Anybody bought any of their lawn mowers in last few years?
Just wondering on quality since Black & Decker
bought it in 2021.
I know there was a recall on some with a Kawasaki eingine.
I bought one in 2012 and it is getting tired but have had no major problems.

John Deere 130 lawn mower it's been a good mower, replaced a d100 that the motor gave out after 10 years.

We have had JD products since I was a kid, buy it from a dealer not Home Desperate or Lowes...

They are all about the same level for lawn tractors. 20HP Vtwin engine in this one runs really well. All I've replaced is a battery and a belt on the deck.

CR Riding movers
Deere x354,s240-48, x350-42, Cub Cadet XT2 Slx50
Ranked 84,83 and 81 for Cub

Cub Cadet CC30 H ranked 68

Sorry, can't directly answer your question. I suspect unless you tow nothing, have completely flat yard you may experienced shortened lifespan of mower. Mine is Murry from 1994 and it is better quality than most everything. It was $1000 at Builders Square big box store. Transmissions are the weakest link

Like anything, different levels of mower. I have a 2518 CC I bought back in 2007. It has a few issues but working. It was about $4k, from a dealer, not big box. So many things get traced back to MTD.

A recent acquisition is a Gravely zero turn, 2013 vintage. It had a few issues, $500, I think a good deal. So far I replaced one spindle, sharpened the blades & similar, running great.

There are plenty of videos on mower shopping, could be helpful.

Cub has been owned by MTD for years with Cub being the premium brand. Now that Black & Decker-Stanley bought MTD I have to think they will keep Cub as the premium line of outdoor power equipment with MTD, White, Troy Built, being the lower lines. B&D has owned DeWalt as their premium power tool brand for years and they seem to have maintained quality.

What kind of mower are you interested in, walk behind, rider, or ZTR?

I can't speak for current production. I bought one in 2006, a 46" lawn tractor and it taught me more about lawnmower repair than I cared to know. Engine ran well but every mowing season I had to replace spindle bearing and pulleys. I kept them in stock on the shelf in the garage. The dust cover on the bottom of the spindle assembly faced upwards trapping sand and dirt leading to bearing failure. The blade pulleys would fail at the center around the shaft.

I will never buy another Cub Cadet.

Not a riding mower, but I've been very pleased with my Ego electric. They do make a riding version. No gas, no oil, no spark plug, just charge the battery.

I recently bought a Cub specifically to deal with several areas which have steep slopes which were problematic for the Toro zero turn which it replaces.

Thus far, it provides a much greater feeling of confidence as I tackle the slopes and I don't have to worry about ending up on three wheels with one of the front wheels spinning about above the ground making further forward progress very dicey.

The build quality is much higher than that of the Toro but it was also more costly.

IMHO, the "key" to any brand of riding lawnmower is the powertrain.

I once had a 30" cut rear-engine John Deere with a Kawasaki engine and Peerless transmission. The powertrain outlasted the rest of the mower. We gave it away to some friends.

Then in 2003 I bought a new 42" cut Craftsman with a Kohler engine and Peerless manual transmission. It is currently on season 24 of cutting. I have tubes in all of the original tires (which are tubeless), have replaced belts, spindles, blades, battery, and added a fuel cutoff. I keep it at my secondary house.

In 2023, I bought a used 2017 model 42" cut Cub Cadet with a Kohler engine and hydrostatic transmission. So far, I've only had to replace a throttle cable and the battery. I use this one at my primary home.

Is Cub Cadet any better than others? As I said before, IMHO I think it's more the powertrain than anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
Anybody bought any of their lawn mowers in last few years?
Just wondering on quality since Black & Decker
bought it in 2021.
I know there was a recall on some with a Kawasaki eingine.
I bought one in 2012 and it is getting tired but have had no major problems.

My experience with Cub Cadet is limited to yearly maintenance on my daughter's 2020 Cub Cadet and 2022 Exmark Radius zero turn mowers. Between the two, there is no comparison. The Cub Cadet is not nearly as robust as the Exmark. She has over 5 acres to cut weekly.

I have a John Deere X500 Multi-Terrain lawn tractor. It has been almost trouble free for that past 12 years. You will not find one of those at the big box stores. It was money well spent.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Cub has been owned by MTD for years with Cub being the premium brand. Now that Black & Decker-Stanley bought MTD I have to think they will keep Cub as the premium line of outdoor power equipment with MTD, White, Troy Built, being the lower lines. B&D has owned DeWalt as their premium power tool brand for years and they seem to have maintained quality.

What kind of mower are you interested in, walk behind, rider, or ZTR?

Would be a Zero turn. My current Cub is a Zero turn 60" but with a steering wheel instead of the 2 lever style. Kinda leaning to Cub because I think I want the steering wheel style. That makes Cub as the only game in town as far as I know.

I haven’t been very impressed with the quality of Cub Cadet in quite some time.

I purchased a Cub Cadet a year ago. LTX 46".
So far so good. Did an oil change last week, easy enough.
Before the Cub Cadet I had a craftsman lawn tractor for 23 years. It still runs, just wanted something newer.