Strengths 100hrs so far. zero turn works great. Kohler 20 hp motor is rock solid, spinoff filter is nice. Comfortable. Great on hills and around trees. Bagger works great with high lift blades installed. No belt issues (make sure the deck is installed properly). Reverse interlock is very nice and easy to use.

Weaknesses no cruise control, sticky brake requires a side step after being stored for a while (this has been discribed as the tranmission locking up, not the case just side step the brake pedal once at each startup and all is good). Too much vibration at drink holder (full beer will foam over...not good). Reverse interlock relay sometimes releases requiring a reset (this is evident when the indicator light goes out and can be reset while running). Mower deck grease fittings require jacking the front end up.

Overall 1.5 acres with lot of landscaping and hills. The i1046 is a good fit, gets the tight stuff and can quickly cut the flat open stuff. Ride is a little harsh. Happy overall

Strengths Nice when it works.

Weaknesses Same storie. Belts continually pop off and fray. Had to tighten up the front end because they would pop off the turning mechanism and point in the wrong directions. Only use for cutting grass.

Overall No wonder they discontinued this model. What a wast of money. No more cub cadets for me.

Strengths This is my 3thrd Cub Cadet I1046, and will be my last It totally (SUCKS).The grease fittings for the blades are under the mower, I am in my 70's and can not get down that low to lubricate, No thought from the MFG. for older people. I put on Mulch blades and it leaves a trail.

Weaknesses 'ALL THE ABOVE' SHAME ON THE mfg.

Overall

Strengths Looks, Comfort, Ease of use.

Weaknesses Price, reliability, design flaws, try to find an oil filter.

Overall I like the way it works when it works right. It has had the front Drive gear break where the wheels point in opposite directions. Under warranty. One rear wheel drive froze up and would not turn until forced into gear by throttle. Under Warranty. Brake leaver lock was not assembled correctly at factory was fixed by store employee day after purchased. Drive Belts keeps jumping out their pulleys causing about 20 minutes of work to replace into track and is chewing the belt up. Out of Warranty. Cannot locate Oil Filter easliy for this mower now even where purchased. Major ordeal to find a simple oil filter.

Strengths Few! Nice looking, I suppose. When it runs, it is a nice machine.

Weaknesses JUNK!!! 74 hours and the belts have jumped four times and now the right rear drive unit is shot. GONE!!! Not covered by warranty!! Even though it is only two years old it would be worth less sold fixed than the repair itself. I understand they are discontinued and WELL SO!

Overall BAD, very bad!

Strengths Zero turn a definite plus with trees, obstacles in the yard. Saves a lot of time.

Weaknesses Mowing deck belt/pulley system is bad. Main spring holding the tension on the pulleys for the blade drive belt (only one belt on this model) keeps popping off causing the belt jump off the pulleys (from vibration I assume) sometimes ruining the belt. I have had to replace this spring three times already to keep the tension tight enough to keep the spring on. I have had to replace the belt twice.

Overall Very nice tractor other than the bad design of the mowing deck blade drive system. Had no problems with mower until after the first year of use.

Strengths I purchased mower from Home Depot with 9 hrs. on it. Took home started mowing lawn and engine started blowing white smoke out exhaust. Still doing today. Used it about four times on a smooth level yard. Turned right and something poped in front end. The front wheels point both in different directions. Could not back up or go forward. Took cover off upper control arm and steering gear broke. I am going to load mower up and take back to get refund. Had my Honda rider for 20 years and never any problems with it. The cub cadet is NO Honda riding mower. I am going to put my old mower back in service. News ones are junk.

Weaknesses

Overall

Strengths It was a customer bring-back. Marked down from $2999. It had 3.6 hours on it. I really got lucky on this one. It runs very strong. It cranks on the coldest day. Is comfortable, and easy to use. I like it quite a lot, and, would highly recommend it.

Weaknesses None that I know of. I don't know why they don't make the transmissions so that they have a filter and drain plug on them. This is true for most lawn tractors that are hydro and made today.

Overall Remember, it is a mower, not a garden tractor. Don't try to move earth or do heavy work with it.

Strengths Zero-turn performance, Wide Track/Stability on hills, Ease of use, Reduces mowing time, Bagger is very efficient.

Weaknesses No cruise control, Fuel filler not convenient with bagger attached.

Overall Pleasure to use. Note price in Australian Dollars - yes we pay more over here!

Strengths Zero-turn, Cuts great, bagger works great, cuts mowing time almost in half.

Weaknesses No cruise control

Overall Have put 15 hrs on it and it's the best I've owned. Being a zero-turn tractor is the best. I actually look forward to mowing the lawn! Could not go back to a traditional lawn tractor!