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pwelty_gw

New Cub Cadet i1046 Zero Turn

pwelty
17 years ago

Hi all,

New Cub Cadet i1046 owner. Let me just tell you my story, short version. Went to a large home building store (names are withheld to protect the inocent) and was looking for a riding mower, have 3 acers, mow about 1 acer. Was looking to spend about $1000.00-1200.00. was looking at what they had and notice the Cub Cadet i1046, it had a price tag of 3399.00 and I asked why that was so much? The salesman looked at it and stated that "this is not a zero turn mower", as it stated on the pricetag. It did not look like a ZT mower, no levers etc....So I asked what the price was, after about 10 mins of him going back and forth, his manager came out and said he would sell it to me for 1395.00. I said that was a little out of my price range and said thanks, and left.

My wife and I went to dinner and discussed lawn tractors and decided to go back and just buy it. We were offered another 10% off if we bought it on their credit card, which we did not have, so I filled out the paper work, was approved and so the price came down to 1255.00, with TAX, 1352.00 and loaded it up away we went on our way. It was not until I got home that I relized that I never asked what the warrenty was. I log on to Cub Cadet's website and then relized that the price that they originally had was correct and this is a new ZT model mower. I felt bad and called them back the next day and talked to the manager about the mistake. He stated that it was their mistake and he thank me for my honesty. He said that because it was already paid for and that they made the mistate, to keep it and stated, "it must have been your lucky day".

I have just took it for a spin around the driveway, but I must say, it is a sweet tractor, build quality is very nice. I will be using it tomorrow and will give a full review.

PW

Comments (36)

  • theodocius
    17 years ago

    Nice score at the big box store. Dealers just don't make those kinds of mistakes. ;~)

    t

  • johndeere
    17 years ago

    Hopefully it will work out for you.Because if it would have a warranty issue.Home Dopot and TSC will not have a clue what to do with it.Just like they did not have a clue about the price.I would find a local dealer and introduce your self and see what he saids he will be willing to do just in case he is needed.Because if ytou would have a problem and you take it back to the big box store.You will have to wait for it to be picked up and returned.Best to just cut out the middle man box store after the sale.

  • ekoreilly
    17 years ago

    so how does it differ from a regular riding mower?

  • pwelty
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I feel that the tradional ZT mowers were a turn off to the vast public. The levers seemed to be more complicated than a steering wheel. MTD/Cub Cadet saw this and decided to offer a new ZT model that didn't scare off the vast public. With this mower you have the best of both worlds. Tradional looking mower with a steering wheel for joe public and the ZT as well. Like everyone is saying, how will it hold up over the long haul. I have to admit, I would have never bought one of these at MSRP, 3400.00. I usaully do not buy 1st year models on anything, it's a gamble and I like to have a wait and see attitude. But being that I was lucky and got a great deal, I will roll with this and see where it goes.

  • ekoreilly
    17 years ago

    Hmmm I should go to my local Big Box and ask the same question you did :o)

  • taxman100
    17 years ago

    I sell those at Home Depot (I'm one of three Power Equipment Specialists part time on Friday and Saturday) - we just got our first one in last week. We've known about them for months, waiting for their arrival.

    All I can say is you must have dealt with one of the college kids who just got hired and is out of the loop, but how a manager could miss that badly is hard to say. I guess they never heard of the search feature for the model number in the inventory system.

    It is a heck of a tractor - brand new model. You were very fortunate.

  • pwelty
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Well I just finished mowing about 1 1/2 acers on the new i1046. It ran great, plenty of power and for those of you wondering if the front wheels dig in when turning on the tight radius, the answer is no. It took about 65 mins to mow and the grass was pretty high in some areas. The washing deck system worked very well, I ran the mower up a couple of small ramps I have to see how clean the underside of the mower deck was, it was spotless. I am very please with this mower, the Kohler Courage V-twin ran perfectly, the ZTR definitly save time. I have about 30 trees, just planted and I was able to mow completely around all of them, no need to use a push mower or a trimmer. I would recommend this mower. The MRSP is high, 3399.00, I am not sure I would have paid that for a first year, new model.

