[toyman]

Not to take a totally opposing view, but you guys are comparing apples to oranges. There is no comparison between a garden tractor and a lawn tractor except that they both have 4 wheels, a motor, and can cut grass. Think about the history of these tractors. Back in the late 50's, early '60's John Deere and IH decided that they wanted to get into a new market for home owners. They brought a product to market based on their full sized tractors, which were over-engineered. I believe that these tractors were pretty pricey for the times, just like the comparable current models are today. As the general public took to these home-owner tractors, other company's got involved and started making lower end models (LT's) that hit a price point. The consumer demand for these lower cost tractors grew to point where we are now, that Cub and Deere both decided to get a piece of this market. They still make models that comparable to our garden tractors with a comparable, indexed, price. I know that my 1862 was over $5,000 with the deck back in 1992/93, since I was having drinks with the original owner the day he bought it. If I indexed that price to todays money, I'm sure I'd be approaching $10k, which means I wouldn't be buying at Home Depot or Lowes. Again, not trying to be contrary, but these were never $2,000 machines in their day, they were relatively pricey pieces of equipment.

With that being said, I'm glad they were over-engineered and I have a few in good condition. My first 'tractor' was a 13hp (B&S I/C) Sears riding mower. It was a stamped deck and frame, a light duty mower. I bought when I bought my first house in 1990 for around $800. There was no way I could think of affording much more at the time. (ie: a $3-5k garden tractor was out of the question) I used that Craftsman mower for the 10 years I lived at my old house (.3 acres), and for another year at my new house (2 acres) before I got the 1862. At that time, I sold the Craftsman for $400 and it is still mowing grass today. I maintained it very well when I had it, and the new owner is a motorcycle mechanic, so it is still well maintained. It may not last 40 years, but I think for the $800 it cost new (6+ times the cost of my 1862), 20 years and still kicking is pretty good.

One last thing, I'm part owner of a landscape company and we also mow. Our best cutters are Walker mowers. Some of our Walker's have over 3000 hours on them. Most have Kohler engines and are maintenanced religiously. We also have a couple Toro Z, zero turn mowers with 60" decks. They are very efficient and give a great cut, just not as nice as the Walker's. If I had to choose a pure mowing machine, it would definitely be a Walker. I bought 2 for the company this year and they were $10k each. They don't have any ground engaging equipment, but they do have a blower and blade for the front.