Cub mower 42” vs 59”

My 5 acres is an old hay field. It has some hills, but nothing drastic. I've been mowing it with my '48 and a Woods 59 for 30 yrs. The only issue l have is over the drainfield if l let it get too long. I just drop it in to 1st for that 60', or when it bogs down, stop, back up and hit it again.
My storage shed is 13 x 13 and the Cub with the more doesn't take up 1/2 the floor space.
 
k hutchins said:
My 5 acres is an old hay field. It has some hills, but nothing drastic. I've been mowing it with my '48 and a Woods 59 for 30 yrs. The only issue l have is over the drainfield if l let it get too long. I just drop it in to 1st for that 60', or when it bogs down, stop, back up and hit it again.
My storage shed is 13 x 13 and the Cub with the more doesn't take up 1/2 the floor space.
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That's cool. A 59" would be neat for sure. That's a wide cutting path. My Cub Cadet XT1 is 46". I have a little Cub Cadet 383 Hydro that I got for free and runs great now that I fixed it, but only a 36" deck. It's just a backup mower.

The problem for me is I think the 59" would take up too much space in it's current spot. I'd have the mower mounted on the Cub in the summer, but it would block access to my motorcycles. I'd have to move the Cub every time I got a bike out. Currently I have the Cub up front and the little mower behind it since I'm not using it in the winter. Normally it's parked in the back. But if I start using the Cub more next year, the little mower will probably just stay in the back there most of the time. Regardless of where I put it, that 59" mower deck will stick out on each side, so I don't think I'd even be able to fit it in there.

The 42" would fit right under the Cub nicely and wouldn't stick out at all. Plus I could use it to cut taller stuff if necessary. More than likely I would alternate between using my Cub Cadet and the Cub for the back field just to get the Cub out more.

When I first moved to this house 7 years ago I thought wow I have this big 2.5 car garage with a big lean to, I'm all set! It didn't take long to fill it up. Two cars in the garage, the lean to is full of bikes, tractors, mowers, generators, chainsaws, tools, workbench, parts, etc. I ended up putting up a small shed out back by our chicken pens and now that's filled as well with quads, riding mowers, bicycles, mini bikes, chicken supplies, etc. Haha! I need another structure now haha!

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I mowed several acres, for several years, with a Woods 59 on my '55 LoBoy. It did a good job the majority of the time. The only issues I encountered was if I let some areas get too thick, then I just took a little smaller pass. It seemed to do a better job cutting it smoother than the 42 I briefly used.
It looks like the logical approach is a new building, or a building expansion, then you can have a Cub dedicated to mowing in addition to one for pushing snow, problem solved 😉
 
dgrapes59 said:
I mowed several acres, for several years, with a Woods 59 on my '55 LoBoy. It did a good job the majority of the time. The only issues I encountered was if I let some areas get too thick, then I just took a little smaller pass. It seemed to do a better job cutting it smoother than the 42 I briefly used.
It looks like the logical approach is a new building, or a building expansion, then you can have a Cub dedicated to mowing in addition to one for pushing snow, problem solved 😉
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That seems to be what others have stated as well. 59" does a better job, but it has the tendency to bog down if the grass gets a bit thick or tall. I'll give the 42" a shot next year and see how it does.

Yes, I like your logic! Build another place to store more stuff! Haha!

I do have some space next to the shed out back. I could probably build an open shelter type deal there for a tractor. Maybe one day haha!
 
I cut 6 acres with my 51' and a C3 deck w/8" pulley. The motor was done 5 years ago (pistons, guides and valves) so it is running strong. This was the first cut of the season done at the end of June this past year. It isn't a manicured cut, but hey, it's more of a field than a lawn so I'm content.