    PW

  • dmurph_ohio
    16 years ago

    I recently bought an i1046. Not as good of a deal as pwelty but, I did take advatage of the 10% off. I usually don't buy new, but this is one awesome mower. I'm not much for briggs and the other guy, so when I saw that it had the Kohler engine I couldn't resist. John Deere had the SST model that flopped. They couldn't get it to work right from what I under stand (trans problems). I can only hope that Cub Cadet did their homework with this one. On to the mowing part, this mower is comfortable, easy to manuever, has great safety feature for cutting in reverse (you turn the ignition key back to reverse cutting option and there is a button that you press after you make sure there are no children around or anyone else for that matter and it allows the pto to stay engaged while going in reverse) other wise if you step on the reverse pedal without doing the previous steps it disengages the pto. I don't mind the extra steps because there alot of children around my house and it's more for their safety than anything. The seat is comfortable, I purchased the cover for it, nice pockets on the back of any garden utensils you might want close by or maybe your phone so you don't miss an important call. It has a 12v utility outlet below the steering wheel along with a cup holder on the lft side. I am waiting on some special orders for the plow, bagger and aerator. None of this stuff is cheap if you go the route I did. Heck you only live once and you can't take it with you. Why not make things easier on yourself instead of sweating it out in the hot sun. I also purchased the 10cu.ft poly cart, well worth it. They have the 17cu.ft but that is a little big for my needs. So, if you're in the market for a new riding mower and you want a zero turn give this one a gander, you might like what you see.

  • kiddranger
    16 years ago

    I like the looks of it- it has a look of a racer, I joked with my wife that if i bot it ( afford it more likely), id have it home and jacked up half stripped to be built into a racing tractor, all lowered and setup to go wicked fast. She wasnt amused.
    Kidd

  • dragonlover7
    16 years ago

    Does the new Cub Cadet Zero Turn mow in reverse? We live in a heavily wooded area and disengaging the mowing deck is a royal pain when I need to reverse out of a tight place. We have 7 acres with hundreds of trees.

  • jbabcock_4seasonsequipment_com
    16 years ago

    Per Cub Cadet website :

    "Exclusive RevTEKÂ Reverse Mowing Technology allows moving in forward or reverse until the operator leaves the tractor seat, turns the key back to normal or turns off the engine."

    Basically like the airbag switch on pickups.
    We call it the Lawyer override switch where I work.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cub Cadet i 1046

  • johnsinva
    16 years ago

    I feel that the tradional ZT mowers were a turn off to the vast public. The levers seemed to be more complicated than a steering wheel. MTD/Cub Cadet saw this and decided to offer a new ZT model that didn't scare off the vast public.

    This isn't a new idea. John Deere had a similar machine dubbed "SpinSteer" and MTD made a copycat version branded (at least) under their Yard-Man badge. Neither was wildly popular, but perhaps MTD figures it can cash in on the Zero-Turn trend with this reheated idea.

  • metal
    16 years ago

    The main difference is that this mower doesn't have "caster" type wheels on the front, so it "should" do better on side hills.

  • trouty
    16 years ago

    I don't know what everyone else thinks, but my 2 cents is that you shouldn't use the deck washing system. At least not frequently. Just dry scrape the deck after each mowing and you'll be fine. The deck wash system will just introduce needless moisture which may ultimately end up shortening the deck's lifespan.

    I realize that there are probably different opinions here, but like I said, "my 2 cents."

    Good luck with the mower (I'm jealous!) - give us some periodic performance reports on quality, etc.

  • metal
    16 years ago

    I agree with trouty. The deckwash is a marketing gimmick and a way to sell more replacement parts.

  • lb59
    16 years ago

    This isn't a new idea. John Deere had a similar machine dubbed "SpinSteer" and MTD made a copycat version branded (at least) under their Yard-Man badge. Neither was wildly popular, but perhaps MTD figures it can cash in on the Zero-Turn trend with this reheated idea.

    ****************
    Rite MTD is reintroducing the same thing they failed at under their White and Bolens and Cub labels a few years ago.

    The CC i 1046 is the same flop it was back then under the Cub Cadet label.

  • skspurling_centurytel_net
    16 years ago

    It's not the same as the spin steer stuff, and I'm getting kind of sick of people making statements like that with out checking it out. It's not really complicated either. It is kind of elegant in its simplicity. It's a tractor with a differential hydrostatic set up in the back. The speed of the two hydrostat motors changes as you steer the wheel. The same idea as a normal differential, only hydrostatic instead of mechanical. Now, they just kick it up a notch and allow you to turn the wheel a little further and the inside wheel starts to turn backwards. The center of the spin is in the center of the frame just forward of the driver. I like it and I found it very intuitive. I have a lot of stuff in my lawn to mow around and was thinking of getting a regular zero turn except I have hills. So since I have hills and want to do more than just mow grass, a tractor would be better.

    The spin steer and Yard man things were the same as regular zero turn mowers, being that the front wheels were casters with no lateral control. In order to get any kind of performance on a hill, you need the wheels to be controlled. That is why it is different, and it works beautifully so far.

  • tmajor
    16 years ago

    My Toro HMR, which I had before the Z, was kind of like that. It had interconnected steering, which would decrease the drive on the inner wheel. I don't think it was a big hit, but personally, I couldn't find anything wrong with it, while running it for 12 years.

