Rating By Owners for the Cub Cadet 44″ Lawn Sweeper
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Who Is The Cub Cadet 44″ Lawn Sweeper For?
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper performs very well in clearing up a variety of lawn debris. It is a re-branded version of the Agri-Fab 44″. The Agri-Fab tends to cost less, so it’s worth getting that instead.
The 44 inch wide hopper of the Cub Cadet is larger than that of most other lawn sweepers, and with a 25 cubic foot capacity you can be sure that it will hold a lot of debris before dumping is required (saving you time on start-stops).
This lawn sweeper makes efficient use of the hopper capacity due to the “air flow” design feature that fills the bag from back to front, which reduces clogging.
Overview
Review Background
- Author: Ray
- Published: April 20, 2015
- Updated: July 2, 2016
- Research Sources: HomeDepot.com and Mowers Direct
- Verified Purchases (?) Used For This Review: 26
- Average Home Depot*: 4.5 out of 5.0
- Average Mowers Direct*: 5.0 out of 5.0
- Average Total Owner Rating (Home Depot + Mowers Direct)*: 4.5 out of 5.0
* On Publishing Date.
Product Facts
- Model Number: 45-0492-100.
- Lawn Type Compatibility: works with all common residential lawns.
- Lawn Tractor/Riding Mower Compatibility: works with machines that have a universal hitch (check with the manufacturer about your specific towing machine).
- Weight: 92 lbs (41.73 kg).
- Assembled Product Size (L x W x H): 55″ x 78″ x 52″ (139.7 x 198.12 x 132.08 cm).
Riding Lawn Mower Required
Residential riding lawn mower
(this one is hybrid gas-electric)
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper needs to be towed by a riding lawn mower or lawn tractor. They come in compact residential versions (see image on your right).
Are you looking for a good one?
Then check out the best selling riding lawn mowers/tractors on Amazon. Most will be shipped to your door for free.
The Cub Cadet 44″ has a universal hitch attachment that works on standard hitches. Therefore any best selling riding lawn mower should work with it.
Product Video
What Owners Say About The Cub Cadet 44″ Lawn Sweeper
What Owners Like
The majority of reviews are favorable about the ease of use and high quality performance of the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper.
Owners mention how much better their yard looks after using the Cub Cadet 44″. It also makes the lawn healthier as dead grass is removed by the lawn sweeper.
One person says that the Cub Cadet performed better than he expected.
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is described as being easy to attach to a lawn tractor/riding mower. Its build is heavy enough to do the job but also light enough to move around nimbly as a tow behind attachment.
People are happy with the large capacity hopper and efficient method of debris collection. In particular, the tow hitch “offset” feature allows you to collect grass as you mow, which will save you even more time when clearing your lawn.
One buyer on Amazon says: “If you’re used to raking or blowing your leaves, you will be in for a pleasant surprise as to how quick and easy leaf gathering can be when you use this lawn sweeper.”
What Owners Dislike
There are few negative comments about the Cud Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper.
One owner is happy with the Cub Cadet’s performance but notes that it once got clogged up even when the hopper had not fully filled up. He is not sure what caused the issue, and says he will experiment with the mower speed and brush height to try to solve the issue (unfortunately, we cannot follow up with him).
Adjusting the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper brush height improves debris pick-up
Another owner says that the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is excellent at collecting dry grass clippings but does not work well with freshly cut or damp grass.
What The Lawn Sweeper Picks Up Well
People describe the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper as picking up leaves and twigs like a “powerful vacuum”. One person says that it sweeps up pine cones all over the yard in just a few passes.
The Cub Cadet 44″ is also praised as being highly effective at picking up pine needles and grass clippings.
What The Lawn Sweeper Does Not Pick Up Well
No issues reported with any debris.
Reported Lawn Sweeping Time Savings
One owner says that it used to take him 2-3 days to clear the lawn. Now, with the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper, it just takes a few hours, leaving lots of time to enjoy other outdoor activities.
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is a big time saver
Another person says that it would take him most of the day to blow or rake the leaves in his half acre yard. Using the Cub Cadet 44″, he was able to finish clearing the entire yard in just 2 hours.
Fun Factor
People rave about how fun the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is to use.
One owner says he was disappointed that the lawn was cleared so quickly and thought about offering to sweep his neighbour’s yard to keep the fun going!
Ease Of Assembly (With Approximate Assembly Time)
Assembly of the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is mostly described as “easy” and “not too difficult”, with the total time required ranging between 30 minutes to 1 hour. Even those who found the assembly a bit tricky were able to manage it in about an hour.
