Strengths This machine is very easy to operate, and has a very comfortable seat, adjustable for different weights. Easy to get on and off of for us more "mature" folks. Hydraulic deck lift is great also.

Weaknesses My biggest complaint is the engine tries to overheat in out hot Texas weather after a few hours of operation. The cooling system does not seem to have enough capacity. I complained to the dealer the first year and they changed the thermostat but that didn't help. When I complained to the dealer the second year they told me this was a known problem with this model as it was under-powered for the 60" deck, but mine has the 54" deck! They had no answer to that, and by now it was out of warranty so they weren't interested in talking to me about it. So I then installed an auxillary electric fan in front of the radiator. This helped but did not completely cure the problem. I just keep an eye on the temp guage and stop before it goes into the red. Next complaint about this machine is it is heavy and marks the yard much more than my super garden tractor. But despite the weight it has absolutely no traction if it's the least bit wet or on the side of a slope.

Overall Overall I've been disappointed with this machine. I have 2 small diesel tractors that are great, and decided I wanted to try a zero-turn for mowing, but it had to be a diesel also. As I said above this one is very easy to operate and I like running it, just don't really like the job it does and really don't like the heating problem. Probably would not buy it again.