Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi everyone.  I am looking to buy a new lawnmower.  I am going to buy it from Lowes.  I cant figure out which one that I want as I am a complete idiot when it comes to riding mowers.  I cant decide between the husky or the cub cadet.  I also dont know whether or not the ones with more horspower are worth the extra money.  If any of you have time, I would really appreciate some expert advice on which mower to buy from lowes.  (They are offering 0% for 12 months)  If any of you have time, check out www.lowes.com and look at the mowers and let me know what you think.  Thank all of you who invest your time in advance for any feedback that you can give me.

Maybe this will add a tad of clarity?



Cub 1500 Series....SLT1554 = Good


Cub 1000 Series = MTD = Bad


Husqvarna XP Series = Good


Husqvarna "Non-XP" Series = Craftsman = Good but not as good as the XP Series


Lowes = No service or support. Must go through dealer


Sears = Service and support.....Craftsman


Dealer = Service and Support......Husky XP Series, Cub, or any brand.



In my opinion, you either buy from a dealer and get what you want of any brand or, buy from Sears and get a Craftsman. You'll get good service both ways. If you buy from Lowes, for service you're pretty much relegated to the end of the line after those who bought from the dealer that you're trying to get service from. To the dealer, his customers will come first, as they should. If your choice at this point comes down to where you can get the best finanancing, the Craftsman's looking pretty good.


So it looks like your best choices are:


...Suck it up, go to a dealer, buy better product, don't get as good of financing, get good service.

...Buy from Lowes, get good financing but have potential service issues. Get 1500 Series Cub, nothing else here.

...Buy from Sears, get good financing, get good service but not get the better XP series Husky or better 1500 Series cub



Oh yea, I still don't see why the L Series John Deere's are not an option? Available at dealers and Home Depot.

uc113 wrote:

All the people i know that have a Cub 1000's are very pleased with them. As are all of the owners on other forums i vist are very happy with theres. Now i know from viewing this site that people here cant stand MTD. I have a 1525 which they dont make anymore and its built heavyer then the 1000's. But i have had it for 21/2 years and 110 hours and it has not failed to start or giving me a problem at all. Im sorry that your White gave you so many problems but every brand has a bad one every now and then. You want to down MTD thats find But remeber the Husky might not last you but 7 years Then you can talk bad about them. And like i said before a cheap MTD does not have the heavyduty Hydro or taper roller bearing in the wheels and spindles for long life. They have a few Husky tractors around here and they have had there share of problems also like the Hydro going out motor problem. But then again that has noting to do with AYP they didnt make the Motor or the Hydro just like MTD dont.They have a dealer not 3 miles from my house i pass everyday. He sure has alot of them being fixed everyday may i make a sugestion to you? Take a look at the wiring going to your PTO a friend of mine who has  one the wireing harness got caught up in the PTO and yanked it out. You may want to take a look at it. I have two people down the street that have MTD yard Machines had them for about 7 years not one problem with them still look brand new. Every brand make and model has there place and price and they all serve a purpose. You could have saved some money and bought a Craftsman being they are both the same. Sure you would have to had bought a bumber but you would have saved some money.

jodyand wrote:

Well I really don't have to put down the Cub line.  The MTD rep for the area was in and he was trying to push the Cub line on us.  Seems that the lower end Cubs are glorified MTD products along with the White brand and several others.  So we're not putting down the Cub line to sell the Husky, Snowshoveler was just stating a fact that the lower end Cub's are MTD products.

Sherri

let me just clearify my earlier statement...

the cub that is in the price range of the15 xp husky is most surely a rebaged mtd unit.it does have the better front end and a hydro .but the deck and spindles are crap and so is the frame for that matter.

and as for me selling my tractors on here ...you are full of crap there.im atleast 2000 miles from any other member on this siteexcept for Millwright and miss snowshoveler..now if you want to drive that far for a better tractor then i will sell it to you but its kinda far to come aint it

and let me remind you i am the and i state am the mechanic and i have been in the biz for a long time so i do know more than the average homeowner.about OPE

there i have had my rant.

later chris

From what I remember of what I saw last year at Lowes, the Bolens MTD was the bottom, then a little better was Troy Bult, then there were 3 grades of Cub at Lowes. From what I remember there were 5 different levels of machine. I normally look at the stuff most likely to break. Number one being the steering. And the last thing on the list is the engine.

