kubota t1670

fishman · Apr 11, 2003

Looking at a smaller lawn tractor to mow the lawn. My 2910 is just too big. Quoted $2950 for the t1670. Anybody own one of these little guys?

Dealer also has a couple of t1400's for sale used. Under $1k for one of those. I'm going to look at them in a bit.

I've been researching the new JD L's at HD and the Cub Cadet 1500 and 2000 series as well. Favorably impressed with the JD and the CC 2000 series, but the lack of steering shaft support in the 1500 makes me nervous.

And don't send me to that other site. I find it tiresome at best and not very helpful. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

ikline · Apr 11, 2003

I have a Cub 2135. Use it to mow about 3/4 acre. Does a pretty nice job. Doesn't cut great when the grass is long or a little damp (mulching kit is installed). But over all a solid little guy.

Bird · Apr 11, 2003

John, it may not be a big deal for you, but for me, ease of removing the mower deck to clean the bottom side, sharpen blades, etc. was important. I haven't looked at the newest models lately, but in the past, the Cub Cadet had everyone beat in that regard, hands down. Quick, easy, and no tools required. Now if I were in the market for a riding mower in the $2k to $3k range, I'd sure have to go look at several others, but I'd most likely buy a Cub Cadet. I gave about $2,200 for the one I bought in '95 (before I had a tractor) and after 4 years and when I was buying the B2710, our dealer gave me $1,000 for the Cub.

Last year, I looked at the Cubs at Lowe's and at Tractor Supply Co., then checked with two regular Cub Cadet dealers, one in Waco and one in Corsicana, and they were pricing them the same as the box stores, so I'd most likely buy from the dealer I'd want to use in the unlikely event that I needed any service done while it was under warranty.

fishman · Apr 11, 2003

I'm with you on the deck removal, Bird. The deck seems to be the first thing to go on most mowers, best to take care of it.

I took lunch and went down to Tipton, the Kubota dealer here, and checked out the equipment. Found out that the t1400, although a good looking machine, is too small for my size.

The 1670 was just right and I was favorably impressed. There were some really important things I noticed. One was the rock-solid welded steering column support, which I know is an issue with many tractors.
The other was that it had a spring and shock suspension between the frame and axle. I'm not aware of any other tractors that have this. It also has a lockout feature so that you can mow in reverse, something most others don't allow you to do. The deck comes out easily by pulling four pins, which meets Bird's criteria. Finally, it's a longer frame, so that it's easy for me to fit in it, unlike every other mower I sit in at Home Depot or Tractor Supply.

Minor negatives included a lack of an hour meter(!) and the fact that the hydro is belt driven instead of shaft driven. However, the belt appears easy to replace and the system appears much simpler than say, the Cub Cadet.

The other important consideration, is that Kubota is offering a 24 month 0% financing incentive, while Cub Cadet is offering only 6 months, after which it jumps to 18% interest /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
While I'm impressed with the Cub tractor, the Kubota has a bunch of features that I like also. In comparison to the Cub, the Kubota appears to have a thicker, deeper deck, a much sturdier frame, and the body parts that are metal are much, much thicker. Downside is that the Kubota hood is plastic, while the cub is metal. However, every time I get on my 2910 I see the dents left by some errant bricks in my metal hood, so maybe plastic isn't so bad. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

One thing going for the Cub, though. It has bolt-on wheels as opposed to the Kubota's, which appear to be a press fit, or perhaps a keyed shaft and cotter pin setup. Don't know if this a serious issue or not.

Oh, and the Kubota is powered by a 15 hp Kohler, whereas the Cub is a 16 hp I think.