Bad Boy vs. Cub Cadet zero turn

J

johnelliott

Member
I am looking at zero turns at my local dealer---he handles Bad boy and Cub Cadet---looking at something in the 40-42" range----both brands have the some size engine and are similar with the exception that in that width the BB has a fabricated deck as opposed to a formed on the CC---warranty is better on the CC-----does anybody have experience with either one----if so all opinions are welcome. I'm going to buy one or the other soon. Thanks, John
 
Cub Cadet is not what it used to be. Years ago they were the gold standard of mowers, it has been probably 10 years or more since that was the case. The Cub I bought when I had my business was the worst investment I ever made. I didn't have the cash to spend on the SCAG that I knew I needed, and bought the cub. It had 3 transmissions/axles put in it in 1 season. I may have just had no luck, but it cost me more money than what the SCAG would have. I have heard good things about the bad boys, but I haven't dealt with one as everyone around me is on SCAG or Dixie Choppers.

When it comes to the fabbed deck, just make sure that it is made of a substantial thickness of metal. The SCAG mowers also have the fabbed deck and it is dang near indestructible, but they are also $10,000 mowers, so I'm not sure if the Bad boy deck is the same design or material.
 
Coming from 20yrs of owning a landscaping company unless you absolutely need a small mower 40-42" I wouldn't purchase any zero turn under 48". I owned many brands over the years 48"-72", including Badboy and Cub. I would chose the Cub over the Badboy because the parts are easier to get, which was always my hang up with the BB.
I have a LT2 Cub 42" rider now that I'm only doing my house.
 
I'm the Lead Service Technician at a large Powersports Dealership in Mo. They are Dealers for and sell Cub Cadet, Bad Boy, Ferris mowers, among other Powersports products.....all the mowers have improved over the years and every year!.....but with that being said, even though CC has improved greatly over the last few years, I would buy the Bad Boy if you can not afford the Ferris!
 
I like the Cubs, but after researching them and talking to a few owners, I decided to go a different way. I popped for the Ariens XD52 and I'm glad I did. Its about as close to a commercial quality machine in the consumer price point. Ordered mine last season from Lowes online for $3,100. I paid a hair more to get the one with the Kawaski engine over the standard Kohler. Best money spent and I'm extremely happy with it.

Here is a review I found, which did a fair job pointing out the issues with the Cub. The Cub's unstable deck, lack of arm rests, and side discharge was the kicker for me.

 
Last edited:
I've seen the Bad Boy mowers and they seem nice. Never known anyone who owns one thou.

What did you decide to do?
 
I got a BB Magnum 48"-----where I mow it is not all level--the "nonlevel" parts can induce the pucker factor. My first time on a zero turn---there is a learning curve. I'm learning where not to go. Thanks for all who responded to my initial question. John
 
I have a Bad Boy 42" and it mows my 6 acres just fine, thank you. We just mowed the whole place yesterday in about 4 hours.
roughly 2 acres are trees....

I bought it precisely because of the welded steel plate deck, contrasted to stamped steel like on the Cub Cadets and the Husqvarna riding mower that I ran for 9 years.... it did good, but it would NOT keep the belts on the spindles, would throw them off within 30 minutes of putting them back on....
Replaced all the Spindles and pulleys, wasted money....

bought the Bad Boy 2 years ago, starting my 3rd mowing season with it now, and have yet to buy anything for it except
Oil, filters, blades.... Normal wear and tear items.

The Kohler engine starts immediately after sitting over the winter, just as if it was running 15 minutes ago.
I hated the B&G engine on the Husqvarna, it ran okay, but was one hell of a bitch to get started.
 

Attachments

  • home in trees.png
    home in trees.png
    339.8 KB · Views: 67
kartboy63 said:
bad boy is much faster, almost too fast
Click to expand...

and it does NOT slow down just because you hit grass that is six inches too tall.....

yesterday with Rain coming yet again last night, we started at 4 pm so the grass would dry up a bit,
and then we pushed it hard to get everything mowed down low..... and finished at 7 pm....
5 acres in 3 hours with a 42" mower.... it does travel fast.

the Grass Burrs are coming at us this year with a vengeance, and we are cutting it at 2 inches high....
usually we cut at 3.5 inches high, but that is higher than the burr heads... @#$%^^^

I did buy an upgraded seat for it the 1st winter though, I have a bad lower back, and wanted more cushion and Lumbar Support, got one that fits everything from a small mower to a Catepillar Tractor/dozer.... fold up arm, and nice on the butt.
slides forward/backward for comfort.

mine is not available anymore, it is the one shown at the top.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...8424?cm_mmc=Housefile-_-SHIPPED-_-1206-_-CONF

Item #17566 is no longer available.​


Milsco Highback Suspension Seat with Arm Rests — Black, Model# V-5300​

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top