new equipment vs older equipment

[dieseldan123]

Personally i work at a box store (Lowe's) and i agree with everyone above, they just suck compared to our tractors, Cadets and all! Our display tractors that are parked outside have rust, locked rear ends, solonoid failure, etc etc. I was covering for the garden dept one night and had a gentle old man come in the store looking for a new "lawn mower". I gave the sales pitch like i was supposed to and after awhile, he looked at me after looking over all of our models, and said "So basicly im looking at buying a new one in three years, if it lasts that long, and spending way more than necessary." I looked back and told him a plain yes, and that i personally would never own one that we sell, but also told him of the Cubs, and Deere's I would buy instead and where to find them. He thanked me and took the paper i gave him with the model numbers and locations. My store manager asked me later why i didnt make a sale on our grass cutters. My reply, "I dont believe in false advertisement."

[Masmith]

Growing up we had a yard that was cut by your standard push mower. When I would see the yards cut with the riding mowers (MTD, MURRAY, SEARS) and others they all looked like crap. The decks did not cut level, clumps of grass, and some bare spots when they scalped. I knew I would never buy a riding lawn mower. I grew up here in Louisville KY and remember driving by the International Harvester factory and seeing all the yellow/white tractors lined up. Born in 1964 and not living on a farm, I just thought they were neat. About 15 years ago I started a part time lawn service and was given some great advise about mowers. You get what you pay for. I bought Exmark hydro mowers and Redmax weed eaters and blowers. The mower cost $6000 (friends thought I lost my mind) and was worth every penny. When my interest in Cubs came about I was amazed the first time I cut grass with a well maintained 149 and 44C deck. The yard looked like a golf course. When I saw Cub Cadet invoices from the 60's and 70's on different forums and realized what a 149 cost new I was amazed. I then realized why they are still here. I still have the lawn service, have bought another Exmark hydro, but never bring them to my house to cut the grass. I enjoy the seat time and experience. On these cold winter days with no snow, the forums/websites and working on Cubs has been a tremendous source of pleasure. The same families whose yards looked terrible when I was growing up have replaced their riding mowers numerous times. The previous ones are behind the garages/sheds in different stages of decay/rust. Their yards still look terrible being cut with the new "box store" mowers they now have.

[edw]

Mike what is your lawnservice name.Waynes and B&S and D&D are some of my customers
Ed

[gcbailey]

OK here's you something to add fuel to the fire... went out this morning about 10F went to open the tailgate of my '04 Avalanche *SNAP*. The plastic handle breaks right off. I've been doing the same routine since it was new summer/winter/whenever. Heck it hasn't been above freezing here in over 2 weeks. But I'd still rather have my Avalanche compared to my old '91 Dakota, and especially my first vehicle hand me down, my '86 Ford Ranger without any power brakes, steering, air, anything. That's how you teach a 16 year old to appreciate the finer things in life!

[Masmith]

My lawn service is "The Yardbarber"

[ihnick]

my dad has a 2135 and it came with a 2 stage blower.he bought it used just for the blower to put on his 2165 and the blower is the same story and the paint basically fell off. i think i heard from someone that cub cadet tried using a paint and primer all in one so it didnt stick so well. but otherwise the tractors a great little mower and the snowblower throws like crazy. just someday we'll repaint it.

[johncub7172]

I would take the speed and comfort of a new Cub Cadet gt any day. But I can not part with my IH CC's. My 1990 White lt-14 Vangaurd B/S twin cuts like heck now, but runs like a top. But it is more comfort and alot faster than what I have. I could have had a new truck, but I chose a 82 f-100 out of Nevada with 55k orig. miles for 1600 bucks. With a Warn 4-speed and the 300-inline 6 , I got something that I dont have to worrie about and can spend money elsewhere. The more money you make at work the more you spend.

[toyman]

Not to take a totally opposing view, but you guys are comparing apples to oranges. There is no comparison between a garden tractor and a lawn tractor except that they both have 4 wheels, a motor, and can cut grass. Think about the history of these tractors. Back in the late 50's, early '60's John Deere and IH decided that they wanted to get into a new market for home owners. They brought a product to market based on their full sized tractors, which were over-engineered. I believe that these tractors were pretty pricey for the times, just like the comparable current models are today. As the general public took to these home-owner tractors, other company's got involved and started making lower end models (LT's) that hit a price point. The consumer demand for these lower cost tractors grew to point where we are now, that Cub and Deere both decided to get a piece of this market. They still make models that comparable to our garden tractors with a comparable, indexed, price. I know that my 1862 was over $5,000 with the deck back in 1992/93, since I was having drinks with the original owner the day he bought it. If I indexed that price to todays money, I'm sure I'd be approaching $10k, which means I wouldn't be buying at Home Depot or Lowes. Again, not trying to be contrary, but these were never $2,000 machines in their day, they were relatively pricey pieces of equipment.

With that being said, I'm glad they were over-engineered and I have a few in good condition. My first 'tractor' was a 13hp (B&S I/C) Sears riding mower. It was a stamped deck and frame, a light duty mower. I bought when I bought my first house in 1990 for around $800. There was no way I could think of affording much more at the time. (ie: a $3-5k garden tractor was out of the question) I used that Craftsman mower for the 10 years I lived at my old house (.3 acres), and for another year at my new house (2 acres) before I got the 1862. At that time, I sold the Craftsman for $400 and it is still mowing grass today. I maintained it very well when I had it, and the new owner is a motorcycle mechanic, so it is still well maintained. It may not last 40 years, but I think for the $800 it cost new (6+ times the cost of my 1862), 20 years and still kicking is pretty good.

One last thing, I'm part owner of a landscape company and we also mow. Our best cutters are Walker mowers. Some of our Walker's have over 3000 hours on them. Most have Kohler engines and are maintenanced religiously. We also have a couple Toro Z, zero turn mowers with 60" decks. They are very efficient and give a great cut, just not as nice as the Walker's. If I had to choose a pure mowing machine, it would definitely be a Walker. I bought 2 for the company this year and they were $10k each. They don't have any ground engaging equipment, but they do have a blower and blade for the front.

hey those MTD junk mowers do come in handy for something! making RACING lawn mowers! can't do that with a shaft driven tractor! haha. right now i have a Cub Cadet LT-1045 in my garage getting the starter replaced. it has the Kohler Courage engine in it (which ive heard some negative things about). they arent made the same anymore...but boy that thing rides like a caddy! compared to my old Cub Cadet 122, my Speedex S-19 and the Bolens G10 i just sold, the Cub Cadet 1440 and the LT1045 are like driving a rolls.


i know that the Speedex i have will whip any garden/lawn tractor that comes its way. and its so simple to work on, so simple to run.

i guess you get what you pay for!