Cub Cadet LTX1050 mower review

Roughly a decade ago I owned a Cub Cadet – the smaller LT1018 model. It served me well over the years I owned it and had over 500 hours on it when I finally sold it.

One thing that struck me about that machine was its solid build and reliability. Maybe it had something to do with being American made. I've long been a fan of things made in America - things like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Chevrolet cars and so on – and a lot of that's down to their inherent build quality.

International Harvester established the Cub Cadet model line in 1960 as a premium range of small tractors, and they quickly gained a reputation for being robust and durable workhorses. However, during the early '80s when International Harvester began having financial problems, it sold the Cub Cadet brand to MTD in Valley City, near Cleveland, Ohio.

MTD continues to promote Cub Cadet as a premium range of professional lawn mowers, even though the products have been made by MTD Machinery Suzhou Co in China since 2007.

The good news for owners is the Cub Cadet shares a tremendous number of parts with other brands in MTD's stable, including Bolens, Rover, Troy Built and Yard Machines, so parts availability is good and pricing is competitive.

As a rough rule of thumb, a mowing area from 4000 square metres (or one acre) to one hectare (or 2.5 acres) is well suited to ride-on lawn tractors with a cutting width of 46 to 50in (1168 to 1270mm) and engines ranging from 18-24hp (13.5-18kW). This meant the LTX 1050 Cub Cadet reviewed here was ideally suited to our one-hectare test cutting site, which included garden beds and large trees to help assess its maneuverability.

The LTX1050 is powered by a Kohler 24hp (18.6kW) KT735 overhead-valve V-twin engine with a front-mounted dual-seal air filter. Lubrication is courtesy of a full pressure system with spin-on oil filter. Drive is via a V-belt from the engine to the Tuff Torq hydrostatic transmission, with speed and direction controlled by pedals on the right-hand side.

A cruise control lever is located in the middle of the centre console for mowing at a steady pace. This lever doubles as the park brake lever when the mower is stationary. When the brake pedal is pressed all the way down the lever is pushed downward to lock the brake pedal on.

A 13.2-litre fuel tank and is located under the hood behind the engine. The filler neck is on the left-hand side; it is somewhat smaller in diameter than the equivalent on some other mowers in its class and requires a funnel (or a spout on the jerry-can) to avoid fuel spills when filling.

When getting off the mower with the engine running, it is necessary to engage the park brake before alighting to prevent the seat safety switch from killing the engine.

On the subject of safety, the LTX1050 Cub Cadet comes with RevTEK reverse mowing technology to allow the mower to cut in reverse. To activate the reverse cutting action, with the PTO engaged simply rotate the key counter-clockwise one click back from the normal mowing position to the reverse position, then press the caution button to acknowledge you've looked behind the mower for children and obstacles.

The RevTEK feature will stay active till the key is moved back into the normal position or the engine is turned off.

The operator is treated to a Cub Comfort high-back seat with armrests and 150mm (or six inches) of seat adjustment. The comfort-grip steering wheel drives automotive-style ball joints with grease-type kingpins on the heavy-duty cast-iron front axle.

The mowing deck has a 50-inch (1270mm) cut and has a 12-gauge stamped steel construction fitted with four anti-scalp wheels. Cutting height is adjustable through 12 positions via a lever on the right-hand side of the rear fender.

There are two garden-hose nipples which feature high-pressure washing nozzles; these are activated when a garden hose is attached to the nipples. The factory-fitted spindles are die-cast aluminium with sealed ball bearings and no grease nipples.

According to the brochure, the LTX1050 has a nine-gauge steel frame that is robotically welded for superior strength.

This mower had the optional front bumper (approximately $100) and mulcher plug kit (around $150), which strike me as worthwhile investments to keep lawns healthy and reduce clean-up times.

The Cub Cadet LTX1050 also can comfortably tow a 283-litre (10 cubic feet) wheelbarrow with a 300kg (660lb) capacity. This tow-behind wheelbarrow is extremely handy for the collection of garden weeds and cuttings and for transporting them to a composting area.

The front kingpins require periodic greasing, as do the front wheels. The original deck spindles have been replaced with grease-type fittings, which has increased the bearing life of all three deck spindles. The deck needs to be removed and turned upside down to grease the spindles. Thankfully the deck is easy to remove and the operation can be carried out within a few minutes.

Typically, while the deck is out and upside down it's a good idea to check the condition of the blades and sharpen if necessary. The operator's handbook recommends lubricating all rotating and bearing points with a few drops of light oil every 10 hours. The handbook also recommends lubricating the cutter spindle shafts every 25 hours, which requires deck removal.

