Would there be interest in buying my old Cub?

[ironman]

I can't help but get a chuckle out of ya'll giving this guy (the OP) pointers on what to do. He could spend $1000 or he could spend $6000 but he doesn't know what to do. He could buy jmech's rebuilt or he could buy used but he doesn't know what to do. He probably takes 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes and we'll be talking about plowing snow before he makes up his mind.

So here's my suggestion, don't do anything. Just find someone to come in with their own tractor twice a month for 50 bucks a pop. If your mowing season is 6 months you'll have spent $600 and in ten years you'll have spent your $6000. But that's ten years that you'll have to make up your mind.

[Chad126]

You are smart enough to realize that you have 3 options.

Repower the 129
Buy New Mower
Buy Used Mower

All of these options COULD work out great. All of these options COULD work out poorly. If it were me and most others on this site, we would repower. After all, old cubs is why we are here. They are built strong, they are easy to work on, and maintenance is cheap. Parts are readily available, and the knowledge for fixing them is vast on this site, and you can get advice on any issue you will have with it. Just like a car, the value of a new mower or gently used mower will depreciate. However, most of the value in the 129 will be there in 10 years. If you repower and end up wanting to buy a new mower, you can sell the 129 and get a larger portion of your investment back. It seems like a no brainer to me.

[gretschwhtfalcon]

Originally Posted by ironman

I can't help but get a chuckle out of ya'll giving this guy (the OP) pointers on what to do. He could spend $1000 or he could spend $6000 but he doesn't know what to do. He could buy jmech's rebuilt or he could buy used but he doesn't know what to do. He probably takes 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes and we'll be talking about plowing snow before he makes up his mind.

So here's my suggestion, don't do anything. Just find someone to come in with their own tractor twice a month for 50 bucks a pop. If your mowing season is 6 months you'll have spent $600 and in ten years you'll have spent your $6000. But that's ten years that you'll have to make up your mind.

Ever consider going into stand-up comedy? Sounds like you could come up with some good original material....

You raise some good points. I plead guilty to dithering over things. (Maybe there is a subconscious process taking place here that is telling a part of me...'hey...so you don't have to mow the lawn anymore, or plow snow, or...'...just get someone else to do it.) It is unfortunate that this problem occurred during the growing season, and yeah, you're right...the longer I delay the more $ I'll spend to have a local outfit mow...at more like $80 bucks a pop I think..haven't found out yet from him. Biggest advantage of buying a new mower IS that I can continue on with the work. I also use the Cub to pull a utility cart to collect cuttings from a couple 100-ft hedges that I trim here each summer. So without access to the Cub and cart, it would appear I'll have to hire someone to take care of all that too. The option of fixing the Cub would be much easier to make if I knew I could do the entire job myself without shipping the tractor out to a shop that is likely to have it for weeks to months. As someone else mentioned...so much downtime here the longer I delay. I'm probably the opposite of what could be considered an 'impulsive' buyer. Not a fan either of the option of buying a used tractor. No way to know how it was maintained, etc.

BTW...I did used to watch 60 minutes, but only took me 90 to do it...

[gretschwhtfalcon]

vr4...some good thoughts but, probably unlike many here, I just don't want to get into storing alot of old equipment that is not being used. If I get a new tractor, the Cub goes. Can't afford the space for one thing (for 2 tractors). I'm trying to move more into the divesting (rather than accumulation) mode of thinking. Amazing to look at peoples' signatures here to see all the gear that many of you own, but that's just not my thing. I do have a supply of things like wheel bearings, PTO buttons, etc. - real small stuff - on hand for the Cub, but not larger items. I saw what that can lead to in my Dad's basement which was literally crammed full from one end to the other with parts of engines, other mechanical items in various stages of assembly or disassembly, other things that neither my brother nor I could identify whatsoever, 50 gallon drums full of stuff that had to be humped out of the house and taken for heavy metal scrap, etc. When it came time to empty his house for sale, it took literally months of work, unfortunately at the expense of my brother's back. Must have been thousands of pounds all told. (My Dad ran a service station / auto repair his whole life - so that's where most of the stuff came from. Never got rid of anything - Depression mentality). Since that whole experience, I've been trying to promise myself that anything not being used for a length of time (let alone not needed) really should get tossed. So the idea of storing 2 (or more) tractors where only 1 is really being used...doesn't appeal to me.

