how bad are the slopes? a ZT is gonna be hard to get used to and control on slopes.

only one decent slope, not horrible, and supposedly the ZTT's can handle slopes unlike normal ZTRs

Read the fine print on the 10% off Depot coupon. I bet it says that it excludes John Deere. (As Lowes coupons do). Regardless, I think I would go with the Deere. Unless you NEED a zero turn. I am too scared to buy a Cub Cadet based on the things I've read on here about them. It's a shame, cause they seem to be one of the only brands priced right.
The 4" difference in deck size won't make a big difference with one acre.
If you are stuck on the idea of getting the Cub......haggle them down a little more. I'm sure they want to get rid of it. Refurbs are always harder to sell. They will probably take off more if you ask.

Good luck!

ack!

You are correct, the coupon excludes Deere. Now the price difference is only $150 and I am leaning towards the Cub. I don't really need zero turning here but like I said I am thinking of swapping out with my Husq up north on an acre and a half with lots of obstacles - it would really cut down my mowing time methinks.

Still hesitant about Cub, I want to believe in them, I really do. Of course, the Deere has a B&S which I am equally hesitant about. *sigh* Why can't these decisions be easy?

My new backup plan is a Husqvarna 46" deck with a Kohler Courage 20hp (I think its a YTH20K46) which I could get more or less for $1300.

oh, and I am going to sleep on the decision so anyone reading this - please give me your 2 cents!

Well, you've had good luck with Husqvarna and I believe that new 46-in. deck design (2-blade as I recall) is rated pretty highly by Consumer Reports for cutting performance, if you have any confidence in CR (some do, some don't, I generally do). I personally think I'd go with that one. The jury's still out on the Cub tractor/ztr hybrid, haven't heard anything definitive about it..yet...good or bad.

at Lowes they did have a sign saying "Consumer's Reports Best Buy" so it must be the one you are thinking of.

I did think just what you said - go with the brand you know and has treated you well. I go back and forth, would really like a zero turning vs it is a MTD after all.

I actually wouldn't even consider a standard tractor these days. They're the technology of the day before yesterday. I've been using zero-turns these last 5 years or so and the amount of time they save is incredible - even on a fairly large, open yard. We have three acres or thereabouts and at one point I cut it with a 30-hp TYM diesel tractor and 72 inch Sitrex rear mulching mower. It took about 90 minutes. Now I use a Toro Z42 (42 inch mulching deck) and it takes 70 minutes! I have a nearly-new standard-type JCB diesel lawn tractor sitting in my garage but it's only been used 4 times in 9 months - so that shows you which way a guy leans when he has a choice.

If I was you I'd go for the zero-turn option. I wouldn't worry about B&S engines. They're the biggest volume engine maker in the world so you're bound to hear SOME complaints, but 99.9% of them are fine. I work in garden maintenance and I have a shed full of B&S engined machines from mowers to scarifiers to cultivators, some of them 15 years old and all of them running perfectly.

Okay, another opinion. Getting back to the Husky, I've not heard any bad things about the brand, and generally good. Since Husqvarna took over AYP, I see no reason to think the quality of the Husky/AYP/Sears tractors would be any less, and AYP makes a decent tractor for the price and ordinary homeowner. If you're not gonna go into the landscaping business and don't abuse your equipment, I'd buy any of the above mentioned except the Cub.

Go for the Cub, I have 2, a ZTR and a tractor, both have been flawless. Newer tractors like the Cub will be a big improvement over a standard tractor.

Thanks to everyone for your opinions, they were a big help. In the end, I decided to go with the Cub. Took her for a test drive and it was a nice one. Thinking the zero turning will come in real handy, if not here than my place up north. Got HD to knock a bit more off and throw free delivery. I have 30 days to return it so I figure if I don't like the quality, I can still get out. First impressions are pretty good, though.

First mow at noon :)

Groovy! Let us know how it does!

Now that was a pleasant mow :)

Pretty impressed. The lawn had not been mowed for about 3 weeks (we just moved in last week) and we'd had a lot of rain so it was thick and long. No problems, not even in the ditches where it looked like it hadn't been mowed all year. Took the mulch cover out obviously and mowed high but it never so much as stuttered. No problems climbing the slope and zero turning is NICE. Really eliminates alot of wasted time. Broke into a big smile several times from being impressed at its mowing ability and manuverability.

Hopefully it holds up but after the first (tough) mow, I give it two thumbs up.

How about giving us an update on the Cub after some time on it. There's been precious little info on the Cub tractor /hybrid model.....there were problems with the earlier Deere model.

I will try to remember to do so. I am going to work it hard for the next month since I have 30 days to return it so I'll try to give an update then and then again after the season ends.

I did see on tractorbynet.com a few more in-depth hands on reviews of these new Cubs, you might want to check those out too.

I'll be interested in an update too! I used to have one of the Deere SST "Spinsteer" ZTRs and it had so many problems I couldn't wait to get rid of it. The two biggest annoyances were that it was so light at the back end that you could hardly steer the damn thing, and because it was a "real" tractor with a "real" steering wheel it had a reversing cut-out - which is such a pain in the ass. Two-lever ZTRs don't have reversing cut-outs and that's one of the reasons why they work so fast.

musli, fill the rear tires with windshield washer fluid and short the reverse cut-out switch and alls well.