Which one is better

redline

Need to choose which riding lawn mower is better?

John deere riding mower?
Cub cadet riding mower?
Or Toro riding mower?

Looking for reliability.

Which has readily available parts for routine maintenence?

thanks

Darylh

My choice would be the John Deere. Never herd of the Cub cadet and I have not seen a Toro for years but I am in BC Canada

IHI

I owned a cub cadet for a few yrs when I got my first rider, traded some labor for a used older unit and it owrked very well, had the old cast iron Kohler motor in it. Time came to upgrade and I literally had 2 guys in my garage in a bidding war and I ended up $300 over my original selling price:D Luckily we have a Cub dealer close by and like JD the CC has a very loyal customer base since they are well built units that have proven the test of time.

I live in a town where john deere has manufacturers their tractors so JD has a large following in the 100mi radius due to this and the fact service is around any corner for maintenance/parts, etc... very reliable tractor, still many out theri 20yrs+ working as good as they day they were built. Mine is a 95 model that came with the Kawasaki engine and has needed nothing more than gas since the day I bought it.

Personally I would stick to either Cub or John Deere since both had bullet proof platforms that perform for years, and then base your descion on how close dealers are for service/maintenance should the time come you need replacement parts.

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skits

Haven't considered an Ariens?

slickshift

If all three are side by side on the Home Depot showroom floor then none of the above
They are are de-spec'd for Home Depot, even the JD, and are nothing like the good ones found in other stores

redline

what do you mean by de-spec'd?

Are they of lesser quality?

slickshift

Yes
HD is not able to lower consumer costs simply through "volume" alone
By the volume of products they sell to consumers, they are able to demand different (cheaper) specs than other retailers
It's what is called "Customer Perceived Value" or CPV

Lets say Porter-Cable has a framing saw, you see it in your local tool shop for...say $189
It's quiet, light, strong, and has a great blade
You shop around a bit and see it in HD for less
It's only $159...what a bargain!

Hold on there partner, here's what happened
HD brass saw the P/C saw and said great, we want to carry that, but we want to charge less than $189
P/C says we can't lower our price to you, it's a great price

Now comes the CPV
Customer Perceived Value

Big Box says well, our average customer won't see the value (extra $) of that magnesium guide...can you make it steel?
Our avg. cust won't perceive the value of those fancy motor bushings, or that fancy blade
Make your saw for us to these new specs and we'll carry your saw
And we'll sell it for $159

If P/C says no, then Big Box won't carry a P/C framing saw

Voila, Home Despot has a de-spec'd P/C saw that looks like the one at the local tool shop

The kicker is, if the local tool shop did carry that saw, it would be $139 because of the cost to them

Right now W*M and HD sell most of the lawnmowers in the U.S.
The Honda engines in those riding mowers are NOT the Honda engines in your landscaper's/groundskeeper's mowers that those guys and girls swear by
They are cheapos with a Honda badge because Honda wanted a piece of the pie

Those JD's are not the same JD's that are down at the local power equipment dealer
Not by a long shot

HD/W*M feels the average HD/W*M lawnmower customer doesn't perceive the value of the little pieces that make a great JD
They just want the name JD and they want it as cheap as possible