Hello,
I have done a lot of searches here and a lot of research across the typical review sites and am even more confused then I was before I started. Here is my situation....
I just bought on a 2.5 acre wooded lot, with 1/2 to 3/4 acres of grass (including the house in the middle). I push mowed the end of last season, but at 3 and 1/2 hours I am trying to speed the process up a bit. About 3 weeks ago I bought a YT4000 with the 23HP v-twin and 46" deck. The one with the new tight turn feature.
YT4000 #1: Sears driver started the mower up and went forward and backward, ran it for 2 minutes tops. Driver leaves and as I am driving the mower around my driveway the deck starts jumping (blade engage was off btw) and smoke starts pouring out of the hood. I stop the mower and there are 2 screws on the driveway and some metal shavings. Call sears, new mower on its way.
YT4000 #2: driver delivers and within the first 5 minutes of running it the deck starts jumping and the same smoke starts up. Driver is shocked and tells me I should not take delivery of the mower. It does seem to calm down after this and run ok, but after #1 I am not in the mood to continue this. Driver takes YT4000 back and my search starts over.
I'm not bashing craftsman, I have a snowblower that has ran like a champ with everything I have thrown at it, but enough is enough. I call my local Deere dealer and get some info on the D140 (B&S) and my local cub dealer and look at the LX1046 (kohler) and LX1050 (kaw).
The only thing holding me back from the deere is the difference in the turning radius and the powerplant vs what I can get on the Cub. Research has been confusing and to be honest, it sounds like all three mowers are either the perfect solution or the biggest waste of money out there depending on the review.
From what I have seen on this site, you guys know your stuff. Please help me with a couple of questions and any general advice you can offer.
1) How big of a difference is the turning radius? I was VERY happy with the 8" turn on the craftsman before it went up in smoke. 12" on the Cub is still pretty close to that vs the 18" on the Deere. I have a lot of trees and my ability to get around them matters to me. That being said, I am not looking at zero turns because of some hills on my property. While not too steep, when I borrowed my buddy's 60" toro zero turn I was not comfortable on the slopes.
2) How much of a difference in cut quality will I see between the 46" cub (two blades), the 48" deere (3 blades) and the 50" cub (3 blades)?
3) A lot of the reviews are spent on the higher level tractors which are more then I want to spend in light of the new house, what if any difference in quality will I see between the Cubs and the Deere in their entry level?
4) The only hauling duties will be a 10 cube cart with mulch or towing a chipper/shredder. Any concerns?
5) With the sealed transmission it sounds like any of the mowers I am looking at have about a 6 - 8 year life according to reviews and from what the Deere dealer was telling me. Do you buy this?
Consumer Reports loves the Deere and Craftsman (though my experience here differs) and does not recommend the Cub. They use cost in their analysis a little too much for my taste, but I can find no clear cut reason they do not recommend the Cub. It may be their reliability ratings, but they never come out and say so.
Any other thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a long post with a lot of questions, but after my experience the past two weekends, I am at my wits end and need a mower soon.
Thanks for your time
-Bryan
(Note to the mods, I wasn't sure if this would be considered brand specific as I am talking about 3 brands, not one specific. If this should elsewhere please let me know.)
I have done a lot of searches here and a lot of research across the typical review sites and am even more confused then I was before I started. Here is my situation....
I just bought on a 2.5 acre wooded lot, with 1/2 to 3/4 acres of grass (including the house in the middle). I push mowed the end of last season, but at 3 and 1/2 hours I am trying to speed the process up a bit. About 3 weeks ago I bought a YT4000 with the 23HP v-twin and 46" deck. The one with the new tight turn feature.
YT4000 #1: Sears driver started the mower up and went forward and backward, ran it for 2 minutes tops. Driver leaves and as I am driving the mower around my driveway the deck starts jumping (blade engage was off btw) and smoke starts pouring out of the hood. I stop the mower and there are 2 screws on the driveway and some metal shavings. Call sears, new mower on its way.
YT4000 #2: driver delivers and within the first 5 minutes of running it the deck starts jumping and the same smoke starts up. Driver is shocked and tells me I should not take delivery of the mower. It does seem to calm down after this and run ok, but after #1 I am not in the mood to continue this. Driver takes YT4000 back and my search starts over.
I'm not bashing craftsman, I have a snowblower that has ran like a champ with everything I have thrown at it, but enough is enough. I call my local Deere dealer and get some info on the D140 (B&S) and my local cub dealer and look at the LX1046 (kohler) and LX1050 (kaw).
The only thing holding me back from the deere is the difference in the turning radius and the powerplant vs what I can get on the Cub. Research has been confusing and to be honest, it sounds like all three mowers are either the perfect solution or the biggest waste of money out there depending on the review.
From what I have seen on this site, you guys know your stuff. Please help me with a couple of questions and any general advice you can offer.
1) How big of a difference is the turning radius? I was VERY happy with the 8" turn on the craftsman before it went up in smoke. 12" on the Cub is still pretty close to that vs the 18" on the Deere. I have a lot of trees and my ability to get around them matters to me. That being said, I am not looking at zero turns because of some hills on my property. While not too steep, when I borrowed my buddy's 60" toro zero turn I was not comfortable on the slopes.
2) How much of a difference in cut quality will I see between the 46" cub (two blades), the 48" deere (3 blades) and the 50" cub (3 blades)?
3) A lot of the reviews are spent on the higher level tractors which are more then I want to spend in light of the new house, what if any difference in quality will I see between the Cubs and the Deere in their entry level?
4) The only hauling duties will be a 10 cube cart with mulch or towing a chipper/shredder. Any concerns?
5) With the sealed transmission it sounds like any of the mowers I am looking at have about a 6 - 8 year life according to reviews and from what the Deere dealer was telling me. Do you buy this?
Consumer Reports loves the Deere and Craftsman (though my experience here differs) and does not recommend the Cub. They use cost in their analysis a little too much for my taste, but I can find no clear cut reason they do not recommend the Cub. It may be their reliability ratings, but they never come out and say so.
Any other thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a long post with a lot of questions, but after my experience the past two weekends, I am at my wits end and need a mower soon.
Thanks for your time
-Bryan
(Note to the mods, I wasn't sure if this would be considered brand specific as I am talking about 3 brands, not one specific. If this should elsewhere please let me know.)