Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area) now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability. I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

Be careful about buying by brand name only. More companies who in the
past made only top quality equipment are making "homeowner quality"
equipment and selling them at stores like Home Depot and Lowes. In
essesence it is MTD level with a higher price because of the name. I
know some of the John Deere's at Home Depot are this way, but havent
heard about the Cub Cadet. Do more research before you blindly plunk
down money at Lowes thinking you are getting a really good deal.

Also their service is just subbed out to low bid repair shops.
Service will usually be better from a real dealer, and if you shop
around, very often the price also, especially if you consider the
expertise that you get when buying it.

Good luck,
Bryan

I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything, it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.
Instead, consider a low end hydrostatic drive. It is infinitely variable
and smooth.

Brand means less than the weight. Horsepower means little for towing and if
you're over 12hp, you have enough for mowing as well. Weight is important
for plowing, dragging and towing. It isn't the "go," it's the "stop and
turn" that matters, and that's where weight counts.

Cub was a darned good line in the 80's, but I am not familiar with it
nowadays. If I was going to just go buy something without much research,
I'd look at Cub, John Deere and (?) the one sold at Home Depot- is it
Husquevarna?

If you're just mowing a typical, flat, small lot, consider getting the
MTD-type of bottom end riding mowers and trade it off every 3-5 years. The
MTD types actually do a decent job of mowing.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"BRN" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked
at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the
off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area)
now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at
least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability.
I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be
a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than
the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

Tom Gauldin wrote:

I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything, it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.

You recommend them? Why, cause you like doing backflips while mowing?
:-)

Chuck

I just sold off a nearly-new low-end Murray - belt clutch, rear-engine.
I replaced it with a 5 year old Cub Cadet 1864 with 48" mower deck.
It's like going from a Yugo to a Cadillac. The lawn looks much better in half
the time.
I understand that MTD makes all CCs now, but it appears to me that there is
the retail models and there are the models that certified dealers sell. Mine is
of the latter variety, with a Kohler engine and hydraulics, 3-pt hitch,
electric PTO, power steering and Hydrostatic drive. I gave $1000 for mine
used, which was a bargain. I think its a better unit than those at Lowes for
several times that. One difference may be the engine, because I know some of
the lower-price CCs use a Briggs motor. Even the best B&S is not equal to a
Kohler, IMHO.
I have read that JDs are made by MTD and may not live up to the name.
I suggest you study the CC models at Lowes, get model numbers and brochures.
Then go to an indpependent CC dealer and compare what they have. I bet the
difference becomes apparent pretty quickly.


On Tue, 22 Apr 2003 09:11:04 -0400, "BRN"
wrote:

|Hi all,
|
|I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked at
|most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the off
|brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area) now
|sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at least
|in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability. I
|know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
|longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be a
|price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than the
|cheapest brands.
|
|Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
|they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
|service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?
|
|Thank in advance.
|
|Bart
|
|

Chuck, they're OK on a flat lawn. The back flip my neighbor did was when he
started up a ramp. Assuming that the belt tensioner is reasonably good, and
assuming that the lawn doesn't have hills, then the trade off is between a
decent clutch and being able to just trade mowers every few years. That
eliminates a lot of hassles, like tires, battery, starter motor, BELTS and
bearings in the mower housing.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"C G" wrote in message
...
Tom Gauldin wrote:

I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical
Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything,
it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one
that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.

You recommend them? Why, cause you like doing backflips while mowing?
:-)

Chuck

Much longer answer than I expected....

I think the key to survival on the ones with the cheaper clutches is to
avoid using the clutch when going uphill unless you are certain you can
ease it out smoothly.

Tom Gauldin wrote:

Chuck, they're OK on a flat lawn. The back flip my neighbor did was when he
started up a ramp. Assuming that the belt tensioner is reasonably good, and
assuming that the lawn doesn't have hills, then the trade off is between a
decent clutch and being able to just trade mowers every few years. That
eliminates a lot of hassles, like tires, battery, starter motor, BELTS and
bearings in the mower housing.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"C G" wrote in message
...
Tom Gauldin wrote:

I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical
Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything,
it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one
that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.

