What i see here, is hydro's are the way to go, except... low end hydro's wont take a beating like hi end hydro's, of course that is true with a manual as well. My opinion is, either will do what it is supposed to do, key words are ((supposed to do)) But.... in my experiences, a manual will last longer doing what it 'isnt' supposed to do, than a hydro will. But this falls under the abuse category .
service when you are supposed to, do with it only what it is intended for, and if you want to do more, buy a larger more heavy duty machine.Its not, "one size fits all" and personal preference if you want to shift gears or not.

Way to GO - Hydro

I suggest you get an 'in home' demonstration of both by mowing your yard with each model and then buy the one you prefer

[Hint] - After doing that, you'll buy the hydro, 99% guaranteed ;-)

Don

tetonper,
I have a DSG 6500 with the 6 spd. manual. I'm a newbie compared to most of the guys on this forum but I LOVE my little tractor! To my mind the 6 spd is more rugged. A lot depends on what you use it for. Is your property hilly or flat? Do you use a lot of ground engaging implements or mostly just mowing? Hilly and ground engaging I would go with the manual. Hydro's tend to die on the hills. Relatively flat and just mowing the hydro should be fine. Regardless, if you get the hydro don't believe the "no maintainence required" propaganda. If I had purchased a more expensive tractor like a JD or Kubota I would not be as worried about the hydro but with Craftsman I needed to be as bullet proof as I could. I have a sleeve hitch and a moldboard plow, a JBJr on the front and multiple other attachments so mowing is only a small part of the jobs I do with my tractor. Have fun in your search! There are also some good used deals out there if you know what you are doing. I didn't when I bought so I went new.

I notice that Sears lists there "Garden Tractor Series" with a extra heavy duty hydro as compared to there Lawn tractor series , so maybe it is the better hydro.
Hopefully someone can come up with the model number of that hydrostatic unit.

Once you use a hydro, you'll never want to go back to the standard shift.

As stated above, there are quality hydros and not so quality. I don't know about a Sears. My Wheelhorse hydro gave out after 1000 hours (20 years) and cost $800 for the new pump, but it was worth it to replace it.

No doubt a hydro is more operator friendly. Having said that, I question the reliability of the Hydro-gears used on Craftsman. I've had the original replaced in my Craftsman 4000 and now it's out again. The original lasted about 50 hours. The replacement also lasted about 50 hours. Two hydros in four years...

Manual/standard shift went the way of the hand cranked wall phone.

Hydro's are generally throw aways! I bought the husky LGBT 2654. It was weak on any grade and the axle died after 4 years!!!

My old Monkey Ward's 12 1/2hp 42" lasted 15 abused every minute with only a few belts replaced!!!

9 blind people describing the elephant....

If you have a hilly or incline in your yard, definitly go with a manual transmission. I at first bought a hydrostatic for the convenience. Big mistake. It was horrible mowing inclines and small hills I have. Returned it for a manual and the manual has been great, easier and very durable. If you have a flat yard, then the hydro is a good way to go too. I just like the durability of the manual. Hope this helps all out there!!