[athomas]

Where abouts in Pa are you located ?

[gretschwhtfalcon]

Reading area - Berks County...about 200 miles east of you

[cooperino]

You can't do this work on your own. Your correct . But with the network you have here in this forum I promise you this. If you can tighten a 3/8 bolt and have a basic set of tools. YOU CAN DO THIS. Don't use "I can't do it" as an excuse. Have you ever installed a new door knob? Hooked up a new washing machine.. Basic stuff. This is basic nuts and bolts. Trust me and all you have read about doing this job. It's simple and if you get stuck. Come here and post.

[vr4Legacy]

Originally Posted by gretschwhtfalcon

I've been trying to promise myself that anything not being used for a length of time (let alone not needed) really should get tossed. So the idea of storing 2 (or more) tractors where only 1 is really being used...doesn't appeal to me.

A very commendable thing to stick to. I have been trying to get to that mentality myself, fortunately I should have plenty of time to get there. I'm starting with the little stuff that I keep moving to find other stuff. "I've moved this thing for the last 6 months" Clearly I don't need it.

It seems like you want something you can run out and fire up without worrying. That's what I wanted out of my mower. I enjoy tinkering and bringing things back to life, but at the end of the day I wanted something I could jump on, fire up and mow with. quickly. that's why I bought a Z-Force this weekend. No regrets. I've got my 149 and 1650 for grunt work and to tinker on.

As mentioned you've got 2 options really. Throw a fistful of money at the 129 to have it refreshed (new wiring, engine rebuilt/replaced, PTO rebuilt, driveline wear parts replaced etc) to essentially have a new mower that mows like it's 1973. Or throw a few fistfuls of money at a new tractor that will mow like it's 2018.

Go test drive a couple different new riders. Don't discount the new Cub Cadets. They are getting great reviews, and MTD has been at it a long time, they know they're stuff. Despite the grumbling you'll hear on here, properly maintained, there is no reason to expect less than a decade of service out of one.

[gretschwhtfalcon]

Encouraging thoughts Coop...thanks! I actually have enjoyed the challenges of doing various jobs on the Cub over the decades. In truth, every time I've walked by it today a part of me is chomping at the bit to start taking things off as a prerequisite to engine removal. Only thing holding me back are 2 things: a) if I still decide I want to go the way of buying a new tractor (not much point taking off parts if I'd then be selling the Cub and b) If I think all this would be better done by a shop - either my brother's or a local outfit I've talked to. What I don't like about the second thing (b) is the down time involved in the whole process...sending the Cub to either shop that probably won't get to it for a length of time, and then longer still until the work is actually done and the tractor returned back to me, etc.

[gretschwhtfalcon]

Originally Posted by vr4Legacy

A very commendable thing to stick to. I have been trying to get to that mentality myself, fortunately I should have plenty of time to get there. I'm starting with the little stuff that I keep moving to find other stuff. "I've moved this thing for the last 6 months" Clearly I don't need it.

It seems like you want something you can run out and fire up without worrying. That's what I wanted out of my mower. I enjoy tinkering and bringing things back to life, but at the end of the day I wanted something I could jump on, fire up and mow with. quickly. that's why I bought a Z-Force this weekend. No regrets. I've got my 149 and 1650 for grunt work and to tinker on.

As mentioned you've got 2 options really. Throw a fistful of money at the 129 to have it refreshed (new wiring, engine rebuilt/replaced, PTO rebuilt, driveline wear parts replaced etc) to essentially have a new mower that mows like it's 1973. Or throw a few fistfuls of money at a new tractor that will mow like it's 2018.

Go test drive a couple different new riders. Don't discount the new Cub Cadets. They are getting great reviews, and MTD has been at it a long time, they know they're stuff. Despite the grumbling you'll hear on here, properly maintained, there is no reason to expect less than a decade of service out of one.

Like the highlighted part! Great point. Just wish I had more time to devote to this right now. Family commitments have been front-and-center for the past month or so and definitely for the remainder of this month. So I'm devoting as much time to thinking about the Cub options as I can, but it just can't be the main focus for a few more weeks. I am really interested in what Jon is offering with the rebuilt Kohler, and so hate to keep waffling around on this. He's been far more than patient with my many questions! Nothing saying I'd have to work with the rebuilt engine immediately, but really need to decide on that soon. If the commitment is to repairing, then I'm good to go with buying his engine. It can sit until I'm ready to start in.