Originally posted by PaulB2868
Originally I wanted a John Deere with a Front End Loader and belly mower. That takes you to a $15,000 bill. Even a used Deere configured that way was over $10,000. I couldn't afford that. Then I started looking at John Deeres that I could afford.
The Lawn tractors that have the John Deere name at Home Depot are not the same quality as the more expensive models. I believe that Deere buys them from someone else (MTD?)
The Deeres sold at Home Depot are made by Deere and not MTD. The "L" series are built in a different factory than the rest of the garden and lawn tractors, the same factory that used to make the Sabre and Scotts machines. They are designed to compete with the less expensive machines offered by Sears, Walmart, etc. and in my opinion, you are right in that they do not represent the quality and durability of the machines Deere made 25 years ago. But Deere made a decision to offer a product line that was more affordable, which required them to be built to a lower price. Having said all that, I bought my Deere 316 in 1979 for $2880, roughly 3/4 of the cost of my new fullsize 1/2 ton pick-up truck bought in 1978. So if the tractor was worth 3/4 of a truck in 1979, and assuming that I could get a similar quality machine today for the same ratio (3/4 the price of a new full size 2 wheel drive truck), I'd be looking at $12,000+/-, which would easily buy me a Deere tractor that meets or more likely vastly exceeds what my old 316 can do. Is the Deere GT245 worth almost twice what the Craftsman GT5000? There is no one answer to that question. Some folks buy the Eddie Bauer edition Jeep Cherokee, some buy the stripped down Wrangler with cloth top. They are both 4x4 Sports utility Vehicles. One offers more operator comfort, one offers more utility. The Craftsman offers a lot of utilitarian tractor for the money, with some support from Sears offering attachments. The Deere GT245 offers (in my opinion) more operator comfort, what could be argued a more durable frame and overall construction, and unrivalled support in parts and attachments. I can still get parts for 25 year old machines from Deere, something Sears is not known for. Since I personally tend to keep machines for decades, I'd probably go for the Deere. Someone that has a job requiring long distance moves every few years and wants to avoid the hassle of shipping a tractor from place to place, or selling it , to try to regain the large investment made, would be MUCH better off to buy the Craftsman, enjoy it for 4-6 years, leave it with the house for the next owner and get another at the next house. Someone that also has a need for 2 or more machines would be saving a LOT of money by getting the Craftsman machine(s). My examples are probably toward the extreme, but all manner of scenarios can be devised to show where each machine has a place as a better choice. It's great to live in a country where we can enjoy so many choices. Just stop and think of communist Europe, where untill very recently, a Yugo was considered a GOOD car:lmao:
