Riding lawnmower for a lawn on a hill?

[BReeves]

BTW: The model airplane club that uses the front part of my property bought a $900.00 Craftsman rider the same year I bought the i1046 Cub. The Craftsman is the same as several low cost (~$1000.00) branded mowers all made by MDT with a B&S single cylinder. It has been OK but has had it's issues. Starter, both belts, had to do a valve adjustment and recently the spring on the deck engagement cable broke. My Cub has been relativity trouble free.

 

[sh00ter]

I have mowed many hills and the best way down a hill is straight down.
I still putt around on a 1981 Gambles.. Mine does not look that good.. Only had to replace 1 tire since new and that was last year.
Father-in -law rolled it over on himself mowing up a steep hill.
He had mowed that hill 100's of times and knew you go down not up or sideways.
I have pulled trailers and cars into the back yard with that green mower. Just need to get traction and it will pull.
I think the older stuff was built to last longer.

You can sometimes find some deals on older Dixon riders.

Can you use a push mower??

Thanks for the response - that mower, although a diff brand/color looks like the one my grand parents had in the mid 80's and it was old and faded then LOL. Prob a solid piece of equipment from America's glory days. I'm looking for new though, pawn shop by my house had something used (looked like 42 or 46) I saw today when I drove by and $1400 on the tag...I kept driving LOL.

Push mower would take hours...lotta hill and back yard is 170ft x maybe 130ft (oddly shaped though since house is on a winding road).

I wouldn't be afraid of a new Kohler Courage but you are right the 46 is the one with the 7000. This looks to be a pretty good deal from Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cade...-Gas-Front-Engine-Riding-Mower-LT46/205617433

Yes it is a deal, BUT, I think I have suckered myself into the 42" fuel injected Cub...they have it for 1700ish. It is a single 5xxcc cub factory motor and comes with the front bumper bar which costs extra on the others. That twin is a deal though, but I think since I was considering a 30" originally, the 42 is a good compromise for 1/2 acre...if I ever get more land I'm sure I would want a 48 or 50 anyway so I could upgrade later?

WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK ABOUT THE 42" CUB FUELIE?

I agree, nix the thought of a zero turn with swivel front wheels for a slope unless you want every pass to be an adventure.
Have you talked with your lawn guy about purchasing his mower since he no longer needs it?

LOL, he uses one of those kind you stand and ride on; it looks like its 30yrs old. He isn't quitting mowing all together, just mine. He is retired and does it for something to do...our old lawn was cake...this new one is 3 times as large and much more challenging...my mom bought my old house and retained him as the lawn care; he is gonna keep mowing it as well as my mother-in-laws lawn. So I'm SOL on that option, my lawn too much for him.

 

[swampratt]

Grandpa sold us our green one many years ago like 25 years ago and he got a new Craftsman.
Craftsman was in the shop all the time and ate the crappy blades and grandpa cussed it and said he should have never sold us the old Gambles made by Murray.
I have only replaced one deck bearing in all those years...built to last unlike some new stuff.

Whatever you get it will be better than pushing.

 

[sh00ter]

Well I had to get this behind me...it was a struggle when the decision came down to it with several models in front of me that I liked in or slightly above my price range. There was a John Deer 20hp V-twin 42", Cub Kohler w/ V-twin 46", Cub w/ Kohler 18hp single 42", and the Cub w/ 547cc fuel-injected 42".

If the Kohler Courage didn't have the bad reputation, that was the one I wanted; the v-twins would have been a step up more than I wanted to spend if the one I originally wanted wasn't tainted. Ultimately, I took a chance on the relatively new fuelie because the extra cost included not just the injection but also bluetooth and the front bumper that doesn't come with the others. I am a little worried the Cub branded 547cc might be Chinese; I was hoping it was at least a re-labeled briggs or better yet a kawasaki but I doubt it.

It ran good on the test drive though, slower than I hoped but its only a tractor. I do wish they listed the horsepower in the specs. Any ideas on that? But ultimately, the no choke, no hassles "idea" of fuel injection won me over. I don't think I really needed a v-twin or 46" for my needs.

 

[BReeves]

I don't believe any of the above would have been a bad choice. As I said wouldn't be afraid to buy a new Courage engine, the issue has been resolved, even the older one in my i1046 has been more reliable than the B&S in the Craftsman the club owns.

Just another bit of info on Rider mowers. Last year the club bought a new Ariens, about the same price range as the Craftsman. In less than a year it had to go to the shop to have the transaxle replaced. It was covered under warranty but still a PTA. I believe you made the right choice moving up a notch from the many ~$1000.00 MTD riders on the market.

