I wonder, at this point, if a front mounted deck might not be handy for mowing under bushes, etc.. The mower could be run underneath, rather than alongside of.
************
That would be nice to mow out over ditches and banks with.

Earlier this spring I was shopping to replace my 18 yr old lawn tractor(12hp-38in single B&S splash-lube).My priorities at the time were: 42in deck and a bigger engine. After considering 5 different tractors, I ended up buying a JD LA 130(a model that not many posters like on this site and thats OK) I'll elicit the things I like about the tractor in order of importance to me (now):1) The 4 guage wheels.(saves my blades on uneven terrain) 2)48in deck.(reduces cutting time considerably). 3) The foot operated hydro tranny.(enables me to mow close to objects by controlling my speed more precisely) 4)The smoothness of the twin cylinder. 5) The RIO (reverse implement option permits me to back up with the mower on without disengaging the mower. I guess ultimately the most important consideration for me would be RELIABILITY; but there isn't any way I can determine this before buying a tractor. To me, the brand is not really that important but rather what works well for YOU.

Well, I went to sears looking for a garden tractor that would accept a plow, dozer blade, and a cultivator. I was introduced to a GT5000 B&S and a GT5000 Kohler. I went with the Kohler. It's a pro series 25HP v-twin. I don't have a huge yard so the 48" cut mower deck is just fine.
Just for fun I put the wheel weights and chains on it and set the plow at max depth just to see what she would do. Let's just say I was VERRY impressed....

I think the Sears GT5000 is a heckuva garden tractor. Plenty of power, good value and without the pretense of some other brands.

I have the newer version DSG 6500 Craftsman garden tractor with a B&S engine fitted with a JBJr and am very pleased. I didn't want to spend the kind of money it takes for some of the very good higher price brands. The only thing I would have liked is another PTO but hey, for the price...

Mowing around trees,bushes,etc.Even with my ZTR,I cannot get close to such objects,as the deck outer edge rubs the object,and the blade tips are still an inch or two in side the deck.Sooooooo,a couple times a year I spray Roundup around these objects 12" out from said object. Driving a Gear box or hydro,tight or large turn radius,color,brand,deck size,price,or tractor size etc. makes not one bit of difference.No trimming hassles.JMHO TBK

One thing that was better, on my mower with interconnected steering, was that the deck protruded, maybe 6" beyond the wheel on the left side (closed end of the deck).

With the new ZTR is only protrudes an inch or two. As a result, going around a smaller tree, the mower and rear wheels are "wrapped" around the tree. As a result, if I keep going around, with the deck tight to the tree, the rear wheel will ride right up the tree or glance off of it.

This could be operator inexperience, but I don't thing so.

I think that many people who are in the market for a new lawn tractor get distracted by all the FLASH.
Bright paint,oversized engines,hydro trans,electric PTO's and the list goes on.
Think about what this tractor is going to be doing 90% of it's life....cutting grass.
The mower deck was my main concern when I went shopping 4 years ago.
My last tractor went through 3 set of blade mandrels in 10 years so No 1 on my list was greasable bearing mandrels.
No 2 was 4 gauge wheels to prevent scalping.
Last was ease of removal.
If your deck is a PITA to remove then chances are its not going to get cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.
Forget the glitter and look at the deck.

John Deere
Sears Craftsman
Simplicity

Chose John Deere because:

a.) the dealership is large, has been around for decades, and close.

b.) Sears has a poor service plan; no place to bring mower for service and nearest Husqvarna dealership is a greater distance then my JD dealership. Also Sears salesman didn't know much about the tractors; the conversation kept drifting back to him pushing the extended warranty.

c.) Simplicity dealer was far away relative to JD dealer.

d.) I have three friends who own John Deeres. Whether they're better than other tractors or not, all of my pals like theirs and have had trouble-free service.

JD dealer recommended an LA130. Bought an LA140. Love it.

I bought a WheelHorse because I beat the sh** out of my machines, and so far WheelHorse is the only brand I've found that can take it.
The rest of my stuff spends more time in the workshop than it does working.

When we moved two and a half years ago, our new house came with a Cub Cadet. One year and $1,2000.00 later to keep it running, I knew I needed a tractor that would mow, tow and blow snow plus travel up and around hills and start and run every time.

Given my CC experience, I looked at:
Deere
Sears
Simplicity.

I purchased a Simplicity Conquest, 21 hp B & S Vanguard engine, 44" deck (perfect for our property), a 10 cubic foot cart and a 42" single stage snow thrower, wheel weights and chains.

Purchased the Conquest based on recommendations from this forum. The dealership is 5 miles away and highly recommended by many, included landscapers who rely on their machines and quality service.The test drive was great and the tractor is exceptional comfortable to ride and easy to use. Deck comes off in 2 to 3 minutes for cleaning and maintenance. Removing the deck and putting on the snow thrower takes about 30 minutes total.

No regrets and trouble free riding so far.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

Bought my Deere GX345 cause I wanted a liquid cooled engine, hydraulics, and differential lock. Of course I partial to the green machines since I've had great service from my previous unit (15+ years).

All hardy machines mentioned here. Nice thread...

-gh

I was out earlier mowing, 'till it started to pour.

I was honing my skills at mowing around the trees with the Z. What I determined, was that it had to be inched forward and then swung in, toward the tree, and this process had to be repeated, full circle. I couldn't just set a radius and spin around the tree.

Many of you have indicated that you are pretty pleased with your selections and that's good. I can say the same about all of my tractors/mowers. However, I'm the type of person, who CAN usually find something to be improved upon with most everything, if I look hard enough ... not saying that I do. But, when you use a tractor/mower for 10-20 years, you try to get an improved version, when you up-date.

Last time I purchased a mower looked at several brands, choose Sears because; more features for the dollar, had owned sears prior - it was still going after 29 yrs (1973 to 2002) with very few problems, but wanted to bag and could not get a baggers for the old sears ST10.
This mower is used on my personal lawn and in addition I have a JD GT275 for Moms property which is 12 miles away.
I also have a (1979) JD2040 w/ a FEL which I use for handling mulch and other landscaping materials in a part time business.
Recently retired for full time employement and am going pretty much full time landscaping by default.
Would like to replace the GT275 with a Zturn - probably a Scag Tiger Cub, because the amount of grass at Moms property and maybe do a little commerical cutting with it.
I previously had purchased a Woods RM990 finishing mower for the 2040, but couldn't compete with the Zturns, so I sold the woods this spring.
I've had good service from all equipment I've purchased - from sears to deeres, but like the original purchase price, Deere service is dear, but still very good. I only use purchase service when I have trouble finding time to do it myself, seems like a lot lately.
Been trying to buy a JD gator TX model, best price so far is $6,150; way to much in my opinion. I should not be to tough on the TX, had it on demo for 8 days with 23 hrs my use on the clock. Had a landscaping contract where it would be highly visible - so dealer said why not. Turned it in yesterday "not sold" :-( .

Why don't you take a look at the Woods ZTRs?

I found a CC 2500 series a best bang for my buck.