Is Cub Cadet 2500 Series Worth the Money?

[LBrown59]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I hope you can help me out...
I'm looking at purchasing a new lawn tractor. I have my heart set on the CC 2550. I am just having second thoughts about pulling the trigger. I can get a CC 1050 for $1999, while the 2550 is $3999.
1* Is the 2550 TWICE as good as the 1050?
2*Will the 2550 last TWICE as long as the 1050?
I compared the specs and was even more confused.
3*The 1050 has:2 more horsepower (thou it's a B&S rather than the Kohler in the 2550, so that's proably not an apples to apples comparison)
Has a 9 gauge frame (the 2050 is 11, but it is "twin c-channel")
3.5 gallon fuel tank (the 2050 is only 2.25)
4*The only clear advantages on the specs that go to the 2550 is the shaft drive and the cast iron transmissoin housing (the 1050 is aluminum) and the c-channel frame.
Is there something I'm missing here (there has to be) that makes the 2550 twice as much.
5*Even the B&S vs Kohler doesn't seem like $2000 worth.
6*If B&S is as bad as some people make them out to be, there would B&S lawnmowers dead on the curb at every turn.Mel

1*I have a CC GT2554 That I expect to last at least 30 or 35 years.
I have a 1966 Bolens I bought new Way way back in 1966. The CC GT2554 is hevy duty built very similar to the Bolans so I'd expect it's life expectancy to be about the same.
2*Contrast this with the new 1995 Wards PowerKraft I had for 10 years. I had issues from day one with it but the beggie was the engine never did run right and nobody could ever fix it in spite of working on it for 10 years.
This tractor was the CC 1050 you are considering with a Power Kraft label on it.
It had the BS 500 hour engine and it was a constant
aggravation .
3*The 2 HP nor the engine brand don't count .
What matters is The Engine for the 2550 is a 2000 hour rated engine but the Engine for the 1050 is only designed to last 500 hours.
4* cast iron transmissoin is also a stronger heavier duty tranny.
5*It does when you consider 500 VS 2000 hours engine life.
6*It's not BS vs Kohler .
It's entry level verses upper level engine.

 

[northstar1958]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but can you take a look at the link below. Its for a used 2550 (i think)...i'm trying to read it off the tractor. It has a 19 horse kohler, but i see other models that have a 22 horse. Did they put different engines in different models? I'm interested in buying this mower, but i don't know if its a good deal or not. Thanks for any info.

http://www.minotads.com/getListing.php?tcat=&cat=&p=1&a=430645



Barry

 

[LBrown59]

I have about an acre with a house (so I'm cutting less than an acre).
1*Most of it is flat, though not exactly "smooth" (bumps and such, but nothing extreme).
2*Meaning a $1500 mower that last 5 years is equal (in my mind) to a $3000 mower that last 10 years
I came to the CC 2550 because my neighboor has a three year old CC 1050 that he loves. I visited the local independant dealer looking to purchase a new 1050.
3*The dealer said they no longer carried the 1000 series because of a rash of problems they had with those mowers .
4*I can get a CC 2500 series or a CC Z-force. If it honestly isn't worth the money (as far as my cost/year thoughts go),
5* then I'll head to tractor supply and pick up the CC 1050 be done with it.
6*So ultimately, I guess my question is... as a guy who's really only going to "cut grass" with his lawn mower... will I benefit from the CD 2500 series, or will the 1000 series provide the same cost/year benefits?
A secondary question may be is the Z-force more similar in quality to the 2500 series than the 1000 series
7*(I may be willing to pay a premium for the faster cutting time and maneuverability of the Z-force)

1*Bumps and rough ground and steep hills defeat the purpose of a zero turn.
2*But in the real world the 2550 will likely last much more than twice as long as the 1050 while avoiding the annoyance of constant problems and break downs.
3*This is all the reason I'd need to avoid a 1050. Why would you want something that a dealer has had unacceptable performance from???
4*The 2550 would be the winner in my book.
5*I still don't understand why you'd want something that a dealer says is no good.
6*But what if the El Cheap O won't even do that /then what ? Been there done that an regretted it.
7*I doubt if the mowing will be much quicker due to having to drive much slower to prevent the rough bumpy ground from jarring your guts out.

MelLandry,
In my opinion, it sounds like the LT1050 would fit bill.
1*Do you have a Simplicity dealer close by?

1*I don't see where Simplicity is going to help as it will probably cost more than the CC 2550 and certainly bundles more than A CC 1050.

Thanks agian Arthur,
1* Sounds like the 2500 may be more tractor than I really need.

1*But the 1050 may turn out to be a bigger headache than you want.

