new GT2544 arrived today

   / new GT2544 arrived today #1  

bluefine409

New member
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
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9
Tractor
2007 CC GT2544
Off to a bad start (plastic throttle came off shaft, steering wheel mounted 180 degrees off, light bulbs fell out of headlights, still trying to get the flimsy hood to align correctly, etc) but I hope the worst is over. The mower mows great and it goes up hills better than my old rear engine rider and that is why I purchased the CC. Build date is 12/06 and it came with a 22 HP Command instead of the 21HP the brochure shows. What a shame quality control is lacking. When looking for a mower, the only high quality mowers I found were in the $5000 plus catagory. The only positive thing is I feel I got a great deal dollar wise from my dealer and know he will stand behind his products when needed.
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #2  
Yup, that's the off the pallet 2544 blues :(. When I got mine in 2005, the dealer did a pretty good job, but I did have a loose fastener or two. Had to clean up, re-route and protect some wiring, re-attach a label or two, etc. There is very little attention to detail in this price segment, which is a shame.

Joel
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #3  
bluefine409 said:
Build date is 12/06 and it came with a 22 HP Command instead of the 21HP the brochure shows.

Congratulations on the new ride! I just hit 10 hours on my GT2544 and I love it. Quick question for you though, if you get a chance, take a look at the name plate on the engine near the oil drain valve. I'm curious as to see what code that engine is. Mine says COMMAND 21 on the air cleaner cover, my brochure and the Cub website used to say it was 22 hp and the engine code is CH23S which is for a Kohler Command 23hp.
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #4  
Sometimes due to supply issues, they change things up at the factory, and usually only do this to the machine's advantage.
The standard horizontal shaft Commands for GT's come in 18, 20, 22, 25 and 27 HP. How did you get a 23 HP Jay? You got lucky on your build day and got a CH23 Command PRO engine. They do whatever it takes to keep the assembly lines moving.

Unfortunately at Cub the lines move too fast IMHO, and it has been well noted by lots of consumers that Cub's quality assurance is in need of definite improvement with initial quality being ranked among the lowest in the industry. It's shameful when from a technical and engineering standpoint the Cubs are such excellent designs. Hopefully Cub teaming with Yanmar this year will see some quality improvements across the product lineup.

-Fordlords-
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Jay, I looked at the engine code and it is CH22S which matches the air cleaner cover as a command 22 HP. The build date for the engine shows 11/06. It also states it fits a GT2550, so quess they ran out of the 21HP version. I noticed that my oil drain is toward the front on the mower, in your FUMOTO pictures it looks like yours exits to the rear.
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #6  
bluefine409 said:
Jay, I looked at the engine code and it is CH22S which matches the air cleaner cover as a command 22 HP. The build date for the engine shows 11/06. It also states it fits a GT2550, so guess they ran out of the 21HP version.

Cool, thanks for checking. :)

bluefine409 said:
I noticed that my oil drain is toward the front on the mower, in your FUMOTO pictures it looks like yours exits to the rear.

Yea, my Cub came with the factory plastic valve facing rearwards too. I just removed it and installed my new valve. It would be near impossible for me to release the plastic quick change with my pudgy fingers in the rear pointing location. The front seems like there would be much more room.

P.S. Be sure to check out my 10 hour maintenance post over at MTF. Check under you pulley deck covers for accumulations of grease from the initial greasing!
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #7  
Jay I have a 2544 build date of 02/06 also and it has the CH23s motor also???? I pick mine up in Jan. and just completed the 10 hour service. I also got the gray stuff out of filter,so Ithink I will change again in 10 hours
John
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #8  
JMorgan said:
Jay I have a 2544 build date of 02/06 also and it has the CH23s motor also???? I pick mine up in Jan. and just completed the 10 hour service. I also got the gray stuff out of filter,so Ithink I will change again in 10 hours
John

In regards to the gray stuff in the filter... I won't change mine again until 50 hours or until I notice the decrease in reverse performance again. What was in the filter was just that, in the filter and the transmission should have broken in and given up as much as it did which got caught in the filter so there shouldn't be much more breaking in to do.
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #9  
So I guess I need to change that silly transmission filter. I had decided I wasn't going to as the fluid looked beautifully clear when I check the level, and I thought why bother with a good thing. More than likely it is fine I thought, and I don't recall the manual saying to change that fluid. Any thoughts.

In the vein of quality control, during my second mow two weeks ago, near the end, I go step on the reverse pedal, and it is gone. I see it riding on the mower belt below.

So I switch off the pto, and go to examine it. Whatever pin they had in there holding the pedal in place must have fallen out. Man, it was a pain getting a new one in there, and spread out. It was a tight fit, and I was too lazy to pull the deck off.
 
   / new GT2544 arrived today #10  
Petertucky said:
So I guess I need to change that silly transmission filter. I had decided I wasn't going to as the fluid looked beautifully clear when I check the level, and I thought why bother with a good thing. More than likely it is fine I thought, and I don't recall the manual saying to change that fluid. Any thoughts.

The manual doesn't have a scheduled time to change the fluid. It seems as though as long as you change the filter when you should that it does a very good job at trapping all the particles and keeping the fluid looking nice and golden. I will most likely change it in the future though, I'm near obsessive with maintenance on all my things.
 
 
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