artfull dodger
Gold Member
Thankfully, MTD/Cub Cadet really stepped up to the plate when the newer all yellow hood tractors came out a couple years ago. The XT2 with Kawasaki engine and fabricated mower deck was one of our best sellers that year, followed by the entry level XT1. The shaft drive XT3 sold a few as well, but at its price point, most folks were more interested in a ZTR. The green ones are not any better at this price point either. You get what you pay for with sub $3500 lawn tractors. A brand new IH style cub cadet from the later years would push 6-8K in todays money for the same build quality. The last Wheel Horses before Toro discontinued them were in the $6K+ price range. For that kind of money you can find a nice used sub compact with liquid cooled diesel, 3pt hitch and rear PTO. I had several older Cub Cadets that I rehabbed for customers vs replacing them with an inferior new model. Finding a good solid mower deck was usually the hardest challenge, and it really wasnt that hard when it came to it. With a freshly overhauled engine and freshened up mower deck/tractor. They were set for another 20+ years. Try that with a newer MTD build unit. Mike