 Re: buying a tractor
I own a TroyBilt 10HP Chipper/Shredder and an 18HP HydroStatic lawn tractor. The chipper/shredder kept slipping the belt from the time I bought it until the dealer noticed that the idler assembly was on completely backwards (from the factory). It developed stress-cracks in the flange weld of two different in-feed chutes. They replaced them under warranty, but I gave up and had it welded with some reinforcements and it has held up fine since. The bearings went out - lots of labor to replace. Another weld broke. If finally threw a rod (I'll take credit for that - worked it hard) and now here I am with Elly May and Sally.
A weld that attaches the steering link plate to the front axle broke on the lawn tractor. A couple of pulleys have died on the mower deck. Something is always breaking on the mower deck. I got tired of the down time and aggravation with this one and bought a ZTR. Since its worth almost nothing, I kept it around to pull the cart and fertilizer spreader (and as a backup in case the ZTR breaks).
The chipper was pretty poor at chipping, but the shredder worked well. I keep thinking about buying another engine and using it for fall cleanup. The dealer I bought my ZTR from also carries Troybilt and he recommended that I not do this. Apparently the Troybilt chipper line has been orphaned and you can't get any parts for them anymore. | 
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