I have had several craftsman mowers. Most all mowers are contract units made be MTD, AYP, ETC.. You can buy at least two types of auto transmissions or gear drives. I like the hydrostatic. Most of those will Hydro Gear or Tuff torque brands. Most engines will be Briggs and Stratton or Kohler. Briggs has the lions shear of the small engines in the U.S.

I have a craftsman 21 HP engine with turn tight front end and a hand operated hydro transmission. I now wish I had bought a twin cylinder and a foot controlled transmission. I am very hard on my mowers and expect them to have a shorter life than most.

It I were going to mow only, I would get a Zero Turn, but I mow a steep bank and use my mower for a small tractor. My body is shot and I throw all the work I can on my mower.

The same 2 or 3 companies make nearly all the mowers you can buy at the big box stores.

I think they are all good and do what they are designed to do. Take care of them and the chances are great that you will get good service, if you use them like I do expect to be buying a lot of parts. I buy my parts online and try to have extra blades, spindles and belts at home. If you husband is not able to help you, I think you should buy from where ever you think you can get the best service.

Larry

How big is your yard? I have a very small Craftsman with tiny wheels on the front. It is probably not tough enough for my yard and driveway with those small front wheels. I can get it in the back of my little pickup to take it to the shop. That is why I bought the small one. I have to back my truck up to a hill and drive it on. It scares me but I do it. Backing off scares me more. I don't take it in often but you do need the blade sharpened and the oil changed etc. every so often. I don't try to do those things myself. I have had it several years and my only trouble has been tires going flat. I have green slime in all of them. I don't do slopes at all. Before this I had two Yard Machines which lasted quite a while. None of my mowers have been expensive and have been worth what I paid for them.

thanks the back yard is only 100'x90 and the front is 100' wide but not sure how deep. I've got 3 flower beds that I need to go around and 4 small trees. Also a wood fence all the way around the back yard.
I will use my push mower too.

Helen brings out a very good point. I don't take my mower I for service or repair, but I do take it to my daughter's house every week and leave it for a day or two so she and my grand-daughter can get their lawn mowed. I have a trailer I use for that. Here Sears make free house calls while the mower is under warranty, I think most places want you to bring it in. The mower I have now needed a new engine while under warranty. The serviceman came our and installed the new engine. The compression release broke on the last one, he even gave me the old engine to repair if I want.

I think you would enjoy the "Turn Tight" front steering that craftsman has, I think they have a patent on the design.

If you plan on taking your mower in for service, borrow a trailer or have someone do it for you, its not worth getting hurt over. I have a small truck and I have to use a hold down strap to hold the mower on the back of the bed, which is too dangerous. My trailer has a ramp gate and I usually drive the trailer into a low place to make the angle up the ramp a little less so the spindles don't hang on the gate.

Thanks. Lots of good info. We're still looking.

My husband is a retired diesel mechanic so I stayed out of "what kind of mower shall we buy" decisions except to say that I definitely wanted a zero turn rider this time. (I do all the riding: he does the pushing inside the garden.) He bought a Dixon which he had his mechanic's reasons for believing was a good machine--something about tough blades, strong deck, dependable engine etc etc. All I know is it has zero turn capacity which I love because I have to mow around dozens of trees.