You can buy a 1970s garden tractor for a lot cheaper than a newer lawn tractor and get way more life out of it. I have a 1970s Jacobson GT-14 and a 1978 Gravely 8162 rider...the Jacobson is a backup mower, light snowplow, and general workhorse. The Gravely is my grunt machine...snow plow, snow blower, backup mower, rotary plow and rototiller for the garden, etc...whatever implement I don't feel like walking behind on my Gravely C10a. Just the engine and transmission of the Gravely probably weighs more than some of these lawn tractors in total. I maintain three acres of grass in the summer and two (three with my elderly neighbor) driveways in the winter. My friend is a big box lawn tractor guy...he has had two Craftsman (one ate a valve and the other locked the transmission up). He currently has a Husquavarna 2554(?) with a Kohler Courage and a 54 inch deck...it has served him well, but he also mows a postage stamp on absolutely flat ground. The one thing I will credit the Husquavarna with is that they do have grease fittings in most places that should have one. I have owned my Grasshopper (a $15k machine I bought used with low hours for $3k) since 2010...I have watched the neighbors on each side of me go through replacement lawn mowers three times in the time I have owned my Grasshopper. The one neighbor got smart, and bought a real John Deere the last time, they have had no issues with it since they bought it. If you plan to be there for any length of time, buy something of quality...most of the newer "lawn tractors" are disposable. You will end up spending the same $$ in the end... Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk