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Hello everyone! Nice to "meet" you. I'm a first-time riding mower purchaser. We don't have too big a yard (about 1/3 acre) and it's not too hilly. There are a few obstacles (trees, flowers, etc.), but nothing too troublesome.

I am between two models at Lowe's - one is a John Deere 42" 17.5 HP and one is a Craftsman 42" 18 HP.



The John Deere stands out because it's...John Deere. John Deere is known for this stuff. But, the Craftsman model has a hydrostatic transmission (the John Deere has an automatic) and a turn radius of 5 inches (as opposed to a turn radius of 18 inches for the John Deere).

Both have cast iron axles. Both are pretty similar with respect to other features (as far as I can tell).

The John Deere is $1600. The Craftsman is $1800, but is on sale for $1650.

Any help, feedback, and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I should note that there's a John Deere 42" 19 HP - https://www.lowes.com/pd/John-Deere...ing-Capability-Kit-Sold-Separately/1000368403. It has a hydrostatic transmission. It's $1800.

That automatic is a CVT setup. Not sure if this is a unit or a set of pulleys and belts. With your yard and the mower size a hydrostatic - even a, well never mind - transmission would probably give quite a few years of service and best way to go. Some comments on the turn tight deal are not too favorable but for normal turning it's probably fine too. And the Craftsman sure is a nice looking machine. If you just like the green paint, there's your mower.

Not trying to be insulting but at those prices, pick the colour that your wife thinks is prettiest.
Both of them are bottom end mowers built down to a low price.
Both have a life span of 5 to 10 years.
The JD should be easier to maintain as even at the bottom end they use captive bolts .
When you have a think objectively about it , what do you expect for 2 weeks wages ?
The retail price of a replacement engine & tranny is higher than the price of the entire mower .

IF it were me & I was only going to mow then look towards the JD 225 ZTR with a 36" deck .
DO not bother looking at any other ZTR with a small deck because they are all junk apart from the Toro/lawnboy range.

Flip a coin. JD e120 gets you into a v twin engine, that is where I would start. For 1/3 acre Toro Timemaster would be my personal choice.

Thanks for the feedback. I understand these aren't state of the art units, but my needs are pretty simple. All I need is mowing on a relatively small flat surface. No towing, no plowing, no hills, etc.

Perhaps this is a silly question, but why would I need to spend more than $2k on a unit based on my needs?

For small yards, the rear Engine Riders are probably a better bet or even a good self propelled in the 24" to 36" range if walking is not a problem
They are a lot better value for money than low end ride ons
The RER's are really good and go most everywhere that a push mower will go

bertsmobile1 said:

For small yards, the rear Engine Riders are probably a better bet or even a good self propelled in the 24" to 36" range if walking is not a problem
They are a lot better value for money than low end ride ons
The RER's are really good and go most everywhere that a push mower will go

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I think this is an excellent suggestion. The Cub Cadet 30" 382cc CC30H Rear-Engine Rider has lots of power plus hydro trans and comes in under your current budget at $1499.00
If you don't mind walking a bit then the 30" Toro Timemasters are currently on sale and the non electric start is $999.00, electric start is $1099.00
If you must purchase one of the choices from Lowes then I would see who the dealership is that will service the machines.
Go with the machine that will be serviced by the dealership you like the most.

thebfamily said:

Thanks for the feedback. I understand these aren't state of the art units, but my needs are pretty simple. All I need is mowing on a relatively small flat surface. No towing, no plowing, no hills, etc.

Perhaps this is a silly question, but why would I need to spend more than $2k on a unit based on my needs?

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IT just depends on weather you want to be buying a new mower every 5 to 10 years or buy on now and let the kids worry about replacing it after you are gone.
Cheap mowers are exactly that cheap and most will only last a short while.
Then they need expensive repairs that no one wants to do because the mower was only $ 2000 so a $ 600 repair is out of the question as is a $ 400 service.
IF you paid $ 5000 for the mower then a $ 400 service every 3 to 4 years seems reasonable
IT is all about percieved value .
I have a truck full of Ryobi stuff that has never been service because it was only $ 100 new & a basic service is $ 45 + parts
Thus the owners tell me not to fix them and I may as well keep it while they pop down to the glass front & buy another one.
Where as the owners of the $ 500 Stihls will happily pay the same fee every few years and are rewarded with gear that last 20+ years and in the long run cost 1/4 of what the cheap ryobi stuff does .

