Cub Cadet by MTD??

[JT Britt]

What do people think about Cub Cadet since the buy out from MTD?I have a few mowers i would like to vent on.Lets go????

 

[IH10020]

Have a 2130 with 982 hours on it. 2 deck belts,1 fuel pump, several batteries, regular maintenance, has been a really good machine. 12.5 h.p. kohler engine.

 

[kj(seil)]

have a 1046 at work less than 80 hrs but probably that many in the shop constantly something wrong with it

 

[Vern]

I have a 3 year old GT 2542 that is a good machine.
20hp Kohler twin. 300+hrs on it so far.

Vern

 

[Traditional Farmer]

MTD has owned Cub Cadet for a long time probably longer than you realize

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have the LT1050 bought in yr 2005 with a little over 300 hrs. Only repair is a drive belt. It has the 26HP Kohler and runs like new. Grass is a little prone to stick under the deck.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Bought a new LTX 1045 in 2010. Mows about 1 acre. Had it for 2 years and all I've done to it is put gas in it and did the normal scheduled maintenance as per the manual. The only exception to that was I did the first oil change at 25 hrs instead of the recommended 50 hrs. It's been flawless.

I guess the fact that I bought it from a Case-IH dealer that has service people that actually know what they are doing when it was assembled/prepped/adjusted makes a difference.

When I was looking for a new mower, I did a LOT of investigating on the net, and the one thing that stood out was that the overwhelming majority of folks that had problems with the 1045 had bought them from box stores like Lowe's, TSC, Home Depot, etc.

On two garden tractor forums I frequent, it's pretty much acknowledged that the Cub Cadet 1000 [b:e3d4414835]KW[/b:e3d4414835] series are the best in the $2,000.00 price range. Compared the the Deere D series, and the other MTD tractors in the same price range, they have heavier frames, heavier decks, a stronger hydro unit, and a better (Kawasaki) engine.

That said, it's still just a LAWN tractor, not a GARDEN tractor. It's not designed to use ground engaging implements. For that you are going to have to step up to tractors in the $3,500.00 $5,000.00 range.

 

[dhermesc]

Given its been over 30 years I'm surprised most people even know that Cub Cadet was ever owned by a company called International. Call a Jeep an American Motors product and people will ask "Is that what Dodge calling themselves now that Fiat owns them?"

 

[dhermesc]

Agreed. In their day the Cub Cadet garden tractors were extremely expensive compared to riding mowers too, just like the price difference you pointed out for current models.

 

[JT Britt]

The SLT1554 is the model i am currently having trouble with.It has a single belt from the PTO to the deck.When the deck is lowered the belt from the spring loaded idler is at such a steep angle up to the PTO it will throw a belt every time.It has 121hrs.I also have a LT1042 that has give very little trouble,and the belt not being one of them.I have had to fix the valve cover from leaking,and it now needs a muffler.Other than that has been a nice machine.

 

[dixon boy RL]

sounds like it was assembled without the belt guide

 

[oldironman]

If you go to auctions you will see that these cubs don't bring very much. The older ones from the sixtys and seventys will bring just as much as the newer ones do. What does that tell you? I will stick with the older ones because if I need any parts I can get them for a lot less on Ebay and not get robbed from MTD and can sell them for what I paid for them or more.

 

[JT Britt]

When they were IH owned they were made tough.I have my eye on the little 104.Don't know if i will get it or not.Hoping i can.It was purchased brand new at the former IH dealer by my neighbor.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

It's been under 30 years

 

[Anonymous-0]

MTD purchased Cub in '81 ... so its been 31 years.This was the year after they stopped making their truck/scout line ... yes it has been a long time!

In any of these 'tractors'... you get what you pay for (no matter what the brand). If you want a riding lawn mower ... go to one of the box stores. If you want a garden tractor ... you'll only find them at one of the dealers.

 

[OldBuzzard]

(quoted from post at 22:53:59 04/16/12) ... If you want a riding lawn mower ... go to one of the box stores. ...

I'd have to disagree with that for the reasons I listed in my previous post. You stand a HIGH probability of getting a tractor that was not assembled/prepped/adjusted properly, and it WILL give you problems. Stick with a dealer, even for the 'riding mowers'.

If there is a DEALER for the brand that you are buying, get it there. The only exception MAY be if you are looking for a John Deere. As I understand it, the ones in the box stores are assembled and prepped at local JD Dealers and then delivered to the store. I have no direct knowledge of this, but that is something that a number of Deere owners have stated on a couple of GT forums that I frequent.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Old Buzzard I couldn't agree more. And my statement only partly stated what I was trying to get across ... I wasn't even thinking the set up/service issues.

I know at least for my local dealer ... there are 'box store models' that they will not carry.

It's also funny how people compare the GTs of old, with the LTs of today. They think because their new LT has a 27hp engine, it should be able to do anyhting that old 10hp could do. Point is ... pay the price for the right tractor for the job. Like someone already mentioned the little 10hp Cub from yester-year was big $$ for the time. Same as buying a GT series today.

When I bought mine in '04 ... I bought the 2500 series ... just to mow the lawn (at the time I had no intentions of anyhting else). I spent more $$ up front, but it will be the last one I will need to buy (I'm old, but not that old). I have since had the opprotunity to add a front blade, snowblower, and the hydro tiller to the arsenal. Point is, I use this machine and have had zero issues with it.