Cub mower 42” vs 59”

cdahl383

cdahl383

Well-known member
I’d like to start mowing grass with my Cub next year. Seems like the options are a Woods 42” or a Woods 59”.

I’ve read where the 42” in general is better suited for a Cub considering it only has about 9hp. However, I’ve also read where many folks have used a 59” with no issues. It seems to depend on the type of grass and terrain.

We have 2.5 acres of flat land. No hills and I’ve been mowing everything for 7 years, so it’s well maintained. Grows fast and thick in the spring but thins out in the summer.

I would still cut around our house with our little cub cadet. But I have two fields that could easily be cut with the Cub.

I’ve been cutting it all with my Cub Cadet 46” riding mower, but I’d like to get more use out of the Cub. I use the Cub in the winter to plow but I find it sits a lot in the summer. Would be fun to mow with something different.

What would you guys recommend for my particular situation? 42” or 59”?

Maybe someone will have one for sale at the Barnyard Bash in May? I’d rather buy one from someone there than a random dude on FB marketplace.

Appreciate any input!

Below are some photos of our back field for reference.

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JMHO: A 59 inch cut will maintain your lawn like your pictures show and a 48 will be a little more forgiving if the grass gets a little taller between cuttings. You can always cut less width with the 59 if need be. Some things to consider when making a purchase:
1. Be sure that you get ALL the parts, it's less expensive that way and some parts are hard to find.
2. Make sure that it will fit your cub (no damage to tractor or mower) and it is installed correctly. The front leading edge needs to be about a half inch lower than the rear edge. If not, you are cutting the grass twice.
3. Keep the blades sharp and all points lubricated as per the instructions manual.
4, Keep in mind that while it will cut larger/heavier stuff it's designed to be a grass mower, not a brush hog.
5. Ir will never match what a zero turn will do so take your time and enjoy the ride.
There are other brands available but in some cases new replacement parts are NLA so just be aware of that. Stan
 
I have five cubs... Three with Woods 42s, one with a Woods 59, and one with a Mott d9 flail mower. There are times where the pastures that we mow (about 8 acres) get a bit too shaggy for the Woods 59, but to be honest, I do like the extra width that it mows, so it's an incentive to mow a little more frequently. If your photos correctly show what your yard generally looks like, I think the woods 59 would be perfect.

Of course, a lot depends on the condition of your tractor and the mower. A good tune-up will help the tractor and sharp blades and correct installation (as stated by Stan) Will have your mower doing its best.

I happen to have 2 spare 42's, and might have a spare 59 (haven't decided which mower I'll mount under my latest tractor!).
Assuming nothing interferes, I could bring one or both up to the bash this next year.
 
got 42's and 59's here ---I have used 42 and 59 on cubs in the past.--have 42 on the 140 right now. Problem with 42 is they are too narrow to take out the wheel tracks.--even on a cub set in as far as they will go, which both of mine are. 59 covers decent. -- Have one on an A that I dont use anymore cub does not have enough power at all in the mowing that I do so they are useless for mowing here. Some guys actually mow with them but around here they just dont work. Thats why I have a 42 on the 140 so I can power thru anything and keep going, BUT run into stuff that even kills the 140.
IF you run over the yard every day---- they probably do o.k. but I have important stuff to do and NOT messin with mowing grass!
When I do mow its mostly with the 2444 and C-80 or the 1800 and the 315 batwing, --- in, out , done and on to important stuff.
Neither one does a great job mowing. I have Simp. 20's that I did use at one time , One with a 48 and one with a 60 deck and they did excellent job if that is what you want. I just want it knocked down.
You will have to take that into consideration too. --- what kind of grass do you intend to mow?, How tall/thick? How much time do you have to be out there riding on that cub? and trust me---it gets old and expensive REAL FAST!!!!! LOL!!
 
staninlowerAL said:
JMHO: A 59 inch cut will maintain your lawn like your pictures show and a 48 will be a little more forgiving if the grass gets a little taller between cuttings. You can always cut less width with the 59 if need be. Some things to consider when making a purchase:
1. Be sure that you get ALL the parts, it's less expensive that way and some parts are hard to find.
2. Make sure that it will fit your cub (no damage to tractor or mower) and it is installed correctly. The front leading edge needs to be about a half inch lower than the rear edge. If not, you are cutting the grass twice.
3. Keep the blades sharp and all points lubricated as per the instructions manual.
4, Keep in mind that while it will cut larger/heavier stuff it's designed to be a grass mower, not a brush hog.
5. Ir will never match what a zero turn will do so take your time and enjoy the ride.
There are other brands available but in some cases new replacement parts are NLA so just be aware of that. Stan
Click to expand...
I've been mowing most of our property for the past 6 years, so it's pretty much trained now. There's no wild stuff that I would be cutting.

The only concern I have with the 59" deck is how it would fit in my lean to. I went out this morning and measured and it looks like the deck would stick out a bit on each side. That would cause it to hit the one side of the lean to, so I'd have to park the tractor further over, and then that would block access to my dirtbikes and motorcycle. A 42" would fit nicely under the Cub and not take up any additional real estate in the garage.

