Well, it is now that time of year when a man's (or even women's ) fancy turns to thoughts of how to keep that unruly yard in check. I managed to more or less keep the old mowers going until the end of the season last year, but a new machine is a must this year. I also have close to 3 acres of grass to do, and a ton of various obstacles to mow around, so going to a zero turn is going to be a must. I already know what I want in terms of deck size and horsepower, but I have no clue what brands are any good any more. I'm leaning towards John Deere , but I also know I'm likely going to overpay a bit for the name. So what other brands have similar quality?