OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions On Ride On Mowers Frames Kingcat Puma - And then, the Cat came back

Hi All. Well just took the Kingcat Puma 1100 I got from the tip shop for its first mow. It all works, transaxle, cutter, height adjuster, key start and all the flat tyres hold air with no problem except for having had to clean the valve on one of the rears. I replaced the dead 12HP with a 10.5 that I had here that I got for free. It drives the machine okay but bogs a little when first engaging the cutter but then picks back up and handles light grass no problems. I will probably throw a new 13HP on it at a later date when I get financial again. One thing though, I think I might need to invest in a kidney belt, it has the roughest ride I've ever experienced on a mower. In 5th gear the thing is a rocket but I doubt the 10.5 would handle mowing as well in top gear but it makes getting from one area to another pretty quick. Just have to finish fabricating the new steering wheel now. So my total cost is $50 plus a few consumables like cutter discs, oxy and a bit of wire.
Anyway, thanks to everyone that provided advice and links to manuals etc, would have been a much bigger pain without you guys.

You will never get your money back on that Trev. Well done, might have to get yourself one of those big fat office chairs that Jack is so fond of, to cushion the ride

G'day aussietrev, Norm, and all

I have a technical question: is the rough ride due to the tyres?
The smaller ride-ons do not accommodate ergonomic seat designs, and
most rely on Tyre pressure dampening for an acceptable ride.

I note that Norman has observed my fondness for "big fat office chairs"
on ride-ons. In fact, my secret dream is for an Emperor or Empress throne -
with goblet holder of course - and to a sacred Benjamin Hill tune ...

Good story here.
------------------------
Jack

Jack I think that it is because we are getting soft, I bet the early settlers out here would have loved to have a ride on mower and I bet they would never have complained about a sore bum

Well it looks like I will have to swap out the 10.5 and put the 17HP Intek motor I have spare onto the cat. I took it for a real workout and headed into a patch of paddock that hasn't been mown in a couple of years and while it handled two foot tall, and thick, growth with lots of small branches hiding amongst it with ease, it absolutely refused to mow the fallen three strand barbed wire fence and star pickets. Obviously needs more horsepower.
As to the ride and tyre pressures Jack, yes it is improved slightly by lowering them below manufacturers spec but any similarity between the seating type and position and ergonomic design is strictly coincidental. I fear it is the high back Cortina bucket for sure for this one.

Trev you were asking a lot of a poor little 10.5, but you proved what you set out to do and that is it all works as designed

Hi Norm, the 10.5 is handling it surprisingly well really, apart from the barbed wire fence that is. I have a 100 acre block with driveable tracks all through it, the longest of which is over a kilometer each way, and I did all the tracks and mowed the front a rear house yards in about an hour and used less than three quarters of the very small tank the 10.5 has. It mows in 5th gear no worries at all and has a fabulous turning circle, you can just about do donuts with it. Have to be careful at speed in fifth though, it will go up on two wheels if you throw it around hard enough.

Trev, when a machine is that good, why did they stop building them, when you can get something from the tip and get it to perform the way it does.....Oh yeah I know, if they build them tough like that they will go broke because people don't have to keep buying new ones, basic logic isn't it

You're right Norm, no future in building machines that don't have to be thrown away every couple of years. Although at the price they are asking for new ride ons these days you have to wonder why there isn't a much bigger market for reconditioned older machines that will outlast them. Having said that though, you should see the mental prices people will pay around here at farm auctions for even just a rolling chassis of an old Greenfield or Rover. I was going to pick up one that was basically four wheels and the discs of the drive system to recondition my old Rancher Autodrive but when the bidding hit $250 in very short order I decided new parts would be cheaper anyway.

Trev I can't get my head around what wrecks of ride ons go for on ebay, even if I pick something up for $50/$100 and spend a month replacing all the bearings and worn bits and get it back in perfect working condition, I still struggle to get my money back on what I have spent on it, I don't expect anything back on my labour. I see these things on ebay selling for$200/250 and I know they need at least that much again spent on them and that is if the motor is ok. I bought a Greenie for a mate last year for $180 on ebay, the seller had receipts for $700 in parts and $400 in labour to fit them, but even with all that done I still spent another $300 on parts for it and the motor still needs to be replaced. It works fine just chews a bit of oil. You did exceptionally well with that Cat, did you just stumble on it at the tip or did you have them worded up. I can't afford to go to out local tip anymore, they want $120 for a 6x4 of rubbish without high sides

I have a Kingcat Cheeta which is a 700mm cut and I have a 16hp Vanguard motor, do you think this would be a bit of overkill if I fitted this motor on it. Might be good for a mower racer but it would be a pity to chop the Kingcat up because these are such a well built machine and cuts well, but the governor has failed on the 8hp Briggs motor