[Yosemite Sam]

This is really a great topic, in my opinion, all the things the guys have said about the electric lift, is pretty-much true.

Hydraulic lifts are much more durable and a lot more powerful. However the N/F lifts are terribly expensive and often times difficult to find (although someone here had one for sale recently for a pretty reasonable price).

There have been a number of threads in the past about "home-brewed" hydraulic lifts, some have been very well done and others, not so much, so I guess it all depends on what you're after.

I believe that if one had a little fabrication skill, a welder and a few other metal working tools, it wouldn't take a whole lot to make-up a really nice hydraulic lift from pretty-much all Cub Cadet (mostly Wide Frame/Quiet Line) parts for a very reasonable price.

Good luck with whatever you decide.