New we are fully aware of your needs we can make better suggestions .
In the showroom or at a dealers yard it is easy to see the wide deck and think that a 42" mower will cut our grass in 1/2 the time that a 24" mower did.
However this is rarely the case & a smaller deck that goes places where you previously hand mowed or used a line trimmer will save a lot more time than a wider deck.

I would not buy any model with a single cylinder engine Briggs or Kohler, Twins seem to be made to a lot higher standard and I would go with the Craftsmen , Compair parts prices from one to the other, belts, spindles, blades, . Lowes will not work on it so you might ask the person that is going to, I have had many people tell me John Deere Store will not work on the Lowes bought John Deere, I have and I saw no difference other then deck color.

Craftsman is made by MTD. And they're almost exactly the same as a troybilt. IMO, not worth the money in any capacity.
If I was in your shoes, I'd buy a used Husqvarna with a few minor known problems. You probably pick one up for $500 to $800.
If anything other than an engine or transmission problem, even if you have to take it to a shop for the repairs, you'll come out a lot cheaper. And have a much better mower than anything new that's made by MTD.
John Deere isn't a bad product. But usually the cost of parts and repairs are more expensive.

Thanks, all! I appreciate your time and your feedback.

PTmowerMech said:

Craftsman is made by MTD. And they're almost exactly the same as a troybilt. IMO, not worth the money in any capacity.
If I was in your shoes, I'd buy a used Husqvarna with a few minor known problems. You probably pick one up for $500 to $800.
If anything other than an engine or transmission problem, even if you have to take it to a shop for the repairs, you'll come out a lot cheaper. And have a much better mower than anything new that's made by MTD.
John Deere isn't a bad product. But usually the cost of parts and repairs are more expensive.

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Are you sure about that ?
Most of the craftsman ride ons I see are out of the AYP ( Husqvarna factory )

Some are MTD and some are AYP , but the one that is listed he is looking at is MTD , Like you I thought they were all AYP until I Googled it, made me a little sick, I really like the AYP ,

thebfamily said:

Hello everyone! Nice to "meet" you. I'm a first-time riding mower purchaser. We don't have too big a yard (about 1/3 acre) and it's not too hilly. There are a few obstacles (trees, flowers, etc.), but nothing too troublesome.

I am between two models at Lowe's - one is a John Deere 42" 17.5 HP and one is a Craftsman 42" 18 HP.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/John-Deere-E100-17-5-HP-Automatic-42-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower-with-Mulching-Capability-Kit-Sold-Separately/1000368401

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-T210-Turn-Tight-18-HP-Hydrostatic-42-in-Riding-Lawn-Mower-with-Mulching-Capability-Kit-Sold-Separately/1000706012

The John Deere stands out because it's...John Deere. John Deere is known for this stuff. But, the Craftsman model has a hydrostatic transmission (the John Deere has an automatic) and a turn radius of 5 inches (as opposed to a turn radius of 18 inches for the John Deere).

Both have cast iron axles. Both are pretty similar with respect to other features (as far as I can tell).

The John Deere is $1600. The Craftsman is $1800, but is on sale for $1650.

Any help, feedback, and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Get a battery operated lawnmower if you can. they're better..

bertsmobile1 said:

Are you sure about that ?
Most of the craftsman ride ons I see are out of the AYP ( Husqvarna factory )

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The ones that are sold around here, IIRC, actually have MTD on the label. I can't tell the difference between those models and the Troybilts.

EGO Man said:

Get a battery operated lawnmower if you can. they're better..

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Hey now. This is a small engine forum. You trying to help ruin our livelihood? LoL.

PTmowerMech said:

Hey now. This is a small engine forum. You trying to help ruin our livelihood? LoL.

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No friend lol. I wish they had battery operated mower and battery forums. Am I missing something?

EGO Man said:

No friend lol. I wish they had battery operated mower and battery forums. Am I missing something?

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How do you set the valves on a robot? lol

I had some stuff that needs fixing, so i stuck it out front. And had a lot of traffic in here yesterday. And one customer. This all when we're just cleaning up and organizing everything. Just the location alone, I think is going to be enough to keep me busy.
Time to order some work orders, tags and business cards.
Will look into the webpage later. At the moment, I don't have a lot of time.
The shops compressor pump went out and I offered to buy a new one. (cheap one from Harbor Freight)

After putting the owners stuff on the radiator side of the shop, I can tell, I'm still gonna need more room, soon enough.

Thanks for all the encouragement guys.