New to me 1861
 

Picked up an 1861 today, thought I'd share.

I got into cubs after inheriting an 1811 from the old man that used to live at our property, he bought it new and left it here for us. It's been a great tractor, has always been in good shape and I really got to liking the cubs. This year, my deck is too rotten and the front main developed a leak that needs immediate attention. Rather than trying to hurry to fix my 1811, I wanted to get a second tractor so that I could work on one while still being able to keep my mow schedule (about 3 acres).

So, I found this 1861 (pics should be attached) that is in fantastic shape, almost unbelievable how clean it is. I also didn't realize how tired my 1811 is until mowing with a fresh 18mag. My 1811 has a lot of hours, not sure exactly how many because the hour meter stopped working at 1490, but based on simple math with my mowing per summer, it easily has 2500 or 3000 hours on it.

Anyway, thought I'd share. The only thing I need is a grill, hoping to find one on here eventually.

The other pesky things are the "safety" features on the 1861, the reverse switch that kills the pto and the seat switch are driving me nuts already. I'll have to disable them.

I had an 1861 very similar to yours. It was a grass eating SOB with the 54" on it.

This has the 54 and I mowed in 2/3 the time it took with my 1811. Granted, my 1811 with the 50c deck would have been a contender if it didn't bog on the thick grass.

It's a shame really, I like the 1811 as a tractor much better than the 1861 but freshness matters.

That’s a very good looking machine.
Here’s a grill on eBay, I think that it’s what you need…
https://www.ebay.com/itm/27584399041...3ABFBMmsSTzINi

Yea, I lucked out on an older machine that has barely been used.

That's the cyclops light lens, I need the grill that goes underneath it. Hard to tell in the photo cuz it was so sunny

Great looking tractor, a real survivor. Its good to have a pair of Cubs, that way if one is down for rebuild, you still can take care of business. Now you can take your time and return the 1811 back to being as nice as the new tractor is. Mower decks can be found in super nice shape, so if yours has serious rust issues, I would see if you can find a much nicer 50c for it while you refresh the Mag18.

Yea, I really look forward to freshening up my 1811. I have suspected the valves to be way out of adjustment for a few seasons now, because it doesn't burn oil despite being down on power. It is the ONLY thing that I don't like about the magnums, the fact that the valves can't be adjusted. I guess I'm looking at a teardown for S and G's now, and the 1861 has taken mowing back to being a very enjoyable chore of mine so I can go as far as I want on the 1811 and it won't matter. I have about 2 acres of wooded trails that need mowed in the summer, so I think I'll try to get the smallest deck available for the 1811 and get rid of my current woods mower (the 50 was always too large for the trails). It's also nice to have a tractor with no deck, to pull the trailer through the woods or let the kids drive it on the trails without fear of mashing up the deck.

Anyway, ranting, but I think my cub collection bug has finally taken hold. There's a super garden that needs engine work that I may look at....but I hope he sells it before I have a chance to look :BlahBlah:

The smallest deck on an 1811 was the 38C. Most were the 44C.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for one. 38 would be good for the trails I think. If most were 44, I guess it won't be easy to find a 38.

OP, that's a super clean unit, take good care of it. You won't find plastics like that again. Front bumper time!

fix the grille
 

From what I can see of that grill, I'd repair it. JB weld Plastic Bond works wonders.

Oh, and if that SGT is cheap, buy it. I paid $100 for mine, and it's fun for towing and pulling. I took the mower deck off and mounted a winch in front, and got the Extreme 3-point stuff. Feels like a grown-up tractor. Handy when you need to drag a boulder or a downed tree out of the woods.
Motors aren't that hard to find. Or spend $800 at HF for a new Predator engine.

Thank you, it will kinda hurt to watch it age over the years, but it is wild to have such a fresh machine that works the way it did when new. Makes mowing enjoyable. What kinda bumper are we talking about?

Man, that's a score on that clean of a tractor. I have a 1711 and and 1641 and I personally don't think an 82 series deck will ever out-mow any of the cyclops decks. The 1711 is on permanent 3 point attachment duty.

It's hard to see in the pics, but the grill is just missing. The guy I bought it from made a crude grill, out of some mesh, that is currently zip tied to the shrouds. I will keep an eye out for an original, I would like the tractor to be complete. No rush, of course, but something I will pull the trigger on when I do come across one.

What makes the cyclops decks so good? I'm in MD too btw

not bad for 300 bucks I think, even though it's missing a grill.

I think the shape that they're stamped in promote much better airflow compared to the older ones. The only issue with that is to be able to stamp these tighter contours, the metal needs to be much thinner so rust-through is an issue without good maintenance.

My 1641 has the 42GT deck and it is one of the best mowing tractors I've ever had.

The 1711 has a 44C and while it cuts clean, the discharge is pathetic compared to the newer designs.

Look up Ray Weavers IH parts in Denver, PA. He has tons of parts for these tractors for good prices, I'm sure he has a grill panel there. Not too far of a drive for me from Cecil County.

Thanks, I was just up that way over the weekend, nice drive.

I made a vow to keep this tractor clean, good to know about the deck being thin. My 50C really went from in-tact to rotted in 2 seasons as one hole introduced grass to areas where it would have never gotten otherwise.

To prevent damage to the plastics. In my 982 thread you can see one on there.

Found it, I'll certainly have to make one of those. I really like your GMC also.

The newer Cub LT decks, and most other MTDs, have a garden hose connection on the top of the deck. After you mow, you hook up the hose, run the water and power up the mower deck. Washes all the grass and dirt out. Seems like a good idea, but I don't know how well it works.

Have any of you tried to add this to a GT deck?