My 97-year old neighbor (not the John Deere) has seemingly had his Cub Cadet lawn tractor for as long as he's been retired-and that's been a long time! He's virtually out in his yard, riding it every day that I've been able to venture across the railroad tracks past his 2-acre yard.
After each and every use, he crouches down beside it and uses an air-compressor to clean out any debris left behind. While he's quite limber, he knows what to do to keep the machine running forever. Plus, if you can trust someone who knows quality from working on big machines his whole life, whom can you trust?
Now, personally, I've never witnessed anyone owning a Cub Cadet push mower. I've heard and read up that the Cub Cadet SRC 621 six-speed self-propelled mower is at the top of its class. This mower easily climbs itself over any terrain that you might throw at it. Plus, it has a bagger, mulching option and side discharge. It comes with a 6.5-horsepower Kawasaki OHV engine, with a standard 21-inch cut. For those living near a golf course, this mower might make their grounds crew a little jealous.
However, the Cub Cadet 2166 lawn tractor looks a whole lot like my neighbor's model. It comes with a Kohler Command single cylinder16-horsepower engine which sounds like it might not perform as well as other twin cylinder engines with 18-horses, but with its no-belt drive system; what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in durability and quality.
It's no belt drive system means that the engine connects directly to the transmission. The only belt, obviously, is the mower deck belt, which will need maintained/changed every few years. Plus, the engine is designed a lot like a car's engine-it is a fully pressured and lubricated engine.
One minor issue that I discovered on chat forums was that its turn radius should be tighter. Well, with toughness and durability, you're always going to have to suffer some flexibility (think of body builders!). Anyhow, with its cast iron front axel, solid drive shaft, cruise control and unyielding transmission, it's no wonder you won't have to buy another model for sometime.