how to determine yr. manf. from S/N?

[mroman59]

I am looking at used GT models (GT2542 mainly) of Cub Cadets on the internet. Does anyone know how to identify the year of manf. from the serial no. given. Often the seller will say he does not know the year, but he will be able to give the s/n.

Also, any comments on these tractors will be appreciated. The only tractors I have owned are Simplicity. I was looking at John Deere X300 tractor because of its heavy duty frame, but it has vertical shaft engine. I have not seen the frame of the GT2542 yet. The GT is considered a Garden Tractor with a horizontal shaft engine.

I am mainly concerned about lawn cutting and may never buy attachments, because I like using a walk behind snow blower and my 7117 simplicity has a heavy duty tiller and plow attachment. Regardless, I would rather have a heavy duty garden tractor for cutting that will last for years, rather than a lawn tractor that always need wrenching on or throw away in few years.

I would like to know more about what you guys think the features on the cub cadet GT2542, i.e. transmission, ease of changing trainy oil, belts, deck removal, cutting, etc.

Until I know the year of the tractor I am looking at, I will not be sure of its features. I am sure there has been some changes to the model from year to year.

Thanks,
MR

 

[Captain Ned]

I've been running a GT2542 for 2 1/2 years now. Have no idea what year it is and would like some answers to that question as well.

I love my Cub and find it to be easy to maintain. The 2 belts are easy to replace. The deck comes off easily and goes back on without too much hassle. Tranny oil/filter changes are easy.

Cutting quality will depend on which blades you use (hi-lift vs. mulchers; I vote for hi-lifts) and how long you let the grass grow before mowing again. I'm a lazy sot, so my cut quality isn't the best.

The only thing that bugged me was the useless plastic oil drain fitting. I piped a hard drain and that problem disappeared. Search "GT2542 oil" and you should quickly find the several threads discussing the best way to do this. I'm also going to install the optional oil cooler kit before this year's mowing season to try to bring down the engine temps. If you don't install the cooler, I'd recommend using Shell Rotella T6 Synthetic oil in the engine given the high engine temps on the standard layout. The best part is that you can use it in the tranny as well instead of the kilobuck Cub Drive fluid.

 

[mroman59]

Thanks for the information on the tractor. Do you have the part no. for the optional oil cooler kit. I think i would be interested in doing that.

MR