Out with the old, in with the new. For only just shy of $4,000.

Have a Craftsman XT500 lawn tractor with switch-out snow blower or mower deck. 24 HP twin cylinder with replaceable valve lifters and starter. Detaching or attaching the mower of blower is about a morning's undertaking. On the Craftsman mower deck (48") there are 9 connections all with a stud or pin to get lined up and then the clip key; plus two belts. I keep an ice cream pail for clip keys, bumper washers and pins alone. And all of this done supine, prone or on my side. Occasionally standing on my head. Spending summers with self-propelled swathers, I am familiar with belts and pulleys. Quite helpful. But I was much younger then.
Next Monday taking delivery (doesn't that sound important? ) of a new Cub Cadet XT. It has a 50" stamped deck with washout connections. Also got the snowblower to attach. As far as I can tell, the hooking and unhooking should take about a 10th of the time. It just all looks so much simpler. The engine is the Cub Cadet EFI model, 679 cc. It also has leg room, arm rests and a hydro-static transmission plus PLUS ... LED headlights.
I'm up here in northern Wisconsin on Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Mowing about 2 - 2 1/2 acres of old pasture to make it look nice and give me something to do. Mowing lawn is good meditation. Blow 100 yds. of driveway plus apron for 3 stall garage.
Weather report says I may get to use the snowblower the day it comes in ... er, when delivery is taken. :wink:

Sounds nice, however be very careful with the washout deck.
Wash it out over the grass cause it is messy then leaving the blades still spinning drive strait over solid dry ground, leave the blades spinning for at least 5 minutes over the hard, now wet ground then move the mower to a dry spot & turn it off.
Failure to do this will cause moisture to get past the rubber DUST seals on the bearings and destroy the spindle bearings and the idler pulley bearings.
The Cub ( MTD ) decks seem more prone to this than the Toro decks.
Compressed air is the best thing to clean down the mower and remove all the debris.
And only wash ( soap water ) the mower when it is cold.
I sell 4' long air dusters fr customers to blow down their mowers and in particular the drives which needed to be kept clean to prevent overheating the oil.

I'm not usually one to wish snow on anyone, but if it lets you try out the snowblower... :laughing:

Welcome to the forum! :smile: