questions for the pros

rsierra1025 · #1 08-24-2011, 05:49 PM

Hey all, I'm not "IN THE CLUB" yet but considering it. A little background as quick as I can. My Dad has a John Deere 140 with a blade and tiller. He also has a 317 with a blower and cab on it (it does have an after market Power steering added). He's headed for retirement so I had mentioned to him to pick me up a JD at some point and fix it up for me and I would pay him (Because I know he'll be bored out of his pumpkin sooner than later so I thought it would be a project). At a recent auction about a month ago he found a newer JD-LA110. Came with a blower, bagger, weights and a soft enclosure for under $1700. I have been reading about the hydro having problems on these machines after while so I have been starting to think about selling it already and getting something older and more reliable.

I am a fan of Green but don't like to parting with mine. It seems like these old cubs are a little more reasonable and I'm sure just as reliable as the JD stuff. All of this is leading up to my question. On craigslist in my area there's one that appears to be in decent shape.

Does the following seem to be a good deal if it runs well? It's been on line for a while which makes me think he might be about 250 too high or people don't know the steal they are missing out on. the other day someone had a 1650 for $500....looked nice. Anyhow, let me know what you think of this.....

Cub Cadet 1450 for $1300 -- also included are the following: Service Manual which covers full tear down and rebuild of the tractor and the implements on CD, 1-48" Mowing Deck with extra set of blades, 1- 42" Snow Blower, 1- 42" Push Blade, 1- 42" Rotory Cultivator.

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What are the big differences in the 1450 Vs the 1650? Is motor size it? What about hydraulics? Can I use the same accessories on both tractors? Also, is there an add on power steering kit for these old tractors? I have found the thing about the new bushings and all to make steering easier but nothing about power. Anything else I should know about?

There's also one with a bad motor (1450) and a tiller for $300. Thoughts on getting that and modernizing the motor?

My Mechanical ability is Tinker/Parts swapper. I do have a lot of great tools that I can kind of make work (Torch, welder, sockets) so I have most of what I need to really dive into something...just not the most experience (I should have payed more attention when dad was fixing stuff). My easy option would be to hold onto the box store one I have and wonder when it's going to give up the ghost. 2nd easiest is get GREEN because I can ask dad questions or I can be different.

Thanks for reading.
Randy in Iowa

Methos · #2 08-25-2011, 11:41 AM

Randy

The 1450 has a 14HP and the 1650 has 16Hp motor. Other then that they are the same. The tractor pictured does not have the side panels. They improve cooling and should be on there IMHO. I have a 1650 and love it. On any QL tractor (800, 1000, 1200, 1250, 1450 and 1650) you should check the ISo mounts on them before you buy. The same pictured tractor has non stock headlights. The stock headlights are round. In the list of items you list a 1- 42" Rotory Cultivator it makes me wonder if you mean tiller. The 1450 with engine problems can be rebuilt and no need to put a modern motor in it. Expect to pay $500+ for a rebuild using Kohler parts. These engines are worth rebuilding. They are work horses.

rsierra1025 · #3 08-25-2011, 12:25 PM

Methos, thanks for the info. I have been trolling for a short while here and didn't even pick up on the round/Square headlights. That thing about the rotary cultivator I'm assuming is a tiller. I copied and pasted the add so that's what it said. I need to get down to look at it.

I guess the main question, for all the accessories and the tractor does that seem to be in a reasonable ball park price wise?

I really just want something heavy duty so If I want to drag something around the yard it's not going to be a problem and tear the tractor up.

P.S. - Sorry if I posted in the wrong section on the forums.

johncub7172 · #4 08-25-2011, 12:32 PM

It took me untill last saturday to see why a IH Cub Cadet are above JD. 97 percent of pullers have a gear IH Cub Cadet. Nice IH Cub Cadet man!

