Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone
Its your money of course, but no way would I pay a premium price for machine that may or may not need: Transaxle replaced at some point, extra scalp wheels, bypass the RIO switch and hope the hood doesn't break if accidentally slammed, etc.
Plus a wide 18 turn radius and not to mention the K46 Hydro isn't good for hilly terrain.
In my humble opinion, the Craftsman Fast Auto 42 inch tractor or the 6 speed model are a far better buy and Sears will probably knock off another $100 or so for Memorial day.
For less money than the JD you get far stronger trans (CVT or manual), better high vent deck for rough terrain with 4 scalp wheels, 6 inch tight turn radius, B&S Platinum engine, steel hood (mostly) and no RIO switch.
That is why I am conflicted..... The craftsman does have some big things going for it, especially the transaxle.
That being said, the Deere is still a few bucks cheaper (because of the rebate) than the Craftsman believe it or not and I do like the peace of mind with dealer/parts support the Deere has going for it. The more comfy seat was nice and If I do decide to upgrade later, the JD should hold its value a bit better.
I am still confused about a few things though. Between the JD and Craftsman, the deck looked better on the JD (minus the extra wheels). Why is the craftsman deck better? All its pulleys were exposed, it had no grease zerks and didn't have as fine of adjustments. The height of the deck looked to be about the same and I believe they are the same gauge sheet metal also?
The steering on the Craftsman was a bit of a worry for me. How long has the "Tight turn" steering been around with the Craftsman? I ask because the design of it looked really poor and I wonder how well that system holds up over time. It was basically an extra spacer between the tie rod and steering arm which allowed the front wheel to turn further at lock. It didn't look very robust and added a few extra bolts to the system. If it holds up well and there are no complaints about it, then I guess it is just another thing the craftsman has going for it but I wasn't sure just looking at it.
In other news, I did the brake job that my current machine needed but I still have the itch for something new.