Well, maybe not that rich----but I just sold my old Sears Craftsman lawn tractor for $150.00. I bought it 15 years ago, and it has mowed my lawn faithfully for many summers. For a few years it even ploughed my driveway---I had the 48" blade, the chains, and the wheelweights. I only found out after buying all the snow attachements that it was only good for ploughing downhill. Uphill or more than 12 foot on the level, and it just sat there and bounced up and down. It has served me faithfully though, cutting grass as it was intended for. This spring I took an assesment of it---If it sat unused for more than 10 days, I had to charge the battery before it would start. Three years ago, the brake pad wore completely out---I discovered this by driving waist deep into the duck pond.-Nothing was hurt except my feelings, and I got a chain on it and pulled it out with my Ranger pickup before anyone seen what I had done. The front of the mower deck was rotted to the point that I briefly considered welding a steel flatbar reinforcement to the front of it to keep it from being bent back by thick grass untill the tips of the blades clattered against it---causing my heart to skip a beat each time that happened. The final straw was that two weeks ago the bushing at the end of the steering column wore out to the point where the pinion and sector gear would jump over each other instead of meshing. With heavy heart, I knew it was time to buy another new tractor from Sears. This morning I advertised the old tractor on the local "Buy and Sell" internet forum, and almost immediately got a phone call from someone wanting it. I warned him of all its flaws and bad habits, but told him it would still start, run, and cut grass. (I'd rather tell the truth up front and not sell it at all than deal with the wrath of somebody who figured I had "suckered" him after the fact.) So, its gone. However, elation is short lived. As I was typing this, the wife came in and announced she was going grocery shopping, and took all the money. Ah well, wealth is such a fleeting thing----and I bet I'm the only guy in town who will be eating this week courtesy of a 15 year old lawn tractor!!!---Brian
