Which lawn tractor

Need a lawn tractor. Down to either a John Deere D130 or a Craftsman YT4000 (28856) Both 42" cut. JD has 22HP Briggs and Craftsman has 24HP Briggs. Jd costs a little more. Which do you think is best tractor? I mow about .7 acre pretty flat. Will not be using bagger ; mulch only.

Thank you for any input

 

Without knowing much about either mower I'd go for the John Deere simply because you can have it fixed by or get parts from your local Deere dealer. Oh, and a black seat gets hot if left out in the summer sun while the yellow seat stays nice and cool. The Craftsman is about 50 pounds heavier which is often a good thing when talking mowers & tractors.

 

I generally lean toward AYP products for getting the most out of your money. (AYP makes the Craftsman). The deere has a fragile plastic hood (count on it breaking eventually if you get it... it will). Deere parts generally cost more. AYP parts are generally available at any small engine shop, cheaper, and aftermarket parts are widely available. The Craftsmans also have cast aluminum vented blade mandrel housings that seem to hold up better than the stamped sheet metal ones the Deere uses. I like Deere too, but I don't see the $500 difference between the two. The only thing I see better on the Deere is that it has a 12 gauge deck and the Craftsman has a 13 gauge deck (barely any difference). Craftsmans are available with a 10 gauge deck as well, and that would be worth a few bucks more.

 

Hello golfalot,


I couldn't agree more with Mr. Cheese's opinion on this subject, You save money on purchase price AND parts/repairs down the road with the AYP product.....