Hey, thanks for some Cub owners posting! young mow man - The 1040 is close enough. I'm leaning more toward cobhonfor. I could always sell a 'mistake' and move on. I just like the 'fit' of the cub when I sit on it. I wish the deck was better. I like the price more than the green machines. My neighbor's x300 isn't remarkably superior to my craftsman's cut, or sound. The Deere does have a 30 day trial, though. Maybe I'll see if I fall in love. I'd like to try both before. Thanks for all the coments!

Tractors are a dime a dozen ? Maybe for some , but losing hundreds on the resale of an unsatisfactory machine , the hassle of repairs , the time lost ,and other aggravating problems that can crop up are why people research the machines they buy very thoroughly before they potentially spend thousands on the WRONG machine ! And the Deere 30 day guarantee is on trading the machine you bought on another Deere within 30 days , not a money back guarantee . Certain dealers may bring a machine out to your yard to test mow a small section which would save hundreds on buying the wrong machine and selling it later . Most buy their machines for the long haul and don't buy a new one every year or trade it in when it reaches 100 hours . I imagine some could buy a longer lasting machine with the money lost on selling cheap tractors every few years added to the original cost of the tractor they bought that wore out too quickly .

I have the LT1042, which is apparently a bit smaller than the one you are looking at. I have had one minor issue with a loose wire, but it was an easy 2 minute fix, not worth the trouble to have the dealer repair.

As others have mentioned, the deck does have some "blow out" on the left rear when using the mulch plug, it doesn't seem to affect the cut. After all where do the "blown out" clippings end up anyway? - on the ground like all the others.

This mower replaced a 15 year old 14.5/42" Murray that didn't seem to realize that it was a cheaply made throwaway machine. The 1042 has more power than the old machine and appears to be of somewhat better design/build quality. I have every reason to believe that it too will last 15 years, so I'll be out just over $100/year. Not bad.

Tractors are a dime a dozen ? Maybe for some

Thanks for quoting me.......
Once again, get off your high horse, and admit, the choice of a tractor is not a life altering event, so quit leading the charge against other brands, and relax. Many of us disagree with all the negative posts some people tend to flood this forum with.

Lawn and garden tractors are something to use and enjoy, not identify with. CC, Deere and others all have something to offer, don't make a darn science out of it. All have good points, and will work fine if properly used.

Variety is the "spice of life", and in this category we have many spices..... enjoy them, "the sky is not falling" (there, quote away).

Studly 1,
I purchased the CC 1050 last year (50" deck) and am very happy with my Cub. I mow three heavily wooded acres (with over 100 oak trees) in North Texas once a week. I have found the tractor to be comfortable, powerful and am very happy with the quality of cut. Fall brings an enormous quantity of leaves and I use the tractor to round them up for burning. I do not bag or mulch. I also use the Cub to aerate the lawn and to pull a trailer full of firewood from time to time. Hills and heavy grass are never a problem with the 26HP Kohler engine. My only complaint is that the exhaust is quite loud. I wear ear protection for this reason. I bought my tractor at Lowe's for $1799 after a 10% discount in May 2005. If I had it to do over, I would again buy the Cub.

Mulcher Mike

Nice pics Young Mow Man!

conhobfor- Just trying to give good advice and be of some help ,you know like when I told you last year where you could find a crated liquid cooled Honda tractor last year . Interesting that all the people gushing praise on the CC had it for a year or just bought one-the one guy who had one four years says the trans is whining (guess they all do that heh heh) and is getting rid of it with less than 100 hours on it ! And comments like it's a good tractor except for the paper thin deck ,except for blowing clippings out the left side,the transmission whines going up hills , say to me that there some issues with this machine other than the cheap trans and bottom of the line Kohler engine. If studly_1 wants one despite all these issues that's eventually up to him . But I wouldn't be surprised if he's tractor shopping for another 'dime a dozen ' machine 4-5 years from now !

nine7xbam, maybe I wasn't clear - I was THINKING of trading up because I wanted a bigger mower deck and no other reason. Also I the whining only occurs when going up STEEP hills. My
Deere and Ingersoll also whine going up hills... have you ever ridden a hydro?

