I met a fella in the Wal Mart parking lot, a couple years ago, with two older Craftsman tractors on a snowmoblie trailer, set up with weights and aggressive tires. He said the quickest and best way to get into it is to look for old Craftsman tractors with Kohler engines, because the engines are strong, and they likely have the srongest transmissions - his tractors weren't works of art, but they were clean, looked tough, and he was having a ball with his son. He said that the old Craftsman units, not being JD of another brand name, come cheaper.
Can anyone back up this info? I'm familiar with Kohler products, not Craftsman. Seems very practical, and applicable to buying a beater mower, too.