Power differences 1250, 1450, 1650?

[Bill410]

I need a "real world" answer to a question!

I have a cub 1250 hydro - 12hp, and a 1650 hydro "project" 16hp. My understanding is that they are basically the same machine (except for the ported hydro pump and hydro lift on the 1650, and 10" vs 8.5" wide rear tires - easily fixable...)... Trying to figure out how to power the 1650, whose original engine is not in the tractor at the moment...

How much MORE power does the 16hp have compared to the 12? Yeah,,,, I know, 4 hp. But real world on this platform, what does that give me?

This is a flatland tractor that will mostly cut grass (44" deck on 1/2 acre max, usually more just a suburban lawn), and till a garden or two a couple times a year. Will I notice a difference?!?!? Will the 16hp cut grass a foot taller than the 12hp?!? Will I need the extra 4 hp to use the tiller in Florida sand/dirt? Would I notice the power difference if I lived in a hilly area (Tennessee, Kentucky, etc)?

I've been told that the 16 is more of a shaker than the 12hp, but that it smooth's out at full throttle (that's how my Ford LGT was before the repower), but that the 16 will still vibrate more than the 12... Also guessing the 16 uses more fuel?

I guess if the 12 does everything that I need (I haven't used it with the tiller, so I don't know about that...), I would be tempted to drop the k301 into the 1650 if it was more efficient and smoother running. I have a spare cub k301 in the shop... Or if the 12 is not "enough", I could even trade one of them for a 321 14hp for the 1650.

Course the other side of that is you can never have enough power!!! If the 16 hp 341 really isn't harder on the body, and the fuel is about the same, MORE POWER wins!

What do you guys think!

[jimbob200521]

Real world, 12 is fine for mowing unless you mow stuff that you're not supposed to faster than you should and even then, the deck would have more trouble than the engine. Tilling, you MAY notice a small difference but generally you're going slow enough that the extra ponies won't make a world of difference.

IMHO, the biggest place you'd see the difference in power is snow blowing, that can be a real power hog. Last winter I made my 18hp V-Twin bark quite a bit and actually killed it once.

[sawdustdad]

The 1250 will work great with a 44 inch deck. The 1650 will only allow you to clog it up quicker with clippings.

I use a 48 inch deck with a 12hp 108 (didn't re-badge it as a 128) and 50 inch decks on both a 1450 and a 1650. Honestly, they all cut about the same.

As for tilling (and mowing, too, I suppose) your use of power is constrained by the single PTO belt. And tilling, application of more HP to the tiller tines will only throw the tractor around more. Same situation with my Kubota back hoe. If it had more than 23hp, it wouldn't help as the application of more power to the soil simply picks the machine up off the ground. It isn't heavy enough to take advantage of the extra power. Heck, it's not heavy enough for the 23hp it has.

[Mike McKown]

I've had the 10, 12, 14 and 16 in that series. Used them all to cut grass.

With a 44" mower, even the 10 hp works fine unless you let the grass grow knee high.

The 10 and 12 are relatively smooth engines compared to the 14 and the 16.

I used a 16 with a snow blower. If you blow snow, that's the engine I'd use.

I used a well worn 10 with a tiller and it worked okay. I used the same tiller on a 16 and it worked a little better.

The 10 hp is smoother, quieter and has enough power to do most anything you want to do.

Yes, I know you didn't ask about the 10 but everything is relative.

[j4c11]

I've managed to nearly max out my 1450 by going up a hill pulling a core aerator with 250# on the tray. By max out I mean WOT, hydro lever all the way forward,barely made it slowly. In that situation an extra 4HP may be the difference between making it and not making it up the hill. I couldn't manage to bog it down last year while scalping the lawn in preparation for overseeding, that was going from 4 inches to as low as the deck would go. So if you're just mowing it will probably be fine.

[Sam Mac]

Tough one to answer "Power differences 1250, 1450, 1650?" 1250 is 12HP, 1450 is 14HP, 1650 is 16HP.

[Bill410]

Thanks everyone so far for your responses!

Sam, why didn't I think of that?!?!?!? smile

I cut my grass now with a gear drive deere 110 - 8 hp kohler and a 38" deck, and it seems to cut pretty high grass without any trouble. I know the hydro on the cubs uses a little more power than a gear drive, so "less" is available for the mower/pto. And not sure how "efficient" the cub decks are compared to green. But + 4 hp and 6" wider deck, not sure how it would come out.

I'm getting too lazy to shift gears, and the 110 turns like a truck, so bought the cub to replace it as my main grass cutter. Then came across the 1650, so now trying to decide who gets the grass cutting honors!

I'm still rehabbing the deck on the 1250 (spindles) from when I got it, so don't know how it will do with grass cutting... So far its just pulled trailers and such around the yard.

Here on the east coast of Central Florida, we don't get much snow!!!! So performance with a snow blower is not my one of my operational qualifiers! Thank goodness!!!

I only focused on the 12 and 16 hp models because that's what I have available here. But good to know that the 10 hp's performance is!

My Ford only had the 16 hp engine, they make 10 and 12, 14 hp models as well, but I never used one to compare to what I had experience with...

Maybe I'll use the 1250 as my grass cutter, and keep the 1650 for tilling and in case we get a freak snow blizzard here!

[crossingcrown]

Well, i am still a lil wet behind the ears with cubs also. I put a 12hp in a 1650. Pretty much the same scenario. I liked the power lift, and didn't have a 16hp to put in her. She seems to be doing pretty good with a mower with a 44"deck. I need a smaller belt(nothing to do with the swap). I haven't used her in the snow with my plow yet. Nothing really seems to be any different. Mainly swapped all the good stuff over. Hope that gives a lil piece of mind.

[Vin122]

I mowed with my 1650 with a 10hp and 44" deck, it works well except for areas I have thicker or longer grass. It definitely does not have much torque. This 1650 or 1050 works great as a snowplow Cub or utility wagon, trailer puller, etc.

I have mowed with my previously owned 149 and it has plenty of power, I cant remember if I mowed much with my 1650 prior to removing the 16hp.

I do mow mostly with my 1250 and 44" deck, same deck that was under my 10hp version. This thing has plenty of power to get the job done.

I also have a 1806 with a 44" deck, it does not know when the grass gets thick, mows through everything. Gear drive, mowing, and my many trees don't go well together.

My opinion is a 12hp is all one needs for most every job out there. Bigger engines just drink more fuel.

[OldSkull]

A tired low compression K341 can give 10 to 12hp? A tired K301 give what? 6 to 8Hp? That's why bigger is better! Now don't tell that to your spouse...