Used 2186 Brake Problem

[seturner]

Hello,
I have the Opportunity to purchase a 2186 with about 370 hrs on it for $1200. It looks very nice cosmetically, and has the 18hp Kohler twin engine.
The only problem is the brake. It does not function at all. The pedal moves and has resistance from the spring, but it does not work one bit. The unit was "creeping" at idle, and the brake would not even stop that.

The shop that is consigning this tractor says any adjustment will involve lowering the transmission and is quoting $150 to repair, even though the problem is not fully known. Does anyone have any experience with brake problems on these 2000 series?

Also, the deck is very loud when engaged, and the hydro unit "groans" under low speed, part pedal action.

Buy or not?

 

[Fordlords]

There are external adjustments for the brake on most of the Cub Cadet models. I have not ran across one that ever had a worn brake as its hardly used, (it's mainly a parking brake) nor have I ran across one where it would be a $150 thing to adjust. But, it is something that an owner would want a service manual to do, that along with adjusting the transaxle linkages to eliminate the hydro creep. It is normal for the hydro to make somewhat of a whine noise under use, but a groan noise might not be right.

The deck noise worries me, it likely has worn spindles if it is noisy. In some cases they can be rebuilt, sometimes they have to be replaced.

Buy or not? Not in this case IMHO. For only 370 hours already having those issues it sounds like it is suffering from either lack of maintenance or some serious abuse, Those are common problems but not till around the 600-700 hour mark. -Fordlords-

 

[JTKub]

The brake issue could be a simple linkage problem. The mowing decks can roar at bit at full speed, but there shouldn't be any rumbling/whining from it. Some groaning/whining from the hydrostatic drive is normal. Personally- overall hours don't concern me. It's the level of care that counts. You can usually get an idea of that just by looking over the machine from bottom up & operating it. Given your description, $1200 sounds high to me.

Joel