i have a mtd 700 series tractor with a briggs and stratton engine. probably has 300 hours about on it. had it for 5 years now and it is a you get what you pay for lawn mower. i got mine for $700 as it was slightly used from the dealership. it was a good deal for me. it mows good and is pretty dependable. however, it has had some nickle/dime stuff along the way. carb problems early on, but fixed under warrenty and no trouble since (more of a briggs and stratton issue there then mtd i guess). the rear axel bolts that hold the rear wheels on have broke on me twice (i do mow really steep hills with it and have replaced the orginal bolts with stronger grade bolts.) the rear axel was leaking last fall and it was supposedly fixed under warrenty, but has started leaking again in a different spot this year. and just last night i had to level the deck. no i didn't hit anything, it was just out of level. i think a little off from factory, and just worked it self off a little more from that. mowed with it last night and it mowed great with that level deck! i treat mine good, not rough with it at all. they are ok mowers, but if you paid over $1000 for what i got, then you over paid. mine is a 42" cut with 7 speed shift on the go, with forward/reverse lever. i guess it depends on your expectations and how you run a lawn mower. if you have 2 acres of lawn or more to mow and is rough ground, i wouldn't buy a lower brand model, like the mtd i have. but if you have a small yard and just want to have a economy riding mower to mow it, then mtd probably would be ok.
i also had a mtd 25 ton log slpitter and within the first 30 minutes, it blew a hydraulic fitting. it was fixed under warrenty and never gave me any trouble after that and i bet i split over 300 face cord in the 4 year i had it. i just recently sold it.
haven't had much other experience with mtd other then that. i think they are based in ohio. they seem to have good designs that are put together a little cheaply. if you are into modifing and beefing things up on them, then you will have something, but you have to get it for a good deal first to make all the modifications worth it. like i said, mtd does seem to have a good design with their equipment=good features, just not the most rugged put together/parts. i have seen other mowers/splitters that were made more rugged, but lacked the features that mtd had.