Cub Cadet Mower differences
#11
A neighbor asked me a question about Cub Cadet riding mowers and I have not a clue.  He said there may be a difference between those sold at big box stores, HD, Lowes, Tractor Supply etc and the mower sold by Dealers.  The ones sold by box stores are a lesser quality than the others.  Any one hear of this?
Bill Bob
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#12
These kinds of stories have been around for many years and with other brands besides Cub.  Tool manufacturers have been accused of the same thing, sort of a bait & switch.  I don't think it's legal.  I think the primary difference people see is that the Big Box stores carry entry level equipment, which is made to compete in a particular market.  Dealers tend to offer the higher priced, better quality equipment, targeting a different market.  If the model numbers are the same, then the specs should be the same.  Some claim that this isn't always true.  If it is being done, then there are probably subtle differences in the model number.
If you are going down a river at 2 mph and your canoe loses a wheel, how much pancake mix would you need to shingle your roof?

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#13
Yeah there are not any differences. An ltx1045 is an ltx1045. However often the one you buy at the cub dealer will come with a front bumper. 

     I bought my ltx1045 at depot when they were getting rid of the old models 2 years ago. I paid $800 for it then they delivered the wrong one to me. They delivered a used demo one that had a dead battery gunked up carb and sticking pedal. I went in POed and they tried finding another 1045 or 1054(reaally wanted the 1054 for the engine).  They couldnt get one anywhere and this was just before thanksgiving and we are mowing grass weekely again at that time... 
         They came and picked up the mower and took it to the kubota dealer and had everything fixed. Gave me a mulching kit for a 46" AYP mower which i still have and cant seem to sell and ended up getting another $200 refunded. Not what i initially bought but for $600 its been a good mower. 

 
       Hopefully ill find the right older cub cadet mower to restore. The current ones are just a nicer version of an MTD mower. The old ones were made by international harvester and had drive shafts to the deck and rear end, hydraulic deck lift and power steering. Hope to find the right one some day as those will last you for a lifetime if you take care of them.

        Oh and on other brands like the green ones.  Dont believe the we build them all in our own tractor factory... They are most all glorified AYP mowers at a high price.
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#14
(06-02-2017, 06:56 AM)Bill Bob Wrote: A neighbor asked me a question about Cub Cadet riding mowers and I have not a clue.  He said there may be a difference between those sold at big box stores, HD, Lowes, Tractor Supply etc and the mower sold by Dealers.  The ones sold by box stores are a lesser quality than the others.  Any one hear of this?
Bill Bob

There will be no difference between Big Box Stores and a dealer for the SAME model number.

What you will find is the dealer carries many more higher end models that the BB stores will not carry.

What a dealer will have is the Cub Cadet line of nice high end garden tractors with cast iron transmissions that are shaft driven. Decks will be thicker and stronger than BB models.
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#15
Go to www.cubcadet.com  they list all the models and the differences.  The $1500 lawn tractor sold at the big boxes will not be the same as the $4700 tractor which is sold by dealers.    The same is true for John Deere,  see what each model offers and what is important to you.    Same model numbers is the same model regardless who sells it.     Roly
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#16
MTD makes them all. Various quality levels. Personally, I'll stick with JDeere, with the 16 hp Kawasaki engine. I've got a 48" deck Deere that is 16 years old and still going strong with just regular maintenance. Kawasaki engine runs like a champ, but I'm thinking about a zero turn model upgrade.
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#17
I've got a 2 year old John Deere lawn tractor (X304) that I just got back from the dealer.  New transmission at 33 hours of use.  No user serviceable parts on the transmission, you can't even add fluid to it.  It doesn't cut as well as my old Cub and honestly it isn't half the machine the Cub was.  I bought this machine from the Deere dealer after doing some research on the quality of the deck, transmission, and engine.  I'd have been better off buying a cheap model at the big orange box and treated it like a disposable item.  It took the dealer 3 weeks to fix it during grass cutting season.  I've had the mower deck off of it 5 times because the belts won't stay on the pulleys (and had to replace the deck belt at about 20 hours).  Each out/in cycle of the mower deck takes about an hour and requires donation of some blood.

Needless to say, this is my first and last John Deere product
Mike


If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room!

But not today...
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#18
Sold the 160 in 2006 and bought the JD X300.
 Eleven years, one belt, one deck bearing and runs like a top. Starts immediately. I made the front guard because I run down small brush at times. Deck comes out in 1-2 minutes- no broken knuckles.

 Both Kawasaki engines- no smoke- no oil leaks- no problems.

The old 160 sold for 400 bucks after almost 20 years. It used one belt, a set of plugs and 2 sets of tires- that's it.

[Image: pics%20037_zpsdgaa1eft.jpg]


Towing it around with the transmission unlocked will ruin it I hear.

My neighbor bought a Huskvarna and after a year, traded it in for a JD.
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#19
(06-02-2017, 06:52 PM)gMike Wrote: I've got a 2 year old John Deere lawn tractor (X304) that I just got back from the dealer.  New transmission at 33 hours of use.  No user serviceable parts on the transmission, you can't even add fluid to it.  It doesn't cut as well as my old Cub and honestly it isn't half the machine the Cub was.  I bought this machine from the Deere dealer after doing some research on the quality of the deck, transmission, and engine.  I'd have been better off buying a cheap model at the big orange box and treated it like a disposable item.  It took the dealer 3 weeks to fix it during grass cutting season.  I've had the mower deck off of it 5 times because the belts won't stay on the pulleys (and had to replace the deck belt at about 20 hours).  Each out/in cycle of the mower deck takes about an hour and requires donation of some blood.

Needless to say, this is my first and last John Deere product



           The hydrostatic transmissions have been non servicable for a long timebut a few there was a way to refill the oil but it was a pain and it used a bellows to control air expansion in the unit. I remember repairing a few many years ago and it was always the pump that failed. 

            Always wondered about converting a mower to all hydraulic.... Pump on the engine and hydraulic motors on the deck and final drive....  

              Have found a couple old 124 cub cadets for around 500 with attachments but none with a tiller which is very hard to find.
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#20
same model is the same model anywhere.
a coule major differences is dealer will have employees that know a wee bit about the equipment and very well working experience with them. they have replacement parts, do the warranty work, and repairwork.
big box gets ya an employess that read the little card display on the tractor, send ya to a factory authorized warranty/repair center, and have a spark plug, a blade, and maybe a muffler and gas filter for replacement parts.

a dealership can have some of the extra bolt ons to a model the big box doesnt.

some of the tractors big box stores get need some assembly. by the same person whose experience with tractors is reading the card display that sits by the tractor on the floor.

some tractors dealers get need some assembly.and done  by someone who doesnt work in lumber one day,electrical the next, lighting the next....
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