How does one tell the difference?
 

So far a neighbor has had his cub cadet ( Home Depot) in for repairs twice since owning it for 3 years. He's asked me for advice but I excused myself politely from any advice explaining to him about how big box store cubs are not the real deal. He now understands the difference. He's gonna sell his junk & looking into buying one from a local cub dealer. With that said.

How does one tell a big store junk cub from the real deal?

I'm sure it's in the model codes, but I don't know.:bigthink:

NIK,

You need to realize too the same models they sell at HD and TSC are also sold at a dealer. The big difference is that a dealer sells GTs and you know the price difference between a LT and GT.

I don't know about over the past few years, but it used to be too a dealer could get a couple different LT models,

I.E. - you could get a LT1045 at HD/TSC with a 46" and single cylinder Kohler Courage and you could get a LT1046 at a dealer only with a 46" and twin cylinder.

Cub did have it on their site what models were sold where...

Oh ya, it used to be too that TSC used to sell a couple models unique to them too, I think it was a LGT... better than the LT from HD/TSC but definitely not the shaft driven GT.

My local Cub Cadet dealer echoed what gcbailey said above. There is not some separate factory that produces crappy Cub Cadets and sells them through the big box stores and another factory making better quality units sold by dealers. This same way of thinking is applied to the John Deeres sold at HD and Lowes.

He told me that Cub Cadet entered into a contract with big box stores such as Home Depot and farm stores like TSC, but the stipulation was to sell mowers in a certain price range. To do so, they had to lessen the quality. And by right, the CC dealers were forced to sell the same (or similar) units.

The real advantage to buying from a CC dealer is the service. TSC and HD will ship your mower half way across the country for warranty repairs but the owner will be out-of-pocket for a considerably longer time than if repaired thru a local dealer. Besides, the CC dealer does have the higher priced (supposedly better built) garden tractors for sale that HD and TSC does not.

Of course, all this can be avoided if one simply purchases an older Cub Cadet that was quality built to begin with. :)

if It has lug nuts is the first thing :biggrin2:

:biggrin2:

If it has lug nuts and a driveshaft you're off to a good start. That goes for any brand IMO.

It's easy for me. The good ones have an IH on them and the not as good ones do not.

I'll wait for Sam Mac to chime in on this comment :biggrin2: :beerchug:

Not even going there. You get what you pay for. You want a $10,000 tractor for $1500, it's good to want. :beerchug:

I don't know about the cub cadets, but the john deeres have a sticker on them...I think below the dash, underside, that says Made for Lowe's or other. A dealer showed me that years ago and he said when they get them in, they work on the john deeres that they sell first and then they work on those from Lowes or other stores last. I don't know if this practice is still in place or not, but they told me that they are just taking care of their own customers with the quality service that they promised to their customers when they purchased their machines from them....not somone else.

Cub Cadet 123

i want a $10,000 tractor for $1500 also

That's easy, buy one in need of front to back repairs like I did!
3 months later it's still in the shop.

My LT1045 has lug nuts, so what does that make it? It's an '07, but I think CC changed the wheel hub the next year or so.

In all honestly we have no one to blame about the crappy condition of LTs but a cheap consumer and big box stores demanding cheap products.

There have always been LT machines, but the quality of them back in the day were a lot higher than today standards. Unfortunately it's all about a price point. If Lowe's/HD/Wally World says.... "We're not going to carry your product unless you produce a machine for $XXX and $XXX and $XXX"

People unfortunately think that if it has a "respectable" company logo on the side, it must be good.

I will say this, even though the quality of CC LTs may be lower at least CC doesn't market and sell little girls panties like other brands out there....!!