I bought a basket-case 1450 January 2012 (see
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=29504) I was excited to get it because CCs are very hard to find here in California. What really made it a sweet deal were the attachments, wheel weights and 3 pt.
The tractor was a mess. I went at it and got it functional with a mix of new and used parts (see
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=29556) I took it down to the frame and did the best I could with the budget I set. It aint pretty but it is functional. It does need a few small parts but I run it as-is and it runs great. I'll get to the stuff that it needs with time. The problems it has are more annoying than anything.
The 1450 was a rewarding project and I have a machine that I'll hand down to one of my boys. I know it inside and out and would do it again in a heartbeat. One day when I got on top of the house projects (we bought a basket-case house in 2013 - see a pattern?) I'll tear it back down and paint it. I can't wait.
Like Cadzag I was in Sears with my wife and boys once and we walked through the lawnmower area. She commented on the high price of a Craftsman riding mower and how much less I put into our 1450. I told her that you couldn't do what I was about to do with a 1450. I lifted the back end of the mower off the ground and flexed the frame. The salesman didn't like it but I made my point.