Has anyone seen the specs or know any additional info on these new tractors? I see from the video the XT2 has a Kawasaki motor if you look close.
It is still an MTD product. Roger
i paid more for a 13HP with a Command engine 18 yrs ago than they want at the Tractor supply for the higher HP courage engines today. Just sold my old command engines tractor with almost 800 hrs on it no problems still didn't smoke or use oil. i ck'd the youtube vids on the Courage engines and ran the other way.there's a reason they are cheaper,you get what you pay for. ~~OldguyMaybe they should focus on the machine more than spending money on the ap development to help the owner. That's what this forum is for.
The Courage engine scares me, also. I hope Joe Consumer has enough sense to upgrade to the Kawi.
Didn't read this thread through but consumer reports nor any other test can tell you anything about what will be the problems in the future.Consumer reports is going to do a test on lawn tractors in October, they are pretty unbiased. I don't think a CC made the best buy or excellent rating for 2014. This will be a good litmus test to see if the new model has addressed most of the concerns people have.
I think with the HD tyranny's they are putting in the X3 they may be built for ground implements. We will see.The app is a little out of the box.. Its a little overkill since maintenance isn't really all that hard to keep up with, to me anyway. It's one of the first mowers to integrate smart phone technology that I've seen.
In my experience MTD lawn tractors perform well for their intended purpose. When you start to push or abuse them they won't hold up, but most won't. They are made for cutting grass, and the article even says the MTD decks do it better than most. In that regard they aren't bad at all.
Or maybe a few people needed. In 1993 I was mowing lawns and had one with a bumpy and steep small back lawn. I had a commercial 21" Snapper self propelled with a Robin 4hp 2 stroke engine. It really could have used a locking rear axle or 4wd as it seems I was fighting the mower to mow that back yard. Even a limited movement suspension would have helped keep both rear tires on the ground over such a bumpy lawn.I hope they work better than Huskys AWD walk behinds have. Marketing invented something that no one needed and the suckers bought them. Roger
The core of the 300 is a Kawasaki motor and K46 tranny from what I'm told the 2014 CC 1042KW had both of those also. Now CC has added a seat that is at least as good it would seem and added options of a fabricated deck Bluetooth needed or not, a easier deck removal, and a warranty that's 3 years on some items and 5 years on the others. These are just what I have read and watched on the net. All this at a lower price point than the JD300. Maybe the 300 will have a nice rebate or something to help.Hunter only time will tell if the exceeding a JD 300 is true or not. Are you a dealer selling them because your sure seem like you are. Hopefully all fo what you are hoping for will be true. Roger
You keep mentioning fabricated decks. To me fabricated decks are not as good a atamped one piece decks like JD uses. They are fabricated because they are cheaper to make that way. At least that my opinion. To me the core of the 300 is not only the motors but the frames they are bolted to. Seen to many MTD frames that break in normal use. Maybe they got the frame right with this new series. Only time will tell. Roger
My guess is the Bluetooth will only be on the higher end tractors like the NXT are for snapper. They also have a new steering system that from what the picture shows will have a real nice feel.IMO, there's too much technology going into these. Why do you need bluetooth and an app to tell you when to change oil? Why not just an hour meter and a service light.
All this adds up to is more things to go wrong. You're putting cheap electronics in a machine that a lot of homeowners keep outside, in the extreme cold, heat, snow, wind, and rain. You have mice that'll get into the engine, chew up wires, and then damage or short out something.
I said the same thing when Snapper introduced the NXT line of mowers. Mowers are a tool, there's no need for an abundance of technology in them.
stamped decks are for high volume production because they have to pay for expensive stamping dies, fabricated decks are cheaper for low production numbers.
No marketing is just a tool to sell but if you are referring to fabricated decks, hand made is more expensive than stamped on most anything made. Like I said above consumer reports will be fair. The previous year CC didn't even have a one tractor on the list. Check out the videos and web pages with pictures it does appear they have made some improvements. But as I say we will see.Hunter do you believe all the things marketing people tell you? They don't build anything they just write about things to make them sound good even if they are not. Roger
Lohman, very well said that's how it is with about everything we purchase. Yes time will tell and I have said it many times in this thread. I am encouraged the mechanical components are the same as the benchmark if you are meaning the JD 300. I went to the dealer and drove it and have used many JD tractors but they do cost quite a bit more. Just for mowing grass I would rather spend a little less. Even if it roves to be equal or close I would only put it as the benchmark within its competition price point also. Most of the time you get what you pay for but sometimes the benchmark is priced at a point because they can. Again good points.This happens all the time in marketing. A new product is brought to market and instantly compared to the benchmark. Most of the time in five years the "next best thing" is brought out and compared to the same benchmark. The benchmark has established itself in that place because it has consistently been the benchmark. New competition needs time to even consider being a replacement to that benchmark. In my experience most of the competition falls aside over time to be replaced by whatever the next thing is.
Might this be a new benchmark? Maybe. However I am going to require time to prove that.
I fabricated deck even if not commercial grade would cost more. I don't think they are saying its that, just giving those who want it an option to have that choice if they want to pay the extra. The Bluetooth as stated in the next comment would be a very low cost and I wouldn't think cause the tractor to cut some other quality item because of it. The younger buyer I would think would like this, would seem part of marketing. Again , I think not sure it wont be available on all models. Yes CC needed to do this reset to set things straight. Yes you get what you pay for most of the time. The assumed standard which most say to purchase, the JD 300 seems to be over priced compared to this offering. They already offer the same tranny and a Kawasaki motor an a deck that is one of the better cutting ones. In addition on the 42 inch they have 4 anti scalp wheels which I personally like but not to all. The steering has been redone, hopefully it will have that nice feel the JD300 has. The CC now having the a 3/5 year warranty shows they are standing behind the new line. Just a thought.Fab deck = marketing or not wanting to invest the stamping tools. Trying to play into the old idea that they are stronger/thicker/or commercial grade. On a $1500
tractor they will be neither.
That Bluetooth $$$ could have gone into hard parts quality like bearings, belts, engine.
I do like the new color scheme and hoods. Cub needed to reset things, looks like a decent effort. Regardless of brand, you get what you pay for, so there will be trade offs to hit these price points.