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06-03-2017, 07:45 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2017, 07:46 PM by Tim in Indiana.
Edit Reason: spelling
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The John Deere mowers sold at the local Home Depot are uncrated, assembled if needed and dealer prepped by the local JD dealer. HD pays them so much per mower and they also provide the warranty service if needed.
My office window looks out on the HD back lot and every spring they spend a couple days prepping the new mowers.
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(06-02-2017, 09:44 PM)Robert Adams Wrote: The hydrostatic transmissions have been non servicable for a long timebut a few there was a way to refill the oil but it was a pain and it used a bellows to control air expansion in the unit.
Depends on the mower you bought - I have a 2 year old Gravely ZTR that has filters & drain plugs on the transmissions. Remote reservoir for each trannny is in clear sight to check fluid level and top off if needed. I didn't get it at a big box store however.....
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(06-03-2017, 07:45 PM)Tim in Indiana Wrote: The John Deere mowers sold at the local Home Depot are uncrated, assembled if needed and dealer prepped by the local JD dealer. HD pays them so much per mower and they also provide the warranty service if needed.
My office window looks out on the HD back lot and every spring they spend a couple days prepping the new mowers.
This......
Noticed the other day HD is selling homeowner grade Deere zero turns as well.
FYI, the Ariens snowblowers HD sells are the same models and same price as the local dealer.
Ed
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(06-02-2017, 05:33 PM)Admiral Wrote: MTD makes them all. Various quality levels.
I've had a 50" MTD/Cub Cadet and it really was pretty decent. Nothing special but not bad. I mowd about an acre and a half with it for about 10 years.
I currently have a 50" MTD/Troy Built and it has been nothing but problems. Stupid stuff... cotter pins working loose, spindle bases cracking etc etc.
By far, the best low end mower I've had was the Toro zero-turn TimeCutter with the Kawasaki motor. I sold it when we moved because it wasn't really suited for the new yard. I even made a plow for it and it worked pretty good.
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(06-03-2017, 10:52 PM)EdL Wrote: This......
Noticed the other day HD is selling homeowner grade Deere zero turns as well.
FYI, the Ariens snowblowers HD sells are the same models and same price as the local dealer.
Ed
Some depots also sell the cub cadet garden tractors as well. Im interested in the fuel injected engines they have now. The 46" mower has a nice fabricated deck but it doesnt have the bigger fuel injected enginge that the 42" stamped deck has...
I havent seen an ariens mower in many years and didnt know they had dealers. That brand along with snapper,toro dont have dealers here and cub cadet barely has one. Here its gravely,big dog,hustler and a a few other ztr brands that have dealers. Everything else is homeowner stuff. Havent seen a simplicity mower or dealer in many decades.
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I know this does not add much, but the new Cub tractor style mowers are so ugly that I could not buy one. Cub used to have an expensive look to them. They now look cheap like all the other MTD stuff.
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(06-05-2017, 07:15 AM)messmaker Wrote: I know this does not add much, but the new Cub tractor style mowers are so ugly that I could not buy one. Cub used to have an expensive look to them. They now look cheap like all the other MTD stuff.
Its better looking than my previois model is and the hood is much better constructed.
The days of good ayp mowers are pretty much over. The only ones left are a few of the craftsman ones and huskys. Husky bought AYP and seems to be shutting it down. They also make some of the dear john mowers as well.
I have an old Bolens listed on craigslist. One with the goofy transmission but steel hood and fairly well built apart from the briggs intek engine. Runs great but no one is interested in it because it doesnt look newish.
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I have an '05 Cub GT3235 their (at the time) top end Garden Tractor. All hydraulic, shaft drive, etc. etc. Had nothing but issues mowing with it. The 64" deck mows well but it is ungodly heavy, almost impossible to remove/attach without killing yourself. It also threw pulleys, bolts, parts on a regular basis. After less than 100hr the transmission poop itself and cost $2k to replace (that's a whole other story). The one thing it does WELL is move snow. I have the 48" blower attachment and its a monster. I replaced it for mowing with an ExMark commercial ZTR in '10 and would not go back.
The newer Cubs look even flimsier - MTD just puts the Cub name on cookie cutter POS machines.
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(06-02-2017, 09:44 PM)Robert Adams Wrote: The hydrostatic transmissions have been non servicable for a long timebut a few there was a way to refill the oil but it was a pain and it used a bellows to control air expansion in the unit. I remember repairing a few many years ago and it was always the pump that failed.
Not true, current and former Cub Cadet garden tractors have a cast iron transmission with a spin on filter and dip stick for checking/adding level.
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(06-05-2017, 10:14 AM)Cub_Cadet_GT Wrote: Not true, current and former Cub Cadet garden tractors have a cast iron transmission with a spin on filter and dip stick for checking/adding level.
Thats for the GTs not the riding mowers,riders are non servicable. I havent seen anyone with a GT newer than the 1980s models. They just dont sell here, everyone goes right to a commercial ztr. That or for a few $ more go with a small tractor. Even when i worked at a friends mower shop years ago you never saw a GT other than the ones with that big techumseh OHV engine, was about a 3' tall engine and had a bad head design.
