Suggestions on new riding mower/lawn tractor?

[beenthere]

Den
I believe there was a spin-off corp. from WM formed to get in the lawn mower business.

ZTR mowers go back further than 1997. Here is a note from Dixon Co.

After joining his father's company in the 1960s K.O. Dixon bought the rights to a revolutionary ZTR lawnmower system that began production in 1974.

[Den Socling]

Yes I didn't figure they were a new invention. I just hadn't seen one. They were probably being used on golf courses. But nowdays you see them everywhere.

[SwampDonkey]

I'm just beginning to see a few in homeowner yards, maybe the price came down. Heck I even see guys mowing about a 1/5th that I do on a zero turn. I looked at them before, but determined I have more use for a Tight-Turn lawn tractor which will mow quicker than a regular old style lawn tractor.

[screwsloose]

It sounds like you have a small yard. Do you plan to pull anything heavy? Zero turns do not do well if you have a steep ditch. If your just replacing a craftsman and expect it to do the same amount of work look for a lawn mower with a solid cast front axle. I can't tell you what to buy but i can tell you to stay away from kohler engines as they are chineese crap. I know a guy that works there and he won't even own one. john deere is a nice mower but they don't paint the underside of there decks so they will rust out faster.  i bought one a few years back. When i asked the sales guy about it after the sale he said it would just wear off in less than one season. I sold it and bought a 23hp diesel sub-compact tractor with a deck 2 seasons later paint looks like new under the deck. stay below 20hp they use alot less gas. Kubota,harsquarvarna or polan mowers is worth checking out. I would never buy a craftsman but thats only because i have no idea who actually made it. I hope i was some help. I bought way to big of a tractor but i needed more work to be done with a bigger tractor. I opted for the front end loader to pick up logs and whatever else i can't lift.