In general all you need to do is find out if the mower you are looking at is made by MTD, if it is, don't buy it.
MTD makes almost every store brand in the country including Craftsman, they also make Cub Cadet (which I hate since I had Yellow Fever for years and love the old Cub Cadets).
MTD is basically the go-to manufacturer for low end mowers of all kinds.
Bottom line is a good mower/tractor is expensive. You can probably start around $5,000 for an entry level piece of equipment that will last you 30 years. Heck, the mower deck on my Kubota cost more than a lot of store brand tractors.
I mow about 3 acres of my 12. I have a Kubota BX22 4wd with I think a 52" deck, cab, heater, snow thrower and various three point hitch attachments. I bought it used with about 600 hours on it, with the mower deck, cab and snow thrower for $9500. Been using it about ten years now. I expect it to last another 15 no problem.
All depends on your property, if you have a need for a small diesel tractor it will be the best thing you ever bought. But they aren't cheap to buy or to repair if you break something. But probably not worth it if you don't really USE it. I have a backhoe/bucket loader for larger jobs. Both pieces of equipment get used on almost a daily basis logging, digging, landscaping, snow removal, driveway grading, mowing, disking, plowing etc.
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