Lawn Tractors, Mowers And So On

[Dean Hoffman]

Consumer Reports has all John Deere gasoline powered in the top 5 lawn tractors. The cheapest is the S120 at $2100. They have only one of the rear engine gasoline powered riders listed. It's a Cub Cadet CC30 H. $2100. The cheapest zero turn gasoline mower in their top 5 is a John Deere Z345R-42. $3100. The Cub Cadet SC100 HW is second in their ratings of gasoline push mowers at $300. The Honda HRN216VKA is in their top 5 of gas powered self propelled mowers. $549.

[hubops]

Like always " a-grain-of-salt " ... on these things. Though C-R has a pretty good reputation - I'll never forget that MotorTrend's Car Of The Year for 1971 was the Chevy Vega - one of the very worst cars ever made. < I owned one >

As for lawn mowers - everyone's needs & expectations are quite different. My push-mower for the last ~ 18 years - is a ~ 1990 3.5 HP B&S 20 inch Jacobsen/Homelite. All of $ 25. at an auction - _not running_ ! heaven forbid ! - it only needed a carb clean-out - un-used for a few years -

- aluminum deck ; no safety bar ; no self-propelled ; - it weighs like a feather ! mows like a champ ; starts 2 nd or 3 rd pull after sitting for 6 months ; 1 st or 2 nd pull for the rest of the summer. I dare anyone to find a better modern push mower ! < computerized crap notwithstanding >

... oh wait .. sorry - - nobody _makes_ _anything_like_this_ anymore .. why is that .. ? Hmmm. John T.

[Snag]

I ride a 1982 vintage JD 317 yard tractor ... 54" snow plow blade and

42" mower deck . Needs maintenance pretty much all the time but it does the job . It's haul;ed a lotta cords of firewood out of the forest and into my woodlot . Keeps my trails thru the woods clear , and the vegetation out in our "yard" under control . And is an integral part of the local "citizen snow removal crew" .