Growing up, my dad would haul home about anything that would mow grass AND was cheap. Nothing ever lasted more than a few months with his wild son at the controls. (That'd be me) In 1980, I took over the purchasing of the lawn mower fleet. (My home was directly next to my parents) First thing, I bought a Case 222. It was a tank! Best mower I'd ever had the pleasure of running EXCEPT for one glaring glitch. The exhaust system kept falling off. It would release heat under the hood. That was it's downfall. In 1982, I bought what was (is?) the finest example of a lawn and garden tractor I've seen to this day. An INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER Cub Cadet 682. (One of the red ones) Instead of being an over-glorified lawn mower, it was a small tractor. Hydrostatic tranny, enough built-in weight that it rode like a Cadillac, and parts that were designed for the long haul.
And if I'd never let my bro-in-law borrow it, the 682 would have lasted longer than me. But that was my fault for letting him use it. Those old Koehler (sp?) Magnums (series I) didn't hold much oil. (Seems like it was 3 pints) It developed a leak through the front main seal while he was using it. He said that since it was "just a little bit of oil leaking out" he didn't think that'd be a big deal. Well, it was. When he returned it, the engine sounded like someone beating on an empty oil drum with a ball peen hammer. A rebuild would have set me back about a grand. (needed new PTO clutch as well, after it got oiled down) Complete new Koehler Magnum series II was almost $1500. The tractor itself was worth around $1500 at the time. I didn't have the time, nor the inclination to do the work myself, and ol' Bro-in-law sorta disappeared come time to pay the piper.
Enter John Deere 265 circa 1991. Good mower, just NOT a Cadet 682. It's still plugging away, but all things being equal, I'd rather have that 682 back. (Got $850 trade on the Deere even with trashed motor)
Shoulda kept the Cadet and found another motor. Again, my mistake.