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I mowed with a 42 for many, many years. Adequate. Fine in the big stuff and even small trees, but you can still see the bush hog heritage when you mow the lawn. Picked up a 59 several years ago and it cut my mowing time by 20% or more and it looks more like a ‘lawn’. That was on my 63 regular cub.
I then acquired cub2, 65 Loboy, and dedicated it to mowing duties. It’s a bit faster than the 63 with 9.5s and some governor tuning. I’m down to almost half the time of the original 63 with the 42, but it’s still great seat time.
I seldom, if ever, need the 42.
59 all the way for me…but you need the 6.5 pulley, not the 8 that goes with the 42.
Added bonus…far less trimming when using the 59…
 
FYI, the overrunning clutch mounts to the top of the main mower spindle on the mower deck. And yes, it allows the blades to continue turning when you push the clutch pedal down. That aspect is very important to me, since I usually mow in second gear, but periodically have to stop and shift into first gear... And I don't have to wait for the blades to stop turning
 
cdahl383 said:
That would be fun!

A lot of folks have said the Mott flail mower works really well also. I think that one is 48"? I think the Woods 42" will probably be my best bet though since I have a tight spot I park the Cub in my garage / lean to. The 59" will take up too much space.

I thought you had mentioned yours had an over running clutch? Is that so you can come to a stop and it will allow the mower to still rotate without pushing the tractor? I'm assuming that fits on the pulley that mounts on the PTO shaft?
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The flail is nice but it does not "mulch" the cuttings as much. Some people may not like the larger clippings on the lawn. It also takes up more parking space because the mower is offset.
 
ajhbike said:
59 is the way to go. Wider cut, more finished cut, can handle 6" non wet grass. Make it fit in the shed.
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I usually set my riding mower to 3” for the two fields we have. I’m not sure how tall it is when I cut it but it’s probably 4-6” depending on how fast it’s growing. Faster in the spring.

A lot of people have said the Cub is too underpowered for the 59”. How does your Cub do?
 
Dale Finch said:
FYI, the overrunning clutch mounts to the top of the main mower spindle on the mower deck. And yes, it allows the blades to continue turning when you push the clutch pedal down. That aspect is very important to me, since I usually mow in second gear, but periodically have to stop and shift into first gear... And I don't have to wait for the blades to stop turning
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Ok I see. Makes sense.

Does the 59” have an over running clutch like the 42” or no?
 
I have the 60" IH mower. Keep your blades sharp and stay on it and the woods 59 will work. Only time I had issue is when gras got a little long and blades were dull.
 
Carl, I agree with the people that say a new building is in order. It’s just a matter of time before you have a half dozen or more Cubs. I would start with a 60 x 100 building, later you can add leanto’s onto the main building. You will also have a place to host a Cubfest!
 
I’ve been mowing with a Woods 59 for over 20 years so here’s my 2 cents…

Mow in first gear

Don’t run the drive belt too tight, just tight enough so the blades don’t slip, that belt can pull a lot of power if too tight.
 
Cubfriend said:
Carl, I agree with the people that say a new building is in order. It’s just a matter of time before you have a half dozen or more Cubs. I would start with a 60 x 100 building, later you can add leanto’s onto the main building. You will also have a place to host a Cubfest!
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That would be nice! Don’t think I can do that at the moment though. Maybe one day down the road.
 
IMHO…..A Cub 42 mower is for pastures and a Woods 59 or Danco 59 is for lawns. If you keep your lawn maintained and your Cub maintained you should be able to mow in 2nd gear with no problems with the Woods or Danco. I can’t speak for the Cub 42 mower because I don’t own one but I have both the Woods and Danco IH mowers and both do an Awesome Job cutting my lawn.

NJ Farmer
 
cdahl383 said:
I usually set my riding mower to 3” for the two fields we have. I’m not sure how tall it is when I cut it but it’s probably 4-6” depending on how fast it’s growing. Faster in the spring.

A lot of people have said the Cub is too underpowered for the 59”. How does your Cub do?
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I don't use the cub anymore to mow. I used it a few times to mow some land trust meadows which were 3 ft tall with the 42 and it never faltered...not once. The pic was the light part of the field. My point is that if you are in the right gear and the engine isn't tired out.... it won't bog down with the 59. Also, if you need to take a smaller bite down to 42" or so at times...isn't it still better to have 59" when you can use it?

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