C-125~~ should I buy

[patti 0]

My husband can't cut the grass this year due to a side effect of chemotherapy: terrible numbness in his hands, arms, feet and legs. The doctors say it should go away in 18-24 months. Meanwhile, the grass is growing. Rather than hire someone to cut the grass, I would like to cut it myself. We decided to purchase a riding mower. (My husband used to cut the 2 acres with a push mower for exercise.) Today we saw a C-125 lawn mower/tractor that sounds sweet but is rusted on the body. We have never owned a wheel horse tractor and know nothing about them but from reading the posts on this site they seem like quality tractors. The C-125 we saw today is $350 plus $25 for a new battery. He said we could paint it to make it look pretty. Is this a good buy or should I tell him good-bye? Is there anything we should look for or know? Thank you. Patti

[wh500special 2,277]

Patti,

Sorry to hear of your husband's illness. Hopefully he recovers fully from the disease and the cures.

The C-series tractors (like the C-125) are probably WH's best effort and are far and away the most popular machines they made. The price you listed is probably on the mid to upper end of normal for one of these tractors in average condition, but is not out of line if the tractor is in good mechanical shape (price is heavily dependent on location).

A definate plus to this line of tractors is that other implements are also easy to come by and are affordable (tillers, snow removal equipment, etc.)

Keep in mind though that the tractor is 25 years old and WILL experience minor breakdowns from time to time and might require some tinkering to keep it going. Proper care though will give you another 25 years out of it. Parts for the tractor, deck, and engine are readily available and reasonably affordable both new and used from dealerships (new) and people (used) on this site.

You should try to evaluate the mechanical condition of the tractor or find a friend who knows about these things before you take the plunge (depending on where you are you might find someone from this message board to help too). Try the tractor out with the deck at the seller's property and look for serious oil leaks ( a few drips don't hurt and at this age it will likely leak a little from the rear axle and the engine), smoke, odd noises, knocks, pings, squeaks, sloppy steering, vibrations, and general ease of use of the various controls. Look underneath where the frame bolts to the transmission for cracks...not a show stopper but something that can happen.

If the tractor has a manual transmission, make sure it operates in EVERY gear (all 8 speeds). If it has an automatic transmission (hydrostatic) you should drive it long enough to get the transmission warm so that you can evaluate whether it loses appreciable pulling power when it heats up (see if it will drive up a hill when hot). If it loses power, walk away.

Mow with the tractor and look for any wierd shaking or vibrations in the deck. These things aren't swiss watches, but anything out of the ordinary should pop up. At this age, there will probably be a few holes in the deck sheet metal which is acceptable, but if the metal seems soft or excessively rusty you shoud take note. Also try to find the heaviest grass you can and try to mow it to see if the engine has enough oomph and if the PTO clutch is working properly. Not sure which deck it has (36" and 42" rear discharge was available as well as 42" and 48" side discharge), but some decks do a better job than others in leaving a nice finish cut. Again, reasonable expectations on a 25 year old tractor should prevail.

I'd budget another $100 or so to help accomodate any unforeseen expenses it might take to get going to your satisfaction (belts, a tire, points, mower blades, plug, etc). You can look up parts using the model number on Toro's website and just about everything on these is a DIY item if you're a little handy.

The C-series tractors are great machines and are extremely durable. Just put some effort first into making sure you're getting a decent machine that is ready to go. Chances are, it is in usable condition as it is and will give you many years of service.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Steve

[patti 0]

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your reply. The C-125 we saw was a 38"/ manual ..... the engine hums. The guy who is sellling it cut his own grass with it to test it and said it runs great.

You gave us so much detailed information.....I really appreciate it. We will carefully consider this. We live in Mount Airy MD.

Thanks again, Patti

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,610]

Patti,

. Steve gave you some excellent info and I don't know if I could add anything to his excellent response or not. He made some good points and sound advice. I would definitely take it for a test drive, and be sure you hear the deck run. After 25 years, things can go wrong, most are fixable, but some fixes may be costly. Again, welcome to the site. And I pray that your husband makes a full and complete recovery.