Sorry I misunderstood your original post . That is your third machine ,used to mow your weekend property , would you be satisfied with it as your one and only mower for your main property ?

kubotamota thanks i got it for my birthday
so far i am in love with it
i gotta say i love the kohler 18hp its just so smooth

Would I be satisfied with it as my one and only mower for my main property? If the Cub was all I could afford then that would be OK. But I can afford more so I bought more. I could also afford more for my weekend property but really I feel more comfortable on the hills with my Cub since it has a lower center of gravity.

Well I must admit that my bias against the MTD built Cub Cadet comes from personal experience . I had a brand new CC 2038 , nice machine , Kohler Command , nice cut ,shaft drive with hydro . No box store CCs then , got it from a dealer for my very flat .8 acre lot and the transmission went - the tractor just stopped dead and after being fixed twice it went a third time in a little over a year with only 42 hours on it . Fed up(after they kept it 3 months during mowing season) I told them to sell it before the warranty was up and lost hundreds of dollars on that POS ! Maybe they make them better now , but I wouldn't buy one again and I'm just glad I had my old Honda as a backup . So you can see where my POV on CC is coming from , wouldn't buy a CC and wouldn't recommend one under a 2500 series .

If you're smart you can SMELL the bias here.

People tend to tout what they bought. It makes them feel good about their purchase and not doubt the choice they made.

That said..... Yes Deere has a better track record of reliability. But they have had some DOOSIES too. Ask about those 2004 and prior SST models. They were dogs, with unreliable steering, poor tracking; you name it. As a matter of fact I think there is an active post on these models.

Cub 1000/1500 series, Deere L series, AYP etc are all entry level or low range products. They all compare rather favorably to each other. They represent a good value for many homeowners interested in a well cut lawn.

I will admit I do own a Cub. Owned many different tractors over many years. The Cub is without a doubt the best engineered tractor I have owned at my price point. It represented the best value too. It is a model year 2005 Cub 2500 GT series tractor and is not part of the range or price points you are in. But if you are seriously considering stepping up, give the 2542 and 2544 a hard look. At about 3 grand to start, they are true Garden level tractors, with shaft drive, a huge cast iron hydro tranny that is fully serviceable with an external spin on filter too. It even has a tranny dipstick to keep an eye on your fluid level and color quality.

The Deere X series? Very nice too, but overpriced in my opinion. They use lawn or yard duty tractor trannys, though proven in reliability (Tuff-Tourque), they can't hold a candle to the Garden level tranny in the Cub. No shaft drive, though the merits of this are always debated. I prefer shaft if given a choice. The Kawasaki is a poven quality, very nice engine, but the Kohler twin in the Cub in no slouch either. Both are reliable, especially for home use. All other components are comparable in most regards with some things better in the Deere, some in the Cub.

You pay a dollar premium for Green. To me, you need to step up to the X500 series Deeres to get what you get in "beef" from the Cub 2500's.

Look at everything when shopping. Leave your emotions at home.

Some here will acuse me of doing exactly the same in terms of justifying what I bought. That's fine.

I can say that I sleep well at night and smile everyday I jump in the seat of my Cub. I smile even more everytime I look at my bank statement and think how much dough I saved while still owning a premium, true garden tractor. I have never doubted my decision.

Also of note, some components of the 2500 series Cub warranty go beyond the standard 2 years that Deere and Cub provide. Some things are covered for 5 years. Good piece of mind for me.

Bit of a stretch to say the CC 2500 series is equal to the Deere X500 series , but I'll leave that up to the Deere experts to debate . True that everyone has their own bias , but I still and always will think that it's a mistake to expect a low budget machine to last a long time on a yard over an acre or more . My dad on his slightly over 1 acre yard routinely wore out Murray and Craftsman tractors in about 5 years apiece . When he retired he got tired of replacing those machines and bought a liquid cooled Honda for $2700 , which he used to mow his lawn and the neighbors(about 2.5 acres total every 5 days for 5 years with a 38" deck) until he died 5 years later . I used that machine 15 more years and it is still going strong for the neighbor who bought it . The moral of the story is that you get what you pay for and a good machine is worth every penny of the price !

"The moral of the story is that you get what you pay for and a good machine is worth every penny of the price !"

Very true!

""Bit of a stretch to say the CC 2500 series is equal to the Deere X500 series , but I'll leave that up to the Deere experts to debate . ""

Shouldn't that be left to the Deere AND Cub experts out there. Debates usually have at least TWO participants with opposing views.

I don't think it's a stretch at all. They are certainly more machine than the x300 series.

