troy-Bilt Pony a few years ago. Replaced the spindle after 2 years and have had other miscellaneous issues that I shouldn't have yet with a mower this young. I'll buy a used John Deere before I get one of these MTD mowers. Thank you!

Wow, I have purchased good used cars for less than some of those mowers. Will continue to mow my lawn with my mid 80's Toro Wheelhorse rider. Can't kill this mower. Thanks for the informative vids.

I have a cub cadet rzt 50" with a 22h kawasaki engine. I've got 200 hours on the meter and the only thing Ive had to repair are a deck belt that broke and slow leaks in the rear tires. I have it serviced annually and it's never let me down in the 10 years I owned it. I have 2 acres of lawn.

Having been through the wringer shopping for a used riding mower, I settled on a Husqvarna 42 inch deck (Wanted a 48" or biggger.) BUT it is a Welded deck not stamped and it came with the rear bagger kit. Bought it last spring for $1350 used with 67 hours on it. I now have over 120 hours on it. So having an 18 year old Hustler Fastrak (54" and having always kept my eyes on mowers with large grass areas - I FULLY agree with your assessment of Lowe's offerings. Craftsman is just a name and in fact a name that can get you in trouble unless you are good at second sourcing parts. Too many Craftsman power tools do not have replacement parts. Example - Lowe's sells a little electric chainsaw - BUT you cannot get a bar or chain from craftsman. You have to get an Oregon or other brand. Now Oregon is good but really? Totally not having parts. I was shopping for a small trimming chainsaw and was amazed at this. Ended up with a stihl 12" bar. So YOU are providing OUTSTANDING help to all of us. Anyone ignoring your advice on these mowers does so at their own peril. (Fm NW Arkansas - land of even MORE rocks than your area)

This would have been great information to have about 2 years ago when I bought my Cub Cadet. Since I bought it I have put spindles on about 3-4 times a year.

I’m looking for a zero turn but will not be buying new. Here in Canada, out used are more expensive (and that’s for 5-8 or years old or more) than the new one you showed us in the video. I’d gladly take a fixer upper and put an engine or something in it. Thanks for another informative video!

Despite the gouging on full display when showing the prices, it was still very enjoyable because of the music. So I did a chairdance, and it was good. Stay gold.

In my area (New England) I bought a Kubota z231 with a 42 inch welded deck and a Kawasaki twin for $4000 with zero percent interest. Those Ariens zero turns look to be pretty rugged.

I was looking into the 30 inch riders because of my space limitations but it looks like I'll stick with the push mower because you are right, a year ago these things were selling for about 1k, and now the same thing a year later is 2k. Screw that. They will never get my money for that. If they had gone up 2-3 hundred, maybe, by 1k price increase is just pure greed. Hey MTD..FU!!! for jacking up the prices that makes no sense. All of a sudden a 30 inch rider(if you can even find one now) is almost the same price as a 42 inch? Who comes up with this reasoning? They need to be terminated!!!