BB store riding mowers???

Hey folks....
The normal merican (china?) stuff isn't available here. PX has MTD now and then...

So, without mentioning names, if a guy bought a BB store rider, can it last????

Honestly..... my other option is to buy an older "quality" unit (cub cadet?) in the States and have it shipped over.... A name brand unit is just untouchable here for a guy that wants to pay cash and move on......

If you only have a small lawn then it may last a long time. Their meant to last X number of hours. The brand name stuff is meant to last a given time as well, difference is, it"s meant to last way longer than MTD is meant to last and they were meant to be repaired and are worth repairing. MTD is alot of what"s available in North America. Between the States and Canada, they have 10 brands. There"s always the brand names like Kubota and all but John Deere"s BB line, but then you"re getting into the better stuff that isn"t apples to apples with MTD.

I'm pretty sure cub cadet is also made by mtd. I've had a mtd 14 hp with a 42" deck for 10 years and it's lasted just fine. Regularly cut 1.5 acres with no problems, just the usual maintenance.

We bought a big Troy Bilt (MTD) maybe 10 - 12 years ago, at Lowes, with 23 HP Kohler engine amd 50" cut. The engine seems to be extremely reliable and durable. However we've had spindle bearings fail, which then ruined the spindle housing. Had to replace lots of belts and pulleys, and I've got good at that. Had minor electrical repairs like mower deck switches and key-start switches. Had the front plastic grill get brittle and fail. Lost of minor stuff, and I've got good at fixiing it. .
HOWEVER, I feel like it is durable, repairable, and the Kohler engine and final drive end seem extremely durable. I thinkit'll run for many many more years.
Steering is just a simple gear pivot, it is not hydrostat. I like it. Buddy of mine bought some sort of hydrostat steering, and one side failed. He cannot figure how to fix it.

(quoted from post at 05:27:27 04/02/12) We bought a big Troy Bilt (MTD) maybe 10 - 12 years ago, at Lowes, with 23 HP Kohler engine amd 50" cut. The engine seems to be extremely reliable and durable. However we've had spindle bearings fail, which then ruined the spindle housing. Had to replace lots of belts and pulleys, and I've got good at that. Had minor electrical repairs like mower deck switches and key-start switches. Had the front plastic grill get brittle and fail. Lost of minor stuff, and I've got good at fixiing it. .
HOWEVER, I feel like it is durable, repairable, and the Kohler engine and final drive end seem extremely durable. I thinkit'll run for many many more years.
Steering is just a simple gear pivot, it is not hydrostat. I like it. Buddy of mine bought some sort of hydrostat steering, and one side failed. He cannot figure how to fix it.

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Maybe a better ????? is...
Are parts available forv them??? BB stores here don't handle repair parts. Small equipment mechs work for a dealer and support the dealer as far as parts.....
Would need to find my own parts to repair.... Are there service manuals available??

Dave

My Troy Bilt came with owners manual, and all parts are available, just not at Lowe's. The manual shows every part, and the part number. You have to go to eBay or a lawn-mower place, or a good tractor / lawn / garden place to get the parts, but you can get all of it.

My uncle Paul believed like you and Bought John Deere's from the JD dealer after the MTD that grandpa had originally bought for 1000 died after about 15 years maybe more. Every 3-4 years Uncle Paul bought a new JD beacuse the old one needed 1-2000 worth of repairs only cost about 3-4000 each time to trade
SO HOW DID HE SAVE ANY MONEY OVER THE MTD??????
He always avoided that question.

(quoted from post at 06:08:38 04/02/12) My uncle Paul believed like you and Bought John Deere's from the JD dealer after the MTD that grandpa had originally bought for 1000 died after about 15 years maybe more. Every 3-4 years Uncle Paul bought a new JD beacuse the old one needed 1-2000 worth of repairs only cost about 3-4000 each time to trade
SO HOW DID HE SAVE ANY MONEY OVER THE MTD??????
He always avoided that question.

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Just an example.... An old name brand (Gutbrod is prolly real compareable to the original cub cadet) will run 2500 bucks plus...............
Brand new MTD with a 3 year warrenty will run 1500..........

Hey Dave,

I have a Troy-Bilt branded MTD like George below with ~1000 hours on it. All the MTD parts are readily available online. I like petessmallengine.com, they often have the best pricing. Also check out partstree.com, they have exploded diagrams of many types of equipment going back quite a while. I go to partstree for info on my older ("80s) Cub Cadet hydrostat then usually buy parts somewhere else.

I would think parts would not be much of a problem for you. Just get them shipped to your USA address.

~Kirk

My RC club mows about 2 acres of runways, twice a week, all summer long, with cheap MTD units. We tried more expensive mowers once but a thief broke into the shed and stole them.

With proper cleaning and maintenance they last about 7-8 years. Not bad for a $1000 unit.

