Cub Cadet 1000 Series Ride-On Mowers

Lemons – Having bought two flagship model cub cadet mowers we couldn't be more disappointed with the brand. Several design flaws haunt the performance and reliability. To make matters worse, the Australian distributor has committed to providing a poor level of after sales service. The give away on cub cadet is their discontinued range of models is… Read more

substantial. Rather than spending more time perfecting the designs of their products, they give up and release a new model. Not a good investment for the long term, especially not the zero turn.

No dramas – Had mine 9 years, changed oil and cleaned air filter regularly - never had a drama with it. Kohler engine with over 300+ hours using it on an acre. Still on its original belt. Must've got a ripper judging from some of the reviews ! Show details

14 years and still going – I have had this mower for 14 years now and it has run great! Of course, I've taken good care of it too. I have replaced the belts, the PTO, pto switch, and the fuel filter. Other than that, the deck is in great shape, no rust on the body or the deck itself either. It has run great and I LOVE IT!  Show details

Exploded and burned down my 150 year old barn – Dealer is unable to fix valve cover gasket on the Kohler engine. Says company is aware of problem and I have to live with it after 2nd gasket failed. Dealer went out of business. A year later the lawn mower exploded 30 seconds after I got off after mowing for 10 minutes, parking it, turning it off and walking away. 2 1/2 gallons of gas… Read more

exploded taking down the barn that it was parked next to. $200,000 barn and $45000 worth of contents taken away by a cheap lawn mower. At least it waited until I was off. Do NOT buy one of these and if you own one burn it!

Never again – Absolute rubbish, 88 hours or three years old and has had problems with coils, deck, throttle and choke cables on multiple occasions. Some idiot decided it would be a good idea to run the cables over a hot exhaust outlet and give that the cables have an inner plastic sleeve they tend to seize. Funny that!  Show details

What a nightmare! Only 135 Hours and Blown Motor – This mower has been a nightmare since i purchased it. I bought it with 1 hour use as ex-demo and the dealer gave me the full 2 year warranty. Within 2 weeks i had gone through 2 deck belts, a little later a spindle bearing perished, more belts as the hours went on and spindles, PTO bearings failed at 100 hours and now motor (19hp Kohler Courage)… Read more

is stuffed! I was mowing and engine lost power and shut down. Motor can be easily turned over by hand as it has NO compression. Going to take motor out and fit a Briggs & Stratton Engine, hopefully it might last longer!

Junk with electrical issues – The good. It does mow well, when it starts. Comfortable and easy to operate. The bad. Runs hot and burns oil. Loud. Blowing fuses, headlights, PTO shuts down. Finally gave up attempting to figure out all the shorts and just hot wired starter and PTO to toggle. I'll run until its dead and never buy another from clubcadavers.

Very poorly made and marketed machine – Problems : 240 hour old machine. deck belt destroys itself , last one lasted 17 hours. Drive belt replaced recently. Regular to change idler pulleys. Replaced bearing in clutch , had to de rivet unit to do so , new was quoted at $600, fixed it for about $40 . Blade spindle ( have changed these out ) have grease nipples but the bearings within ,… Read more

still have their neoprene seals attached ? Picked one side out of each bearing to allow grease to reach the bearings . Steering pinion / sector quadrant / bushing badly worn ( remember 240 hour old unit ) . replaced tapper cover gasket twice , used silicone 2nd time with new gasket . Have had to weld up deck . Put slime in tyres to keep them up. Ball dropped out of 1 x tie rod end , replaced that ... Another rip . Shoulder bolt fell out of seat $$, replaced this too . Don't use water to clean unit , blow off with air .. Water ingress into bearings . Summary : not really a neat cut . Belt / pulley system poorly designed and under engineered . CC are a heap of crap !

Low quality, poor workmanship – I've had the mower eight years but have logged less than 250 hours on it. I haven't had the problems a lot of others have experienced but have had more than enough to know this is a bad product, and to determine I'll never buy another Cub Cadet product. In eight years of light use I've had the following problems; bolts that loosen and fall out… Read more

(ex. bolt that holds the seat down), head gasket oil leak (twice), hydro static drive failure, and a cracked engine case (seriously, how does the engine case crack).

This product is garbage, never again.

Big ride on mower. Good value – Purchased my 1054 Cub Cadet as i was in need of a bigger unit to replace the old Rover. I purchased this machine with price in mind. I was unable to afford what I wanted and when this came up for under 5 grand I drove 300kms to get it. The big deck was the appeal and it is quite good. I have 400m2 of manicured lawn and in mulch mode it really is… Read more

great. It mows this in about 10 minutes. Impressive.

