well i would say if you want to mow lawns, it's gonna be hard to beat a good ZTR mower over a tractor because of efficiency, turning, and ruts in the yard. .
I agree with archem3. Alot of equipment will do multiple tasks but you can't beat the RIGHT equipment for the RIGHT job. I cut my mowing time from 5 1/2hours on my JD X500, to avg. of 1 hour and 50 minutes with a ZTR. So unless you just LOVE to spend time mowing...
Sell that Craftsman and use the $$$ to pick up and old beater to haul wood.
PS: I wish MY daughters had your ambition. Says alot about your parents.....