The assembly instructions are described as being a bit difficult to follow, as there are no words to accompany the pictures.
Most people say they did not require extra tools but one person mentions the need for pliers. Another person says that he needed an extra pair of hands during the assembly, but this also did not appear to be a common problem.
Some people say they would like more detailed instructions, although there are good video instructions for assembling the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper.
Ease Of Use
Several people mention how easy the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is to use. A few even describe it as being a “breeze”.
Ease Of Storage
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper quickly folds down for storage and takes up much less room compared to its assembled size.
The hopper can be collapsed and removed for storage.
Fatigue Reduction
Several people say that days and hours of back breaking work throughout the year has ended thanks to the Cud Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper. Without a doubt this machine will make debris collection a lot easier on the body and free up your energy.
Packaging Quality
The packaging of the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is a contentious issue. Quite a few people were unhappy with how the lawn sweeper had been packaged and complained about damaged or missing parts.
One person says that while there was no damage to the lawn sweeper itself, they could understand the potential for problems due to lack of extra packaging. The product is shipped in merely a thick, corrugated cardboard box. The lawn sweeper is deemed as too heavy to be packaged in such a light way.
One owner had to re-order the product after the initial shipment had a part that was bent and unusable. However, on receiving the replacement, the same person found that it too had bent parts, with paint peeling off.
The packaging is also criticized for having smaller metal parts just floating around. These are blamed for scratching the paint on the larger sweeper parts. One person even suggests that the packaging should include a can of spray paint so that scrapes and scratches can be repaired!
All the people who experienced the above problems say that everything was promptly replaced by the manufacturer, but it did delay getting started with the lawn sweeper.
Build Quality
The build of the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is generally described as sturdy. However, one person says that the frame that holds the hopper is engineered poorly and got bent on the first dump. That does not seem to be a common experience with other owners.
Emptying Mechanism
The emptying action is simple and can be operated from the tractor/riding mower seat. You simply reach behind and pull the long handle, which tips the hopper forward and empties its contents. The handle mechanism on the Cud Cadet 44″ is more sturdy than the rope that many other lawn sweepers come with.
Safety Issues
None reported.
Customer Service Experiences
A few people who purchased the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper from Home Depot complained about damaged or missing parts (see the “Packaging Quality” section above) and in some cases they had to return the whole package or order missing parts. Home Depot resolved the problems promptly.
Performance Tips From Owners
- To save time in the overall lawn sweeping process, pin a tarp to the ground and drive your tractor over it to dump the debris. A two person team is optimal: the driver slowly pulls away while releasing the hopper, while the second person makes sure the leaves are gathered up on the tarp. This makes it easy to quickly collect all the debris and discard it properly.
- If you find that the Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is not picking up all of the leaves in one pass, try adjusting speed and the height of the brush in order to increase uptake.
- Having the brushes set to the ideal height for your lawn will not only help the Cub Cadet 44″ pick up more leaves in each pass, but will help prevent skipping or stuttering. The right speed will help the brushes work more efficiently. The perfect combination of height and speed is achieved through trial and error, and once found it will make a big difference in lawn sweeper performance.
Additional Details
About The Manufacturer
The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper is sold under the Cub Cadet brand and made by Agri-Fab.
Cub Cadet was founded in 1961 and is based in Ohio. They specialize in lawn and garden power equipment. Their primary products are lawn tractors and mowers. They design and produce their products in the US.
Agri-Fab is based in Illinois, specializing in the manufacturing of lawn and garden care attachments. They have over 40 years of experience with lawn sweepers, which are their primary product.
Manufacturing Country
United States of America.
Warranty Coverage
This product has a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. In order to activate it, the product needs to be registered.
Return Policy
Amazon tends to offer a 30-day return period. Make sure to verify the details of the return policy with the retailer you purchase from.
Replacement Part Availability And Cost
Replacement parts for this lawn sweeper can be purchased from Agri-Fab’s parts web site. Be sure to enter the model number as 45-0492 (drop the last ‘-100’). The parts list can be found on page 25 of this PDF document.
There is no information about parts on the Cub Cadet website as they do not manufacture it.
Product Manual Download
The product manual is available here in PDF format.
The Verdict
Buy The Cub Cadet 44″The Cub Cadet 44″ lawn sweeper has positive reviews from the majority of owners. They praise its ease of use and strong performance.
It has special features such as a mechanism to easily adjust brush height to match your lawn, as well as an adjustable tow hitch that enables you to simultaneously mow and sweep (further reducing lawn care time).
The biggest let down is the packaging quality, sometimes resulting in damaged or missing parts.
The lawn sweeper is easy to assemble and takes around an hour to put together.
