Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A new Mower?

Y'all were really helpful to a poster here last week regarding his needs for a new mower. I thought I'd start a similar thread. My needs are somewhat different.

I have a 2000 vintage Sears mower, 18.2 hp B&S 42 inch. I bought it used in 2003 at a deep discount. It has been problematic from the start. I mow a couple of acres at the farm, in between the house and the various sheds. I try and do it every weekend, but I may miss a weekend, or I have trouble with the mower, and it starts to get ahead of me.


Then the belt breaks. I can't tell you how many belts I've broken over the years. I have a neighbor who works on mowers. In fact, he put me onto this one. Every time I break a belt, it's $90. I never really minded the expense, because he'd pick up and deliver and I really never had to worry about it. He'd also board my mower over the winter for nothing, and that saved me worrying about having it stolen.

This year, he got to old to work on the mower anymore, so I bought a v-belt and blades from Sears.com and tried to fix it myself.

ARRRRGH!!!! I got it fixed, but the belt broke after less than a 1/2 hour operation.


CHUNG!!!! Kachunck! Sputter. . . Sputter.

The first few years, I beat the thing up pretty badly. The excremental neighbors used to leave stuff in my yard (rocks, tools, bricks, car parts) and I'd find them with the mower. Now that they've been thrown out along with their passel of scrofulous protein-deprived mongrel children, I've been able to keep the mower running much better.

The tires are starting to rot. I can't keep air in one. They've all been plugged and patched numerous times, because the neighbor kids used to play with hawthorn branches

I'm thinking of a new mower.

42" seems about right. I could get that in the shed without modifications. Cub Cadet has one at Home Depot for $1800 with a 22 HP Kohler and a fancy hydrostatic transmission.

Cub Cadet 22HP 42"

Whatcha think?

Before y'all answer, Let me just add that I occasionally do some extra stuff with the mower. For instance, about once a year, I take the mower down the length of our 200 acres and mow a path between the house and the campground. It's about 3/4 of a mile one way. It takes about a half hour to do it. It's an old road, and it has just grass growing-- no worse than my backyard.

There are a couple other paths I do. None of these are particularly demanding in and of themselves-- just grass. However, I did have it opined once by another mower repair guy that I'm "trying to turn the mower into a bush hog. " He then tried to sell me a $10K mower. That isn't a totally inaccurate assessment. However, I have mostly mended my ways and I would be perfectly happy to just keep mowing the places I've been doing for years and refrain from further exploration on the mower.

Also, my yard has some hills to it. This is KY. Finding a 10X10 foot level spot is hard. There's about 6 feet of fall from the back of the house to the edge of where I mow, about 30 yards away. That's gradual. However, there are spots in the yard that require careful planning, or I am spinning my wheels.

Another datum: I'm 300 lbs. My dimensions are those of John Wayne after he went to seed. Think walking landform. Dainty mowers need not apply.

I bought one of these this spring:

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/zero-turn-riding-mowers/z-force-s-54

Ten times the mower of any regular rider I've ever owned.

If you want a Cub Cadet, go to a dealer, not Home Depot. Look at the Cub Cadet website. You'll see that HD only carries certain lines that are built to a certain price point. You truly get what you pay for.

I don't HAVE to have a Cub Cadet. However, I have heard good things about them. I had a hunting buddy with a similar circumstance as mine. He got a rebuilt 1967 Cub Cadet back in 1995 and had over a decade of faithful service.

I was at Home Depot on Friday and saw the sale price.

Cub is a division of MTD now. Has one of the highest problem rates in the industry, along with Troy Bilt another MTD brand, you would be better off with a top of the line craftsman made by Husqverna. I plan on buying a Deere X300 soon to replace my very old International Tractors Cub Cadet mower. The Craftsman will last you 300 hours, a Deere D110 will last you 300 hours, a Deere X300 will last you 600 hours.

I bought the 46" model (Cub Cadet) two years ago from a local dealer. Have not regretted doing so. I mow 2.5 acres that drops probably 10 feet from one end to the other. I replaced a Sears mower. I also replaced my $100 Lowes blower and weedeater with Stihls from the same dealer. Should have done it years ago. Much easier to start.

I got a great deal on a commercial craftsman mower 2 years ago, 54" 24 horse, and it simple and cut my mowing more than half. I have been very pleased.
Deck can come off within 10 minutes for cleaning, service or storing.
I would only buy from a dealer, whether it be sears, cub, john deer or what. Depot only carry mowers that are not meant to last.

