Which Lawn tractor: cub Cadet or Snapper

[jrcowboys]

Guys
my old bolen Lawn tractor is locked up (brake locks up transmission) and I am unwilling to spend money on it. Considering new Cub Cadet or Snapper SPX both 42 inch. Am leaning toward Snapper primarily due to local dealer I've used before.

What are your recommendations? Don't want to spend for Zero turn. Note; any problems with hydro static transmission?

Also, any ideas of how to move old mower? Maybe put wheels under rear axle?

PS: any ideas of how to get old mower out of brake stuck mode? Something I could do myself? I have tried lubrication and manipulation.

JR

 

[Fawteen]

A Cub Cadet (depending upon the model) is nothing more than an MTD clone-not exactly known for high quality. If those are your only choices, then I'd choose a Snapper.

If you're looking at the lowest priced models they will all have the lawn tractor version of a hydrostatic transmission. You won't see higher quality/durability until you get up into the garden tractor range.

You don't say what type of transmission your Bolens has, but if it's a hydrostatic transmission there is usually a lever that releases the transmission from the wheels so it can be pushed without the transmission turning.

 

[jrcowboys]

Bolen has a manual gear transmission and locks the transmission for braking.

JR

 

[drtyler]

The new Cub Cadet mowers have a very tight turning radius, if that matters. I purchased a 46" last year, and it has been great. I see Snapper advertises similar for the SPX.

Either will be fine. I would go with the lowest cost option, as both mowers are consumer grade riders. Until you approach the $4000 spend level, there is little difference other than engine ratings, engine brand, and deck style (fabricated vs stamped). Tractor Supply may have good deals on the Cub Cadet soon, if they follow the pattern from last year.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Low end snapper are made by MTD. High end Snapper sold by Snapper dealer made by Snapper who is owned by Briggs and Stratton can be quite pricey. Your dealer can advise you.
Cub Cadet is MTD and so is lower end Deere.

 

[Gebo]

Are Snapper and Cub Cadet my only choices?

If so, I'd go with the Snapper based on your relationship you have with him. Does he sell both? What does he recommend?

 

[skyactiv]

How much grass do you have? I live in on 5 acres and have 3 acres of grass to mow. I have a Ferris stand on zero turn mower. My neighbor has a lawn tractor and takes twice as long to mow his property.

 

[loneryder]

Go with the Snapper. Not because of quality but the dealer you can get service from. Cub Cadets are crap.

 

[Railrust]

I have a Cub Cadet, I've hated almost every second I've owned it. The bagging system has been terrible and replaced twice (now I've removed it entirely). The brake pedal/disengagement from the transmission pedal hasn't worked in 8 years (it's exciting to stop now). The exhaust manifold gasket disintegrated one year. The lights stopped working.

Having said all that...I've owned it for ten years now. It doesn't burn oil and it cuts grass...I guess it could be worse.

I'll tell you what though...I know everyone says, stay away from the Home Depot mowers and snow blowers, they're junk! Buy the local stuff directly from the dealer. I've done both. I've spent over $2,600 on a snow blower from a dealer and $700 from a Home Depot. The $700 snow blower lasted me ten years and was still running strong when I sold it. The $2,600 snow blower from the dealer has had some problems. Keep in mind that the stuff you buy at Home Depot and Lowes is still a Cub Cadet or a John Deer or an Ariens...they still sell those exact same models, same quality, same price, at the dealer...it's just that the dealer also carries the higher end models, that do cost more and are "better".

 

[vwmaniaman]

My Husqvarna hydro-stat mower now has been with us for about 12 years. Bought it from our local dealer that told me to not get the Kohler motor since they were having issues. Anyhow, other than 2 sets of blades from hitting tree roots, and a couple of belts, there has been noting but good service. Just oil changes annually and 2 batteries. Mind you that I do understand that if you stay on top of your equipment so it doesn't have multiple issues, then most will last a good long while.

 

[spk2000]

Both are made by MTD and are fairly entry level mowers. If you have hills then the hydros will wear out by overheating fairly quickly flat ground with smaller yards will be fine but a good used garden tractor will likely be cheaper and last longer.

 

[MParr]

Go with the Snapper. Cub Cadet, Troybilt and Craftsman are MTD and not something that I would recommend. There is Husqvarna, which are pretty good mowers.

 

[Elkins45]

To me the mower equation is binary: cheapest gear transmission rider you can get away with OR high-end zero turn. The deciding factor is how much lawn you need to cut and how much stuff you have to trim around.