TommyK · #5 08-25-2011, 09:26 PM

Randy, I agree with Duke, Darrell, and Jeff. I'd start at $900, but if everything is in good shape $1300 is about right. Like Jeff said, $200 is the low end for a good tiller and a good snowblower. You can find mower decks on Ebay for $375. That doesn't mean someone's paying that, but sellers are trying to get that. The deck looks like it's in pretty good shape in the pics. So $500 for the tractor with deck, $250 for the tiller, $250 for the snowblower, and $125-$150 for the blade puts you at $1150. I agree that when the seller sees a handful of cash he'll want to work with you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johncub7172

It took me untill last saturday to see why a IH Cub Cadet are above JD. 97 percent of pullers have a gear IH Cub Cadet. Nice IH Cub Cadet man!

I met a puller a couple of weeks ago who pulls with a cub cadet 124. No modifications other than the bars to keep it from flipping over. He blew me away when he told me it has the original clutch on it! Just a testament to how tough cubs are.

CC1650Dave · #6 08-25-2011, 10:18 PM

It'd be pretty rare to find an old QL with good ISO mounts, as far as I've seen. Almost no one ever replaces them, except for guys that really know and care for their Cubs.

The 1450 I bought, the PO spent $550 this spring on new stuff, including the front flange, new flex discs, etc...but the ISO's were left shot to heck.

And to your query about why he'd take those side panels off - most guys think it'll help their engine cool better, but on the contrary, IH designed them for optimal cooling with the panels on.

Methos · #7 08-25-2011, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsierra1025

Methos, thanks for the info. I have been trolling for a short while here and didn't even pick up on the round/Square headlights. That thing about the rotary cultivator I'm assuming is a tiller. I copied and pasted the add so that's what it said. I need to get down to look at it.

I guess the main question, for all the accessories and the tractor does that seem to be in a reasonable ball park price wise?

I really just want something heavy duty so If I want to drag something around the yard it's not going to be a problem and tear the tractor up.

P.S. - Sorry if I posted in the wrong section on the forums.

Randy no worries on posting in the wrong section of the site.

I think price wise he's a little high. I also do think he means tiller due to the tiller gear box on the back. If the ISO mounts are bad expect to pay in the $80 range for new ISO mounts from cub.

I think you'll be happy the way the cub is able to pull things. As John said the pullers love these cubs and will buy a cub and paint it other tractor colors and that says a lot of the cubs. I don't have anything bad to say about JD or any other brand but I do not regret buying a cub.

Darrell · #8 08-25-2011, 02:12 PM

The price depends on the condition of all the attachments and the condition of the tractor.

The attachments would be around $500 - $700 range , but that does depend on the condiiton of them. Might be cheaper than $500 if they are questionable condition. Check the tines on the tiller and slop in the tine shaft, and it would be a plus if he has the long , EXPENSIVE belt that runs the tiller gearbox.

Same for the blower. Chain and sprocket wear , bearing noise , etc.

Just a thought , the blower,tiller,and blade are heavy and bulky , so if you think you will not need them , don't buy them. OR buy and resell if not needed.

Looks like that would be a $400/$500 tractor/deck in my area , if the side panels are there. But that does depend on condition. I would expect to do some maintanence on the tractor. They are tough and easy to work on , but most people are careless about maintanence.

If it was me , i would start at $900 for everything , but 1,000 may be the max for me.

Just my .02 cents. Hope it works out for ya !!

Methos · #9 08-25-2011, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darrell

The price depends on the condition of all the attachments and the condition of the tractor.

The attachments would be around $500 - $700 range , but that does depend on the condiiton of them. Might be cheaper than $500 if they are questionable condition. Check the tines on the tiller and slop in the tine shaft, and it would be a plus if he has the long , EXPENSIVE belt that runs the tiller gearbox.

Same for the blower. Chain and sprocket wear , bearing noise , etc.

Just a thought , the blower,tiller,and blade are heavy and bulky , so if you think you will not need them , don't buy them. OR buy and resell if not needed.

Looks like that would be a $400/$500 tractor/deck in my area , if the side panels are there. But that does depend on condition. I would expect to do some maintanence on the tractor. They are tough and easy to work on , but most people are careless about maintanence.

If it was me , i would start at $900 for everything , but 1,000 may be the max for me.

Just my .02 cents. Hope it works out for ya !!

Good points Darrel! I paid $52 for my tiller belt for my 1650. The NF tiller belts are the pricey ones. I paid $110 for my tiller belt for my son's 125.