You recommend them? Why, cause you like doing backflips while mowing?
:-)

Chuck

I bought a new Toro walk behind last year. Prior to the purchase I did my
research and found that the Toro mowers at most hardware store, ACE Home
Depot etc. were not the same mowers sold by Toro dealers although the Toro
dealers did sell the low end product. It was explained to me that Toro
wanted to get in that low end niche and started have the low end Toro built.
After a lot of research I got to the point where I could understand the
differences. I bought a high end Toro and must say it is a wonderful mower.

David

I bought a Cub Cadet just about 2 years ago and love it. I got a 2000
series lawn tractor from a local dealer. The big selling point for me
was the shaft drive. Nothing else had a shaft drive at anywhere close
to the same price. Although labeled a lawn tractor it appears to be
better made and more rugged than most "garden" tractors.

Regarding getting it at Lowes I'd second what some others have said: Do
your homework and be sure that you're comparing apples to apples when
deciding between a dealer item and a chain store item.

"BRN" pontificated wisely that:

Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area) now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability. I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart



Kevin Miller
(rot13)
http://www.net1plus.com/users/miller9

I've had a 16hp V-Twin Cub for a few years. I can't recall the model number
but I believe it is a 16xx series. It has been a great piece of equipment.
It has a hydrostatic transmission, hydraulic lift, and a PTO. I use it for
snow removal in the winter and mowing the rest of the time. This one
replaced a Cub that was at least twenty years old when we traded it.

Cub has different lines of tractors. Go to a real Cub dealer and they will
show you the differences. I know mine is the same color as the ones at
Lowes, but that's about where the similarity ends.

Good Luck
Jim

"BRN" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked
at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the
off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area)
now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at
least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability.
I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be
a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than
the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

I live an die by Consumer Reports. I think you should try it for a
year. Small price to pay for good advice.

Bought a Craftsman V-Twin hydrostat and love it.

Careful about Cub Cadet. Consumer Reports likes the line but cautions
on its repair history. It's top 10 worst.

"BRN" wrote in message ...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area) now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability. I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

In misc.rural JayPomp wrote:
I live an die by Consumer Reports. I think you should try it for a
year. Small price to pay for good advice.

Hm. Every time I've seen something in CR that I own, I've disagreed
strongly with their opinions. Almost to the point where I treat it's
advice as a "Don't do this" kind of a thing.

Bought a Craftsman V-Twin hydrostat and love it.

Careful about Cub Cadet. Consumer Reports likes the line but cautions
on its repair history. It's top 10 worst.

And here seems to be an example. I've never owned a piece of Craftsman
equipment (tools, engine-driven, or electrical) that I haven't regretted
buying. I avoid it now, and have been much happier with my purchases.
Then again, I did step up from a Craftsman riding mower to a 30-year
old John Deer garden tractor, so it's not really the same class of
machine.

Dave Hinz

Hi,

Some advice: Whichever one you get, the one thing I for specifically is a
Full pressure Oil system.
The non-pressurized system's rely on the splash of the crank to lube the
engine -- I feel they don't get enough lubrication.
You'll get better life out of the engine that is fully pressurized.

This also means more cost -- but it is well worth it.

dB

"BRN" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked
at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the
off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area)
now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at
least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent reliability.
I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to be
a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than
the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

I agree, go with what works for you. JD makes a good solid mower, but the
actual mowing quality is substandard.
My dad has owner 6 JD mowers since 1988. 3 of those were traded in because
the motor was smoking badly after he used them to snow blow heavy snow or do
tilling work. All of them will not cut the grass while turning. They bend
the grass and leave trails of taller uncut grass. He has a 2003 345?? I
think it is...it will not mow corners either.

I have a JD 60 from 1967. It is a awesome little mower for it's age. It has
a new motor , seat, and blades. I acquired it for $125. it even has a nice
JD cover for it. For a little 6 hp motor, it mows the tall stuff perfect
the first cut, UNLESS I'm turning a corner. Same thing.

