[juppy]

Up until last year, we always used John Deere mowers (riding and push styles both), and they lasted a long time, with relatively few parts to replace over the duration. They're kinda like Honda though, you're going to pay for the name as well as the quality. Last year we finally had to replace them and went with a Craftsman rider and pusher. The rider has a Kohler engine in it and has been good so far. The push mower has a Briggs engine, which runs fine and starts really easy (first or second pull, every time, even after sitting through the winter), but the wheels are what I don't like on it. Everything's gone to plastic which, to me, equals cheap and breakable, but it seems like all brands have plastic wheels anymore so I guess it's "take your pick". So far it's doing a fine job mowing, but I just wonder how long the wheels are going to last.