Top 1986 Garden Tractors Go Head-to-Head
 

From Popular Mechanics September 1987 – begins on Page 74

https://books.google.com/books?id=zeQDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=g bs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Stumbled upon this old article…interesting...but plenty of points to argue.

The contestants:

John Deere 318
Snapper LT-16
Ariens GT 18
Cub Cadet 1811
Craftsman YT 16

ccguy
Western MA
1994-1440
1988-1811
#4
42" Blade
44A

Here's a clickable link for everyone that takes you right to the start of the GT article:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ze...page&q&f=false

Wow $7700+ for A 1811 cub

That's $16,766 in 2015 dollars!

ccguy
Western MA
1994-1440
1988-1811
#4
42" Blade
44A

Sometimes that conversion factor is not applicable,
as manufacturing procedures are simplified or improved efficiency is involved.
Also we have suppliers around the world.
It was nice when those jobs were here in the USA.
But times have changed as elected officials bow to environmental groups that demand unreasonable rules that drive manufacturing to countries with less stringent rules.
Always wondered if it was better to have a good steady job or stringent rules that converted the USA to importers,rather than exporters.
I hear the term "drill baby drill" so to speak in one breath, but the next breath, not in my back yard.
They say coal produced electric is dirty ----- ok---- tell that to japan, Russia or 3 mile island nuclear disasters, that nuclear is safe.
So many problem I can't solve,--- now where is my broken cub I can solve!:biggrin2:
Moderators: feel free to censor/delete this if "politically incorrect or too sensative" :bigthink:
I do guarantee that no mosquitoes or flies were swatted or harmed in any way during this typing.
( now where did I put my fly swatter?)

no contest, cub for the win.:biggrin2:

I read the article the other night. I thought it was kinda funny the group of tractors they chose.... I really don't think that it was a real fair comparison outside of the 318 and the 1811. It was more like two groups of garden tractors.

On a second note, it was cool to flip through the pages of a 30 year old PM magazine. A lot has changed...... not just prices. :bigeyes:

I really enjoyed the suv breakdown in the middle too. Nice reading some interesting consumer news from the past! My favorite part was from the blurb about the Jeep Grand Wagoneer: "the body design has remained unchanged for almost a decade, and there are no plans to change it."