While I think ol' "imadonkey66" might be looking for a squabble I have to say that if you leave out "quality" and just compare the CC 2500 series to the Deere X300 series feature to feature the CC wins hands down. And the CC 2500 series is a significantly better unit that the 1000 series that is (IMO) JUNK. So in effect he is right. But which one will cost less over the next 15 years? Which one does a better job of mowing which is the primary purpose of each machine?

I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Deere guy...but I think Deere has it all over CC in the quality department...

Even though I'm keeping an open mind, it is a bit of a stretch for me to start considering a cc 2500 or a jd x300 when they both cost close to $3K. Sure, they are both nice tractors. Should be for $3K. The argument that a costlier tractor is cheaper to own because it breaks less is hard to grasp. The costlier tractor may cost more to fix if it breaks, and more to maintain if it doesn't.

The 2500 also weighs about 200# more than the 1046. That quality may just make the tractor sink in the mud easier and harder to pull out. I apreciate all of the opinions, thank you. I'll try to drive the candidates and report back after that.

Don't worry , nothing will sink in the mud ,unless you're mowing in a swamp,that's why LTs have wide tires , to spead their weight out . I don't know why you'd think a better grade of machine would cost more to maintain , quite the opposite in fact and common sense says that a something built with heavier duty materials will have less chance of breaking . I think you should talk to dealers at CC and Deere , tell them the size of your lawn and intended use for the machine and see what they say . Most of us on this forum who've had different types of LTs over 20-30 years will tell you that a better machine over the years will give you less headaches ,be easier to maintain and give you years more of smoother running quieter operation , because we've been there and done that already !

Nice lawn tractor and sub compact review site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn Tractor Reviews

I just bought the cc 1045. I am not that impressed with the performance. This is my first riding mower. I just bought a house with a big enough yard to justify buying one. My lawn was pretty long so I knocked it down first and then went back over it with the bagger. When I ran up on the thicker piles I thought that it was going to die on me. Like I said this is my first rider so I don't have anything to compare to, but I thought that a 20 hp should have rolled right over that without any problem. However it did cut my yard evenly.

I have a 6hp yardman push mower that has chopped grass 2ft tall without bogging at all. I wish that I would have done more research like your doing. Good luck!

Everybody has an opinion... mine is, I have a 1554 cub. I bought new a year and a half ago. I love it, couldnt beat it for the price. a few hundred more than the 1050 I was looking at. It's a little bigger, 27 horse kohler..(that runs great, never had a problem)A 54 inch deck,and it cuts even. All I did was switch to synthetic oil when I got 25 hours on it. I have 70 hours on it now. I pull my boat around the yard, I haul stone. and I pushed snow with it last winter, it works fine. I like JD's , dont get me wrong, but for my acre and a half, the CC was the best deal. P.S. Does john deere pay some of you guys to get on Cub questions and bash them ? ... LOL

Here's my two cents. I wanted a cub since I was 10 and was riding and mowing my neighbors lawn with his 124. Now, These days my lawn is mowed (1 acre) with a 1046 I got for father's day last year. I love the mower. I am also a big guy, and the comfort level is great, and sidehills is great. Cut quality is very good. I love it. I also mow 4 acres weekly as a part time gig at a vet's pffice with his diesle 48" kubota. Now, you wanna talk tough, 1985 14 horse diesel tractor that mows 4 very rough acres every week. This is a tough mower. My point is this, there are many brands, options, hp ratings, etc. I couldn't afford a kubota (the one with suspension), or a simplicity, and wanted a cub for 20+ years, so I chose the Cub, and love it. Like others said, test them out, ride them, cut with them, and spend as much as you can afford so you have no regrets.

This thread started back in June, and the OP hasn't appeared for several months. My guess is that studly_1 either made his purchase or lost interest and just hasn't told us.

Well for whoever may be listening, buying the CC from a box store has one big advantage over buying any brand from a small dealer. The box stores have very generous return/exchange policies. You'll want to confirm this locally, but if you buy the CC and dont like it you can get all your money back (except delivery charges) or an exchange within 30 days. Kind of a no risk trial.

Also (rant time) I am amazed at how often recommendations pour in to spend twice the price that a poster says he is budgeted for. Kind of like someone saying they can afford a small Chevy, then being told that a large BMW is a nicer car. Why not make alternate recommendations at the same price point? Why not describe the shortcomings of that price point, and explain what you get by moving up in price? If you believe one brand is better than another, make the case for similarly priced models. It doesn't make sense to me to say that CC is bad at $1600 and JD is good at $3200, and then attribute that qualiity difference to the parent company.

