Noworries, great story. Yeah, I have Kubota too. But what i have and seems you don't have is a book that keeps track of oil changes. I have all the machines in The book: tiller, chainsaws, trimmers, tractors, edgers, etc. Just write it down NoWorries, and your worries will be gone.

locknut - I checked under both front boots and the cables were in tact. They seemed loose so I thought an adustment was required. Since I couldn't find any info on cable adjustment I decided to go to the dealer. I didn't investigate any further at that point, just hurried up and off I went to the dealer. Turns out one of the cables was broken. The service rep didn't know where the cable broke but said he would make sure the mechanic saved the old cable. It will cost me about 140 as well. I run mine hard as well so I guess a visit to the dealer after four years isn't bad. Thanks for your help!

If I had lots of leaves to keep up with, the 48 rear shoot would be VERY tempting. Actually, I have 7 pecan, half a dozen oaks and a few other trees on my 1 1/3rd acre . . . . but I still bought the 54 inch deck The rear shoot setup uses a convoluted single belt to drive the deck (using both sides of the belt) because the blades don't all turn the same direction. Compare that to the double belt drive system used on the 54 and 60 inch decks - Very heavy duty Actually, I wouldn't steer you toward either the Kubota or the Deere - I was considering the same exact two machines when I bought my Kubota and if I had found a 455 for similar money, I might well have bought it instead, since the 455 has some advantages over the Kubota If you're even thinking of any rear PTO driven accessories then your decision is easy - Buy the Deere because the Kubota doesn't have a 'real' rear PTO . . . . it's just a flimsy chan driven extension of the front PTO. If a snowblower is your primary concern then the Kubota is an excellent choice because it has a great front PTO (once you buy the optional coupler) and good used Kubota snowblowers are much easier to come by that their Deere counterparts If you want any 3 point attachments, forget about the rear shoot 48 inch deck - That was the 'decision maker' for me because I added the Cat 0 hydraulic 3 point hitch to the back of mine to pull a box blade and a plow Coin flip between the two machines - Buy the one which is the best deal and you'll probably be very happy with either Don

I think you are right. Although they are adjustable, contact your dealer as you may be eligible for new style cables. I'm not sure on time limitations on this, but I was told there was a special policy on them.