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CB Lawn Mowers Cub Cadet Mower will not mow grass!
Cub Cadet

Cub Cadet review: Mower will not mow grass! 53

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Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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I purchased a mid line Cub Cadet ztr mower in the Fall of '05 about 3 weeks before mowing season was over. When I used the mower I found out it would not cut taller, thin grass 'sprigs' even with repeated mowing passes. I contacted my seller (DT McCalls in Cookeville, TN) and they promptly responded, checked the mower, adjusted the deck and pronounced it fit. Well mowing season was over but the problems began again in the Spring of '06. DT McCall picked up the mower 2 or 3 more times and had their repair people check, adjust, replace blades etc. They came out to our house and tried the mower themselves. After farther adjustment their solution was 'mow the grass every day for four days, then every four days during mowing season'. How asinine is that considering we mow about 4.5 acres?

At any rate they would not take the mower, refund our cash payment of course, nor allow credit for an upgrade to a 'commercial grade' mower. At this point they have more or less wiped their hands of the whole affair. Cub Cadet/MTD never contacted us regarding the problems with this mower and has not yet. Evidently there is no living being at the Cub Cadet /MTD operation.

My problem is not isolated as I am aware of 2 other persons who bought this same lemon of a mower with the same problem. The mower looks good, starts and runs good, but will not mow grass. Now I expected a $4000 dollar 'lawn mower' to actually mow grass. Is that too much to ask?

My advice is to never ever buy a mower or other product from MTD. If you have a problem you are on your own with no help or even contact from the manufacturer.

Roger Cunningham,
Liberty, Tennessee.

53 comments
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meter1
Spokane, US
Oct 29, 2010 10:58 pm EDT

I purchaserd a brand new Cub Cadet lt2550 shaft drive lawn tractor this summer to mow my 3/4 acre lawn. This is a very expensive top of the line model with a 50" deck, and three blades. The problem is that the mower will not bag properly. The discharge shute continually jams, even when the grass is bone dry. What used to take 40 minutes to mow, now takes 2 hours and is a pain in the [censor]. The dealer, Country Homes Supply, checked to make sure I had the correct blade, and told me, "I was on my own." I have 11 hours on this machine and it is the biggest piece of crap mower I have ever owned. I have tried everything to get this machine to bag correctly, even mowing so slow you could crawl faster than the mower is moving, and it still jams. I want my money back and the dealer will not stand by the product. So I am stuck with a machine that I can not use. I am going to sell this and move on to something else. Do not under any circumstances buy a Cub Cadet product, and if you live in the Spokane Washington area, do not buy anything from Country Homes Supply. They do not stand behind their product and will leave you hanging. I spent over $4K for this machine, and you would think it would mow the lawn, but it doesn't.

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PawPawDiv9
pervert- calling the cops, US
Apr 10, 2011 4:47 pm EDT

i have a CUB CADET LT1045 Riding Mower.
Several things are always a problem on it. The belt keeps coming off. On another site- the trick is to Raise the deck before engaging the PTO. Probably due to thick grass.
Second. is the OIL leak. It constantly leaks out of the PLastic piece of [censor] plug it has. Worst piece of crap made. Simple fix as found on interent is to take a 3/8 fine thread extension and a cap on it. Or another site has something called a Drainzit. It a 14" hose that bolts right on and has a hex plug on end of it. Suppose to make draing easier too. (site: Perr.com)
It does state to check the oil levels before each start- ADVISE BY THIS, or be burning your mower up.
Third. Cranking the mower. It does have a cheap plastic gear that goes to the starter. IF your battery is low or weak, it will grind the teeth of it and need to be replaced. Advise. Make sure your battery is fully charged.
KEY TO THIS STORY- MAINTENCE

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cubhater
New York City, US
May 22, 2011 12:24 am EDT

GT2542--42" 20hp
Piece of crap! This thing couldn't mow astroturf evenly. No matter what I do it completely misses patches and strips of grass. It doesn't matter if I mow slow or fast, high or low, wet or dry, uphill, downhill or across the hill. I've sharpened the blades to razor specifications. I've lubricated everything but the seat. The tires are within 0.0001 psi of each other. The deck is perfectly balanced. Garbage. The hood on the thing is broken, because it is made out of crappy plastic. I've maybe opened it 12 times in 75 hours of running time. The headlights stopped working after 2 hours. The seat doesn't go all the way back making it a whole lot of fun for someone that is 6'4". The PTO belt snapped after only 20 hours of running time. Never, never, never buy a Cub Cadet.

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Dave Hines
Delta, US
Jun 13, 2011 5:21 pm EDT

Purchased the new Cub Cadet S Force 48" Mower with the steering wheel. This machine rides very rough. Springs under seat have no give. After a half hour could hardly get off of it. Hard to trim around trees. The mower does not stick out far enough on the left side to trim around a tree without backing up several times. Front axle is mounted solid. Does not pivot. Very poorly designed unit. I 'm glad I kept my Ford GT22. The Cub Cadet is for sale.

