G1800-Still a good choice?

[MtHam]

I am considering the purchase of a used riding mower; the Kubota G1800 or G1900 seem to have been a top choice in their day. Is that still true? If quality and longevity are priorities, what else should I consider. It will be used to mow weeds around the house (about one acre) that we pretend is grass. Diesel is preferred.

 

[Sniggle]

They are stout machines that should last several thousand hours if maintained. A known weaknesses is the drive shaft (PITA replacement, but doable), which costs about $220 to replace. I had to replace the radiator in mine at 1400 hours for $400.

There has been lots written about the G1900/1800...most of it very good.

One thing is for sure, it can cut through almost anything...I have used it to mow fields where the grass is above the hood and it can handle it.

If you can get it for under $3000 and it is in good condition, you can not go wrong. The S-version is nice because the turning radius is very tight.

 

[Branchchipper]

Agreed 100% with Sniggle...

I have owned a G1800S since it was new (1994). Other than a drive-shaft issue and an electrical problem the machine has been exceptional. Mowing with it is still fun!

It is devoid of the cheap plastic and cost-cutting weaknesses that plague many newer machines (although I think Kubota still does well in this regard).

The drive shaft repair (re-used old shaft after replacing bearings), while not fun, was not technically challenging or back-breaking (just awkward).
I traced the electrical problem (intermittent glow-plug power) to the combination box, replaced it in 5 minutes, and was good to go.

I replaced the rear tires (still quite good) this year with R1s because of traction problems in our wetter-than-normal recent springs (this June was the wettest EVER), and the thing is now essentially unstoppable in any conditions on our steep hills.
(the machine is not heavy enough to cause lawn damage with the larger tire lugs)

I would not hesitate to buy one of these used, as long as it looks like the oil, oil filter, fuel and air filters have been changed regularly... if they have, the thing will go pretty much forever, and you can still get parts to repair worn decks, etc (as the deck is commonly overlooked in periodic maintenance by most people).
Good machines!

 

[jinman]

I agree with the others. I got lucky and found a G1800 for $1800. The fellow was asking $2495, but I pointed out several cosmetic issues and it had electrical issues that needed attention. I've seen low hour G1800s for under $3000 on craigslist. My mower is a little rough, but worth every penny I paid for it.

The deck is built very strong on these machines. After removing the PTO shaft and linkage, you can drive the G1800 right over the deck and it won't hurt it. That makes removing the deck easy for greasing and blade sharpening. I've never had to change the wide deck belt, so I don't know how big of a job that is.

 

[jcaledon]

I just bought a G1800-S with 420 hrs. It was fairly dirty and had not been used in a long while (vendor said that it had been tied up in an estate for 10 years), but I could see that it was in good shape otherwise. The mower suffered from the intermitant problem where it would not shut down when turning the key to off. This required a new combination box which was expensive to replace. The mower deck had a small crack near one of the rear caster wheels which I had welded. I also replaced the rear turf tires with Tru Powers as I have steep hills to mow with a lot of obstacles and the tractor has very little grip with the narrow turfs that come with the 4WS version. It does not slip at all now, even on steep wet inclines. I put metal valve stems on the rears just in case I decided to fill them with Rimguard, but I won't need to as the Tru Powers grip well enough on their own. I also had to replace the mower blades. The machine was very expensive to service. There are just as many filters etc as one would find on a large tractor.

In terms of its performance - as a mower it is excellent. With the 4WS and 54" deck I have an uncut radius of 12", if that, so there is very little need for trimming. The power is more than adequate to run the mower deck in tall grass on hills. The ride with the Tru Powers and the 4WS is a little rough though. All in all the machine is excellent, but likely not as refined as a new GR. I could have bought a new X300 for what I paid for the G when you take into account what I spent to purchase and service the machine, but I dont think that you can compare the two in terms of ruggedness. I hope to have the G for another 20 years.

 

[jcaledon]

Here are some pics. Please note that I touched up the paint on the mower deck and repainted the wheels. Otherwise all it needed was a clean up. I would definitely recommend the G1800-S as a mower.

 

[jinman]

jcaledon, you sure have that G1800 looking nice. The aggressive ag tires probably really add to the traction. I've seen a couple on craigslist in the Dallas, Tx area that fall at both ends of the spectrum. The first one below looks pristine and the 2nd one looks like one you'd offer much less than their asking price.

Nice G1800

Not so nice, but a bargain.

 

[lakeside]

JCaledon: That's a nice machine! My G1800 is a bit rougher but works like a charm. I'm in Ottawa and I was getting severe corrosion under the rubber mats. Water and salt was really doing a number on the sheet metal so I took off the mats and replaced them with aluminium anti-skid plate material cut and bent to fit, I bought the tractor used at 193 hours and now with 500 hours the only problems I've had are original front tires weather cracked. There's a known problem trying to get the front wheels off so I left the wheels on and installed tubes, problem solved. I also had the engine shut off solenoid go. Replaced the solenoid with a manual pull shut off, again problem solved. I change fluids and filters as laid down in the manual and regularly grease every fitting.

 

[sgtstew]

I bought a G1800 back in 1991, and it's still going as good as it ever did. One post is right about its' cutting ability. The dealer said if the mower would roll the stuff down, it would cut it. I keep three sets of blades ready for a change-out. Found a good way to get it up for that. I have a JD tractor with pallet forks; put a 5' length of short chain on each fork, position and clip each one over each side of the front axle at steering knuckles, then lift with the JD. I can safely get it up to where I can go after the blades. I have a battery-powered dewalt impact wrench that makes short work of the three bolts. Off and on in less than 10minutes. I've chased an instrument panel fault for a while; looks to be a ground disconnect somewhere in the plug-ins that supply power to the cluster. If I power wash it, occasionally it will give readings from the fuel and temperature gauges. Otherwise they sit on E and low-temp. I get around that by keeping the fuel level topped up, and by making sure the coolant system and the radiator screens are kept clear of fluff. In my location, the soil is sandy, so the high-lift blades keep the underside of the deck sand- blasted pretty clean. This has progressed to the point that I'm beginning to see a few holes show up in some places. Have a replacement deck spotted. Replaced one spindle on the deck, evidently the grease fitting got occluded. Also had a crack turn up on the deck near the attach point for the right side gauge wheel bracket. Welded it, but it's coming back. Replace an alternator recently, plus a starter. The quick-disconnect on the deck drive did give me trouble, trying to reach under and slip that lock-ring back. I solved that by simply pulling the deck back enough for the splined shaft to slip out it's mating socket; been doing that for years; easier than messing with that coupling. The mower has basically been trouble-free all these years. I'd probably buy another one as back-up if I found one in my area (south Alabama) at a good price.

 

[sjm1580]

How does this machine look for the asking price. Is about an hour from me but if it is worth the drive I would go for it. Any opinions on an offer I should make if it is clean?

Kubota G1800 Diesel Lawn Mower Tractor 52 " Cut Low Hours Great Cond

Thanks,

Steve