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What do you look for in a brand, what are some of your must have's, does dealer experience matter to you, do you stick with 1 brand everytime, what do you look at first when you are buying. all information helps!

Quality of workmanship, durability, engine make, parts availability, & yes reputation of Dealer does matter, quality of work performed by Technicians, yes my two sons & I have relied on our Simplicity Lawn Tractors since 2010 performing all maintenance ourselves. Three of our Tractors were purchased used with low hours. Research all mowers that interest you, read reviews, then go try them out. Let us know if this helps, thanks, Mark

First, you don’t tell us if you are looking for a walk behind or ride on mower, as you look for totally different things. I’m going to assume that you mean walk behind and us it for my answer.
1. What type of landscape and size do you have? If it is less than 1/4 acre and flat, you don’t need a self propelled unit. If larger or has some slopes I would definitely recommend a self propelled unit.
2. Are you bagging, mulching, side discharging or all of these depending on season?
3. Which major brand names do you have in your area? I always recommend going with a major brand name, Toro, Ariens, Simplicity, Honda, Snapper, etc. I will never recommend a unit built by MTD, which are sold by the Big Box stores.
4. Which dealers in your area sell the major brands? Are there dealerships in your area which have a bad reputation on service? Have you been comfortable with any of the dealerships in your area? I always recommend buying from a dealership whenever possible.
5. Are you going to be the only user of the unit? If not get the other persons input. You make the final decision, but you want them happy using the unit or you’ll loose your help.
6. Ask your friends and neighbors, who have the major brands, what they like or dislike about their units.
7. I know that price is always a consideration, but most times paying more up front is better. I would look for things like cast deck, metal drive wheels, engine type and size, comfortable handle and drive system, etc.
Finally being a Toro guy since the 80’s I’ve got to say this in closing. I have recommended the Toro Super Recycler mowers for the last 40 years. Hope this helps, if you are looking at ride on units, I’ll post those rules later.

Thanks so much! My apologies, I did forget to mention I was looking for a ride on mower.

Depending on the acreage you're going to mow, just yours or other lawns. Nice thick grass or lawns with bahai grass the(devil's grass)

Fabricated deck wins over stamped deck by far..
Many many times I've seen someone buy a new box store mower with a flimsy stamped deck.. 5-10 yrs down the road the deck is ate out and the engine, trans works fine. They look into the price of a replacement deck fall dead over it.. and end up buying another crappy box store mower with another stamped deck.

That's the no. 1 on my book.

Brand loyalty is a fools errand which is why the brands force it down our throats and it works because people do not want to think or make a decision for themselves.
Apart from that there is not much more I can say because what I look for in a ZTR is different to what I look for in a tractor which is different to a walk behind which is different to a self propelled.
However I always ask to see the owners manual then I go to the parts counter and get a price for the service parts and check that they are in STOCK .
I also check to see what is available in aftermarket parts and what blade options are available .
I have a close look at air filters because very few are actually up to the job.
THis gives me a rough idea about the running costs
After that it is user dependent
Home owners usually want a pressed deck because they give a better cut
Contractors look for a fabricated deck that lifts very high because they take a bashing going into & out of their trailers .
Tie down points & external brakes are a big + because they do not fill the oil with brake debris

I agree with Bert on just about everything he posted but one. That is brand loyalty. I always recommend staying with the major brands, where you have a dealership you are comfortable dealing with. In today’s market that doesn’t give you many choices. In today’s tractor market I see it as a crap shoot, as you don’t have many options unless you spend more than what you were planning. To me finding a good dealership, you can count on, is more important than brand name. Just like walk behind units I would stay away from any unit built by MTD, which covers the majority of the market. Big Box store units would never be on my list. That being said use the items I recommend for walk behold units with minor adjustments, and use your gut feeling when making your final decision.

I try to find one that wife does not have to strain or sweat to much when pushing it uphill and she prefers one that she does not have to manually wrap the crank rope around a pulley when starting the engine. She likes the auto rope recoil type of starters (after she seen one in use). Upgrading the old Briggs to the recoil rope starter cost me few bucks.

If mommy not happy, no one is happy.

I'd just make one observation and comment. I know a lot of guys will say that a stamped deck is a reason NOT to buy a particular lawn tractor. I suppose if I had a mowing service and ran the thing all day, 6 or 7 days a week, or if I still lived out on the farm, I'd probably go along with not buying anything with a stamped deck. However, it really depends on how large a lawn you'll be using it on and how much maintenance you're willing to do.

I now live in town. I was born and raised out in the country and lived there most of my life. I mowed a LOT of grass when I was still on the farm. After we moved in town, my mowing was suddenly reduced to a 35 minute chore. I now use a Craftsman T140 that has a 46" deck on it. Every year, during the winter months, I go over my tractor top to bottom and front to back. One of the specific tasks I perform is to remove the deck, flip it upside down on some sawhorses, then clean the underside of the deck thoroughly. I will use a pressure washer and when necessary, a drill with a wire wheel on it to get the deck completely free of any grass and/or dirt. I then apply two coats of Rust-oleum primer, then two coats of whatever enamel paint I have on hand. After that I apply two coats of a really heavy duty metal protector. Doing this at least once a year will keep a stamped deck from rusting out like some of the guys have mentioned. If I was mowing a much larger lawn, I'd consider doing the deck cleaning twice a year. With this little lawn I have, I think once a year is adequate.

So, depending on the amount of grass you mow, a stamped deck isn't a reason to avoid a tractor. Any piece of equipment will last longer and perform better when it is maintained. I kind of expect this Craftsman tractor to be the last one I own.

Just my two cents worth.

Rivets said:

I agree with Bert on just about everything he posted but one. That is brand loyalty. I always recommend staying with the major brands, where you have a dealership you are comfortable dealing with. In today’s market that doesn’t give you many choices. In today’s tractor market I see it as a crap shoot, as you don’t have many options unless you spend more than what you were planning. To me finding a good dealership, you can count on, is more important than brand name. Just like walk behind units I would stay away from any unit built by MTD, which covers the majority of the market. Big Box store units would never be on my list. That being said use the items I recommend for walk behold units with minor adjustments, and use your gut feeling when making your final decision.

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Limit your choice to a major brand that you have heard of by all means but don't just buy one of their products because you saw it on TV or you had that brand 10 years ago & it was good , Cub's were fantastic now they are junk .
Down here for domestic stuff I recommend JD,TORO, Cox, Greenfields or Country Clipper
Just about everything else is trash

bertsmobile1 said:

Cub's were fantastic now they are junk

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I have to agree with that, kind of. Cubs are NOWHERE near what they were when they were built by the International Harvester company. Whether or not they are junk is kind of subjective. People with a small lawn like I now have can get years of use out of an MTD made Cub. One thing you can NOT do with an MTD Cub is just run it without performing regular maintenance. There are way too many parts and pieces that wear quickly on them. One of the worst things on any MTD made tractor is the deck hangers. They are kind of cheaply made, thin strips of metal that will wallow out no matter how careful you are. When I was running Cubs a few years back, I had to replace the hangers on every one of them at least once.