I think you could do very well with an MTD brand. They make almost all the small lawn tractors in the US and parts are always available really fast. As far as repair, if you take care of it they will last a long time. Just don't ride them down a very steep hill without brakes and hit a ditch. (don't ask) I rebuilt it (New front axle, new front spindles, new steering bars. straightened the frame ) and it is still going stron 5 years later. Engine 21 HP briggs. Bro Henry

We have had a Craftsman, made by Roper, (a POS) a Murray, which was OK for what they cost. Now we have a Husqvarna, which is the best I've ever seen. It has a 15hp Kawasaki V-twin and hydrostatic drive, and the best bagger we have ever had. My parents had a couple of John Deere's and they had a lot of problems, leaking hydrostatics to steering linkage breaking. I like JD, but I would never buy a lawn tractor from them! I would think you could get parts for most anything online, and I wouldn't worry about that, I get parts for my Honda outboard online. We have never needed any parts, not even a belt for the Husqvarna in 9 years, and we mow almost an acre.

My MTD is almost 9 years old and is holding up well, but I try to take care of it and keep it in the barn. It mows a bit over an acre on a regular basis, and we have to mow 12 months out the year. Only failure I've had was a deck tower began squeeling, so I found them online and replaced all 3 of them. Parts are easy to find online, and reasonably priced.

So to answer your question, NO......maybe in your case anyway. Seems like you recently admitted to a lack of care of your stuff??? Oh wait, I guess that was a bicycle. OK, then I would say YES!

cub cadet is not top off the line anymore

Very expensive parts for a Kohler engine.

George I have three Garden tractors with the MTD 50" decks. I mow about three acres. I have found that belts last longer if you blow all junk that gets in around them. I had trouble with bearings and found out that washing the underside of deck with water screwed up bearings.The new sealed bearing aren't sealed as good as you would think.I now run them up on a ramp and scrape them out and since doing this I have had no bearing trouble.

MTD is about the bottom of the rung since Murray went under. They are sold under several names though. Everything from Cub Cadet to Troy Built. Just stay away from the ones they call autodrive. They use pulleys, belts, smoke and mirrows to make you think you are getting a hydrostatic drive.

How long ago was this. Has MTD always been lower quality? I thought there was a time(30 years ago?) that they were a decent machine. The John Deere dealer will sell the same (completely identical) lawnmower as HD or another BB store. Not saying that"s necessarily what your uncle bought, just saying it"s not only the BB stores that sell the cheap Deere stuff.

MTD has pretty much taken over the manufacture of nearly all of the lower-end lawn equipment. They were just one of many a few years ago, but they bought out everyone else and stand alone now.

Almost all of the lawn tractors today are made by MTD. I would never buy a new one. Cub
Cadets were until about 1995 one of the best Garden Tractors you could buy. You would be much better off buying a 1990's Cub Cadet or even older if you didn't mind doing maintenance.IMHO.

My Husqvarna is made by Electrolux, in the USA. 24hp Briggs IC (wish it was a Kohler) but it runs like a champ and cuts good. have had it for 6 years now and only have had to replace blades.

There all throw away tractors now. Either get a commercial
zero turn, walk behind( such as a toro 44" or52") or a small
NH or Kubota diesel, prolly last the rest of your life.

Yes, it can last, but it certainly won't last as long as the older (70's) tractors.

I've been playing with older GTs for awhile, and on some of the Garden Tractor Forums this question pops up every week or so.

It's true that the new MTD (Made To Disintegrate) LT's aren't anywhere near the quality of things like the old Bolens, Cub Cadets, etc. However, they don't cost as much as those old GTs did either. For instance, I have a 1971 Bolens 1886. It has a Kohler 18hp Twin, and in 1971 when it was new, it sold for $2,100.00. That's equivalent to (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Inflation calculator) $11,800.00 in todays money. That's well into SCUT/CUT territory, but that old 1886 will do pretty much anything that the new SCUT/CUTs can do. Including handling a FEL and/or a backhoe. It's capable of pulling a 12" plow, 42" tiller, etc. Comparing the new MTD mowers to the old Garden Tractors is comparing apples to oranges.

If you are looking for JUST a lawn mower, it's becoming clear that the Cub Cadet 1nnn KW series with the KAWASAKI engines have become the best there is in the $2,000.00 and under range. That includes the John Deere D series. MTD is building them to a bit higher standard than their other 'brands' in that price range. They have heavier frames, mower decks, etc. and a bit better hydrostatic trans.

If you are looking at something in the $2000.00 range, the 1nnn KW Cub Cadets are the best of the lot. Just remember that they, nor the D series John Deeres are going to 'last' if you try tilling, plowing, etc with them. They just aren't built to do that.

I wouldn't buy one from a box store if at all possible. Get one from a Cub Cadet, or a Case-IH dealer. The dealers assemble and adjust things like the mower deck to proper specs, while the box stores just slap them together. It DOES make a difference.

you already have a riding mower