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.