1*The CC 2500 series is probably the toughest tractor style mower under $5000 on the market.
2*The 1000 series is an avg run of the mill box store grade tractor.
The 2500 has a Kohler Command engine, shaft drive, twin c-channel frame, 1" rear axle, and a heavy duty cast-iron transmission with a spin on filter for ease of maintenance. Regardless of what CC literature says about "Professional grade", the B&S engine on the 1000 series is an Intek (a true "Pro" engine that size costs about the same as the whole 1050 mower), there is no mention of servicing the transmission in the brochure (like on the 1500 series) so I doubt there is a trans drain plug, and 3/4" rear axle.
To sum it up, a mower consists of an engine, transmission, axles, and mower deck, all held together by the frame. The 2500 series has a commercial grade engine, heavy duty fully serviceable transmission, and 1/3 larger rear axle than the 1000 series.
You won't be sorry for buying quality.
If you decide the 2550 isn't worth the extra cash for your needs, and if you would just buy the 1050 from TSC, then
3*I would recommend shopping for the cheapest mower that is the size you want. Husqvarna, Craftsman, CC 1000 series, JD 100 series, Snapper @ Sears, Ariens @ HD, and Husky @ TSC are all about equal in quality.

1*The CC GC 2500 and 3000 series offer more bang for the buck than any garden tractor out there,
2*O so true. I had one Box store tractor / never again!
3*There is no better advice than this for anyone considering a Big box store tractor.

Like a couple others have said, the 1050 is an entry level machine and is made as cheaply as they can to hit a price point.
There is a lot more than spec's that define a products qlty. One spec that can help is the weight. How much more does the 2xxx series weigh than the 1050. Looking at each, can you see the places where the extra weight is adding to the strength and qlty?
Won't find it in the spec's but how are wear points handled? Bushings, bearings? how about grease fittings? All these things add to cost and qlty. My 3xxx series Cub is built for the long haul. Grease fitting in many places, even small things like the cross shaft for the brake lever has bronze bushing on both ends. The mower deck tips the scales at >250# and has a doz grease fittings.
-----A quality machine if taken care of properly will be running strong closer to 20 yrs than 10. And how much is it still worth at what you consider it's end of life. The Cub replaced a JD 318 that was >15 yrs old ad had a book value of over $2.
1*My old Bolen's is nearing 40 yrs old and is still running and earning it's keep. It cost a little over $2k in 1970 with mower and tiller.
Quality cost a little more up front but over the long haul it is likely going to be cheaper.
2*If the budget can afford it, I'd go for the 2xxx series machine.

1*Mine is 43 years old . I bought it new in June of 1966.
2*Just no comparison between the entry level Big Box Store 1000 series lawn tractors and the 2500 and 3000 series upper level garden tractors.

 

[QueBota]

If you can afford the extra cash for the 2550 without causing any financial issues I would go for the 2550. The extra 2K over 10 years is only $200 per year and at the end of ten years you will have a machine with lots of life left (if properly maintained) and I would guess a much a higher resale value if it came to that. Plus the 10 years of ownership which should be mostly trouble free and enjoyable every time you climb on or see it sitting in the shop.

Nothing worse than a piece of equipement that is down or doesn't live up to expectations.

Just my .02

Dave

 

[harpoonalt]

For just cutting grass of less than an acre buy the cheaper mower and maintain it well. Keep it greased, the blades sharp, and the oil changed and you'll have it a long time. My FIL has a crappy agway tractor that's older than dirt, looks like he** , and is still running after 15 years or so. If you want to use it for other stuff then splurge and get the heavier duty model. 2 grand is a lot of money to spend for capabilities you don't need. Wants are another thing but you don't seem to care about that. ZTR mowers will cut your time down quite a bit compared to a tractor. Had one, sold it and regret it greatly. The homeowner quality ZTR machines don't impress me much. Find a low hour commercial ZTR before you buy a box store one. They will last you forever and the cut quality and time saved will be enormous. In my old house with a 1/2 acre lot my tractor took 45 minutes with all the stuff to go around. My 48" ZTR cut that down to 15 minutes and left me with less weed whacking to do as well. As mowers, ZTR's rule.

 

[LBrown59]

If you can afford the extra cash for the 2550 without causing any financial issues I would go for the 2550. The extra 2K over 10 years is only $200 per year and at the end of ten years you will have a machine with lots of life left (if properly maintained) and I would guess a much a higher resale value if it came to that. Plus the 10 years of ownership which should be mostly trouble free and enjoyable every time you climb on or see it sitting in the shop.

*Nothing worse than a piece of equipement that is down or doesn't live up to expectations.

Just my .02

Dave

*That's what I Got for going with a low end entry level Big Box store retaged CC El Cheapo.