Well, this is late for this thread, but it is worth writing because I'm guessing there are folks out there looking at this mower as i was and looking for any recent reviews as I was when i bought. I bought my cadet i1050 two summers ago and boy what a mistake it was. I had a JD at my old house and sold it with the house when I moved out. Did a lot of reading and checking and bought this thing at a dealer here in Maine called FM Abbott. So, I'm not going to drag out the whole story because my head hurts when I think of all the crap I've been through, and i have to get up early to call the half assed service center because my mower is sitting in the middle of my driveway stalled. Long story short, she has been to the dealer no less than 8 times (at either their expense to pick up ($50) or the expense of my time, effort and aggravation to trailer it over there). A few were because "there was no problem at all" according to them even though they took it with them (if it started, it is doubtful they'd have taken it each time_ and eventually told me they'd taken a few pieces of plastic out of the gas tank that were causing trouble. The other times it was because of the drive system. I remember reading a review that said this mower "climbed hills like a scared cat". Ummm, well, maybe when it was new. I have a pretty modest incline in the back yard that I just have to get up a few times and I'd say over the 2+ years of mowing, I've had to bail out more often than not and go down rather than up. There was a while when I'd step on the gas and the thing would hesitate, think about it, one wheel would spin then eventually the other would catch up....that was another trip to the shop. And today, in the middle of mowing she stopped in the driveway...no nuthin. I wonder if I can find someone to buy this POS so i can go back and get another JD, p.s. also worth mentioning is the inferior job this thing does cutting long and/or damp grass compared to my deere. p.s.x2, the dealer is not good at all. very friendly in sales and on the phone, but i can't believe how many times i've had to go back and i get no sympathy whatsoever. p.s. x3. I don't work for another dealer or another company. email me and i'll gladly send pics of my pos and answer any other questions.

I think this is a very tough issue. We chose to live on conservation b/c of the wildlife that we might see. We have lived in our home for over 4 years and I've never seen a 'coon or 'possum in our yard. We did have an armadillo issue for which we hired a trapper to catch and relocate to his acreage (he said that's what he would do and I hope he did). Other then that, I have never had a problem with any animal eating/stealing/destroying anything I have grown. I have a 40-mile roundtrip commute to my office each day. Every day, I see so many poor animals that have been run over. At the rate I am seeing roadkill, I truly question that there are more of them than there are of us. Look at the amount of habitat loss! I also blame some, certainly not all, of the animals that get hit on people not paying attention to the road and/or speeding. One of the main roads leading to where we live is a very dark, narrow, 2-lane road. Because I have seen deer, rabbits, 'coons, etc., I know to drive as slow as I can and pay extra attention to my surroundings. But that is my soapbox for another thread. Personally, I cannot justify killing these animals, unless like Nicki said, it's for food or the animal is suffering. Call me a bleeding heart, but I personally do not think it is right to kill or harm these animals because they eat our veggies. Like Marcia and others have said, my philosophy in my yard is to live and let live. I have enough space and grow enough stuff to be able to share with the wildlife that live around me.

Irresponsible cat owners do not have logical thinking, They make decisions based on how they feel,not what is in the best interest of everyone involved,wildlife-humans- and yes there own cats.The natural predators of rodents and smalll mammals are hawks and owls, study has shown that owls kill triple of rodents in one night then one cat does, so whats that tell you? Cats kill for sport taking food out of the mouths of the natural predators mouths period. domesticated cats dont eat the rodents they kill.We do not need your domesticated cats controlling any pest around our homes,the reality of it is this a domesticated cat that is allowed to roam unsupervised is the pest within communitys, therefore take responsibility for your cats it is in the best interest of everyone involved for health and safety issues,Wild birds who come to feeders or use bird houses only do so because they lack food and housing within forest habitat,I would rather see a natural predator of wild birds -sharpie or coopers take a bird or mouse,he will actually eat it,unlike the domesticated cat who kills for sport.If you knew your facts you would know domesticated cats do not serve a useful purpose within our communitys, they kill for sport, damage property, become nuisances in the community.

When we moved to our new house we had "1" cat his name was "Token" he was always an inside cat...he loved to sit on his window shelf and watch the birds and other wild life...we moved from the city to the country and live it...! We noticed a couple of other cats hanging around then they "we" all became friends. ..the other cats never left...! Then it started to get cold and colder outside. ...so we took a roll of clear plastic and small strips of wood and closed the whole back porch in with a lil' slit down one side of the steps so they can get in/out of....we made a nice lil' place for them to be warm and snuggly all winter....! We have done this for the past 4 years now.....and just bought the stuff this past weekend to do it again....! Soooo......I'm guessing the cats are happy and now "ours" Lol ♥