You can't lose going with the Craftsman 4500 series or comparable Husqvarna for the type of yard you describe. I had a YS4500 for 3 years before moving on to a garden tractor and it served my needs well. It's a bit more than a lawn tractor but not as much as a garden tractor. Perfect for what you have in mind and the price is below $2K if you get it on a discount promotion that Sears is usually running.

I had the YS4500 with a 24 HP V-Twin Briggs and K46 Hydro Tranny - it was great tractor until my needs changed. You really can't beat Sears/Craftsman tractors in terms of price and value as long as you don't work them beyond their engineered limits. Good maintenance and staying within the tractor's capabilities are the key.

Godd Luck!

AYP(Husqvarna) is the manufacturer of both Craftsman tractors and Husqvarna Tractors the attachmnet are interchangeable. For an acre I would purchase a tractor at least with a 46inch mowing deck if not a 48inch mowing deck.
AYP(Husqvarna)Tractor Brands
Husqvarna
Craftsman
Poulan
Poulan Pro
Ralley
Ariens new Yard Tractor's

Here is a link that might be useful: Husqvarna

I have the DYS4500 24hp/42-in. and it seems to be an OK tractor (growing up on a farm with real tractors, it's hard to call a lawn tractor a tractor). My property is hilly, so I had to switch to ag tires w/ ww fluid to get any traction at all. I also opted for the lawn sweeper in lieu of bagger attachment, but I'm a little worried about the K46 tranny, I think that is the weak link in the powertrain, especially pulling the sweeper. It is a flimsy tractor, but prolly the best new one out there for $1500.

As for service, I've had poor luck with Sears, forever to get parts, etc., so I would look into an OPE dealer, or get your parts off the internet and fix yourself.

Thanks for all of the input. Every mower I've researched has somebody telling me its the best and someone else saying it's the worst, so I guess it's pretty much a crap shoot. You all seem to think the DYS 4500 is my best bet and frankly I tend to agree at this point. Next small issue: I had a friend at Sears once tell me to never get an extended warranty and I agree with that for almost every item out there...but what about lawn mowers and their high instance of breakdown? Even American Express won't cover them with their warranty protection. Any thoughts?

I would save the money you would spend on the warranty and use it to take your tractor to a reputable local shop to get fixed if something happens (hopefully nothing will and you can pocket the money). If something is going to go wrong due to manufacturing it should happen relatively quickly, after that it is just wear parts which are relatively cheap fixes. I wouldn't worry too much about the K46 tranny, it has shown to hold up pretty well for light duty work.

That sounds like good advice. Thanks for talking me off the ledge!

Before you do that you could also call the local deer/simplicity dealers and see if they have any used units in good shape. I ended up getting a gt-235 with a new 48 deck for 1900 and that thing will run circles around anything mtd or ayp will ever make. Not to mention it will be doing it 15 years later and parts will still be easy to get.

Worth a try anyways.

Yeah, I had been thinking about Deer, but at the homeowner level their reviews seemed worse than craftsman. Then again Consumer Reports has the Deer LA 115 as their top pick. The Craftsman 28828 was in second place. At this point I might just have to flip a coin between these two or ask my two year old if he likes the green one or the gold one!