Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?

three4re

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Hi,

I have no experience with Kubota at all. A relative on my sister-in-law's side has one that he has been using for 24 years, seemingly with little problems along the way. I've read enough about the newer MTD-made Cubs to be fairly convinced that I don't want to buy a new Cub. The quality just doesn't seem to be there anymore. I had not considered Kubota until it was suggested on another part of the forum as a possible option to replace mine. For the vastly different price compared to many tractor brands, I would think this is a good machine? Not sure if I'd want a sub-compact or just one of their garden tractors. I see there are many different styles and models.

My needs are to mow approximately 1 acre on fairly level property, but I also mow hiking paths in a more wooded area with hilly terrain. I tow a utility cart to remove clippings, branches, etc. around my property, and also to plow (sometimes substantial amounts of) snow. My driveway gets high drifts that really get packed down from the heavy winds we get. So, any thoughts on particular models, etc. that might suit my needs would be appreciated. Right now my (1970s) 129 is in the repair shop but it has yet to be determined why there is an intermittent running condition - sometimes runs well, other times not. I won't go into any repair history on it since that has been covered in detail on the Cub side of the forum. It has given great service for 36 years but may well be in need of a new engine at this point, if I decide to keep it.

Thanks...


Update...just found out my relative has a B7100 that he got in '73. Says it has 150,000 miles on it and only ever had oil changes and replaced a few belts. Pretty impressive. Wonder if the new ones are as good?
 

ILENGINE

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
For just mowing the lawn then the garden tractor may be a good fit, but with your other activities I would upgrade to a subcompact tractor. A BX1880 or similar with a loader would work circles around any 25 hp garden tractor on the market.
 

Scrubcadet10

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
My advice to you: ANYTHING but a Scrub Cadet!
 

cpurvis

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Lots of brands of sub-compact tractors out there--Kubota, John Deere, Kyoti, Mahindra, etc.

They're all double or triple the price of the typical top-of-the-line vertical shaft gas engine tractors.

Hit as many of those dealers as you can, take a look at their tractors, and see what model they recommend. Sticker shock won't be so bad after the first visit.

IIRC, the 129 sold for about $1100 new. Get ready to lay out about ten times that if you go with a new one.
 

three4re

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Lots of brands of sub-compact tractors out there--Kubota, John Deere, Kyoti, Mahindra, etc.

They're all double or triple the price of the typical top-of-the-line vertical shaft gas engine tractors.

Hit as many of those dealers as you can, take a look at their tractors, and see what model they recommend. Sticker shock won't be so bad after the first visit.

IIRC, the 129 sold for about $1100 new. Get ready to lay out about ten times that if you go with a new one.

Ten times? What Cub models are you referring to? The most expensive I found on their website is the Enduro XT3 series...around 5-6k or so the way it appears. LOL about the sticker shock!
 

cpurvis

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Ten times? What Cub models are you referring to? The most expensive I found on their website is the Enduro XT3 series...around 5-6k or so the way it appears. LOL about the sticker shock!

Ten times the ~$1100 the 129 cost when it was new.
 

deminin

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Finding a "one size fits all" mower/tractor is going to require quite a bit of research. I have a Kubota B2910 for my heavy work...logging, brush hog, digging, snow removal, etc., etc. It has served me well for 12+ years, and is a Great small tractor. For mowing I have a Husqvarna 24Hp 48Inch deck. It does a superb job of mowing over 1.5 acres with lots of trees in the yard. I think some of the smaller Kubotas with a removable mower deck Might be your best choice if you want to try one unit that will do almost anything. There is a good reason why Kubota outsells every other brand in this range.
 

three4re

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
Finding a "one size fits all" mower/tractor is going to require quite a bit of research. I have a Kubota B2910 for my heavy work...logging, brush hog, digging, snow removal, etc., etc. It has served me well for 12+ years, and is a Great small tractor. For mowing I have a Husqvarna 24Hp 48Inch deck. It does a superb job of mowing over 1.5 acres with lots of trees in the yard. I think some of the smaller Kubotas with a removable mower deck Might be your best choice if you want to try one unit that will do almost anything. There is a good reason why Kubota outsells every other brand in this range.


It has been suggested to me by the local Kubota dealer that I should consider the GR2020 - has a 20 HP Kohler engine (I'm curious as to which one - have to check on that) that would also come with a 48" front blade and 48" mower deck. I really don't think I need a sub-compact, nor a model with a front-end loader. Not being familiar with any Kubota models other than my brief perusal on the website, I'll have to look at this GR2020 and see what I think. I'm still weighing all this against the option of just putting a rebuilt Kohler 301 in my 129 Cub, since I know that tractor like the back of my hand, know the quality and longevity it has shown, etc. The rebuild, with labor, would probably be in the neighborhood of $1k, give or take. This GR2020 recommendation came with a quote of a bit over $9k. Tough decision, and one that can't be made anyway until a bit more troubleshooting is done on my Cub to determine if indeed it should have a new engine.
 

deminin

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  • / Considering replacing my old Cub Cadet 129 with a Kubota...any advice from owners?
It has been suggested to me by the local Kubota dealer that I should consider the GR2020 - has a 20 HP Kohler engine (I'm curious as to which one - have to check on that) that would also come with a 48" front blade and 48" mower deck. I really don't think I need a sub-compact, nor a model with a front-end loader. Not being familiar with any Kubota models other than my brief perusal on the website, I'll have to look at this GR2020 and see what I think. I'm still weighing all this against the option of just putting a rebuilt Kohler 301 in my 129 Cub, since I know that tractor like the back of my hand, know the quality and longevity it has shown, etc. The rebuild, with labor, would probably be in the neighborhood of $1k, give or take. This GR2020 recommendation came with a quote of a bit over $9k. Tough decision, and one that can't be made anyway until a bit more troubleshooting is done on my Cub to determine if indeed it should have a new engine.

I'm not familiar with the GR 2020, but I looked it up and it is just a good sturdy lawn tractor. However, at $9k, it seems a bit pricey if all you want to do is mow the yard, and do some occasional blading. I agree that the new Cub Cadets aren't the same as some of the older models. I have a couple of neighbors who have newer CC's, and they both have problems with throwing the deck belt. You might want to check out the Husqvarna mowers....mine is doing real good after 2 years, and I only paid $2k at Lowe's. Even if you went for the top of the line Husq, with attachments, you would still be way below half of what your GR quote was. If your Cub is still in good shape..no rust, etc., you might be money ahead to just put a good engine in it, and keep it.
 
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