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.
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.