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129 vs. 2082

IH Cub Cadet Tractor Forum

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cubs4lifeofme

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
1,145
Location
painted post ny
As a kid my Dad had a new 129 with the 12 hp single cylinder engine with 48 " deck to mow his 3 acres weekly. I Currently use a 2082 with a 50 c deck. Seems like the 129 would have been more fuel efficient than the 2 cyinder huh ? Is bigger really needed ?
 
I wouldn't call any of the vintage Kohlers fuel efficient by any means, especially compared to the more modern small engines. The 12 hp should have better fuel economy under most conditions. The Magnum 20 2082 should be able to do the job with less stress to the engine since the torque output is greater. The 12 hp will struggle more in the heavy thick wet stuff. The 12 hp should be adequate. Both should be run at full throttle 3600 RPM while mowing for optimum cooling.
 
I was gonna get a 127 off a friend and try to run a 50c deck but see they only came with 48 " decks. Would this be a wise choice and would the deck fit ?
 
From what I can find, the largest recommended deck for that tractor is a 42". The largest recommended deck on the later 12HP Cubs was a 44", so it will be working it's tail off in thick grass with the 50"

If you should decide to go that route, and if you can get it to attach, you will need a 50A deck for a tractor of that vintage due to the smaller PTO belt pitch of that era tractor.
 
Oh yes by all means get the 129 and get rid of that fuel monster! I don't know why anyone would want them. Bring it to me and will dispose of it for you. 😁👍

Seriously tho 2082 are a pretty good machine with power steering individual wheel brakes ect. Get the 129 if you like and do a comparison and let us know. 😉 me I would keep using the 2082 for the lions share of the work. But I'm on a super kick. Still haven't got serious but want one.
 
I had a 129 with 44 inch deck for 10-12 years. It was actually good on gas for how much ground it could cover. And with the hydro I'd creep into tall weeds and brush and mow places you wouldn't think a lawn mower would go. You would think my 982 and 50C deck would be a bigger version of the 129 but actually it struggles sometimes. I over-seeded the BACK 40 about 10 years ago, mixed 5 pounds of grass seed with a hopper of fertilizer the fall before when I fertilized. I didn't realize it till I mowed one day the following summer about a month after the last mow. The new seeding grass was as tall as the frt tires on the 982, that's 18 INCHES! I was creeping along, no weeds, just lots of great Fescue and that 20 hp Onan was struggling, then I noticed a blue haze blowing out the grill, I first thought it was exhaust smoke but then realized it was smoke from the mule drive belt slipping, I backed off to only half a mower swath after that. The TANK zero turn with the 54 inch deck and 27 hp Kawasaki has a big enough discharge chute it spreads a even blanket of clippings over the 54 inches of the last swath. No way the 44 or 50 inch IH decks compare to the 54 inch fabricated deck on the TANK.
 
So how much difference in fuel consumption are we talking 6 hours of mowing? Couple quarts - $1.50 at most. Most spill more than that.
 
I had a home-made gas tank on my 129, it had a brutal life before I got it. Think my tank held around 1-1/2 gallons. I could mow my 2-3/10ths acres on 2 tanks of gas. The 982 had a 4 gallon tank, same 2-3/10 acre yard still took 2 tanks but had a gallon left from the 2nd one. The deck was so wide I wasted lots of time and gas trying to get in tight spaces. I " Weed-Eated" with Round-up for a few years, wasted less time & gas. That Onan was an absolute PIG on gas. My TANK uses about 3-1/2 gallon to mow once, it has two 7-1/2 gallon tanks, I haven't put gas in the left tank in 6-7 years, if right tanks gage shows anything over half a tank I'm fine on gas for one mowing. The Kawasaki just sips gas.
 
If you were looking for the lowest possible return on your investment, you achieved that. I'm just at a loss that you would go that route instead of mentioning them here that you wanted them gone, or listing them for sale on FB MP, or even Craigslist.

If you don't know that I am a collector by now, you haven't payed attention to my several threads on my 9 Cubs. Very sorry those tractors ended up in the scrap heap.
 
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