Looking at 2 different Cub 7235 tractors

[LostDeere59]

I've been shopping for a smaller tractor to do some grading and fence work around my house. I only have about an acre, and am already well equipped to mow, but as part of a pool renovation I will need to move 1 or 2 tri-axles worth of topsoil and have about 2 dozen post holes to dig.
I have been looking primarily at Deere and Kubota units because I'm familiar with Deere products, and have multiple Deere and Kubota dealers locally.
However there are 2 Cub Cadet 7235 units for sale near me. One is offered at $9500 with just a loader, no hours in the ad. The other has loader, backhoe, and says 54" belly mower, 1100 hours, asking $11,500.
They both look clean in the pics, and the prices are attractive. I do have Cub dealers in the area just a bit farther out. Are these decent units? Any known issues I should look for? Is durability comparable to the Deere/Kubota brands? And one final question - on the unit with the backhoe will I be able to dismount the hoe and use a 3-point and PTO to run a PHD?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts

Gregg

 

[Bobandpeni]

Hi Greg,
I have a 7234, not sure what the difference is to the 7235. We love our Cub, it has been a workhorse for over 700 hours. We had our first real problem a couple weeks ago when the engine ran away. Turned out to be the injector pump. I’ve had it rebuilt but I haven’t had the chance to install it yet.
The 7234 handles a 6 foot brush hog and post hole diggers well. I dug over 400 post holes in 2 days with mine. We drag gravel drives and riding arenas with a TR-3. I have heard that the loaders are attached to the engine block and it can crack it under heavy use. We do not have a loader so I cannot speak of this first hand.
Parts are not a breeze to find but doable. This forum is sometimes a great help and sometimes posts go unanswered.
Good luck!
Bob
Massillon OH

 

[Cub 7274]

7235 is Hydro 34 standard transmission both 23 HP

 

[Bobandpeni]

Just FYI, installed the rebuilt injector pump today and all is working as new. Many thanks to Mike Yale for rebuilding for less than one third what everyone else wanted. For what it's worth, it was a piece of cake removing and replacing the pump. I still love my Cub!