The rest (5 acres +) is average lawn to paddock conditions which can be rough. I usually do this without the easy change mulch plug. The deck is a pressed deck but it is suitably reinforced. Well made really and yes I keep it clean top and bottom. With 3 x blades you have to be careful not to go into heavy grass too hard as the last blade set (right) gets overloaded.

The big 25 h.p. Kohler courage motor does it easily and surprised me with its fuel efficiency.

In 3 seasons it has now done 120 hours and has been serviced myself.

Problems being 1 x faulty hydro drive idler pulley. Had to replace battery and whilst the blades are good quality (only on second set) you need to keep them sharp.

On mid range grass with long bits like wild oats it will leave some of these long thin bits behind. Go over it twice though and it is fine. This didnt seem to be a problem at first so I might invest in a new deck belt and inspect the deck spindles. These have all been greased via grease nipples provided every 40 hours. Thanks Cub Cadet.

I'm thinking of a commercial zero turn as the mid grass cutting quality is cheesing me off and the reverse speed is painfully slow. Forwards is good and the turning circle not bad. The big rear tyres on this model really do a good job of smoothing out the ride and the drive and traction on slopes is above expectation.

All in all for the money it is a darn good mower. I just want a faster one.

mine is good too – I have had my cub cadet ltx1042 since Sept 2014. The ground it cuts is not a smooth lawn - its a rural block with rabbit scratches, hills etc and it hasn't missed a beat yet. It has done 54 hours so far and has started every time and cuts well. I hope it continues to perform as it did this summer.

I must have the best Cubbie ever built – Can't understand all the bad reviews. Mine has hardly missed a beat, thrown the belt once in 200 hours of use and is on its third set of blades. I am fussy about keeping it in good order and servicing but have only ever replaced belts, no pulleys and headlight globes. I always let it warm up but that's just common sense. Take it slow over rough ground and don't try and tow too much. Remember it's a mower, not a bloody tractor.

Great motor and transmission, pretty ordinary elsewhere – Had my Ltx42 for about 7 years and have been through at least 8 pto belts not to mention numerous de-railings and always careful with mower speed v's grass length and terrain roughness. All pulleys etc in good order. Serious design fault with deck pulley pto system and can't get any help from cub cadet!

Problem solved – I have owned this piece of junk just over 5 years and finally some guy on utube showed me the way I have changed 9 belts 2 spindles and numerous other parts in all this time.all it was a very simple just moving one the pulleys to a different position.the people at cubcadet don't want to know,it's as simple modification a teenager could manage.i… Read more

went to numerous dealers including from where I purchased it (lt1042)and they all said your driving to fast or or not enough revs engaging the pto trying to mow Into heavy grass all sort of excuses,but it's actually a design fault which they never will admit.they just want sell parts at rediculous prices after all this I have used the mower another 40 hours and not one problem with belts falling of.

Works fine – Had this mower a couple of years now, just passing 70 hours. Do my own maintenance , just followed the guidelines in the manual and kept the machine clean. Seems to work fine, starts and mows as expected. It has done a bit of tractor work pulling a small trailer around loaded with rocks and gravel with no complaint. Mows about 2 acres. … Read more ·  2

So far it feels like if you do the maintenance and dont do stupid things with it, it should be OK. Deck is dead simple to remove, a few minutes to remove a belt guard and then pull 3 pins to drop and remove.

Service parts like filters seem expensive but I have started using an automotive z418 oil filter at about a third of the cost, and am looking at buying air filters from overseas as the supply chain here is just a bit greedy.

Feel like a mug – What can I say. Never ever had such a piece of junk. Lucky to get 30 minutes (no kidding) between repairs. Cutting belt drops off all the time... And had two shredded $120 a pop... Lost one drive belt (yep another $100), lost a transmission fan ($30) popped tire ($50), popped screws ($10), and countless trips to the repair shop. Sent hours on my… Read more

belly taking the deck off, rethreading the belts.... just goes on and on. Had it for just 4 months. And used for just 20 hours.

At wits end. The belt mechanism is just too complicated and the belts too long. Can't see it getting better.

