Would you recommend fixing my old 129 or buying a new one?
 

Hi,

I keep hearing that the old ones were built better! What would you recommend? My choices are to buy a new Cub Cadet or fix the compression release on my 129.

Thanks,
Keith

I'd fix the 129, you'll get many more years with it. Your 129 is built a lot better, than the news ones.

Just my 2 cents for whatever it’s worth. You can spend a few hundred dollars fixing your Cub and it will probably last another 20 years or you can spend a couple thousand on a new one that if you are lucky will last a few years. Your call.:beerchug:

Garden tractor !
 

These are really garden "tractors" ... not stamped out lawn mowers. I recommend spending the effort to rebuild. great machines...

my 2 cents

B.

In my world, this is a "no brainer"..........Fix the 129

You guys have encouraged me! I am a firm believer in fixing old equipment - probably to a fault in some cases. I found another dealer who would be able to get to my 129 alot sooner. He said the camshafts are still available in the event that the problem would turn out to be the compression release system as I mentioned in my other thread. I think it's worth it to repair, especially since I invested money last summer in putting in a whole new electrical system. I look at the new ones on the Cub website and there is so much plastic on them. Mine is all cast iron and steel.

I might inquire as to how much you think it may cost to get into the engine and replace the camshaft / compression release system if indeed that is the problem? Any ideas? Even a 'ballpark' figure would be helpful.......

Thanks!

Glad you decided to fix the 129! You won't be sorry! :beerchug:

I agree about repairing the 129 as a no brainier. When I look at the new ones I can't believe how much plastic is on one and that my mower deck of my 147 has thicker metal than vital frame and other such parts on a new one.

Cast Iron> tin &plastic.

Good to hear you are fixing it!:beerchug:

Rebuild or ,,,not
 

Keith,

after spending time and money to rebuild my 1450 ... and very happy with it. I asked about mower decks .... anyway...read on

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=23806


B. :bash:

sometimes experinced opinion helps

Thanks to everyone who replied. As soon as I get my tractor back from the guy who usually does my work but feels this job is just too much for him right now, I'm going to call another local dealer / service shop to come and pick it up. I was doing some reading on the ACR system just to learn more about it. The description of the problems that it can cause if it's not working pretty well seems to match what is going on with mine.

One thing I noticed, and just not on the Cub Cadet line, is how cheaply the paint work is on them. You will not see any primer on the new tractors. Not a fan of powder coating, you will often see HUGE amounts of paint flake off with in a few short years. No one seems to know how to repair a powder coat paint job when the chips start coming. Not to knock on the new machines, but they are not built as well as the 129 is. Look at how long the paint has held up on the 129 at this point,....................:bigthink:

For me, I would repair the good old 129. Spending the little extra to go the little extra mile would result in another 30-40 years of reliable service.

I think it may be damaged beyond repair. Best to get rid of it now. I know a place that will take it for free. PM me for my address so you can drop it off.

I had problems with the ACR on my 149. I opened up the engine last summer to look into it. Turned out the valves were just way out of adjustment. If you need the ACR spring PM me. I bought one, but did not need it.

In a perfect world with a flat lawn of 2 acres or less I'd have my 104 for real work and cut grass on a new lawn tractor.

If you are using that tractor to cut grass and other duties, I wouldn't fix the 129 (right away) and I sure wouldn't buy a new Cub Cadet.

I'd spend the money to find a 1641, 1862 or 1864 with a 48"/54" deck. Best handling, best cutting, most comfortable and most trouble free tractors CC ever made.

I have owned and cut grass with every series and mower deck CC has made, from the first Original to the last Cyclops over the years and the above is my opinion based on that experience. The Cyclops tractors don't have "parts wearing out" problems like the old tractors plus, parts are still available if you need them.

If you think a new one (newer one) is for you, just check Craigs List and note that the new ones have no resale value to speak of. That should tell you something.

PS. Last summer, the tractor I use to cut grass with (1641) had some kind of problem. Can't remember now what it was and the only tractor I could get to easily and quickly was a fresly restored 147 with a 42" deck. Lord help me. I thought I was never going to get done. The steering, seat, vibration and grass cutting quality compared to the 1641 was terrible.

Flatbedford,

Thanks for the warning. I don't know what to expect until I see what they find when they open it up. I'm curious as to why you say it might be unrepairable? Even if the valves are out of whack, can't that be fixed also? Thanks for the offer of the new spring! I might take you up on that depending on what the problem is. I don't give up very easily on either my old 129 tractor or my '95 Buick Riviera (I could write a book on that one...way too long a story for this forum!)

Thanks. I'll hope for the best.
Keith

Mike,

Thanks for your thoughts. That's really interesting about there being a lack of resale value for the newer CC. I have always used my 129 to cut grass, but also to tow a utility cart to collect and transport piles of heavy cuttings from long hedges of forsythia and other shrubbery that I have bordering my property. I also like the weight of that tractor to push snow out of my driveway with a blade attachment that I have for it. It has cleared my driveway of probably thousands of lbs. of snow over the past 30+ years. I don't believe the newer ones even have anything in the front to attach a plow (?), let alone the weight to do the job.