  • bgpac
    16 years ago

    Anyone had expirience on hills with this mower...is it stable ?

  • jsharpscs
    16 years ago

    It should be just as stable on hills as a GT with equivalent dimensions. It has mechanical steering of the front wheels just like they do. The steering mechanism just allows them to turn more tightly. That coupled with the independent hydraulic motors on the rear axle are what give the machine its small turning radius.

  • macii
    16 years ago

    Curious to hear more reports from current owners...

    Also, since it's been, oh 10 years since my last tractor purchase, I have no idea about their cycle for new product release and/or pricing action. Given that the i1046/i1050 are now about to be 1 year old are we likely to see new models or lower prices?

    DM

  • shu246
    16 years ago

    Bought one a couple of weeks ago. My first 'riding mower' - heretofore having used exclusively 'weed wacker on wheels' (e.g. DR trimmer/mower) for the yards and New Holland TC-30 for the pastures.

    Did quite well, including an acre or so of foot high grass. Nice to find it has the power to climb out of the ditches and up ramps.

    I do find the steering is sensitive if you hit an obstacle. Front wheels will grab and flip to the full extent of turn; on this machine that is slightly more than 90 degrees - which locks the machine from going forward. Only way out is to back up - sometimes with difficulty.

    I accept this as something to learn to live with. Stability and maneuverability are opposites; an increase in one necessarily means a decrease in the other.

  • soxfaninny
    16 years ago

    New poster, but I just got one of these last week and love it.

    It cut the lawn beautifully, and reduced my cut time from 1-1/2 hrs down to 1 hr....and probably will be shorter once I get used to it a bit ;-)

    The steering is excellent, power more than adequate, and the fit and finish very nice as well.

    We'll see how the reliability is, but I'm happy so far.

  • johngranger
    16 years ago

    Hi Pwelty
    Looking at an i1046 here in Australia and would be really interested to hear how it is going after nearly 12 months..? My email is 18mindi@gmail.com
    Best Regards...John

  • phoenix1969
    15 years ago

    Greetings All,
    I was intrigued back in 2002 when I first saw the John Deere SST. Our property has a lot of obstacles and I have very little time. I ended up buying the JD LT160 because the SST wouldn't accept a snow thrower attachment. The LT160 does and had (and I think still has) the tightest turning radius out there of 14". Now Cub Cadet comes along with this guy and again, I'm intrigued but according to the CC website it also will not accept a snow thrower, only a blade is shown in the available attachments. When can I have my cake and eat it too?

  • larso1
    15 years ago

    I would think that since the front wheels on these tractor-style zero turns are more like casters than steerable wheels (that are connected to a healthy steering gear and tie rod) would be impossible to steer with all that weight on the front. Especially if there was a slope involved. Maybe a rear mount snow caster would work but I doubt it would be practical.

  • gamekeeper6
    15 years ago

    Hi, Have any of you guys seen the new version of this mower with the vastly improved transmission made by Infinitrak. They are calling it the TTT transmission and it's made by MTD themselves who half own Infinitrak.

  • gamekeeper6
    15 years ago

    Still no news of the new transmission. It may be that the mower is going to be sold as the allrounder model.

  • junkmail_ravenhurst_com
    15 years ago

    Have had one of these for a bit over a year (in town about 1/2 acre, 17 random sized trees). It works great, but because it has smaller tires than alot of ztr's it rips up the turf in tight turns quite a bit more if the grass isn't filled in very good or in the damp/wet. There is no snowthrower option because there is no PTO on it. My biggest problem is that after a few run ins with a fence or objects, the steering mechanism up front loosens and the wheels get forced out of alignment. Not hard to fix but annoying. I am a bit hesitant to put thread locker on the bolts in question, but it may come to that. Larso1, steering is primarily done through the front wheels, you only get some assist from the hydro drive after you turn the wheel far enough, so it is very stable on hills. A minor annoyance is the engine cowling has a aggressively styled air intake that likes to grab branches and keep hold of them.

  • larso1
    15 years ago

    "Larso1, steering is primarily done through the front wheels, you only get some assist from the hydro drive after you turn the wheel far enough, so it is very stable on hills."

    OK, good to know. Thanks for the info. There haven't been many owner reviews of this model that I've seen, so anything you can share would be of interest.

    Bill

  • wz40ft
    15 years ago

    Just bought an i1050 used (2007 model). Cost $2100 including shipping (from NE to NY). Had my local dealership check it out before taking it home (did oil change, once over). Right now it's in the garage with the deck off so I can clean it up.

