Craftsman YT 4000. 24hp nad 46" deck made by Husqvarna. Solid build, good cut and no doodads. Consumer best-buy and high ratings. Red model circa 2008-9. See them on craigslist at decent prices. The only reason I no longer have mine is I needed a larger tractor for snow plowing.

I'll agree with "grass 1950".
I've had lawn tractors here, that don't do as well as Craftsman, in the mowing category. Those tractors are well built, deck removal and re-install is fairly easy, belts last a long time, and they aren't hard to work on.
I have several C-man lawn tractors and an older Toro/Wheel horse. I like the Craftsman machines better than the WH, although it is an older in years machine.

Re the Craftsman YT4000, any common problems I should look out for while I'm shopping around? BTW, did they say "LT4000" on the hood?

Also, what about the "GT" series? I'm seeing several of those for sale, but no "YT" yet.

A couple of people complained on the Sears review site that the deck belt on their YT 4000 would come of the pullies. Any mass produced machine is going to have some complaints. I never had any problem.
LT (= Lawn Tractor) is a less expensive tractor. GT is a garden (heavier duty) tractor. YT (= Yard Tractor) was the in-between. It has a better quality B&S 24 hp twin engine and heavier guage mettel used for the frame and deck than the LT. Sears color coded their tractors Red color = color of their mid-range product-YT-still is I think. Grey= low end LT and Green or Black and yellow trim = the High end GT. I can only speak to the quality of the Red YT from personal experience. Any Red circa 2008?-2010? 24hp V-twin is going to be the same basic tractor made by Husvarna. May have 46" or 42" deck and came in a hydro and a manual trany model--but same good tractor. I believe the GT sold in the same period was also made by Husqvarna and had good B&S engines. There were a lot of complaints about the electric cltch for engaging the blades on those if I recall correctly. You could also look for Husqvarna (as that is what the Sears was) tractors with 24-26 hp engine or the twin Kohler. Good Luck--hopefully others will post about other manufacturers.

Greatly appreciate all the useful info. It's not easy even getting sellers to read what it says on the hood before I drive 20 miles! Today I'm looking at one that just says GT, no number. It's green 22 HP. Any idea of vintage? Same blade clutch problems?

Sorry, not familiar with it. See if it has an electric clutch, if so, ask the owner if he's had any problems with it. Hopefully, he'll be honest.

Soubs - when you make that first contact call about a Sear/Craftsman brand, ask the seller to provide you with the full model # and serial # from a ID plate or decal located in the cavity under the tilting seat.

If the seller is either unable or reluctant to supply same, would move on. If requested info is provided, go to the link below.... for detailed info on that particular machine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sears manuals

owners manual call for a 106 3/4" belt length, this is too long, folks at Tractor Supply list a 105" for the Husky 46" and it works perfectly, has not jumper off even over rough terrain. My only complaint is the skid plates on the edge of the deck, 2 have broken at the holes, just not enough metal between hole an the edge od shid plate