Whatever you do don't buy one of these.... The colour Hardly ever works

Belt is forever coming off – We have been having a problem with the Cub Cadet losing it's belt every time we are mowing. I am nearly at breaking point with this machine, I have rang many dealers trying to see if other complaints are coming in, and of course you get told, No, people are happy with their machine!!!! Anyway I'll get to the point, check your belt pulley, guider… Read more

what ever you want to call it, it guides the belt anyway. I checked it, it was really loose, the reason is because it has cracked underneath where the bearing is. So it's causing it to wobble so the belt is coming off. Good luck I hope this helps, I'm a happy mower again... It goes well, just some small hiccups Belt slipping, coming off

Rubbish – Our 'Men's Shed' bought a Cub Cadet LTX1045 and after less than 50 hrs, is on its third deck belt, two front wheel bearings, two spindle bearings, and a seized brake actuator. Is there another make with less troubles? What can I expect in the next 50/100/200 hours? Parts pricing is off the planet as we can buy GOOD quality proven parts for much… Read more

less than the arm and a leg for genuine. We are looking VERY closely at other makes when we will then dump this one.

How long have you got?

Good – LT1046 Cub Cadet.I look after it service and grease it my self with cub cadet parts only.We use it on two and half hilly uneven and bumpy acres around house mostly just to cut. we cut and mulch the front and back lawns it does a nice job.I also use it to slash the other two and a half acres of paddock some times with grass over the bonnet (no… Read more

joke)and it loves it. All in all the belt thing pisses me off but if i let the belt warm up its ok.(maybe it needs a new one)I also sharpen the blades often it makes a big difference(still on first set).This mower needs maintainence but it will proove to be a good mower We are happey with it so far it has heaps of power.Putting green slime in the tyres has stopped the punctures.This mower was not cheap so we look after it and it has been very reliable.I would recomend it to any one. lt1046 200hrs on probs.comforteble,heaps of power,wife loves it some times cutting belt comes when its cold(i just engaug it and let it warm up)then its no problem

Crap crap crap. Would be cheaper to get some one to mow lawn – Only 4 months old and already on 3rd blades and 3rd belt. These are listed as heavy duty (crap they are heavy duty.) Commercial range don;t be fooled by this label it is just a sales pitch. Will go through blades if your yard is not total y flat.and smooth.. And when you replace blades the belt will need replacing as well..... My… Read more

recommendation is you don;t buy this machine as it is a rip off and advertised falsely.

Uses belts and blades and bad warranty service. Don't buy.

Sick of Spending Money – LT 1018 This is by far the worst investment I have purchased. No matter how much maintenance I do on this mower it still will fail somwhere else. Multiple belts, bearings, drive shafts, deck, all up in the past four years and only about 120 hrs this unit has cost me as much to repair as the price of the original mower. Also found after multiple… Read more

bearing failures of the manuafctirer bearings, a SKF bearing has lasted a lot longer. Cast alloys partsand soft drive shafts are another point of failure. Never again

Terrible – The mower has 89 hours on it and I think half of those are in the shed fixing problems.Good for a footy field, besides that dont waste your money. In the long run a pair of scissors would be quicker. Is there any? deck spindles breaking,PTO electrics needed rewiring,belts,blades RS

Terrible – If only I could warn sane people to avoid them and a MTD rep to tell this to who would care!! pushing it into creek everything - never, NEVER + NEVER buy one if you want to mow more than a small suburban driveway ( then you will never have to turn it on and endure the unreliability + pathetic build quality) - the biggest cons are the dealers

Good – This machine needs maintenance, it's a must. Protect your investment. My machine is 5 years old with 350 hours. I am on the 3rd deck belt and 2nd drive belt but I still have original blades, I am cutting 5 acres on a decent slope. I use the air gun to clean the machine down after each use. I change the oil and grease what needs to be greased every… Read more

2 months. I sharpen my own blades. I'VE NEVER PAID A DEALER TO RIP ME OFF ON SERVICE. This machine will repay you with good reliabilty and a great cut if you look after it. I installed a fused 12v socket for the ipod, and I keep a regulated solar cell on to keep the battery charged, still on my original battery! Put the green gunk in the tyres to stop punctures and you will be delighted with the Cub Cadet. Very comfortable, doesn't feel like a ride on suppository and looks great. Great for undulating land. Loads of grunt! cutting deck is a little flimsy

Terrible – Save your money, buy something else. Spends more time in the shop than the shed. Even the guy who sold it to me and is a dealer thinks its rubbish. Deck belt, head gasket, main bearing,

Good – Seems well made Ive noticed some bad reviews. I guess it only takes one person on a bad day putting thongs together to make one product have faults. I looked at the massey fergusson which is the identical units just differnt colour just another $500 dearer.I think anything with a kawasaki motor or kohler motor things cant be that bad.I bougt the… Read more

poly trailer and for me thats been worth move mulch around on a hilly acreage block.I ve taken the deck off to this as it

easy to do. Will see how it pans out. deck wash, full bearings removal deck. Lots of grunt. nothing so far but Ive only just bought it