Low-end zero turn are maintenance problems waiting to happen, and you can buy three low end gear tractors for three same price as an el cheapo ZT. I'm mowing a couple of acres and am doing it with a feared Craftsman rider. It's a bit of an anomaly because it has a 22hp engine but only a 42" deck. The good news is that it's a lot harder to bog down than the same engine with a 48" or 52" deck. The bad news is that it takes more passes and the it still maneuvers like a rider and not a ZT.

After 16 years my transmission is starting to misbehave. That translates into a cost of $100/year, plus blades, belts and spindles that were all my fault. Part of me wants to go get a ZT but the cheapskate in me wants to just swap in a new transmission and be done with it for a few more years.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I have a 2012 Snapper LT24460 purchased new from a Snapper dealer for $1,850. It's a 24 hp Briggs with a 46 inch cut. After 175 hours I've had zero problems. One new battery and one set of replacement blades. I change the oil every 50 hours using 5w30 synthetic. I have no oil usage, and I use zero ethanol gas. Some people bash Snapper as being [censored] over the years from the Snapper company to Briggs and Stratton, but I've been very satisfied with mine.

 

[gman2304]

Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
Low end snapper are made by MTD. High end Snapper sold by Snapper dealer made by Snapper who is owned by Briggs and Stratton can be quite pricey. Your dealer can advise you.
Cub Cadet is MTD and so is lower end Deere.
The lower end John Deere mowers are built by John Deere in their Greenville, Tn plant. The upper end John Deere mowers are built in by John Deere in their Horicon, Wi plant. John Deere has no ties to MTD.

 

[Fawteen]

Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
Cub Cadet is MTD and so is lower end Deere.


Um. No. John Deere makes all of their own equipment. MTD does not make any John Deere equipment. Depending on the model it will come out of the Horiticon or Greeneville plant.

My brother in law owns multiple John Deere dealerships.

 

[AntiMatic]

Had a 42" 18.5 Briggs MTD Hydrostatic, bagger, 1996: was great until drive belt broke, and I parked it a few years ago. Gave it to my new neighbor who put the time in to fix and is enjoying it now. 5 years ago I bought a new 28" single blade Snapper rear engine bagger (12hp). Had 2 missing main frame bolts, fixed from a junk mower. Mows great, no way to start it with the rope, though. Sucks up grass and leaves great. Trans is fine, just have to mow in 1st all of the time (Centipede).I am on 1 acre, and have1/4 acre of actual grass to mow. Takes too long. Plan to get 60" Hustler Raptor SD at Lowes w/ 24 hp Kawasaki, with mulch kit.

 

[SteveG4]

Originally Posted by Fawteen
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
Cub Cadet is MTD and so is lower end Deere.


Um. No. John Deere makes all of their own equipment. MTD does not make any John Deere equipment. Depending on the model it will come out of the Horiticon or Greeneville plant.

My brother in law owns multiple John Deere dealerships.


And Horicon, Wisconsin is a very nice small town in SE Wisconsin. I drive through it on occasion. It sits on the south end of Horicon Marsh and has the Rock River running through it.

Horicon's John Deere factory is historic. Quality is Made in the USA!

Horicon John Deere Factory

 

[MParr]

Low end Snappers are made by Snapper/Briggs&Stratton. The Snapper push mowers sold at Walmart are nothing more than Murray's, also a Briggs&Stratton brand.

 

[jeepman3071]

How much are you looking to spend? I've recommended to many of my small engine customers to buy a lightly used heavier duty mower over a new box store mower. The box store mowers simply aren't built well enough and even with a warranty you have to jump through hoops. A friend recently bought a new Cub Cadet from Lowes about a year ago with the Kohler Courage engine (against my recommendation). He has had a few issues with it (surprisingly not engine related) and just to get Lowes to look at it to see if the issue is covered under warranty they charge a $75 diagnostic fee. If you don't have a trailer and they need to pick it up that is another $100. I told him I'd look at it, but he is on the other side of the state so he took it to them since it was under warranty. That was 2 weeks ago and they still have it but haven't been able to look at it yet because they are backed up (which by itself should tell you something).

Check around on Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc, and you can find some great deals on well cared for riders that people are selling because they are upgrading, have hired a service, or moving out of state. I have a few customers who have bought John Deere X-series tractors in excellent condition with hardly any use for a fraction of the price of new.