what would you do?

[highboy1975]

ok guys, ive been reading on here for awhile and decided to finally join. im in need of some advice. i spent the summer looking for garden tractors. i was looking at everything, almost bought an 1864 but that didnt work out. i ended up getting a good deal on a 3185 with a fresh motor and 54 inch deck. a little under 1800 and its in decent shape. the only thing thats disappointing is the price of implements. im tossing around adapting an older plow to the 3185 and setting it up for hydrualic lift and angle.

the dilemma im having is that i have a neighbor who has an 1862 that hes offered for trade. cosmetically its in vgc, has 900 some hours, and a 48 inch deck. i keep hearing that the older cubs are built better than the newer ones. i wanted to get some opinions on this and if the older tractor is better, why? the older tractor is looking pretty good to me because attachments are alot cheaper for the old wide frame model. i keep hearing that the frame is heavier, if so, what gage? and the rearend is heavier.

basically, im asking if this is a fair deal, and why with specifics.


thanks
john

[Donsyl]

John, i am a huge fan of the older cubs. They are a better built tractor. I had a 1964 model 100 and did a lot with it, then traded for a 1996 model 13 hp lawn tractor. The 96 model could not pull, or do a lot of the things that the old cub could do. It had smaller tires than the old cub and made a lot cheezier than the older ones.........An 1862 that you mention will be a good tractor as long as your nieghbor has taken care of it. I just went 330 miles to southeast Kansas with my son and bought a 1988 model 1811 cub for $1250. It had 669 hours on it and is in great condition. I got and extra deck with it also. The original price of the 1811 was $4500 new. The tractors around that age and older are in my opinion the better ones.....My dad was a cub dealer years ago and then got out sometime in the early 80s and he only owns the older models. You can do a lot with them....he has loaders for them and sickle bars,and all kinds of stuff. Im not sure if the 1862 has a rear pto but if it does the possibilities are endless.........Good luck....Don

[rcbe]

the 1862 was made by MTD 1990/1991. Not an old IH type cub (ie, tank) imho.

[jet62095]

Definitely go for a 1864. They were made before MTD corp turned bad.
A friend of mine has a few 1811's and 2 1806's and he loves them dearly and he's always had good luck with them.

[Donsyl]

Highboy, like i said before the older ones are better.....the 1862 is probably the newest i would ever buy, but the older the better......anything that is a 1989 and older is probably the best bet.......there are some super garden tractors that have a rear pto and you could run a finish mower in the rear, they would be the 1772, 1872, and the 2072.........rear pto kits were made for those models...

[highboy1975]

i understand what everyone is saying, that the older tractors are better. i definately see the difference between the supers and the lower tractors, but in looking at a 1862 and 3185 right next to one another, i cannot see much of a difference. the front axle on the 3185 actually looks thicker, the rearend in the 1862 looks like it might be stronger, but i cant tell. the brakes look identical, and the frame on the 1862 looks thinner but with more crossmembers. where is the better built coming into play? is the magnum motor splash or pressure lube?

[Donsyl]

Highboy, i beleive if the engine has a oil filter, it is pressure lube........but maybe some of these other guys have some good imput on this.....Don

[highboy1975]

i didnt notice if the motor had a filter or not. i was already on a dealerships property crawling all over a few machines and didnt want to start taking them apart. what im really considering now is just keeping the 3185 since the 1862 and 3185 seem to be very similar in robustness. the thing im tossing around since i will be using the 3185 for mowing is to get an older model such as a 124 for the other chores around the house. all i keep hearing is that the newer models cant run with the older ones, but im going to say that i havent heard any hard evidence as to why. the 1862 and the 3185 both seem to use alot of plastic in the controls, the frames are very similar, the 3000 is shaft drive deck, the brake systems are almost identical, the 3000 has bigger tires, the 1862 uses 5 lugnuts instead of 4 on the 3000. i think ive come to my own conclusion, that the 1862 and 3000 are probably pretty equal. anybody know how much an 1862 retailed for when it was new?

[Donsyl]

Well Highboy, i have the paperwork for the 1811 i recently aquired, and it went for $4500 new in 1988.....so the 1862 was probably right around there maybe a little more. The 1862 is what, about a 1991 or 92 model?...........And look into a 149 model rather than the 124, you get 14 HP instead of 12 HP and the 149 has the hydraulic lift for the deck.....really nice....i just traded for one, it runs but needs a rebuild.....my son and i are gonna get to it someday and then he can have it for himself when he is older.....if you shop around, you can probably get a nice little 149 for a fair price.........Don

[Donsyl]

Highboy, there was a 149 for sale here in Arkansas just recently.....he wanted like $350 for it....i dont know the actual condition of this tractor but i do beleive he said it ran good.......Don