Riding Lawn Mowers: any advice?

[Racer X]

I have a neighbor kid. Yard waste is $32 a month here, and I pay the neighbor kid $40 a month, and the clippings just disappear. So, essentialy, I pay $8 a month.

I really do agree that an older used one is the way to go.

[Grateful11]

[quote Buckeye_Sean]Another vote for Deere. I have a 316 and I abuse the hell out of it - was given to me by my Father in law as a trade for some work I did. The frame on it is beefier than my Dodge 1/2 ton 4WD!

One thing about the older mowers like Deere & Cub - yes, you have to learn to tinker with them from time to time. BUT, parts are plentiful - even if you have a 20 or 30 year old mower. Try finding certain parts for a big box mower that is older than 5 years.

You can get a big box mower, but as many have said it won't last. Buy an older good condition Deere, Cub etc. and chances are you can sell it 10 years later for about what you paid for it.
The new L Series John Deere mowers that are sold in the Big Box stores are the exact same L Series that is sold at John Deere dealers and yes you can get parts. The series is about 5 years old now and parts are still available. The predecessor Scott's mowers, which are basically the same thing, still have parts availability from what I've been told. Other brands of Big Box mower might be a different story.

Here's a link to the Scott's manuals, you won't see many other company's giving away manuals for out of date mowers.

http://www.deere.com/en_US/scotts/serv_o...nuals.html

The L series mowers are built in Tennessee by non-Union labor in a John Deere factory. That's one of the reasons they can sell them for less.