 

[Shadowrider]

I know Toro uses a Chinese single cylinder engine on their smaller ZTRs, I think it's 16.5 HP. It's spec'd pretty good, cast iron cylinder, pumped lubrication, real oil filter, etc. I bought one and so far it's been good. I was worried about them too and just like you couldn't see a twin cylinder for my small lot. It seems to be all about the oil capacity and air filter capacity to make them live a long life. Most of them have them big enough these days.

 

[sh00ter]

I don't believe any of the above would have been a bad choice. As I said wouldn't be afraid to buy a new Courage engine, the issue has been resolved, even the older one in my i1046 has been more reliable than the B&S in the Craftsman the club owns.

Just another bit of info on Rider mowers. Last year the club bought a new Ariens, about the same price range as the Craftsman. In less than a year it had to go to the shop to have the transaxle replaced. It was covered under warranty but still a PTA. I believe you made the right choice moving up a notch from the many ~$1000.00 MTD riders on the market.

Thanks for the vote of confidence...I hope the hydrostatic transaxle holds up...they have flaky reps but I will rarely tow anything (might tow small trailer or push a car that don't run), but mainly just for mowing. I think the fuel injection is what "really" won me over vs. the concerns of the Courage motor...I'd have prob just got the Kohler Courage had they not had a sub 2k fuelie.

I know Toro uses a Chinese single cylinder engine on their smaller ZTRs, I think it's 16.5 HP. It's spec'd pretty good, cast iron cylinder, pumped lubrication, real oil filter, etc. I bought one and so far it's been good. I was worried about them too and just like you couldn't see a twin cylinder for my small lot. It seems to be all about the oil capacity and air filter capacity to make them live a long life. Most of them have them big enough these days.

Might be the same motor; spec says cast iron sleeve, oil pump and it has a decent sized spin-on...also fuel injection supposed to keep cleaner oil too...so if chinese, maybe the better specs like u say will make the diff...I will definitely report back once I have a chance to use it.

 

[sh00ter]

I think it is an MTD Powermore engine...prob Mexican or Chinese. Forged crank though. They prob had to go with the cheaper motor to keep the price low enough for the mid-low pricepoint when adding fuel injection.

http://movingsnow.com/2010/powermore-craftsman-troy-bilt-yardman-cub-cadet-ohv-winterized-engines/

I am now thinking the 420cc Briggs motor on my generator is also a Powermore...it has been very reliable since for 6yrs the few times I've needed it.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Are you allowed to have goats?

Woody

 

[sh00ter]

Well folks, if today is indicative of how this tractor is going to be then I can unequivocally say i made the right choice.

Pros
- fuel injection starts every time on first try
- fuel injection allows for ethanol gas (yeah i know but it's all I had)
- plenty of power for my needs
- goes up and navigates hills and weird slopes like a champ in forward and reverse (wheels spun a couple time but it bit)
- cub's new steering design feels like power steering
- bumper is included standard on only the fuelie XT1, the carbed ones including the twins don't have it (did its job today near fence)
- easy deck cleanup with hose attachment
- looks good, drives good
- push button ignition; I like how the key serves as the start/stop button
- LED headlights look cool; other brands in same class still had old yellow bulbs
- plenty of leg room with the adjustable seat all the way back (I'm about 6'4")
- high-back seat is "premium" compared to those cheaper models in other brands or older tractors I've driven
- faster than I first thought; on concrete I originally felt it was too slow but when mowing it flies at full power
- all features including safety features work; mow in reverse is easier to use than on carbed models
- turning radius is insane (very few spots near obstacles I had to go back with push mower and weedeater)
- easy to operate; made my wife learn it too and she actually had fun (usually man stuff she has a hard time with)
- fits through my 5' gates with deck guard down with plenty of room to spare (maybe 4-6" on each side, might fit a 4' gate with deck guard propped up)
- 42" deck was perfect for my lot; I think at 1 acre I'd be looking for larger though

Cons
- Not overly loud on full throttle but I ALWAYS like quieter; I've read this motor is fairly quiet compared to others though
- tires over-inflated by 20psi from the store; had to set pressure to recommended
- blade deck "fairly" level per specs but coulda used slight adjustment if I wanted to take the time (I will eventually mess with it but it cut fine)
- blade deck .5" off blade height from deck lever setting (I will eventually adjust it)
- I still use windows phone and no Cub app for the built-in bluetooth (only iphone/android)
- It was more than I wanted to pay, but for what it is and the features it is a good value (budget was 1500 and this was 1749)

If I have any issues I will report back but right now I can recommend this tractor.