Best,
Keith

Mike, I sense a little :bs: here going on about the Cyclops tractors. Maybe if that tractor can / will live up to a 45-50 year old IH Cub Cadet, then tell us all about how parts don't wear out, and how much those can cost :bigthink:. Our "old tractors" have quite a few grease fittings compared to today's stuff. This gent could easily have a fully rebuilt tractor for 1k, or under that would, with care would out last him and some.

The Cyclops are KILLER tractors and I have to agree with Mike on that one. I like to think of them as the "Last of the Best".

You are more than welcome to sense what you like. I've had them all. Used them all in everyday situations. The early narrow frames, the wide frames, seemed like every time I turned around I was buying a tie rod end, freshening up a loose steering box, replacing a mower deck spindle, buying a pto belt, mule drive pulley, replacing a broken spirol pin in the driveshaft, rebuilding the pto clutch and the list goes on and on.

I very first Cyclops I bought was a used 1860 with about 600+ hours on it with a new engine. I used it to mow about an acre and a half from about 1995 until a couple years ago. I don't recall spending a dime on it. At that point in time, that was the LAST TIME I used one of the old tractors of mine on an everyday basis.

In another yard of mine, I bought a couple of 1641's from the dealer's back row. One had 200 hours. I just parked it and it's stayed that way. The other had about 350 hours on it. I still use it today with close to 700 hours. Runs like a top. I've spent NO money on it but the steering box is getting a little loose and time to tighten it up.

Also have a number of other Cyclops, 1641's, 1864, 1862, 2084, etc. Nothing wrong with them. They are just sitting, waiting to be put to work. If you haven't tried a Cyclops, don't knock it.

Maybe you could use your little :bs flag and wave it at someone who hasn't been there and done that?

I was joking. Anything is repairable and this may be an easy fix. It sounds like your mechanic may not be very familiar with 40 year old Kohler engines.

Flatbedford,

LOL....I was wondering about whether or not you were joking...but then, since I've been worried enough as it is over my car and tractor problems of late, I took it that you were being serious. Glad to hear you weren't. I do think that my mechanic knows these machines very well - his dad had the business before him and he definitely was around these machines his whole life. It's just that right now he's just too busy with other things to handle a bigger job like this could turn into. We'll see.

Thanks.
Keith

when I see that the new cubs don't use nuts and bolts anymore just self tapping screws how do they expect them to hold up like a 129 they don't want them to and you have to pay money for them they should be free

Mike, I never knocked the Cyclops.:chillpill: Lets get that straight. All I stated is what I thought about the age difference between the Originals up through 1981. Reasonable preventive maintenance is key in the longevity of any tractor. Like I said, your full of beans, so stuff that in your pipe and smoke it!:beerchug: The 1990 MTD White lt 14 I have has not missed a beat, for all that is worth,.....and

Heck, my gear drive 100 had been going strong since 1965, and that's no :bs: Not to mention having the best CAST IRON rear end ever in a garden tractor, no aluminum crap. :bigeyes:

Seems like you guys are good at finding fault in other tractors, but what you have is king sh%t!

I don't know what you expect to be doing with a narrow frame today, except replacing parts. Then your good to go!

I'm not going to get into the Cyclops/IH built tractor debate primarily because the original poster was asking about the difference between a 129 and a NEW grass cutter.

I feel quite confident that if you spend 6,7,8K on a new Cub Cadet you will be very happy with it and it will give you years and years of faithful service.

However if you are thinking of spending $2500.00 or less on a new grass cutting machine you will get just that (a grass cutting machine that will last you for a few years) and then you can throw it away (where ever away is) and go buy another and start the cycle again.

OR you can take $2000.00 or less and restore your 129 to better than factory new, and use it for the next 40+ years, then your kids and grand-kids can argue over who gets Dad's antique garden tractor.

To me, this is a no brainer.

Truer words have seldom been spoken. I have never purchased a "new" lawn tractor/riding mower. Have had the same Cub 108 for over 35 years. My neighbors are on their fourth or fifth lawn mower. I've still got the Cub. When my neighbor needed to borrow my 108 to finish cutting his lawn because his Craftsman mower had broken a deck mount, he commented on how nice it handled, operated and cut. And that was before I restored it this past winter. It's good as new now, and will last longer than me.

Guys, it's time to get this thread back on topic!

Old iron vs. new tin@ al. Old iron has proven it self time & time again!! As with many things they don't make them to last or work like they did in the past . If you want work horse , don't buy a kitten, repair , restore your old cub you will be happier .:beatdeadhorse:

Back to topic...I was having ACR problems on a K301 and it was a simply the spring came loose. Hooked the spring back up and all was well.

That's why I'm thinking the OP's mechanic isn't that knowledgeable with these old Kohlers. He's saying that he may need all kinds of parts that may not even be available before he even gets into it. There are a few easy fixes that require no new parts or an engine tear down, yet he hasn't told the OP about them, and we all know that just about any Kohler part is available.

Are you sure he doesn't want it for himself? , just kidding around fix it & have fun!