New vs Old vs 4 wheeler!! Considering throwing snow with my LTX 1046M
 

Winter of many firsts!!! Lots of questions and many options. Please help

I am a recent first time home owner. Bought my house back in February. I live in rural Wisconsin just of the outside of the edge of town. I own 1.5 acres on a river and mow almost all of it. So this summer I bought a cub LTX 1046 partly because I manufacturer the Kohler crank cases but also for the reliability and power. Anyways last winter I wasn't prepared for snow removal and hired my neighbor to come down every snow fall and plow the drive with his four wheeler. Well needless to say since it wasn't his driveway I ended up with most of the fresh top layer of gravel in my yard come spring. I would like to do my own snow removal this winter and I'm don't know which route to go. My drive is about 240' long with a 50'+ diameter turnaround. I guess I am stuck between the following three options.
Option 1. Buy the thrower attachment for my brand new mower. I've read on here that I might not want to put that stress on my new mower due to robustness of newer products (they don't make 'em like they used to). Will it do a fine job for the $1400.00 price tag?
Option 2. Buy an expensive four wheeler and plow the driveway. I personally don't have a trailer to haul one for recreational purposes. I might find joy in having one in later years when I have the means to haul one. For right now the four wheeler would be to plow the drive and ripe around the yard I guess.
Option 3. Buy an old mower. Maybe find a package deal, thrower, plow, chains, and weights. I should be able to find one for about the price I would pay for the attachment for the new mower. It seems like they made the engines small back in the day. Would I struggle with power issues if I buy old?

So in summary I am just looking for any advice really on my situation. Am I leaning in the right direction at all? For my size driveway am I over thinking this? Do you have any model recommendations for older units? Would I stress my new mower to much throwing snow with it? All you comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading!!!

28yr old first time homeowner

Welcome to OCC

I think you have come up with 3 good options. Just my 2 cents but I would look for a 1995 or older Cub with a blower or plow. Don't get excited about the HP thing the old girls can Git Er Done, trust me. They will also be running long after the new mower has gone to the scraper. I do admire you for buying what you make though. :beerchug:

Welcome to OCC Riverhen,

You can find the older Cubs as a package deal pretty reasonable that'll do the job very well. Don't let the horsepower thing bother you, the older ones are heavier & will amaze you at what they can do. A big plus is parts & attachments are easy to find.

Good luck in your decision....

I think Sam hit the nail on the head. HP is not an issue with the older tractors. My two cents are you will be throwing money out the door buying an ATV if you won't use it for more than removing snow.
As for your "new" tractor, keep it as a grass cutter, not a snow removal machine.
IF you purchase an older tractor you'll have something you could get attachments for down the road, and who knows you might like it enough to use it as your grass cutter.:biggrin2:
Where about are you in WI?
Welcome to OCC:beerchug:

Welcome to the cult!
I would not get an ATV/4-wheeler to plow snow.
Unless you have written permission to ride off of your owned property, there are not many legal places to ride recreationally.
Please do not ad to the problem of illegal use of ATV's.

Go old and be bold!

Welcome to OCC!
Good luck in your decision!

Thanks for the warm welcome
 

Thanks for all the advice. I'm located 30 miles east of Madison in Waterloo. I wish I would have started this venture a little earlier, but I have some resources I may contact for some help. Next set of questions, what should I be looking for in an older model if I plan to tackle a Wisconsin winter. Is there any specific issues that plague older cubs or snow throwers that I might want to ask about? Any general advice for buying a used model would be helpful as well. Thanks again.

Are there any resources I can use to mix and match tractor models to attachments or attachments to models?

The older snow throwers are single stage and work best with the throttle wide open ( 3600 rpm ).

I prefer a hydrostatic drive over a gear drive so I can vary the tractor speed to keep the auger loaded.

Turf tires with chains get better traction that ags with chains ( better footprint). You will need wheel weights and / or tires loaded with fluid.

Here's my 125 ( 12 hp hydro drive ) with my QA-42 snow thrower

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...1.jpg~original

This is going to get ugly and fast. Every Cub owner has his favorite model. So I'll list the ones I like the best and it's just my 2 cents. so you other guys don't hate OK? The ones in red because the engines are hard to get parts for would not be at the top of my list unless they are in very good condition.

1572 Kubota D 600 diesel
1772 Kubota D 640 diesel
1872 Kohler Mag18
2072 Kohler M20
Cyclops
1782 Kubota D 640 diesel
1882 Kohler Mag18
2082 Kohler Mag20
2182 Kubota WG-600 gas
2084 Kohler CH20
2284 Kohler CH22 last of the best as far as I'm concerned.

I'm sure others will chime in with what they like. Most of pre 97 stuff is pretty good. After that some good some not so much. Holler with what you find and we will do our best to help.

:Welcome2: As far as models, you will want to locate an IH cub cadet 123, since it was the BEST model that was ever produced :biggrin2:.....Well, that is subject to one's own opinion. Seriously, you shouldn't have too much problem locating one and as for hp, I believe the hp was underrated for the IH cubs. I have plowed snow with my 73 (7 hp Kohler) that was so tall that it was over the height of my blade. Seems like the 12hp cubs are easiest to find, so the first two numbers on the older cubs give the horsepower of the engine (ie. the model 123, 126, 129, 1200, etc....all came out with a 12 hp engine). If you have a gravel drive, then you will probably want a 42" blade--whether it is a WF (wide frame) or NF (narrow frame) depends upon which type of tractor you get. Prices vary on items, depending on your geographic location, condition, and model/rarity. A snowthrower will throw your gravel, besides, a blade has other utility in moving/leveling gravel, moving mulch/dirt/sand, etc. You might also want a good pair of tire chains and since you are young buck, you won't need any type of lift assistance in the form of a spring assist/electric lift/hydraulic lift......but you might find them handy to have someday!

