So much confusion

[bertsmobile1]

In 1970, a Cub Cadet with 10 hp Kohler engine and 42" deck cost $1070. A Ford F100 pickup with 360 V8 and auto transmission was $3100. Both were American made.

The old saying "You get what you pay for" generally holds true. Compare the ratio of auto cost to mower cost today. Good, high quality mowers such as the Kubota BX series or top of the line John Deere are ten times what the old Cub Cadet cost and pickups are AT LEAST ten times what the 1970 Ford F100 cost. You can't expect to get $10,000 worth of mower for $4000 today; your 2020 dollar will only buy so much and no more.

It is a difficult concept for a lot of people to understand , but what you are spending is not money, it is hours of your labour.
he cash is just a transfer medium that is acceptable to both parties
So we have to ignore the number of $$$ and convert the $$$$ to hours worked to get those $$$$ back when you bought the item then work out the $$$$ of the same number of hours today.
That is the only way to compare then to now.
Even that is flawed because most people get a better hourly rate as they progress through to company structure .
Everything we buy now days is a small fraction of what we paid for the same item decades ago
Dad's first petrol push mower cost 2 months wages
So now days that would be around $ 8000 for the median Aussie wage earner or $ 12,500 for an average wage earner.
No one would pay that for a push mower now days.
Or to look a it another way
Dads mower cost him 320 hours of work
A new push mower is about $ 500 which is 20 hours work
So in reality mowers have dropped in price by 400% since 1962 despite the $$ number increasing by 250 %