Ok Red, let's talk lawnmowers
 

I am going to need a rider. I am looking at the John Deere and Huskies at Home Despot and bLowes. $1499 and $1599. I really like the Husky but I am a little weary about buying such from these companies.

Are these things worth it or not?

Love my Husky. I have had zero problems with it.

Other than the driver.

Just got done replacing the blades due to an unfortunate accident with my water shutoff valve. :leaving:

I do like the cruise control on the Husky. The only mandatory thing I am looking for is the beer holder.

Anymore, there is no go-to brand I can suggest..they all have some issue or another...

If you get a hydro model, maje sure it does not have the Tuff Torq K46 axel....shit, lasts till the warranty expires then fails...

Kohler courage is still not a good engine, but its no worse than a briggs anymore...dont get anything with the no-name chinese MTD engines...

Dont get anything made by MTD in fact. Cub Cadet, Troy Bilt, Toro rider, Bolens, White outdoor, Craftsman LT series...

Deere aint bad...its just alot of money for a name though. Their entry level series has nothing offered with them that is unique..and may of the lower ones use the dreaded K46 hydro..ugh

Rider vs a zero turn? Personally unless you have a specific other use for it...I'd look at the ZT's. So much easier to cut grass with, in my opinion.

I had a Toro Z5000 and loved it. I sold it a while back though and hired a service. :)

Hate to hear that MTD comment...

They really care about their employees and do whatever they can to keep them employed and stave off layoffs as much as possible.

I know there were some issues with their engines a few years back and it was major, they really did work around the clock to try and correct it.

I'm just sayin' give them some consideration, they employ some great hard working Americans!

How can I tell by looking if it has the Tuff Torq K46? Because the two I am looking at are hydro.

The mowers sold at those places are very light weight. Neighbor bought a JD from there. It has only 50 hours on it and it's falling apart. I'd suggest going to a True dealership and look there. The models they sell are heavier duty and will be worth your money. My preference is Cub Cadet.

Read the spec propaganda... it will tell you the transaxle specifics. JD vs Husky... you'll need parts/service as the machine ages and the Boxes don't do service so I would base brand choice on the availability of a local dealership. God forbid you need a warranty repair and have to schlep the machine 30 miles each way for service.

It sounds like I really need to get shop manuals for some of this stuffs...

Do you have them Red? :island14:

Maybe in PDF? :D

No, give them no consideration, they sell a completely shitbox product that isnt worth the box they sell them in...

The bottom rung used to be occupied by Murray...who was known for cutting corners and having poor warranties, but Murray, since being bought bty Briggs, has improved. MTD is currently the bottom of the bottom, they do not make a single product that is worth a damn...

Their trimmers are antiquated technology . but cheapened to the point that the carburetors are mounted directly to plastic manifolds...with only 2 screws with coarse threads to support them. Generally they last about a season, usually less...rarely more.

Their push mowers make great use of their Chinese import clone engines, that parts are hard ot get for them, and power is lacking, they weigh ALOT and are generally difficult to crank when hot, or cold.

Their riders now, many of them are using the 15-17hp Chinese single cyl engine, very low quality, does not take industry standard plug and oil filter, has a convoluted muffler system, and parts must be purchased through MTD or sears...at their prices. New engines run about 1/2 the cost of a new mower...somtimes as much as 70% of the original mowers cost.

Troy Bilts, and other brands they now make, especially Craftsmans, with the Auto-drive transmission,,,,the trans is PLASTIC. Yes, a riding mower, with a plastic transmission. We see them strip out, crack, and fail in general, often within the first season...

Cub Cadet mowers use bargain bin hydros, with bargain bin clutches, way too much plastic, with extra thin deck shells, designed ot hold moisture and grass, so the deck rots in 3-4 seasons....

MTD wanted to corner the lowest price point in the market....mission accomplished.

Its really sad that a company who cares so much about their employees, gives no f*cks about the people who spend the money, to keep them all in business...

What about Snapper? There mowers are 100% American made in McDonough, Georgia, Munnsville, New York, and Tupelo, MS. Are they still dope (excellent) or doody (bad)?

I need manuals for everything that breaks RED do you have them? :D

I dont have a single manual, or diagram, demystification chart...Ive always been a dive in and figure it out kind of person.

I go to partstree.com and mooch off their manuals if I need anything specific.

Snapper used to be top tier, but sinch Briggs bought them, they have cheapened them here and there...still good, but not like 10 years ago...especially the push mowers.

I bought a four year old Craftsman off Craig's List for $440, it was probably $1500 new. It lived in a conditioned basement and was serviced once a year by Sears at the guy's home. It was like brand new. The guy was just tired of doing his own yard work. There's great used deals out there.

My Cub Cadet LTX1050KW is on it's fourth year and has served me fine. It has a Hydro-Gear transmission with a Kawasaki V-twin engine that was made in the U.S.(carburetor is Chinese though) All three deck spindles have grease fittings. Even the deck wheels have grease fittings.

The deck is pretty thick if you ask me. No it's not commercial mower thick, but it's still pretty heavy.

You can buy parts directly from Cub Cadet or MTD. They also provide exploded parts diagrams with part numbers so that you can search online for that part for a cheaper price if you want. It probably won't be much cheaper from some other place after you factor in shipping though.

It sounds to me like Red gets all the cheaper MTD mowers to work on that people don't take care of and then he dismisses the whole line.

If you don't like Hydro-Gear, and you don't like Tuff-Torq, just who is left that manufacturers transaxles for residential mowers that you can buy at Home Depot, Sears or Lowe's? ;)

Red also doesn't like the old style 31cc MTD made trimmers(Such as a Craftsman one I have), but he likes the old style Garden tractors that were designed in the same era. :)

I like my Cub Cadet enough that I went and won an auction on a 2003 Cub Cadet Tank commercial mower that had a locked up Kawasaki (FH721V bad upper bearing, Kawasaki changed the design in later models) in it from a school. The deck on that thing is overkill for a homeowner, but it is a commercial mower.

Oh and the bolts on both the 2010 LTX1050 and the 2003 M60 Tank are almost all cadmium plated to resist corrosion and are standard sizes. The Kawasaki engines have the only metric bolts on either mower.

Red may know how to fix mowers, but some of us get along fine with MTD made stuff and continue to buy them. :seasix:

You are most definitely in the minority on this stance...


Top 234 Complaints and Reviews about Cub Cadet

Cub Cadet and MTD are easily the most complained about mowers on the market...what gets CC owners more so than say..troy Bilt, or Yard Machines is..CC people go in expecting quality, yard machines and others, go in expecting to get rooked...

Ive got a Bolens mower I was given yesterday, always babied, spotless, stored inside at all times, used to cut a tiny lot with a mobile home on it...probably has under 75 hours total run time..and the tranny is completely shot. This is..eh, the 15th or 16th one this season thus far..Toro, Troy Bilt, Yard MAchines, Bolens....all MTD.

Cub Cadet TANK Z mowers were good, not sure if CC made them or nor, of it it was outsourced....only seen 2-3 total in 11 years, people in general were unwilling to pay 0ver 8000 dollars for anything with the MTD "3 blades of grass" decal on it...Same with the LTX1000 series, and the 2500's....for nearly 3000 bucks or more....there are other brand with a much better history than MTD...

Why do you think no f*cks were given when Murray of Ohio went belly up? They had been breaking it off in peoples asses for 20 years, their equipment was marked for failure..and the failures came...they lost their asses, and went bankrupt.

It seems that most brands available to the home owner is sub par. So, advise me on what to buy. I have been looking at the Toro 32 or 42" zero turn. If I will have issues, what should I be looking at?