Cox Stockman 4500

Great mower... if built correctly – I purchased 4500 live drive in 2 years ago and have very a very mixed review on the performance vs purchace of the machine. Let's start here. I purchased the mower from a cox dealer. The mower was brand new out of a crate so the dealer had some installation of seat steering battery etc and pre sale checks to do. I do not believe these were done … Read more

Autherised Cox dealer problems 1 . the seat switch wire has been exposed and had rubbed on clutch plate exposing wires 2. various components not supplied include drive cone clearance guard, tommy bar, warranty card, pre-delivery instruction sheet 3. hourmeter not connected when recieved. 4. engine speed lever slipping i was told to kink the cable and continue to use until 25 hour service when warranty claim will be processed. 5. Break squeaks when using break pedal. 6. Mowing attachment deflector not fitted. Dealer told that it is not required. And if fitted , when in use, tie it upright. 7. mower battery did not hold charge did not hold charge. Battery sold to me was flat Lasted 4 hours use.

There are 2 cox dealership near me so I called the other and cox industries, told them these issues , took the mower in and had all issues resolved. It was not a very good first impression.

Since the mower has been in use I have put 160 hors on it in 2 years. Issues that I have had in this time have included 1. Tension springs come off cutting g deck. Lucky they did not get lost. 2. Various bolts loose included steering, cutting deck , brake, chain. When I noticed the loose brake bolt I immediately took it in for service. Lucky because mechanic picked up several loose bolts over machine as stated. 3. Digital hour meter stopped working at 160 hours . Replaced .

Other manufacturer issues that I have noticed are: 1. Brake is a very poor design and if used on hills requires replacing every 10 hours. I was advised to 'use the cone' as a brake by mechanic. However This can lead to damaging the cone eg. Do not use the cone as a break if the engine is not running. It will give your cone a 'flat spot'. The cone will them need to be reconditioned and plates readjusted. 2. Oil sump plug . I installed a drain hose with valve for ease to drain . Without it oil pours over chassis.

Overall It is a heavy duty mower when compared to JD. Plate cutting deck not pressed. Live drive means that it is a serviceable transmission. Unlike the hydrostatic transmission. Steering is heavy however you can get steering upgrade. Cannot remove cutting deck with ease. This really is a mechanics job as you need engine block lift. Cutting belt easy to replace though. Tyres 3 ply compare JD 1 ply.

These were my issues , hopefully it helps others

Most disappointing product I have ever bought – I bought this mower several years ago, currently has just over 400 hours of use. In that time pretty much every thing that could break or fall off has done so. This started within hours of buying the unit, when the drive belt for the blades kept breaking as the spring tensioner was too tight. Since then the steering has fallen apart several times… Read more

due to the poor quality of the nuts and bolts holding it together , the seat falling off, the tensioning system for the blade drive destroying itself- 3 separate welds broke, and it was obvious that the primary weld that failed had never been satisfactory as the welder had not achieved any real penetration, basically the weld slag was trying to hold it together. The paint has mostly fallen off, so it looks like the piece of crap it is. The only satisfactory part of this machine has been the motor, which Cox don’t make.

Do NOT buy a COX mower! – I purchased my mower in 2016 and it has now done 175 hours but it has been plagued with breakages over the last 3 years. The seat mounting snapped on one side, I had it re-welded and it is still serviceable (although COX did supply a whole new mounting assembly which I haven't yet used). The seat breakage was a bit alarming and dangerous though!… Read more

At 160 hours the steering assembly broke - another rather dangerous circumstance to say the least, and then at 170 hours the weld that secures the forward /reverse lever to the chassis snapped, so once again I was winching it onto the trailer and off the workshop to be out of service for yet another 5 or 6 weeks. Now today at 175 hours the steering has broken again....and I am NOT happy! Each one of these repairs costs several hundred dollars and the down time is very frustrating as I watch the weeds and grass get longer and longer....I would NEVER ever consider buying another COX mower, it was good when it worked, I really liked the way it could go back and forwards so easily at the touch of a toe or heel, but the breakages are just too much. I think COX like to advertise their mowers as being tough for Australian conditions....I beg to disagree! I also find it very hard to remove the cutting deck, this is really a workshop job when compared to other mowers I have used (John Deere and MTD).

Worth the money if you have a bit to do – Bought the Cox 4500 42 inch live drive (fabricated deck) mid last year for use up in NQ on 5 acres mixed weeds & grass. Never knew we'd have the biggest wet season in 500 or so years so was a great test. Would have been stuffed without this mower. Good - eats everything! Mowed end to end the five acres 4 times before needing to replace blades,… Read more

does a beaut job (dont mow to the roots so as not to chew up blades). 20 horsepower v twin excellent, decent on fuel, fabricated deck does not bend even after accidently hitting immovable rocks and a couple of stumps. Waist high summer grass no probs. Love to see one of the imports attempt this. Comfy seat, easy to use, good safety features, mows slope around the shed well. Had a flat tyre, who'd have known a bf falcon ute wheel spanner fits the nuts! Easy repair and same with changing blades. Awesome having a standard hour counter underneath the 'bonnet'.

Bad - Cox forgot to screw on/adjust several things at the factory. Dealer up here was on to it 100% and rectified everything prior to delivery so 10 out of 10 to them. Bolts holding reverse plate fell out on 1st acre, woops, easy fix. Rubber handgrip on brake fell off somewhere mowing and so did the front badge. Steering may be a bit heavy for a woman (no offence intended).