I'm sure I missed other relevant points and other members will offer you better advice than I have.

Cub Cadet 123

I agree with you 100% The only thing I don't like about the cyclops is the plastic. Once my 2072 is a smokin, I'll be a happy camper! Oh my 1864 ain't bad either, when you need a little better turning radius :beerchug:

Think this one is in your area.

http://madison.craigslist.org/grd/4153514630.html

I like all af the IH cubs, but for something easier to work on, I would lean toward wide frames (1x8, 1x9. Quietline) or a spread frame (x82) The tunnel cover comes off easily, and allows you to make adjustments to the hydro, change the fan (if needed) lots of little things. If you come across a quietline, make sure you check iso mounts, and factor their replacement cost into a purchase decision. I line the queitlines, but replacing the isos will cost you around $120 using the correct rubber iso mounts from cub cadet (they cost about the same everywhere else I looked.) This forum is a wealth of information, and everyone on here loves to offer their information. Welcom to OCC!

What do you think of these?

http://madison.craigslist.org/grd/4198791883.html

http://madison.craigslist.org/grd/4161320666.html

I like the 1811 and was thinking about stop by after work tomorrow if possible to take a look. Would $1500 cash be a low ball offer?

snow blowers/throwers are rock chuckers. A blade is probably the most useful.
Also, the 129 sounds like a more reasonable deal. The other two seem pretty high to me, but maybe that is right in your area?

Set the skids ( shoes ) up a couple inches and it's not a problem on gravel driveways.

I have solid motor mounts with bolts for sale for $40 shipped. NF and WF are solid mounted from the factory.

The 1250 is what's known as a QL, Quiet Line and those are good tractors but most times need the ISO mounts repaired if they are original. Price around here is a little high, but not the worst. All depends on overall condition.
The 1811 would have everything you would need, thrower, blade and deck, but not a "good" price to me. It does have the hydraulic lift which is nice.
I hate saying something is to expensive, or a good deal because it's not my money. But for price, it all depends on if he's a motivated seller, and your in the "have to have" mode and "need" a tractor.
I don't think $1500 is a low ball price, heck if it's what you want, and everything looks good upon inspection, start low, you can always come up, you can never go down.
As you know, money talks, bull stuff walks. Show up with Franklin hand.
Good luck. :TwoCents:

Welcome to OCC! Good luck on whatever you decide to do. :beerchug:

I like the 1811. If the hours are as low as he says they are it should be like new. I'd go with cash and see what kind of deal you can work out. It does have a lot of cool extras in the package.

If your willing to do a little driving I might have a 782 you can buy with. Snow blower on it. It also has a 3point hitch. With you being in Wisconsin I would be after a blower.

Since you have a gravel drive I'd look for a tractor with a sleeve hitch or a 3point. That way you can get a box blade scraper and level your driveway out. The front plow will do it but the rear attachments are better.

The guys are spot-on about a 4-wheeler vs. a Cub. The last time I've really used or rode my wheeler was back in '10 about the time I got my 100 and since then I've used my tractor almost every week I've been able to (I'm slowly restoring it while still being able to use it daily).

My setup, 100 NF, 42" IH front blade, ags w/180lbs. of wheel weights and my 175 lbs is enough to push most of my snow out of the way. My only issue is the snowplow windrows which I have to take a couple passes at.

Cubs are a very versatile tool. Once you start using it you'll be surprised at all the things it'll help you with. Just wait until you start making your own attachments...

Thanks for all the advice
 

Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know I went with the blower attachment. Reason being; I already had a mower, didn't have time to look for a used Cub, and I found a good price at a local implement dealer. $1200 delivered + free tire chains. So far so good. Here's a quick rundown from an amateur (I'm terrible at writing reviews). Installation was fairly simple, the instructions were harder to follow than the actual installation, but I would consider myself a little more mechanically inclined than the average Joe. It took maybe 2.5hrs in 8° F temps. I've used the unit twice to clear the drive. First time on about four inches. It does chuck some gravel but that was expected. Throws snow up to 25ft high and possibly 40ft horizontally with the right angle. The second time I used it was after our biggest storm yet. I waited till all the snow fell and we had between 8-10 inches. It did bog down somewhat on the bigger drifts but so does the mower when I mow 8 inches of grass. I just couldn't drive full speed through the deep stuff. I don't like the design of the skid shoes they are skinny and dig into the gravel or the nice pack I built after the first snowfall. I am going to make new ones our of 1 inch thick delrin or something like that. Turning is difficult when the unit is on the ground but that is expected. Controls are nice, the feel flimsy but work well. I didn't buy weight I improvised my own. Thanks for all you help and advice guys. Let me know if you have any questions.

Wow!!....an anvil!! That's the first that I have seen that one.:bigthink: Let me know how that works in the snow.

Cub Cadet 123

Thanks for the update! Glad to hear it is working good for you!

Nice cub and blower!

Hey riverhen...nice to see a fellow wisconsonite...and close too!! im just north of you between lowell and beaverdam on the river also, and work in lake mills everyday...i went through something similar not too long ago, and bought a new home..needless to say i had just a regular mtd, ranchking branded...(18/46", has been mowing for 20+ yrs) but what to do when snow flew...?? my old man has a really nice '72 case 220 with hydr, that i could use to plow with (he never uses), but i ended up finding my baby anyways...now the mtd is gone...replaced by a 40yr old machine with 50" deck and snow blade..fun to drive/use and almost more fun to work on..the wife says i have a problem..anyways, im glad you got it taken care of..wisconsin winters can be....well you know...hope it works good for you for a long time.