I had an older Craftsman that was a bear on belts. The newer ones are much better. I now have a 54" Craftsman garden tractor that I got in '07 and it's still on the original belt. The old one had an 18hp Briggs. The new one has a 26hp Kohler and it's been flawless

shaman, find a V belt supply house in your area. The last belt I bought for our mower was in the neighborhood of 18-19 bucks. Take the old one with you so it can be matched to a new one.

Stay as far away from Sears as possible.


Denny

The JD X540 I use at work has 1400 hours on it now and is just getting broke in. The 1999 Wheel Horse 312 has 2000+ on it and it never breaks down. My 2004 Cub Cadet 2118 shafty has 1100 hrs.on it and is still going strong. The 2000 and 3000 series shaft drive cubs are much better, more durably built machines than the 1000 series belt drives and will outlast them several times over. If a JD 300's expected life span is only 600 hours I'd avoid it like my mother in law.

Like everything else - the advice will be to sell everything that you have and put all of your money into this one item, purchasing the very best available.

I have a 1525 Cub Cadet 350 hours, the only thing I have had to replace is blades.

I replaced my Yardman with a JD 110 about five years ago. No problems, still running like a champ and I have run it through some pretty rough stuff.

Well, I did some digging. There is a Cub Cadet dealer in Falmouth, about a half-hour away. My next step will be to see what they can deliver, and how soon. Sears sounded like a possible second choice, but the nearest Sears is 90 minutes away. There's a JD dealer inside an hour, but . . .

As much as I'd love a $4500 John Deer right now, I probably can't swing it AND get a new deer rifle. Ya' gotta have priorities, right?

I figured it out: I'd probably put 300 hours on a mower in ten years. In another 10, I'll be living out there full time and have a tractor with attachments. If this mower last me that long, I'll be happy. I'll also have grandchildren old enough to mow the lawn.

Husqvarna! Lowe's or Home Depot.

When we were looking a couple of years back... all I read about cub was to stay as far away from them as possible.

Just an FYI. NO clue about today.

I mow 2.2 acres and my 46" deck is the minimum size (IMO) to make short work of it, I think you need at least a 46" deck, too. Plus, you're a little larger than some folks, get the largest model you can swing.

My neighbor has a Cub Cadet (3 years) and I haven't seen him have any problems with it up to this point, he's mowing 2.5 acres.

Another plug for the Husqvarna w/Kohler engine, mine is the YTH21K46 and it gets the job done.

Check the used lot at a JD dealer or Husky dealer for a low-mile trade-in that has the features you need, you might save some money if you show up at the right time.

John Deere 425

Built like a tank and will last forever if you take care of it.

You're 10x better off buying a used quality mower than a brand new cheapie, in my opinion. Look around a bit before you commit to something brand new. Zero-turns are all the rage anymore, so you can scoop up a good 425 (or similar) for a decent price.

Deere X 300 is a awesome mower, The Kawasaki engine is quiet and sips fuel compared to a briggs.

Well, I went to the dealer on Saturday.

They handled a bunch of makes-- Snapper, Cub Cadet, Simplicity, MF, etc. The salesman spent a good long time with me . The big problem was how best to deal with tall grass. With what he had to sell, the 42" Cub Cadet with the 18 hp Kawasaki seemed to fit the bill best. There was a 46 incher there, but my main concern was dependability in taller grass.

I took it home, and went at it. Normally, with the Craftsman, I could get the immediate yard done in 2 hours and it would take a full tank and then some. 1 hr and 46 minutes later, I came back to the house. I had mowed the yard . . .


,

• and the strip of flat grass I keep open for campers
• and the patch in front of the tobacco barn
• and the grass in front of the 100 yards target stand
• and the path back to Moose's deer stand
• and the way back to the campground
• and the way to the outhouse
• and all the way back to the gate going to the neighbors property and the turnaround
  
  

. . . and made it all the way back to the house-- about 3/4 of a mile, having used about half a tank of gas.

To say that I was impressed with the Cub Cadet would be an understatement. What's more, the deck rode high enough that I never once hit a rock or a log. I never stalled out or hesitated. On a normal weekend, I'll be able to get through the yard in a half-hour. What's more, the cut looks like it came out of Kentucky Living with no visible clippings. The Craftsman, cut uneven and sloppy and look like a drunken autistic and gone at the lawn.



http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/lawn-and-garden-tractors/series-1000/ltx-1042-kw

I want to thank folks for leading me away from buying a mower from HD or Lowes. The price was the same, but I felt much better working with a dealer. That dealer will pick up and deliver. What's more, I established a relationship that 8 year from now will probably have me walking in and plunking down $20k for the tractor and implements I'll need when I retire.


Thanks all for your help.