Whew! I feel better.

JerryG

I find myself being very bias towards what i have , Has a huge GT Iron transaxle from a old 70's AGWAY, frame and front axle from a 60's Massey, Engine from a Snapper (12hp) hood from a 80"s Murry, altinator from a chevy car, Ign switch froma 68 Chevy pickup, starter sol. from a ford truck, steering wheel from a Olds car. steering from the Massey. Front wheels after market so they would have bearings. (larger than original tire/wheel) rear tires are ATV 25x10x12. sorta like AG tires.
rear weight is suitcase 100 pounder from a big JD diesel.Belt drive on a clutch pulley setup i made myself (going 4 years on same belt now and no slipping at all)and a 10.00 Advance Auto belt at that.Rear fenders made from 1/8 plate steel. Hitch is from a Chevy truck, ball pentile type, and its all painted New Holland Yellow !! And i wouldnt trade it for anything less than a CUT diesel 4x4 !!
Come on you all ! WHo cares what it is if it works for you. Thats the whole idea isnt it?
P.S. ther eis a lot of tounge in cheek in this post, so please, extinguish the flames ok? LOL

Just curious. How many cubs with 1,500-2,000 hrs on it, cutting down 1" thick trees, brush, then cutting 1.25 acres for almost 20 years and it's still operating with no shop time and little maintainence? Yes, I mistreated it some, but it still works fine, don't smoke and starts right up. I liked it so much, I treated it to new paint and a makeup.
I really like the Kawasaki engine (12.5 HP)
I bought this when my son was under a year old and took him for rides- looks like I'll be taking my grandkids for rides and telling them about their mom/dad and when they rode it when they were young. Darn thing may outlive me!
{{gwi:330958}}

{{gwi:330859}}

1" thick trees?

I don't know what else to call a tree 6'+ tall with a 1" trunk. A sibbling?
Pretty noisey and rough, but- just get a good start mow'em down.

Still haven't bought the new machine. Still reading the forum (sometimes). Cutting 3 acres with AYP Craftsman tractors. Still trying to sell one acre so I can buy a new tractor! :-o~

FWIW, a friend of mine has the CC 1050 from HD with the 3 bin bagger. After a year of use, the switch to engage the blades stopped working on occasion. Although the machine is still under warranty with 30 hours, , he offered to sell it to me for $1050. (My 42" Murray's transaxle just sprung a leak and after it gets fixed will be sold--lots of problems with that POS).

My friend bought some highe end mower for $7K to replace the CC. I am still trying to decide on what to buy, but the $1 for the CC sounds too good to pass up for a machine still under warranty. He said aside from the "moody" switch, no other problems. Any opinions??

Also, what is my 6 yr. old Murray worth-42" Widebody with 20hp, twin Cyl. Briggs and Stratton, 3 bin bagger. About 150 hours on motor??

No way you can go wrong with the 1050 with only 30hrs on it at that price. I bought one last spring and have had zero problems (53 hrs). I have been mulching leaves a couple times per week for the last month on 1.3 acres more or less. I did have a problem getting the correct triple bagger (MTD, CUB, Home Depot communication problems) so i gave up on it. That bagger alone costs around $400. I sold a 2000 MTD Wizard that ran great but did have some pulley issues for $225 in June. I didn't really advertise or try to sell it I just took the 1st fair offer.

Thanks maxxtabes, I had to ask with all the pros and cons spoken here about the CC. Its also a little hard to convince the wife right at xmas time.

After reading these posts I'm reluctant to buy a Z force or an RZ cub cadet. Can you guys reccomend what is the best ZT mower in the $3500 range. Have 2-3 acres with some slopes, lots of trees.

Cub 1000/1500 series, Deere L series, AYP etc are all entry level or low range products. They all compare rather favorably to each other.
*********************************************************
************************************************************
Add to these the MTD labels of White,Bolens,huskee etc.
===================
If you want one of these buy it from a dealer not a big box store.
The prices are the same at both places.
You have nothing to gain by going to a box store and everything to loose if you do.

"You have nothing to gain by going to a box store and everything to loose if you do"

That is patently not true. You often get to see the latest fashion uses for nose, ear and lip rings.

