craftsman vs. cub cadet

[yearroundyardwork]

I am thinking of buying a riding lawn mower. I have been looking at 20 hp 42" lawn mowers from craftsman and cub cadet. They are about the same price, so I was wondering if people think one is better than the other. pros and cons of each? i would also use this mower for plowing/blowing in th winter. help?

[jymie]

Lawn care business tips

Depends on what your usage will be, if its just for your own driveway and yard, or if its for the business. Craftsman is more for personal useage, not a very good machine to depend on for several lawns a day all week long. I started with a 42" craftsman mower, it has given me 2 years of service for the business but I have also put quite a bit into it in deck repairs etc.

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. http://www.lunchesruslawncare.com

[picframer]

As noted, personal or commercial, may help if you post the model numbers. I know very little about cub, it seems to be rare that I hear anything good about Craftsman, I do know I see their products at the local Deere dealership every week for repair as the local Sears seems to be out straight on a constant basis fixing things. It's quite a site after our first major snow storm.

[yearroundyardwork]

the mower would be for a commercial use. i would be happy if i had 10 lawns a week with it though. as for snow removal, 10 driveways a storm, with about 5 decent storms a year. the craftsman one's item # is 07128922000. the cub cadet is the ltx-1040.

[turfmaster]

Originally Posted by yearroundyardwork

I am thinking of buying a riding lawn mower. I have been looking at 20 hp 42" lawn mowers from craftsman and cub cadet. They are about the same price, so I was wondering if people think one is better than the other. pros and cons of each? i would also use this mower for plowing/blowing in th winter. help?

There both junk I wouldn't buy either.
Your better off buying a used John Deere (not the ones they sell at HomeDepot)
Especially if your gonna use it for snow removal. Deere's attachments are much better.

[picframer]

Originally Posted by turfmaster

There both junk I wouldn't buy either.
Your better off buying a used John Deere (not the ones they sell at HomeDepot)
Especially if your gonna use it for snow removal. Deere's attachments are much better.

Agreed, these are entry level homeowner units, you would probably get a year or two out of them however I would personally get a used garden tractor, not a lawn tractor, if for commercial use. You can search used ones in your area on Machine Finder http://www.machinefinder.com/

[yearroundyardwork]

ok i will look at that. what is the difference between a garden tractor and a lawn tractor?

[picframer]

Originally Posted by yearroundyardwork

ok i will look at that. what is the difference between a garden tractor and a lawn tractor?

Serious differences from the motor, frame, transmission, front end etc. I think just about every manufacturer makes a low cost entry level tractor but the larger companies, Deere, Kubota, Cub also make a commercial unit which is referred to as a Garden Tractor. One is made with a 400+ hour life, garden tractors are 2,500 plus and will take the abuse.

[yearroundyardwork]

ok so the garden tractors are built bigger and will last longer, which is what i need. which company makes tractors that need the least amount of repairs?

[picframer]

Originally Posted by yearroundyardwork

ok so the garden tractors are built bigger and will last longer, which is what i need. which company makes tractors that need the least amount of repairs?

I am bias to John Deere as I have a lot of their gear, Garden Tractors, CUTS, Backhoe's and excavators, Kubota, Massey and others make excellent tractors also, what is critical is a good local dealer. I also belong to My Tractor Forum, any question you could have has probably been answered there by brand, by size of machine. You may want to take a quick read there also. It's a massive forum with thousands of users http://www.mytractorforum.com/