"I purchased a country property in January, and this little guy was part of the deal as I had given away my own Ford/New Holland LS55 some five years earlier to a close friend. While there was no dollar figure placed on the machine in the deal, if I hadn't acquired it, I would have been in the market to purchase soon enough as grass cutting 1.5 acres would be a chore with a push mower. Since there was snow on the ground, and the Toro started up fine, I went out and bought the snow blade attachment and chains and within a couple of hours was clearing my 150' long paved driveway. I had a snow blower attachment on my LS55 and nothing says effective snow removal like a blower, but I didn't have the cash to lay out on the blower attachment, and there were fewer parts to worry about with the blade. The Toro's B&G 20HP kept up okay but I didn't have enough ballast on the machine to manage some of the heavier stuff. Come warmer weather, I decided to check out the 42" mower deck and found it completely seized. The shop mechanic said the machine had been outside for some time given the condition of the deck. I found that hard to believe, but I dropped $500 on a tune-up and repair, and got back to maintaining the property. The LX426 I have has a PTO that must be disengaged if you want to reverse, so there is extra wear on the deck pulleys and the belts, and it's just inconvenient. The hydro-static drive is strong and responsive. The auto-speed setting seems like it has a governor on it, but it's not a chore to keep the pedal to the metal. The tractor travels at a safe speed and gets the job done fine (1.25 acres of grass in 3 hours). There is a manual height setting handle to raise and lower the deck. Not much to get broken there. Speaking of the deck, removal and reattachment involve some physical effort, but after a couple of times, it's not too difficult. I was able to find a service manual online. so I feel a bit more confident attempting some repairs on my own. Most recently, a deck pulley became worn, and the mower was all but inoperable. I managed to remove the spindle shaft and pulley, and salvage the bearings and spacers, however, Toro (and MTD who makes the parts) only sells the whole assembly. Just as well as the shaft and pulley alone were almost $60 and the assembly was $100. I had another problem within a couple of weeks of my service in the spring, with gas starvation and engine quitting. I solved the problem inexpensively by swapping out the fuel filter the shop guy had installed for a universal unit for gravity feed. I think the one he installed was for a fuel pump equipped machine, and so was drawing less fuel. I'm not entirely happy with the Toro, but it is getting the job done for now. It's hard watching my neighbor on his brand new JD X series, but I'm sure he's paid a lot more to cut his grass than I have (so far); I'm out of pocket $600 for repairs and maintenance. Toro is owned and built by MTD I'm told, and while you can buy OEM Toro parts for a premium, the same MTD parts are available for less. If someone gave you this machine or you inherited it, I would suggest you maintain it regularly, and don't drive it too hard. Oil consumption seems unusually high, and oil changes should be done regularly. My LS55 had a Kohler 20HP that just seemed to be more reliable and sturdy than this B&S. TLDR: If buying, spend your money elsewhere."