Let me tell you what a local car dealer is doing...
-He is going around and buying returned
1* CC's, Huskee's, Troy built
2*Toro's,JD's
from the big box stores.
3*He has a car lot full of them!
4*I never realized how many of the cheap MTD's were actually returned!
5*I would step away from MTD if I were you
Posted by kubotamota 6A Kentucky (My Page) on Sat, Jun 3, 06 at 22:37
***********************
1*These are the only ones made by MTD.
2*These are not M T D
3* So what's he gonna do with all of them ???????????????????
4*Or traded in!
5*Better yet step up to a 2500 series ! ! !

http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2001/storycty/chev6001.JPG 60 Chevy Convertible front
http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2001/storycty/chev6001a.JPG rear view
http://chevy.tocmp.com/chevyscrapbook/files/kamp50.jpg 1950 Chevy
http://www.jenningsequipment.com/storepics/ksBX22.jpg BX23

I HAVE A 1045 AND IT HAS GIVEN TROUBLE FROM THE FIRST DAY
THE DECK CONSANTLY CLOGS
THE DECK POWER BELT FALLS OFF
EVERY TIME THE MOWER HITS A BUMP IN THE LAWN THE BLADES SHUT OFF
ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLEM ALSO

There are times when my deck also gets clogged but as it gets older, stuff is more likely to just dribble out. When I run over a bump, a couple of loose nuts come rolling out from under my deck. Man that makes me mad!

Man, I just noticed that this thread was over a year old. I appologize for clicking on it. I will never do that again.

Wow!! I have read some really bad reveiws about the LT1045. I could not be happier with my mower. I just reached 26 hours and had the deck off to be greased and the blades changed to my spares that I bought at Tractor Supply. I have never had any slippage on the drive belt or the blades shutting off when going over hills. I do notice a slight problem when mowing up hills however its not terrible. I just last weekend mowed my mom and dads grass that was 6" crab and it performed wonderfully. I also run a shaft drive 1969 Model 72 CUB for my heavy lifting. SO for now I have no complaints about the 1045 and hope I never do.

I purchased the CC LT1050 almost 2yrs ago. I have had no problems mechanically with this mower that has 150 hrs. on it now. I too have 2 acres and it takes about 2 hrs. to mow. The only complaint I have about the CC is the deck is hard to clean out. Mine has the new cyclone thingys that you can hook a hose up to and wash it out but it isn't very good. If you don't mind getting underneath or taking the deck off your in good shape. IF I had to do it all over again knowing what I know now. I would just break down and buy a
Dixie Chopper, Burton or Bad Boyz zero turn. As far as the Cub Cadet tractor goes... Deck cleaning is my only complaint; other than that it has been very good to me.

cub for residential,kubota for comercial.ive had and worked on them all.cub for the money and quality for all us back yard gurus.deer is made too cheap this day and time.now its just a name.murray is junk now.good motor,crappy body .for the money though kohler is the way to go.

14 years ago I bought my Deere STX 38. At the time I knew nothing of lawn tractors and I can't say today that I know very much more... I wanted a Cub Cadet as for years Cub Cadet was the offical lawn tractor of the Chicago Cubs... Yes, I know it sounds silly now. Problem was there wasn't a CC dealer anywhere near me.

As it turned out, I mentioned wanting a tractor to our banker when we closed on the house. He happened to be best friends with the gentleman that owned the local Deere dealer and made a call on my behalf. As I stated, I've got the STX 38, 5-Speed, mulch kit, rear bagger and trailer delivered all for about $2k.

My lot is almost an acre and I live in Chicagoland so my season is limited. I do all the regular maintenance and to date I have replaced the carb, and the PTO. My daughter thought the hood was a metal car hood so she dropped it after checking the oil and that has been replaced once as as well.

After 14 years I don't feel I'm trying to justify a purchase, I know what I bought and she has been a great workhorse for me. I can see why folks fall in love with the green and yellow.

I recently got the itch for a new tractor. I found this forum and several others and looked at several tractors I've never even considered before, Simplicity and Kubota. Both were amazing!! Looked at a X300 as well and was equally wowed.

After all the forum lurking I've seen an underlying respect for well maintained old machines. Mine just finished the yard, got a good bath and a coat of wax. Looks like something new will not appear in my shed till this old STX just decides she's had enough.

