on 1/14/2009 10:16 AM (ET) Red wrote the following:
I've got a flat 1 acre lot and am considering getting a smaller ztr
mower. I just compared the cub cadet and troy bilt 42" mowers and
found that they are made by the same company (MTD) and virtually
identical except for 1hp difference in the Kohler engine. Even most
parts are interchangeable. Well, maybe the cub cadet has a few minor
niceities. So my question is: is the cub cadets 1 extra hp (20 vs 19)
and a few minor features worth the $300 price difference or is it
paying for name recognition only?
Yeah, I know the Kawasaki engine is better but they only come on the
larger size mowers.

Red

Between those two choices, and the fact that your acre is flat, I would
say 1 HP isn't much of a difference. I have a hilly acre and my 18 hp
tractor does fine.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Jan 16, 4:00*pm, willshak wrote:


Between those two choices, and the fact that your acre is flat, I would
say 1 HP isn't much of a difference. I have a hilly acre and my 18 hp
tractor does fine.

--

Thanks for the reply. That was my original thought also. I've been
using a 10hp Craftsman mower on the lot for about 14 years with no
problems. I just don't know how much hp it takes to drive both pumps
and the blades. More than a standard mower I'm sure. But since it's
flat turf with no tall weeds, and residential which the mower is
designed for, I'm thinking 1hp is probably inconsequencial.

I'm sure many people going into the lawn care business for the first
time may buy one because it's cheap, then wear it out fast and call it
crap. That's the point I was trying to make with other posters.

Red