Thread: First Impression: 2009 LTX1042

I stopped at my dealer on the way home today, and he had one of the new LTX 1042's on display. So I gave it a once-over to see what's been improved, cheapened, etc. etc. Here's a list in no particular order:

1) New hood design is MUCH improved over the previous generation. It is now hinged in the front, doesn't have any pistons, and has a more competent metal bracket that attaches the hood to the tractor. Also, it can be removed very easily without tools, you just have to unplug the headlights. All in all I would say this is a very serious, very significant improvement over the previous design.

2) Gas tank is now in engine compartment. It sits inside the firewall and is retained with 3 or 4 wires (think old-style shopping cart). The tank is not held immobile, and can be moved around about 1/2"-3/4" in all directions. Reason for this is:

3) No fuel pump. Fuel is gravity fed, which is why the tank was placed where it was. As a result...

4) The battery is now under the seat.

5) Rear wheels no longer mount via lugs. They now mount like any other LT you'd see at a BBS.

6) Steering slop is very prominent. The tie-rods have at least 2 jogs in them before they connect to the front axle. The result of this is that no amount of tightening the ends can stop the rods from rotating at least a little, which in turn results in the steering wheel being able to rotate in either direction a little bit before it moves the tie rods. Was not able to take a real good look as to why this was done, but the end result is an incredibly cheap feel.

7) 42" deck is a timed deck with cogged belt. I was not able to examine the removal/reattachment process, so I can't tell whether some measure has been taken to ensure that the typical home user doesn't hose things up when he reattaches the deck.

8) Manual PTO seems decent enough, but I wasn't able to see it in action.

That's all I can think of atm.