As for what's better, who knows... All companies made an Edsel once or twice, but all I can say is good maintainance and a little respect for your tractor, of any type, and most will last a long time. {{gwi:330959}}

Got tired of reading, so don't know if you came to a solution yet, but if not try out a JD LX model. I am not a JD fan, but purchased an LX277 last year. I owned a Cub 1018, which I liked, but this LX is like the Cadillac of lawn tractors compared to it. Kawasaki engine, a useful usable cruise control system letting you use foot or hand control, a way to mow in reverse, heavier deck and easy on and off, etc'. For the money I would definitely go with this used JD lawn tractor. There are many around for sale, so check one out. This is a real JD, not the box store MTD made JD. Much more comfortable ride, also. Good luck.

Just ran across this and although it's years old I'll go ahead and post a follow up just in case.

I'm in south Florida and mow my 2 acres between 30 and 40 times a year. I bought a CCLT1045 about 3 years ago knowing that it was not a real Cub. This is the third Home Depot mower I've had in the last 10 years.

I started with a Green Machine(MTD) 36" for $800.00. It lasted right at 500 hours before it was totally shot. My ownership cost was $1.30 an hour.

Next I bought a Scott(MTD) 42" for just over $1200.00. It too lasted about 500 hours bu they were tough hours since I mowed over 3 acres including a small pasture with it. My ownership costs on the Scotts was $1.70 an hour.

Back to my Cub LT 1045 46" cut now. I paid $1600.0 for it since it had been bought and returned but only had 3 hours on the meter. it was obvious from the beginning that it was in a different class than the other mowers. Very comfortable to ride, tons of power, easy to drive and strong. I just looked and now have 484 hours on it and see no reason it can't go another 500 hours. My ownership costs on it are $2.09 an hour as of now. If I make it to 1000 hours my ownership cost will drop down to $1.60 an hour.

I've had little to no maintenance at this point. I just replaced the drive belt last week and actually found this review while looking for a new starter. The CC LT 1045 has been a great mower, far better than I ever expected. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Home Depot Cub. I think it's been a good value.

No more Cub Cadet or MTD equipment again--ever.

Note that Cub Cadet is made by MTD and they've evidently driven the brand into the ground by cheapening it--as MTD is wont to do.

I've had my CC Model GT1554 since June of 06. What an absolute piece of JUNK! The owner of the independent shop I bought it from actually apologized for selling it to me. He no longer carries CC equipment because he's had so many unhappy customers who purchased CC. Some won't do business with him again because their CC equipment was junk.

Within 18 months the Kohler twin-cylinder engine (same one in my Sears/AYP I had previously) began to smoke. Turns out Kohler used junk for the head gasket material, probably because some twenty-something MBA figured they could save $2 in manufacturing costs. Fortunately it was replaced under warranty and, in all fairness, this wasn't CC's fault.

The GT1554 was supposed to be the "heavy duty frame" version of their garden tractor line. I mow about 6 acres in rural Leavenworth County, KS, with lots of trees and other obstacles to navigate around. However, I just got the mower back from the above-mentioned shop today and the owner said the frame is broken. Now, I'm not hard on equipment; in fact, I take very good care of it. This just makes me absolutely crazy. Today was when the shop owner apologized to me for selling me the tractor. He now carries only industrial-grade equipment ($5,000 and up ZTR mowers).

I unfortunately made the decision to support my independent shop and bought CC. Major mistake. I'll also look at industrial equipment.

I bought my first CC after a long and happy relationship with Ariens and "Scotts". I got the 1045 with the 20hp Kohler Courage engine and 46" triple blade cut. What a piece of junk!

a. Noisy as all get-out (although it did drown out the wife's yelling)
b. Horrible gas mileage
c. Electrical problems galore
d. cheaply constructed. rust on the deck showed up the first season.
e. drive belt flies off when lowering the cutting level below "3" (middle).
f. horrible turn radius

I sold this piece of $*#de and bought an Ariens 46 with the 20hp B&S engine. What a breath of fresh air--rugged construction, quiet, easy to maneuver and saved about $500 to boot.

the Deeres tractors around here do not do a good job of cutting when the grass get little high it will not cut it my agco will out cut them and is better built to trouble with the Deeres is that the center blade does not make a clear cut the two outside blades cut lower then center I was told by other Deeres owners that was normal

the deeres in these parts do a pretty nice job. they are pretty hungry and mow the grass down even. sometimes as a bonus they prune the bushes too.