Mowers

blew a belt on ol faithfull... my cub cadet 2186... replac ed the belt and then one of the blades and assembly went right through the deck. sick of working with junk. watcha all use for mowers...yes I have a collection acs but am lookingfor somthing newer looking at simplicity... they seem to be rugged....cub cadets seem to be junk now.... watcha all think?

Edited by Brian S(NY) - 19 May 2018 at 8:40pm

X2. Got a JD LX178 that I bought used, used it for several years, gave it to my daughter and she used it for 4 years and then I put it at the farm, still going strong with no major problems, has the Kawasaki engine. The plastic hood has broken to pieces and I am not paying $400 for a new one. Bought a Toro z-turn for the house 5 years ago and it has done fine, just wish I had bought a larger model.

We use a Kubota bx2360. Good mower but they're proud of them

Have a 05 Simplicty 61in zero turn.Bought cheap with bad engine.Put new engine on and running good for last 7 years. Deck is fabricated 1/8in. Gets about 80hrs a year. Well built and solid machine.

My neighbor bought a new cub cadet maybe 3 years ago.  He traded it for a Kobuta Z this spring claiming the Cub was a POS.

My El Toro Z will not be a teen ager any more next year.  1400 hours and still does its job.

Our first zero turn mower was in 1994.  It was a Dixon.  My nephew is still mowing with our old Dixon.  Not bad for a cone drive mower.

I use my CA with woods L306 for the majority of the yard. And have a JD 216 with48" deckmy daughter mows the small areas with. I do my ditches with a Keys Eaglestar commercial walking mowers. My ditches are to steep for my to feel comfortable so the walking mower is great. If I were to buy a new one I've mowed my niebors with his Bad Boy Daddy Cat. It's a great mower 40 hp catapiller diesel zero turn with air ride. But it's about $10,000 more than my CA with Woods deck

We've had a Deere X595 with 62" deck since 2005. I'd never trade it for anything. The whole thing is incredibly overbuilt...it's like a tank. 3 cylinder Yanmar diesel can't be stopped, and is incredibly fuel efficient. I've mowed a lot of tall/thick/wooley stuff, and some thick brush about knee high or better (gotta go a little slower for that, but not much...still at half throttle, though.) The only time I ever mow past half throttle is when I want to gain more speed, as it has ample power and torque at half throttle or below. Other than oil changes and other scheduled maintenance, it's had zero work done to it. We've changed the Deere Strong Box battery 1 time over the years. We park it for the winter, and it always starts right up in the spring. I've never seen another mower start so easily, especially after sitting several months. It's 4x4 with differential lock, and a host of other features. A fantastic mower. Changing/sharpening the blades is easy...pull 3 spring loaded J-pins, unhook the PTO shaft, rotate the caster wheels 90 degrees, and it slides right out. 

Edited by CrestonM - 20 May 2018 at 9:42pm

Yea I think lawn mowers are like everything these days if your not turning them every five years for new your better off staying older. Something with grease fittings and real bearings. Seems the newer you buy the least it will last

I think it is each to his own Creston.  I have a 1026r compact utility JD with the drive over deck.  I found one to buy with the deck because i think it will add to resale when I go to the big lawn in the sky.  I have been mowing grass for 15 years with the Z turn Toro.  It is a commercial low CG model and will run circles around a tractor - if you are mowing lawns that is.

Just my tow centavos.

I wouldn't trade my Hustler 60" Super Z rear discharge or anything .

I have a 2006 grasshopper that is a great machine. It has grease zerks on the spindles and other places for simple maintenance. I only wish it was a diesel and had a bigger deck.

II picked up a simplicity z turn.  them and ferris are the only companies that have suspension.  your back will love you.

SteveM C/IL wrote: Have a 05 Simplicty 61in zero turn.Bought cheap with bad engine.Put new engine on and running good for last 7 years. Deck is fabricated 1/8in. Gets about 80hrs a year. Well built and solid machine.

After re-reading this thread..I wonder WHY you guys are cutting so much grass ? I plowed up the 1/2acre lot turned it into wife's veggie gardens. Now I don't waste time cutting a LOT of grass, I get to enjoy 'seat time'..plowing ,rototilling, moving ponypoop !
Jay