I own and use MTD machines. I think you can get what you pay for if you choose carefully and/or get lucky.

Chris you have proven yourself over a long time time to be what I would consider an expert. Most of the stuff you see is broken. Us dopey users, all we see is our neighbors who own some of the cheapest, poorly made junk ever manufactured, and they never have a problem with it.

I really dislike the big boxes. But good dealers can be hard to find sometimes. Went to the Pella store Friday. Salesman was in a hurry, couldn't answer my questions. So Lowes got my $2000.00. Same happens to us when we go to buy OPE all the time.

Hi Dave. If you really want to go the Lowes route, As Marshall mentioned, check out the John Deeres at HD. They just came out with the L108. It's one step above the L100 in that it has the foot controlled hydro tranny and went for, I think $1599. Not a bad machine for the money. I was sitting on one this morning while at HD and it seemed comfortable to me. But as suggested, sit on them all, play with the controls and check the features of each. That should help narrow it down.

                                                                                            Kevin

Well, after reading all of the pros and cons, I decided to go with the $1,799.00 Husky.  I sat on all of them, cubs, huskys, troy builts, etc.  and the husky just felt better.  I also talked with the guy at lowes and he said that they sold around 300 huskys last year and only had 1 to come back.  He also said that he sold around 200 of the cubs and had 2 to come back.  He said that he liked the Kohler and front end better on the cubs, but like the seat  and transmission better on the husky.  According to him, they were about equils.  They offered me the 3 year warranty from Lowes where they come out and change the blades, oil, and check everything for 3 years for $189.00 and I took it.  It also has a lemon clause where if they fix the same thing 3 times that they will refund the entire purchase price back to you.  I guess that I will hope for the best and plan for the worst.  I wish I could have budgeted for a higher end mower, but 2K was all I could stand.  Maybe if this one lasts for a couple of years I can do a little better.  Thanks again guys for all of the advice and help.  I will continue to check by here for pointers and advice and am very glad that I found youl  Thanks again.

I am not on here to bash the MTD line.  I relayed my experience with my White and now with my Husqvarna.  To compare the two is not even fair.  You are prous of your cub and have had no problems with it, good for you.  I have had no problems with my Husqvarna.  You told me I should have gone to Sears and gotten a craftsman since they are both built by AYP.  The only problem is that the craftsman did not come with a Kawasaki engine and the service at sears is garbage.  The local dealer that I purchased my  Husqvarna has been in the business for over 30 years and has excellent service if I ever need it.  As a matter of fact I purchased my White from him.  When I was looking to purchase my new mower three years ago I went to him.  He carries all the major brand name lines.  IF I could have afforded it I would have purchased the Simplicity with the Honda motor but it was out of the range of what I could spend at the time.  He directed me to the husqvarna and pointed out the differences both good and bad between all the mowers he sells.  He was very honest and told me straight out he would not recommend the cub until you got into their higher end.  The lower end models just are not worth the money and he didn't feel right directing anyone to them unless they were set on a cub.  So I am not bashing the MTD line, I am going by my own experience, and the word of someone who has been doing this for over 30 years.  Oh, and I don't see me having to get rid of my husqvarna in seven years like I had to with the White because I take care of my equipment.  Go and tell my neighbor who bought a supposed better line of MTD the Yardman series who has had two spindles fail, front axle break, and transmission go out after only two years.  Sorry but the proof is in the pudding as they say.

Dave, good luck with your new Husky! Let us know how you like it. If you have anymore questions in the future, ask away!