Cub Cadet or John Deer

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

I wanted to upgrade from a push mower and was looking at early 80's John Deers and newer club cadets with hydraulic lifts. I'm looking for a riding mower that can be used for various task. I want to plow small driveways mainly is that going to work? Some models cub cadets 123,124,129. John Deers 111,112,210.

__________________
South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping /Lawn Care /Pressure Washing /Snow Removal /Gutter Cleaning
52" Brutus/52" Super Surfer/44" Pro Line/60" ZMaster
EB630/EB802/EBZ7150/EBZ8000/BR400/Billy Goat 8Hp
FS55&90/FC95/km110/L322&326/TR2350S
HC150/HC155/CHTZ2460
CS440/MS290
Case 1816 Skid

[picframer]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by SECTLANDSCAPING I wanted to upgrade from a push mower and was looking at early 80's John Deers and newer club cadets with hydraulic lifts. I'm looking for a riding mower that can be used for various task. I want to plow small driveways mainly is that going to work? Some models cub cadets 123,124,129. John Deers 111,112,210. First question si how much snow? Next is which dealer is close to you and stuff happens and will need servicing, it's critical you have a good service back up. Personally I would not touch anything made by MTD (Cub Cadet), there are two dealers in the city I live, at any given time of the year you will see 40 to 60 pieces of gear, mainly lawn and garden tractors in for servicing. In the past I have owned two pieces of their gear and had nothing but issues and when it came to getting things fixed....OMG three weeks++ I do run all deere equipment in my company, probably close to 30 pieces of equipment/attachments, no issues and some of this gear is run hard. Deere has an amazing service department and they are quick, had a crew out on a site today, received a call that one of the new Stihl saws would not start, told them to call Deere where I bought it, long story short a service guy was at their site within 45 min, issue was a defective plug......that to me is worth a lot. A JD will hold a higher value over a longer period of time, just search machine finder or other used tractor sites.

__________________
Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Average Annual Snowfall is around 40 inches. Typically between 2-5 inches at a time.

The closest service center would be Honda (5 miles) and Deere is around 15 miles away.

What works better the snow blower attachment or the 40" plow?

Should I be aiming for a certain size tractor? I was thinking the 20-25hp range would work but I dont know with compacted snow.

I know the Deere tractors are reliable but I dont want it to be a money pit either.

[picframer]

Not too bad on the snow with weights and chains you would be fine with a plow, a snow blower is the best for larger snowfalls but in my experience only if the driveway is paved, they are a major pain on gravel driveways.

Once you get a garden tractor there are a host of attachments you can obtain that can generate a lot of revenue for you.

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Originally Posted by picframer

Once you get a garden tractor there are a host of attachments you can obtain that can generate a lot of revenue for you.

This is one of the many reasons I like the Deere's. I can find most the attachments used and whole spare tractors for parts. I have my eye on a few already, depending on what model I choose. There is a premium for the name though.

I did already check out one of the cub cadet's and it had the old cast iron onan and ran like a horse. The plow that was already installed wasnt even comparable to the JD. It almost looked like a shovel.

If you say it will work being from up north I have to take your word for it. I had to check first. I didnt want to be on a job being laughed at by the big boys.

I use a cargo van, cant really plow with it but the room and ramp are great. So I was going to go with a old chevy with a plow but decided it wasnt cost effective for what I was doing. The snowfall is real unpredictable so I cant really break the bank.

[picframer]

We used an X500 for pulling a spreader for salt and sand last winter, I don't have any weights or chains and it's the newer garden tractor version with no issues, I know many guys plow with these as I see their posts on the tractor forum. When you get into 8"+ and wet snow it can be an issue for traction but for the most part you will be fine.

We have two four wheel drive trucks, I did look at plows but the maintenance costs were too high, years ago I plowed with a truck and when it was all in I didn't make much money.

Now we pull the tractors to sites to do the plowing, perhaps a little more time but they are designed for this type of use and I have had no problems yet.

The garden tractors are excellent in this business, the biggest profit for us is spraying followed by seeding, rolling.....Lawn sewwping was a big money maker for me in April and May, I suspect once fall gets here and the leaves fall it will be again. A garden tractor for me will net $45.00 +/- an hour in use.

Excellent for pulling a dump cart also when doing landscaping or clean ups.