Enduro XT1 OK to plow?
 

I know they sell a kit for it, and I know people do it, but how much wear and tear does it really put on the engine / trans? I have a new XT1 with about 10 hrs on it, and I’m debating on getting what I need to plow with the Cub or just buying a two stage snow blower. I have about 100 ft of driveway that is at 30 degrees and then maybe another 100 feet of loop, and then probably around another 40x40 section to clear. Thoughts? Sorry if this is a real amateur question but this is the first tractor I’ve ever owned and I want to take care of it.

:Welcome2:

They make a plow for it, might as well get one. It's not going to affect the life of that tractor anymore than it's going to give you anyway.

OK, I was worried about excessive wear and tear, but based on your post count and signature I’m going to assume you know your stuff! Thanks for the welcome!

You will need chains for the rear. I’ve watched people with lawn tractors try to push snow. They need more weight and traction.
I would just use the snowblower. Or find an old IH built cub cadet tractor for pushing snow.

Not that I don't agree with all of that statement (because I do..... except for the snowblower part.... brrrrrrrr) but the thing I want to point out that I agree with is in bold. You will want a set of chains and you will find that weights would also be a big help.

With chains and weights and the blade it looks I’ll be at around $500, a good deal cheaper than a 2 stage snow blower. If all that would work I’d like to go that route, assuming the chains and weights would give me the traction I need, because it’s more cost effective and obviously more fun. I don’t have room for another tractor really, so it’s probably either the above add ons or blower, which also takes up a good deal of space. Either way, I need a shed!

Glad I own old Cubs. I can get a blade, weights and chains for less than $500, lol. But then again.... I have a few blades, wheel chains and I have loaded tires and/or weights, so I'm good there. Plus a couple cabs. :biggrin2: Sorry, I just had to say that, lol. :BlahBlah:

Just as a suggestion, you might look on c-list for used. Maybe someone has what you need that they want rid of. Just a suggestion. :beerchug:

Good suggestion. I just sold my 2135 to a guy cause he found a blade for one.
Yeah I know, who starts out with a LT blade then looks for the tractor.:biggrin2:

Definitely this. I see MTD blowers and blades allllll the time on C-list. Most are barely used and at least half what a new one would set you back. The one real nice thing about MTD building cub cadets and everything else under the sun is that it really opens up the number of attachments that will fit between different brands.

I’m sure it would be fine to plow with. Like others have said, weight on the rear tires and chains are pretty necessary when pushing a blade. Maybe a little less so with a blower, if you’re not dealing with hills.

Those XT1s aren’t really built to last, though, so don’t feel too awful if you have issues with it in a few years. Best thing you can do is keep up on maintenance with it. Check your fluids and change them when you’re supposed to.

Congrats on your first lawn tractor!

No.... definitely necessary even with a blower. The heavier ones like the 450's are even worse. Get all that weight up front then you don't have traction on the rear. You can get by without one or the other, but not both. I've ran with loaded tires and wheel weights and no chains, and with chains but no weights..... but to do it without either is pretty tough.


Agreed.

You didn't mention if the driveway was gravel or blacktop.:bigthink: You'll be pushing harder on gravel...
I used to have a push blade, and thrower on lawn tractors, when I first got into the "hobby". They did the job, BUT have more limitations than a GT (Garden Tractor)
I'll help you spend your money.:biggrin2: Get yourself a storage unit for the lawn tractor to sit in the winter months, and get an older GT for snow removal. And that can sit in your garage through the winter, ready for snow removal...
I know you didn't ask for opinions or alternatives, but I'm thinking out loud like always...:bash2:

I appreciate all the thoughts and input! If money was no issue your scenario sounds like best case! I think I may still go with a two-stage snowblower instead. I know the XT1 is the “base” model, But I hope with keeping up with regular maintenance for it to last a few years at least. I changed the oil and filter as recommended after the first 10 hours, and I’ll be sticking to the schedule for everything else in the future.

:beerchug:
You’ll probably be happier with that in the long run. Only downside is having more engines to maintain. But it’ll probably throw snow a lot further, an probably last longer.

The XT1 will do a fine job of mowing your lawn. Like most things these days, they just aren’t built very heavy.

Then again, a lot of these old cubs cost 10-12k in today’s dollars when they were new. Like most things, you got what you paid for. A lot of them are still running just as good as new 50 years later.

Do you have blacktop or gravel? On a nice smooth blacktop driveway it will be fine, if you have gravel I would just take it easy, I've seen people bend the frames on the tractor because the plow dug in on gravel while going fast.

Right on. The few times I got to cut with it it did a great job and was really enjoyable. I also mulched the hell out of some leaves. It seems to do those things just fine so I can’t complain. :beerchug:

Good point and questions. It’s a blacktop but it really needs to be repaired. There are a good amount of spots where I could potentially have some problems like you mention. Unfortunately we just put a new roof on and had floors resurfaced and half the house painted, so the driveway will be next year. The joys of home ownership!

As quite a few others have said, weight is your friend. I'm running a snow blower on the front of our xt1, and the more weight I put on the back, the better it goes. I actually just loaded the tires, we'll see how it does next time it snows here.
Also, I think you could be overestimating the slope of your driveway a bit. A 30 degree angle would make it somewhere around a 60% grade!

The point is this.. They are lawn mowers. NOT garden tractors. They are not built the same and are not meant to perform as a garden tractor will. Anything you use it for besides cutting grass will likely shorten its already short life span. Not lasting or short life span as discussed here is in reference to and when comparing to a true GT. The XT1 and XT2 will have similar life span of any other MTD product of like size.

How many Craftsman LT's do you see that are 40 plus years old still doing the job???? Should is a BIG statement there....

Not sure how this thread got resurrected, but I own an XT1 and I would be EXTREMELY hesitant to do anything with it except cut grass.

There are plenty of 30+ year old of everything out there. Good maintenance and proper use will make most things last a long time. But there are things on the cheaper LTs that just aren’t built to last and can cost more to repair than just buying a new machine. Engines, transmissions, steering gears, wheels. They are all built to a price point. That price point is a lot higher on a BX series Kubota or a x700 Deere than an XT1/2/3 and you usually get what you pay for.

A lot can happen in 10 years.... 30 versus 40....