New (used) cub cadet.

[fixit]

My mower died after 9 years the only real problem was the deck gave up. So I became the proud owner of a CUB CADET just like that one. $2000 and what a piece of crap it is. The deck and blade system is a major problem. A good size ant hill will bend a blade in a heartbeat. The bent blade will put a slice in the deck. I have welded mine several times. Hit a hidden stump, count on buying new blades, and be sure to have a spare spindle on hand. Then you need to shim the spindle so the new blade runs true cause the deck is bent where the spindle mounts. The Kohler engine is okay no problem EXCEPT it has a weak starter and will make you think the battery is going bad. They made a new revision with fewer teeth on the pinion, I'm waiting for mine to die so I can replace it. It's sad "they just don't make them like they used to". OH, I mow 5 yards a week, my 2 acres, and 4 others for old folks (at no charge) who can't manage a yard anymore. I'm 82 years old and helping others keeps me young.

 

[EricB]

My mower died after 9 years the only real problem was the deck gave up. So I became the proud owner of a CUB CADET just like that one. $2000 and what a piece of crap it is. The deck and blade system is a major problem. A good size ant hill will bend a blade in a heartbeat. The bent blade will put a slice in the deck. I have welded mine several times. Hit a hidden stump, count on buying new blades, and be sure to have a spare spindle on hand. Then you need to shim the spindle so the new blade runs true cause the deck is bent where the spindle mounts. The Kohler engine is okay no problem EXCEPT it has a weak starter and will make you think the battery is going bad. They made a new revision with fewer teeth on the pinion, I'm waiting for mine to die so I can replace it. It's sad "they just don't make them like they used to". OH, I mow 5 yards a week, my 2 acres, and 4 others for old folks (at no charge) who can't manage a yard anymore. I'm 82 years old and helping others keeps me young.

Thanks for the insight.

They say these little mowers can cut 2 acres, but then again my truck's speedometer says it can go 120 mph.

I have a gently sloping 1/4 acre lawn. No ants, no stumps. The mower will probably out live me.

 

[mmcmdl]

I became the proud owner of a CUB CADET just like that one. $2000 and what a piece of crap it is.

Most new stuff are crap , and the older stuff is getting snatched up by people who know this .

 

[EricB]

Most new stuff are crap , and the older stuff is getting snatched up by people who know this .

Interesting theory.

Here's mine:
Perhaps the manufacturers have, over time, realized that every user doesn't need industrial grade equipment or it's cost. So, they use modern materials and techniques and create a comsumer grade product for those users at a reduced cost. Now some users who need industrial grade equipment will buy the consumer grade because of the lower cost, thinking it will perform the same, only to find it doesn't meet their needs.

 

[woodchucker]

Simplicity owner here. My tractor was built in 1987.. It has a great cut, and I wish they still built them. Alas zero turn mowers knocked them out of selling in the USA. They are made in Wisconsin I think, but now shipped to Europe where they don't do zero turns as much. Simplicity has a floating deck, which allows the deck to just follow the rollers behind the blades and give a level cut.


My friend has a cub cadet, the difference is outstanding. I look at his rear axle and it looks very light weight compared to my beefy housing.

 

[EricB]

To be fair, I don't know anything about what constitutes good quality in outdoor power equipment. I've owned 4 mowers and it seems to me that they are all about the same, except for the first one which was an entry level mower. That first one was an "I just got married and I need a mower." It had a stamped steel? deck, adjustable wheels, and a small B&S engine. It lasted 9 years and 3 moves before it hit a rock in Alaska that shattered the deck and bent the crank. I sold it at a yard sale as a lawnmower kit. Some lady bought it for her husband to keep him busy. He's prabably still cursing.

One of the other machines I have that y'all might consider good quality is the MTD rototiller that my dad bought in 1976.










We used it that first summer to level the yard around our house, about 1/4 acre. It then got seasonal use in the garden for the next 30 years before it came to me. I've had it for about 13 years and have used it to level much of my yard. I've had to rebuild the carb, and replace one of the belts and the drive tension spring.

This thing is a monster to use. It has zero safety features, so you can start it up and engage the tines then walk away. It will eat whatever is in it's path until it runs out of gas. My kind of tool!

Eric