Really my goal here is to just get some more use out of my Cub. It doesn't need to be a full time mower every week, etc. I've used my little Cub Cadet for nearly 7 years and it still does a good job of cutting the grass. It usually takes me about 2-2.5 hours to cut the whole property. I trim every other week usually and that's another 30 minutes or so. I enjoy doing yard work and being outside, so it's not like I hate when it's time to cut grass. I actually enjoy it. No one bothers me, I can enjoy the sunshine, watch the birds, space out and think about other things like buying more tractors haha!

It sounds like a 59" would work for my scenario, but maybe the 42" would be better as it would leave more space in the garage and it would handle taller grass better if I did let it go out back for a couple weeks. I'll have to think about it. I appreciate the input!
 
Dale Finch said:
I have five cubs... Three with Woods 42s, one with a Woods 59, and one with a Mott d9 flail mower. There are times where the pastures that we mow (about 8 acres) get a bit too shaggy for the Woods 59, but to be honest, I do like the extra width that it mows, so it's an incentive to mow a little more frequently. If your photos correctly show what your yard generally looks like, I think the woods 59 would be perfect.

Of course, a lot depends on the condition of your tractor and the mower. A good tune-up will help the tractor and sharp blades and correct installation (as stated by Stan) Will have your mower doing its best.

I happen to have 2 spare 42's, and might have a spare 59 (haven't decided which mower I'll mount under my latest tractor!).
Assuming nothing interferes, I could bring one or both up to the bash this next year.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input Dale! Our grass is pretty tame. It's been mowed consistently for nearly 7 years now. I never let it get too long. It is thicker in the spring though when we get more rain. By summer though it's not as bad and doesn't grow as fast. I only water the lawn around our house. The rest I just leave it to nature.

My Cub seems to run well, but I don't really have anything to compare it to. If I had a couple other Cubs I could compare it against those. Mine always starts up and runs good. It smokes a little when it's cold but after it warms up the smoke is minimal to none. It has good oil pressure. Maybe I could put a new set of points/condenser/cap/rotor at the bash in May along with new plugs, etc. I have no idea how old they are. I should probably check the valve lash too. You taught me how to do that! :)

Do you have any red 42" decks? Those would match well with the tractor. Although as long as it's in good shape it really doesn't matter what color it is.
 
inairam said:
with the lawn that you have the 59" mower is great. A 59 will limit you if you want to go into a pasture and or really high stuff
Click to expand...

Sounds good. I don't plan on mowing any crazy tall grass. Just looking to spend some more time on the Cub this summer. It sat most of last summer and that just seems wrong. If I put a mower deck on it I could use it to cut grass occasionally and give my Cub Cadet a break. Then in the fall I could swap the front blade back on for plowing like I have it set up now. It would get used all year round then.
 
Sounds to like you have already solved your problem. You have very limited space for storage, you have plenty of time to mow, better go with the 42.
 
If you have never mowed with a Cub and before you jump into the game, it might be helpful if you could actually have the experience. It's somewhat different from mowing with a lawn or garden tractor. Maybe a Cubfest would allow you the opportunity to experience it. Nothing like "been there, done that" to get the feeling. Here's my setup with a 42 inch cut single blade Bush Hog 412 that was modified by the PO to provide the front wheels turning room. JMHO Stan
 

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Ky Cub said:
Sounds to like you have already solved your problem. You have very limited space for storage, you have plenty of time to mow, better go with the 42.
Click to expand...
Haha yep that's a good summary! It sounds like the 59" would work for my situation, but the 42" is probably the better route to go so I don't hog off more space in my lean to.
 
staninlowerAL said:
If you have never mowed with a Cub and before you jump into the game, it might be helpful if you could actually have the experience. It's somewhat different from mowing with a lawn or garden tractor. Maybe a Cubfest would allow you the opportunity to experience it. Nothing like "been there, done that" to get the feeling. Here's my setup with a 42 inch cut single blade Bush Hog 412 that was modified by the PO to provide the front wheels turning room. JMHO Stan
Click to expand...

I plan on going to the Barnyard Bash in May. Maybe someone will have a Cub there with a mower hooked up that I could try out.
 
Hey Carl!
As I mentioned, I have about 8 acres I mow, so I think maybe you should take a spring road trip down here to North Carolina and spend a few hours mowing MY pastures. You can try all three mowers (The two Woods and the flail), then take home The one you like best! 😂
 
Dale Finch said:
Hey Carl!
As I mentioned, I have about 8 acres I mow, so I think maybe you should take a spring road trip down here to North Carolina and spend a few hours mowing MY pastures. You can try all three mowers (The two Woods and the flail), then take home The one you like best! 😂
Click to expand...
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?
 
No one has mentioned the IH C-2. Similar in size to the Woods 42. Both have an over running clutch that is part of the mower and not an "add on".
 
I have a 1948 Cub. I bought a C3 mower (60") in 1974. I have ben cutting the back 3 acres ever since. Sometimes I let the "field" get too tall and the engine would bog down. I changed the original 8" pulley to a 6" and that helped. I now use a 4.5" pulley. I believe it was use for the sickle bar. The 4.5" works great. There is a lot more torque to the blades. The engine never bogs down now, the cut is still good with the slower blade speed. Also, starting up in gear, with the blades turning, is a lot easier on the clutch.
 
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