Time For A New Tractor?

[mmcmdl]

Cub Cadets are highly sought after- I can see why, they have a devoted following (there are entire websites for them) and were made
solidly with steel the way things were made to last in the 60s and early 70s
I like the angular and boxy styling of the real old ones

Totally agree ! Many of us here are members on the onlycubcadets website . The older Cubs and IH's are getting harder to find these days and I look daily .

 

[machPete99]

I have seen the steel drive-over ramps available separately, but they are kind of pricey. Also, the older decks may not have enough structure to support the tractor. Need to make sure the draft wheels are up above the pavement too before using!

An example:

JOHN DEERE Drive Over Ramp Brackets 62D Mower Deck LVU17735 LVU17736 LVU23281 | eBay

<p>For sale is a used pair of drive over mower deck brackets that were removed from a John Deere 62d mower deck. The brackets are in good working condition. </p>

www.ebay.com

 

[MikeInOr]

As many of you may already know I've had a John Deere 445 all wheel steer garden tractor for many years. I purchased it in 2000 along with a few accessories to work at the house and family cottage. It replaced a Bolens that was in excellent shape but getting hard to find parts for.

Fast forward 24 years and the 445 is still running and performing like new. The clock shows 626 hours, but it actually only has a little less than 600 hours run time. The additional hours were accumulated on the clock when I was working on it and errantly left the ignition in the on position until the battery died.

The problem isn't with the tractor, but rather the operator. Yesterday I was installing the mower deck as I usually do this time of year. I'm not sure what the problems were, but I struggled an hour and a half before finally giving up and going to lunch. Keep in mind this is usually a 15-minute PITA job. After the lunch break, I came back and for reasons known only to God things went as planned and the installation was completed in 10 minutes.

I was growling to the wife about the troubles I was having, and she suggested I look into one of the newest machines that have the drive over mower attachment. I looked online and found JD makes an almost identical machine the 739X. It has all the features of the current machine, with a little more horsepower, and optional 4-wheel drive.

I like the machine but have a hard time justifying spending over $20,000.00 for a new tractor just because it's difficult to install a mower. To put things in context the mower is removed and installed several times a year. It comes off for aerating, grading dirt, plowing snow, and when using other implements where ground clearance is needed. When in the fully raised position the bottom of the deck is only about 6" off the ground. That's hardly enough clearance when going over rough terrain or areas with brush.

I was also wondering if anyone made an aftermarket drive over attachment kit that could be adapted to the current mower and tractor. The first tractor I had was a 1950's Bolens Ride A Matic. It originally came with a drive over mower deck. It was a little different in that the mower was powered by a driveshaft that still needed to be connected by hand. In this case however the drive shaft was easy to get to and took less than a minute to install.

This is the tractor I'm considering with a 60" mower deck. I looked at the series 1 tractors, but they're a bit large to get between some of the trees on the property. They're also all diesel which is a no go as far as the wife is concerned. It's interesting that this model has a 4 year/700-hour warranty. Obviously, they think it's going to get more use than I've given the 445, but that's another story. While I do believe the new machine will get far more use than the current one, I doubt it will get 700 hours use in 4 years.

X739 4-Wheel Steering | Riding Lawn Tractors | John Deere US

The X739 signature series 4-wheel steering lawn tractor lets you trim close to fence corners, around trees and more. See the full list of specs.

www.deere.com

Keep the tractor for all the other stuff and buy a mower for mowing. I have an ancient JD F735 I bought from a golf course and fixed up. The front deck and rear steering is a million times faster than any mid mount mower I have ever used.

 

[projectnut]

Keep the tractor for all the other stuff and buy a mower for mowing. I have an ancient JD F735 I bought from a golf course and fixed up. The front deck and rear steering is a million times faster than any mid mount mower I have ever used.

I like your idea, but there's no more room at the inn. I don't like to store equipment outside, and there's no more room in the garage. We have a 3-car garage with all the bays filled with cars. We also have the JD, a hand mower, a small end loader, a trailer, an aerator, and several other implements, along with a large workbench, an air compressor, several parts cabinets, a fairly large toolbox, and of course all the lawn and garden tools.

Things literally have to be removed and replaced in a given order for them all to fit. About the only vehicle that can be moved in and out at will is the wife's car. The other two require some gymnastics to get by the other equipment and into the driver's seat. This is after I just cleaned out the things I haven't used in several years and gave it to a friend. He took away a couple truckloads of stuff like 2 hand mowers, a generator, a couple bicycles, a rototiller, several bike racks, fencing, and other assorted junk that's been accumulating in the corners.

 

[RJSakowski]

We have had a Cub XLT46 for eight years and the only time the deck gets dropped is for repairs. Three or four times in the past eight years. We have a Ford 8N for light utility work and a 35hp Nortrak with front end loader for the heavier work. We bought the Cub for mowing in our four acres of wilderness where it deals with fairly steep slopes, tree roots and rough terrain. that was previously relegated to the Woods mower.

Rather than spending $20K on a new mower with a drive over mower deck, I would dedicate the existing mower to mowing exclusively and look for a second machine to handle the remaining chores..

Edit: sorry @MikeInOr and @projectnut , I hadn't seen your posts before posting.

 

[mmcmdl]

This happened across the street yesterday . Unfortunately a female died in the accident . Those big Exmarks are heavy ! She was trapped underneath for an undetermined amount of time .