The Kohler engine manual recommends replacing the air-cleaner element every 25 hours, while the recommended oil change interval is 100 hours.

However, if you're not using your ride-on commercially you might find, like I do, that the machine only does approximately 50 hours every 12 months. On my own mower I typically perform this service in early spring, so the mower is well serviced and ready for the busy grass growing season.

The parts required to carry out a full service on the LTX1050 cost approximately $90. It takes approximately an hour to perform a thorough service, including removing and replacing the cutting deck (see the complete list of part numbers and costs at the end of this article).

The LTX1050 certainly feels like a premium lawn tractor when it comes to comfort and ease of use. The seat is comfortable and easily adjustable, and the armrests are a nice feature and especially when you're sitting on it for any length of time. The armrests fold up and out of the way for mounting and dismounting.

The 24hp Kohler engine has plenty of power to drive the three-blade deck as well as to propel the machine. It also seems to be quite fuel efficient; fuel usage was considerably lower than I expected for such a big powerplant.

The turning circle is commendably tight given the machine's size and it was very easy to maneuver around the tall trees and gardens beds. The reverse cutting feature also worked a treat.

I feel its headlights, however, are perhaps more cosmetic than practical, and the headlight units aren't particularly well sealed – they quickly filled with dust and debris, rendering the light all but useless. But who wants to cut grass in the dark, anyway?

Probably the biggest disappointment with the LTX1050 concerned its electrical system, which appears to have suffered through some cost-cutting in the manufacturing process. The battery simply wouldn't hold a charge and could barely crank the engine. After replacing the supplied battery with one out of my Harley-Davidson, the mower's starter was somewhat more eager to respond.

This problem must be widespread across the Cub Cadet model range because when I Googled the issue page after page appeared, most referencing the same problem. The trouble seems to stem from the fact that the main wires from the battery to the starter motor, which are about 900mm in length, are too small to carry the current required to crank the starter.

The second disappointment concerns the machine's finish. There were significant signs of rust bubbling under the paintwork in places and paint had already begun flaking off in some places.

These issues aside, however, and overall the LTX1050 Cub Cadet cut one hectare of grass effortlessly and very efficiently. With the mulcher plug inserted there were no grass clippings to collect and the result was a neat, clean cut.

Mechanically it ticks most of the boxes except for the electrical system and paintwork. The Club Cadet LTX1050 has an asking price of around $5500 to $6000.

What we like:
Reliable and economical Kohler engine
Easy-to-remove deck
Comfortable operator environment
Reverse cutting

Not so much:
Electrical system
Paint preparation
No belt diagram decal
Poor after-sales service (we tried calling MTD’s customer service line several times but gave up after holding for lengthy periods)

Chassis: 4x2 2WD
Steering: Manual
Brakes: Dry disc
Cabin: Open operator station
Weight: 248kg (548lb)
Wheelbase: 1160mm (46 inches)
Length: 1720mm (68 inches)
Width: 1370mm (54 inches)
Height: 1090mm (43 inches)
Ground clearance: 110mm (4.5 inches)
2WD turn radius: 500mm (1.5 feet)
Fuel: 13.2lt (3.5 gal)
Front tyres: Lawn/turf 15x6x6
Rear tyres: Lawn/turf 20x10x8
Engine: Kohler
Power: 18.6kW (24HP) at 3600rpm
Torque: 51.5Nm (38lb-ft) at 2800rpm
Bore/stroke: 83 x 67mm (3.27 x 2.64in)
Compression: 9.0:1
Oil capacity: 2.0lt
Oil change interval: 100 hours
Transmission: Hydro-Gear 0510
Type: Hydrostatic
Gears: Infinite forward and reverse

Side discharge blade (17-7/8 inch for 50-inch deck): Part #BLR7572, $23.63 (x3)
MTD spindle assembly (grease type): Part #JAS5768, $100.80 (x3)
Oil filter (Kohler genuine): Part #1205001S, $25
Air filter (Kohler genuine): Part #3208303S, $25
Fuel filter (Kohler in line): Part #2505022-S/4505001S, $10
Spark plug (Champion): Part #QC12YC, $11 (x2)
Engine oil (Genuine Briggs & Stratton 4-Stroke 10W/30 1-litre, $14 (x2)
Cutter deck belt: Part #BEL7615, $87
Transmission belt: Part #BEL7617, $33
Engine service kit (Stens Engine Kit): Part #3278901-S, $89.25