My brother in law fixes and sells used mowers. I asked him about it and he
said, yup, that's a Deer. They can only run in straight lines.

Good quality, great durability. So so mowing.

We had a 1981 24hp Sears with a 60" 3 blade deck that could mow anything we
threw at it. Funny thing is, when you pulled up to another 24hp JD of the
same year, they were identical to the letter. Just different colors. I
haven't seen much for mowers at Sears since that one.

Lannie

"Tom Gauldin" wrote in message
news:8Kfpa.34788$e73.21283@fed1read04...
I've had almost every kind of riding mower/tractor from a typical
Sears/MTD
in the 70's to a John Deere 650 diesel, 4WD. If I've learned anything,
it's
to try the machine out before buying and to get the least expensive one
that
does the job.

I strongly recommend the lowest end mowers- the kind that use a belt
tensioner as the clutch. They are jumpy and can flip over backwards.
Instead, consider a low end hydrostatic drive. It is infinitely variable
and smooth.

Brand means less than the weight. Horsepower means little for towing and
if
you're over 12hp, you have enough for mowing as well. Weight is important
for plowing, dragging and towing. It isn't the "go," it's the "stop and
turn" that matters, and that's where weight counts.

Cub was a darned good line in the 80's, but I am not familiar with it
nowadays. If I was going to just go buy something without much research,
I'd look at Cub, John Deere and (?) the one sold at Home Depot- is it
Husquevarna?

If you're just mowing a typical, flat, small lot, consider getting the
MTD-type of bottom end riding mowers and trade it off every 3-5 years.
The
MTD types actually do a decent job of mowing.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"BRN" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have been looking into buying a lawn or garden tractor. I have looked
at
most of the major brands (J.D., Simplicity, Toro) as well as some of the
off
brands or cheap brands (Sears, Murray, etc). Lowes (no H.D in our area)
now
sells Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors. My understanding is that at
least
in the past, this used to be a good, solid brand with decent
reliability.
I
know that the brand is now manufactured by MTD, but was wondering what
the
longevity and reliability of these lawn tractors is now? They seem to
be
a
price point lower than the premium brands, but a bit more expensive than
the
cheapest brands.

Additionally, has anyone bought such a large purchase from Lowes? The
say
they "service what they sell". Anyone have experience with Lowes repair
service? Do they just farm out the service to local repair shops?

Thank in advance.

Bart

On 23 Apr 2003 18:18:33 GMT, wrote:
Hm. Every time I've seen something in CR that I own, I've disagreed
strongly with their opinions. Almost to the point where I treat it's
advice as a "Don't do this" kind of a thing.
Bought a Craftsman V-Twin hydrostat and love it.
Careful about Cub Cadet. Consumer Reports likes the line but cautions
on its repair history. It's top 10 worst.

And here seems to be an example. I've never owned a piece of Craftsman
equipment (tools, engine-driven, or electrical) that I haven't regretted
buying. I avoid it now, and have been much happier with my purchases.
Then again, I did step up from a Craftsman riding mower to a 30-year
old John Deer garden tractor, so it's not really the same class of
machine.
I've read the Re Cub Cadet replies and found some useful information
like the high and low end stuff at Lowes and Home Depot as compared to
the dealers stuff. (important to know)
I don't have those problems. I inherited my Dad's Simplicity riding
tractor with all the accessories. It's about 36 years old I think,
the engine is no longer made although some parts are still available
and the last time I tried to get new blades for the mower, Simplicity
had to switch the dealer to the oldest employee at their factory to
find out which were the right ones.
Everything is made of real HEAVY metal and not bendable tin. It is
used every year to mow about two acres although I no longer pull the
plow or use the chipper or snow blower, and from the looks of it, I
think it's going to outlive me, but I do have a grandson to leave it
to.
My trouble is, I'm old enough to think everything should be built to
last instead of the kind of junk now being sold to a much younger
generation that has never known what quality means.
BTW, I avoid Sears like the plague.