My first impressions on a Cub Cadet GTX2000 w/ 48" Fab deck.....

[dieselbob69]

Well,here goes. Bought this mower to replace the POS Kubota GR2100 that tranny was going to h*ll on. This was a leftover at my local Cub dealer-build date under seat says 05/12. Before even being delivered it had the electronic power steering box/whatever it is replaced. After mowing for over a month and 25 hours on unit now,here's my observations. I previously mentioned a clicking coming from transmission after mowing when tranny is warm-dealer told me not to worry about it,it goes away,the Series 2000 have done that since they came out(some do,some don't). After 25 hours,it still does it sometimes after mowing. The 48" Fab deck-I THOUGHT it would be an improvement over the previous Cubs I have owned-wrong. Grass still builds up and needs scraping after each mowing(water ports help,but after getting the big pieces out)-I've also applied Mo-Deck a couple times(supposed to help w/ buildup).Grass is NOT wet when mowing. Builds up w/ regular blades and the Xtreme blades that are on it now(like Gator blades). Plastic hood is big and wide-too big in my opinion.Tough to see items when pulling up close. Tried to put some door edge protectors on edge of hood to prevent that ugly white chaffing on the black plastic-will have to re-apply the ones on top better,but seem to help some. The front Cub badge fell off after 10 hrs(poor adhesive). The one thing I do like about this mower is the speed. It does have decent forward speed,and the reverse speed is pretty fast(well,compared to the Kubota).The engine(Kohler Command) backfires once each time I shut it off-don't remember my other Cubs doing that(think they had a Briggs motor).I am not impressed with this mower,I doubt I would buy another. A real letdown after the previous Cubs I've purchased new(a 2165 in 1994 and a 3204 in 2002). Build quality has really cheapened in the 20 years,but I guess that's a trait most companies have. I'll do periodic updates.....

 

[HillStreet]

I bought a smaller Cub LTX1045 last June. Has 70 hours on it now and it seems to work OK but something tells me it won't last 5 years. Cheap. No zerks on spindles, transmission screams going up a slight grade. I modified my mowing pattern so that I mow going down grade and just make large circuits around the yard so I don't have to mow upgrade.

I don't have confidence in the machine and wish I did not buy it. Tried to do the right thing by buying American and buying local. It's gonna cost me.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

To prevent backfire on Kohler engines at shutoff they recommend full throttle at shutoff. I don't like hearing the engine race and found that if I let it idle and ram the throttle wide open the instant I turn the key off, it works just as well.

Bob B.

 

[dieselbob69]

To prevent backfire on Kohler engines at shutoff they recommend full throttle at shutoff. I don't like hearing the engine race and found that if I let it idle and ram the throttle wide open the instant I turn the key off, it works just as well.

Bob B.

Thanks for the tip. I tried letting it idle with throttle down for about 30 seconds before turning it off today after mowing-no backfire. I forgot to add the headlights suck in my original post.Plastic flimsy lenses that allow dust and material to get in behind them,on top of being on all the time. Stupid design.Should have option of turning them off rather than pulling bulb out.

 

[dieselbob69]

Well,after 44hrs of use,transmission was clicking quite noisily when I was done mowing tonight.I really,really regret buying this machine. Deck is HORRIBLE at clogging,spend about 10-15 minutes trying to get the majority of the massive buildup removed before attaching the garden hose to the water port after EACH mowing. Time to stop by dealer and ask if it's still normal after 44hrs,and maybe even firing a letter off to Cub Cadet with my displeasure of the machine.

 

[Gator6x4]

Well,after 44hrs of use,transmission was clicking quite noisily when I was done mowing tonight.I really,really regret buying this machine. Deck is HORRIBLE at clogging,spend about 10-15 minutes trying to get the majority of the massive buildup removed before attaching the garden hose to the water port after EACH mowing. Time to stop by dealer and ask if it's still normal after 44hrs,and maybe even firing a letter off to Cub Cadet with my displeasure of the machine.

At my age I have mowed with about anything that cuts grass from the very cheap to the real expensive. The only times I had a problem with "Deck Clogging" was when I mowed when the grass was wet, either from "Dew" or "Rain". A heavy infestation crop of Johnson or Bermuda grass with just a little dew can be a bear to mow.

Fescue and other lawn formulated grasses do not seem to hold water and dew like the Johnson and Bermuda grasses.

 

[dieselbob69]

I've mowed here for 23 years,and the worst decks were on the Cubs. I mow mid-afternoon,my tires are dry ,even in the shady parts. I avoid mowing morning and late evening,as I hate making a mess of my mower and tires w/wet grass.I didn't have problems like this when I had the Kubota GR2100-rarely clumped the grass,and deck was nowhere near a mess as the Cub deck is. I rarely had to take deck off Kubota to clean.When I used to use the neighbors X series Deere mowers(a 495 and 740)-they weren't like this. I also have no idea what kind of grass it is,as it used to be a field years ago and I just kept it mowed-it was never seeded.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

I had a 1978 Cub 1450 with a 44R deck. I had to clean the deck at least monthly since my 1 acre yard is wet often and sometimes the grass gets long before it gets dry enough to mow. I now use a 2004 3235 with the 52 inch deck and bagger. The bagger chute clogs up if the grass is too wet or long but I only clean the deck once a year when I lube the tractor and change oil etc. I'm glad it doesn't clog up since it weighs 260 pounds and is getting harder to remove & replace at my age.

Bob B.

 

[dieselbob69]

Hit the 50 hour mark tonight. Before I mowed,I took the deck off a few days ago. Cleaned it,wire brushed it,then re-painted it(factory paint peeling off already). After letting the paint and clearcoat dry,I sprayed EZ-Slide on deck(graphite paint from Tractor Supply). Greased the spindles.Noticed the tensioner pulley tower (drive belt from engine)has a good 1/8" slop in it already-seems excessive-the bolt is tight.I re-glued the Cub badge on front of hood. Decreased all tires to 1/2 the max listed on sidewall(5 psi for rear,6 psi for front)-that helped w/ the ride on my rough parts. I might see if I can trade it toward a zero-turn,otherwise,next check I'll get tranny and engine oil and filters and do the 50 hr service.

 

[dieselbob69]

I ended up buying 2 gallons of the Cub Cadet hydraulic fluid,filter,and engine oil and filter. The tranny oil had a grayish tinge to it,looked and smelled nasty compared to the new fluid.I had a helluva time trying to get the factory installed tranny filter off-I put dents and creases in it trying to remove it with filter pliers-can't slip the round filter wrenches over end of filter due to a stupid piece of metal that leaves 1/8" at the most around upper circumference of filter-I tightened new one by hand as much as possible then turned it a little more very carefully w/ the filter pliers. I also noticed "China" molded into both sides of rear axle. I saved oil and filter-was thinking of showing dealer. Deck wash is worthless IMO-I took deck off to service tractor,this was after I repainted and put graphite on it.After 1 mowing,I knocked the majority of buildup off w/ a long stick. I put the hose onto port,and ran it about 5 minutes on each one.Water sprayed up through the little holes on deck,spraying belt and therefore not being able to get full pressure blade run consistently due to belt slip. The deck still had buildup on the left side the water didn't remove. Now I have some kind of leak in front tire-don't see anything in it,sprayed soap water all over including stem and beads-nothing.Guess that will need a tube. Did I mention how much I hate this machine? F**kin piece of Chinese junk.I call it the "Cub Cadet Signature CLUMP"(not cut)......Almost makes me want to try Kubota again-GR2120-man,do I really,really miss the Kubota....