I just went through the process of asking for recommendations for a similar sized mower, doing all the soul searching and research.
Here is what I came to. If you want a seriously well made, quality unit, go used. I would recommend a lightly used John Deere in the LX, GT, GX or 300 series tractor. Simplicity, Kubota, Ariens and Gravely are great too but not as common and harder to get parts for. If you really want to buy new and need just a basic mower, Craftsman or John Deere is a good choice just know that the new, basic lawn mowers are no where near the quality of something used from 8-10 years ago.
Between Facebook market place, craigslist, offer up and letgo; my area has several LX, GT, 300 and even a 400 series tractor in good condition for less than $3,000 and many of them less than $1,000. All most of them need are tire tubes and tune ups, maybe a belt or hose here or there.
I scored a 2005 John Deere LX 280 all wheel steel with 250 hrs, a mulching kit and many new parts for $1,700. All I did was install new tires and a full tune up, along with a good scrubbing. I now have a mint condition, serious quality machine that should easily mow all of my property with no major repairs or maintenance till the 1,000 hour mark. I am very pleased and the machine is much better quality than anything sold in a store today.