    One thing I will say, putting that deck back on is no 5 minute job.. struggled with it for 30 mins the other day and gave up. My main problem is getting the spring-loaded deck support pin lined up with the deck lift arms (which don't seem to want to drop on their own when you lower the deck lift.. maybe I'm missing a spring or something). Any tricks to this? And which hole in the deck lift arm does the pin go into? There are several. Stupid me I didn't make note of this when I took it off (I assumed there would be just one way to put it back on). I'm assuming it's the most rearward hole...

    Anyway, something else I noticed was that the front wheels do seem to be out of alignment. When I point one wheel straight forward the other points outward slightly (maybe 5 degrees). This can't be good to drive on as I'd imagine it puts additional stress on the linkage as well as will chew the turf up a little.

    Those of you that have this model (or the i1042 or i1046), is that toe-out normal?

    MSH, you mentioned this happens sometimes with your tractor and it's a simple adjustment. Where do you make this adjustment? I'm guessing it's where the threaded tie rods connect into the triangular brackets near your feet that rotate when the wheel turns. Or is it somewhere else?

    Thanks all,
    Paul

  • jimlip
    13 years ago

    Well, this is late for this thread, but it is worth writing because I'm guessing there are folks out there looking at this mower as i was and looking for any recent reviews as I was when i bought. I bought my cadet i1050 two summers ago and boy what a mistake it was.
    I had a JD at my old house and sold it with the house when I moved out. Did a lot of reading and checking and bought this thing at a dealer here in Maine called FM Abbott.
    So, I'm not going to drag out the whole story because my head hurts when I think of all the crap I've been through, and i have to get up early to call the half assed service center because my mower is sitting in the middle of my driveway stalled.
    Long story short, she has been to the dealer no less than 8 times (at either their expense to pick up ($50) or the expense of my time, effort and aggravation to trailer it over there).
    A few were because "there was no problem at all" according to them even though they took it with them (if it started, it is doubtful they'd have taken it each time_ and eventually told me they'd taken a few pieces of plastic out of the gas tank that were causing trouble. The other times it was because of the drive system. I remember reading a review that said this mower "climbed hills like a scared cat". Ummm, well, maybe when it was new. I have a pretty modest incline in the back yard that I just have to get up a few times and I'd say over the 2+ years of mowing, I've had to bail out more often than not and go down rather than up. There was a while when I'd step on the gas and the thing would hesitate, think about it, one wheel would spin then eventually the other would catch up....that was another trip to the shop. And today, in the middle of mowing she stopped in the driveway...no nuthin.
    I wonder if I can find someone to buy this POS so i can go back and get another JD,
    p.s. also worth mentioning is the inferior job this thing does cutting long and/or damp grass compared to my deere.
    p.s.x2, the dealer is not good at all. very friendly in sales and on the phone, but i can't believe how many times i've had to go back and i get no sympathy whatsoever.
    p.s. x3. I don't work for another dealer or another company. email me and i'll gladly send pics of my pos and answer any other questions.

  • budo
    13 years ago

    HORRIBLE!!! Do NOT purchase!!! Three years old and I have used less than two years. Broken RH transmission replaced, but not really at 75 hours. Now the steering box is broken and the junk does not move at all. $3400 for 92 total hours and over one year in repair. ABSOLUTE GARBAGE!

  • mikepoe59_comcast_net
    12 years ago

    Unreliable!!! When it works, it works well, but it breaks quite often. I bought it new in 2007 and have had multiple thrown belts and belt rtension springs, locked transmission, and most recently,transmission pulley failure and steering box failure. I'm ready to trash it and get a John Deere. My previous Craftsman wasn't as fancy, but much more reliable year end and year out!!!

  • new_thumb_bc
    11 years ago

    What are you guys doing to your tractors to have all the troubles I read about here? I have had no troubles at all in three years and don't want any. I mowe an acre of lawn with some very complicated garden layout so lots of 360 Deg. turning.
    I have a push blade mounted for driveway snow and some light dirt moving. My mower dose not have an easy life but works perfectly. Lots of oil changes and lubricating.
    I got a great deal at Home Depo. It was a bring back because the rig was smoking from underneath every time the cutter was engaged. On inspection I found the belt was too long allowing the back of the belt to rub against each other at the idler pulleys. There was black rubber powder all over the deck and a big burning stink.
    I told the store manage I would take a gamble on it but not knowing the extent of the problem I would have to have a very discounted price. Agreed. We had a deal. I took her home, then off to John Deer for a two inch shorter belt and away we go. Perfect from then on. By the way, shortening the belt by even one inch will make the tracking a whole lot better.

  • rcbe
    11 years ago

    new thumb - have been lurkin this and similar boards for a number of years.. really haven't seen a chronic history of many probs with that particular design - exception being this thread.

    but, looks like CC has moved on now and are incorporating the zero turn strg wheel control into their residential ztr's looks to be more simple, possibly more reliable.

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