'79 IH 782 survivor

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Adding to the posts of vintage lawn tractors.

1979 IH 782 w/ the Kohler KT17

Bought this in the mid 90's as our first mower. I then bought a new MTD made Cub Cadet in ~2000 when we bought a new house with a larger yard. The newer Cub was awful, IIRC we had maybe one or two good years, than endless carb and running issues and we got rid of it...meanwhile the 782 soldiered on. Now that I don't do my own yard work anymore (just don't enjoy it), the 782 lives on as a yard tug, tractor, etc. Sad what MTD did with the brand....though they seem to have gotten better.

Has the Series 1 engine, which isn't the most durable one out there, but yearly M1 15w-50 is working well. The later ones had a much improved lubrication system.

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Nice! I love ALL old garden tractors regardless of color!
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But seriously. Rider mowers of today have higher powered engines and better hydraulic systems compared to the old tractors. But what the old iron garden tractors accomplished with 8-14 horse engines is quite incredible. I'd snatch up a John Deere 318, a Bolens HT23, a Cub Cadet 129, etc... any day of the week if I had room in my one car garage to store it. But I'm keeping my car inside! Here are a couple tractors with fender/large tire kits to make them look more like mini farm tractors. I love it!

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L8R,
Matt
 
Cool stuff! I have a 1972 Wheel Horse Commando 800 and a 1975 Wheel Horse B-80. The B-80 still has grass cutting duties. Both have the original Kohler K-181 engines in them and perform very well.
 
The "red" Cubs are work horses. No doubt. People who have them, tend to love them.

Maybe one day I'll buy one. Those 982's are considered the most sought after.
 
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