I hope that this is at least my last statement on bashing because I really wanted this thread to go another way but...
All these posts were indeed made by you FordLords just as TangoWhiskey said. And unfortunately they as well as many other didn't make me feel real good about spending almost $3,000 on my LT series. I have a Mercedes E class, but if I keep bashing the C and SLK lines I either wind up sounding elitist, or insecure (whichever you prefer). But I definitely don't come off sounding like I'm trying to help Benz "improve the line" as you suggest? You have given a great deal of advice and incredible insight. But with no balance in the forum, I tell you that if I were to get a flat tire, I would have taken my CC back and gotten a Deere based on all the neg about the line. The only other thread that I could at all use out of the balance was the "Does anyone Like their LT?", again indicating to me that the author also was very skiddish about his purchase.
Also want to thank the person for sharing with us what a belt slippage could and could not cause. I was definitely expecting the worst.
Without sounding like pansies the rest of the way, it would be really great if we could get back to how to EFFECTIVELY use our LT's, tips tricks and methods to get the most out of our vehicles without having to run back to the dealer with an additional $2,000 borrowed out from our 401ks just because we chose to read this "expert", "unbiased", "insightfull" site to learn about our cubs.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Briggs has only one engine I would even remotely consider, that is the Vanguard which is their top of the line engine. (I just learned on the CC forum here at TBN it is made for Briggs by Diahatsu.) The I/C and Intek are virtually identical engines, and Kohler created their cheaper Courage lineup to use on entry level machines much in the same way Briggs does with the Inteks. None of the under $2000 machines will get a decent Kohler Command any longer. Most of the top end over $2k tractors will likely get Kohler Command, Briggs Vanguard, Kawasaki, or Honda power.
The average lifespan of the small lawn tractors is around 400-500 hours, so tractor makers wanted more economy minded engines for those smaller models to keep the costs down, hense the Kohler Courage and Briggs Intek 750 hour engines. Command, Vanguard, Honda and Kawi are rated for 2000 hours, and are more expensive to manufacture.
-Fordlords-
Honda does not compromise quality or have a, "Here is our economy one, and here is our good engine," lineup like Kohler and Briggs have been strong-armed into doing with the Command/Courage and Vanguard/Intek lines. Kawasaki can't afford to lose their reputation that way either, thus they have no, "cheapo," lineup of small engines either.
For a good balance and value look at Cub Cadet's GT 2554 model- a bit pricier than the cheap LT jobs at $3399, but it has great credentials- Heavy frame, VERY heavy duty hydro, shaft drive, Kohler Command engine, and a deck with a cut quality that is hard to beat. It's a really decent machine that will endure, why waste money on a cheapo 10 year LT when for $1000 more you can get a 20+ year machine that can twist the cheap LT's into pieces performance wise? It really is a get what you pay for scenario, and the best values are in the upper-middle range of machines. I like JD, they are great machines, not brand bashing but when it comes down to equal credentials vs. value, new JD yard equipment IMHO is WAY overpriced compared to the offerings of others.
-Fordlords-
Kohler Courage vs. Kohler Command/Kawasaki/Honda/Briggs Vanguard engines?? The Courage is rated for 750 hours of life. It is built like the cheap Briggs Intek engines. The others are rated for 2000 hours of life- that's a big difference.
-Fordlords-
My humble opinion and that of many others is if you want a Cub Cadet, get at least one of the 2000 series shaft driven tractors and stay away from the LT models with the belt driven hydros. The 2000's start at $3k, but are MUCH better machines than the 1000 or 1500's which are light duty lawn tractors. All Cub Cadets are built by MTD and have been since 1981, and the CC 1000/1500's are indeed very similar "cheap" machines to the ones MTD makes under their other product names. (Look at anything seeming cheap and the little blades of grass by the name and you have it!) The CC 2000-3000 GT's are MTD's highest end garden tractors and are proven performers. The lesser MTD/CC stuff is basically throwaway on par with Craftsman and Wal-Mart LT's and even the cheap JD LT's.
-Fordlords-
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