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In Reply to: First Time buyer - looking for advice posted by Claudia on Monday, March 31, 2003:
Welcome to the club! I just went through this through my reqirements are a little different (I always mulch, don't manage snow). Your budget is reasonable if you get a blade to push snow, not a blower. If you have deep and/or heavy snow, keep your snow blower.
John Deere repair parts are hideously expensive. Murray doesn't seem sturdy enough for me. Troy-Bilt is now made by MTD (who makes Yardman and others) and parts availability is still a question for me. Craftsman parts are easily available and don't seem too expensive. Most of the rest are way over your budget. My $.02 if I were you is a 42" deck with a 18-20hp Briggs & Stratton Intek engine.
I'm deciding between Troy-Bilt and Craftsman.
Having said that... with only 1/2 acre, I'd get a nice high-wheel self-propelled mower and spend the remaining $2,200 on a nice vacation! It will literally take you longer to dig out the lawn tractor and get it started than it will take to mow with the mower.