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MikeProllins12
San Antonio, US
Jun 22, 2011 8:48 am EDT

I just figured out how to finally fix my LT1045 Cub Cadet from having issues with the belt coming off of the deck. I am making a YouTube Video and will post a link here soon showing how to fix the POS. Its a friggin engineering defect is what it is, took me about an hour but I've got it working now with no problems, minimum vibrations and belt is running cool now! check back for link soon! JP

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no_cubs_4me
Three Oaks, US
Jun 24, 2011 2:15 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have an '04 LT1042 purchased from Lowe's in NW Indiana for $1600. I took delivery of the unit myself, with everything still banded to the pallet inside the factory crate. My model uses the Briggs engine--I have about 140hrs on it, cutting grass. No plowing, or anything out of the ordinary.

Anyway, several issues: 1. The Briggs OHV engine I have is apparently famous for "afterfire" problems (backfire that occurs when you turn off the engine), due to a bad/sticking fuel shutoff valve located on the bottom of the carb. If your Briggs is doing this have it repaired before it causes the head gasket to blow out. The head gasket on this model is very thin between the cylinder and pushrod gallery and can potentially ruin your engine if you let it go. I had repairs done to mine and despite the numerous sites/complaints regarding the issue neither Briggs nor Cub would stand behind the product. 2. Cub/MTD is difficult to contact with very few working phone#'s listed anyplace. They also like to pawn problems off on their dealers, but in my case it came from Lowes, who no longer sells the brand, or parts. 3. The 42", twin blade deck cuts grass poorly. Razor sharp blades or not, poor cut. I've had other mowers over the years--looking back it seems that the best cutting ones had three-blade decks. The blades all spun faster, and there were three of them-- 4. Accessories for these mowers are ridiculously priced--$1500 for a snowthrower attachment. I could almost buy two really nice walk-behinds for that, not including the wheel weights and chains and other items needed. 5. At 140hrs my hydrostatic is about worn out. After 30min use my forward speed drops to the point that I could walk faster.

Avoid these cheaply made, poorly supported mowers like the plague.

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Larry H
Finchville, US
Jun 26, 2012 11:32 am EDT

I purchased a Cub Cadet GTX2154LE, with taxes over $6400. after approx. 20 hours the engine started burning oil. When the mower gets 10 oz. below full, the engine just shuts down. After this happened the dealer picked the mower up but could not find a problem, eventually blaming the problem on a dirty air cleaner. When the mower continued burning oil i contacted the dealer and customer care at Cub Cadet. While the dealer is contacting the engine maker, Kohler, the customer service center was totally useless, arrogant and was given the run around, they took absolutely no responsibility. The supervisor, Bill, routed me around with a new number to file a complaint, that after calling (and more waiting) returned me back to him. Evidently Cub Cadet doesn't have a complaint department that deals with their own customer service. After all this i still have a $6500 lawn tractor that is burning oil. The dealer is going to pick the mower up to run some tests concerning the mower but i still have a problem with a customer care center that has no quality control of it's own actions. On principle alone, this is my last Cub Cadet anything. The GTX1254LE is a piece of junk, Cub Cadet has a poorly functioning customer service center and I'm out $6500.00

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haywire67
Saluda, US
Sep 10, 2012 12:59 pm EDT

We purchased a Cub Cadet LT1042 in 2007. We've had nothing but repair issues from constant replacement of bearings in housing above blades, bushing in steering column to constant replacement of both belts. Lowe's no longer sells replacement blades/belts now that they don't carry Cub Cadet. Home Depot carries the brand but only offers belts/blades for newer models. Have to order all our parts online. I'll cut my grass with scissors before I purchase another Cub Cadet.

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TinaW311
US
Aug 15, 2018 1:44 pm EDT

I really don't have time to explain my problem with your customer service that I received this morning but I just have to say it was the WORST customer service I have ever experienced. Please listen to the recorded conversations that your customer service reps are having. The lady who spoke with me was HORRIBLE!

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afterfive
US
Nov 19, 2018 9:28 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have a 48 enforcer the pto belt keeps breaking, ive put 3 then there was a recall for this just tried to mow 10 mins belt broke vie put what they said I needed new pulleys, it only has 89 hrs so what do I do now

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Philip Howell
US
Jul 17, 2023 1:48 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Numbers not in service that are listed online

[protected]

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Jeffery Blackmon
US
Apr 01, 2024 9:24 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

When I ordered the part for my lawn mower. They didn't hesitate to take the money from my account. After waiting 2

Weeks for the part that still hasn't arrived. I called customer service about the part. They never answered the phone. I guess I will have to report them for making fraudulent charges on my account.

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HollyHo
Attica, US
Aug 20, 2024 4:23 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I bought a walk behind weed whipper & push mower from Cub Cadet. They SUCK! They do not start no matter what. The automatic chokes are as useless as roadkill. They lie about their equipment, plain & simple. I am done buying them & I will NOT recommend their crap to anyone.

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