SC 2400

[Fruitguy]

I have been looking to upgrade my 2544 and have been looking at the posts on the SC 2400 and have visited my dealer about 100 times. While I may have a use for the loader, this tractor will mainly be used to mow and throw snow. I have a lot of trees on my property and I知 worried about the maneuverability as we have about 2' feet of snow and I cannot test it, but would like to take advantage of the current financing. I am also pretty **** about my lawn and have not seen a lot about how the mid mount mower cuts. Beyond the attachments would someone let me know what they think about the mid mount mowers cut and the maneuverability.

Thanks,
James

 

[Undercover]

I test drove one late last summer with the FEL and i loved it.Plan to have one someday.It maneuverd great(just test drove).As far as snow blowing i would think it would be a beast with the 4x4.I would just use the FEL and maybe some day get a rear blade.IF the 60" deck cuts as good as the 60" deck i have on the Cub i got now you will be happy.Some one will come along that actually has one to help. Good luck

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new SWE 930 "very happy"
04 GT3235 60" deck
07 GT1554
08 CC 500
08 CC 4175

 

[lorus1966]

I've had a SC2400 for almost a year now. We've got a few acres of mowed grass area, complete with hills, trees, ditches, and other obstacles.

I've been more than impressed with the maneuverability of the tractor. I've got the rears filled (Rim Guard) and also have them swapped to provide for about 4" extra width. This has greatly improved stability on the hills. The thing seems to turn in much less space than I thought it would. I've got the R4 tires, and if the turf is wet they will cut in a bit on the turns. Not a problem though unless it's just stopped raining.

The deck seems to give a very good cut, although for me the 60" width proved to be a problem. My trees just don't want to move out of the way. The cut quality itself is better than my JD 318 ever could do, even when it ran right. Of course, with a 60" deck, any high spots will have to go through a bit of "training" until they are even with the rest.

The only complaint I have with the deck has been the powder coat that was applied to the underside, which doesn't seem that keen on staying put and is flaking off. Not just the usual wear & tear - it seems like the metal wasn't prepped properly.

I don't have the blower since I've got a gravel driveway, and flying gravel and windows just aren't a good match. I do have the front blade, which uses the same front hitch. So far I have not found a limit to its usefulness. I'm in the Milwaukee area, and so far we've had over 40" of snow to move. The 12" heavy snow we had last month was no problem, although I had to make my first pass on a downhill run. I just couldn't get enough traction going uphill, even with chains. The problem was the gravel moving, not so much the tractor itself. I tried to clear the first snow with a rear blade. It's like night and day comparing a front and rear blade for clearing snow. The front blade is the way to go.

I've not had any experience with the blower, but the unit certainly has the needed power. They also have a heated cab if you need.

After a bit of practice, I can remove the front hitch/blade and have the FEL back on in about 10 minutes. I've swapped them out often, as I need the FEL to pile the snow and move the snowbanks around so we don't get closed in by snow.

 

[Fruitguy]

Thanks for the feedback on the deck. If anyone has used the blower, please let me know. Wife is going to love when the dealer drops it off. Looks a little different than the 2544. I still need to think how I am going to explain that.

 

[dts1449]

I bought my SC2400 in October and moved a bunch of dirt with it just before winter set in. I only got to use the mower once before there was snow on the ground. I mow about three acres and was quite impressed with how it did the job. I have a few trees that I have to get around. I find the machine quite maneuverable. I haven't set it up to pull my Swisher 60" pull behind yet, but when I do I'll have over 9 feet of coverage while mowing. I like the pull behind for maneuvering around trees, I can reach right to the trunk without having to get beat up by branches.

I bought mine with the front mount blower attachment. I had a few small issues when I first started to use it, some were mine and some were the assembly from the factory. I have a gravel driveway that was newly repaired last summer so it was pretty smooth. I still managed to pick a few rocks up though. I'm sure next year will be different, I've learned allot so far. My driveway is almost 1000' long and the top coat is about 12' wide. I also clean a fairly large turn around area as well as paths around the house and garage.

When I first attached the blower I immediately tried to use it with just a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had moved the skids to give me the most clearance but the ground was soft and with no base built up yet they seemed to sink into the gravel. I picked a few loose stones up. I also found that when the driveway was topped with gravel, the contractor laid a ribbon on top of the base that was raised about 2 or 3 inches. If I let one tire slip off the top coat, it allowed the blower to scrape into the gravel and toss more stones. Next year I'll have that tapered or blended better into the rest of the material and won't have such a difference in height.

I also fashioned a couple of additional skis for skids out of 2x6's that have helped keep the blower from picking up so much gravel. I used 3/8 carriage bolts and just bolted them to the sides of the factory skids. They don't look like much but they do work. Maybe by next year I'll have built a set of adjustable gage wheels for it. I have been thinking about making a set that uses a hand crank adjustment system for height. Then at the beginning of winter it can be adjusted for high clearance and as a base of snow and ice builds up they can be adjusted up and out of the way.

The first larger stone it found knocked the chain off the sprockets. I was able to loosen the adjustments for the chain and put it back on but when I tried to tension it I ran into problems. If I tensioned the chain properly it bound on the sprockets. If I loosened it enough to not bind, it was way too loose. I took a straight edge and laid it between the sprockets and found them to be misaligned. I realigned them and haven't had any problems since.

I bought the chute rotation option, I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the money. My dealer recommended it and I'm glad he did. I started the season with the hand crank that came with the blower until the rotation kit arrived. It worked fine but restricted how you got on and off the machine. It's also really nice to have the fine adjustment at your fingertips. It's well worth the additional cost, having used it both ways I'd definitely recommend getting the option.

I really like the tractor, I've got about 40 hours on it so far and have no complaints. It has plenty of power for it's size, the mower works great and leaves a nice finish, the FEL can move allot of dirt, and the blower has kept the driveway clean.
DTS

 

[gordyy]

have a question for you how long does it take to pull the blower off and put it back on

was playing with one at the dealer and it looked like a bit of work but he said when I asked about a quick hitch they didnt have one

that is the only real drawback I have from pulling the trigger is the off on time as I will need the loader and the blower sometimes on the same day
the test drive I toook they had the blower on and boy that chute rotation is sweet lol

 

[lorus1966]

Once I got the hang of it, I was able to consistently get the loader on or off in less than five minutes. It's really quite simple.

The hitch that the blower uses is the same as the one my front blade uses. Once I figured out that by running the front wheels on a 2x6 and using a floor jack to help move the hitch was important, I've been able to get the front hitch mounted in less than 10 minutes. It's also very simple once you get the hang of it.

I did re-angle a few of the hydraulic hoses so that they point in a direction that provides a little more clearance, and I also have a set of ratcheting box-end wrenches dedicated to the front hitch in my shop.

Don't let the swapping thing keep you from the machine. Every time I finish clearing snow with the front blade I've got to remount the FEL to clean the horse stalls. It snowed LOTS here in Wisconsin in December, and swapping the blade/hitch for the FEL was the least of my problems.

 

[gordyy]

glad to hear I am pretty serious about this machine
have driven and played with a lot of em
can get this lil sc2400 here for about 21,000
with fel mower front blower w chute control cab heat lights
and a
vary rarely used rear blade for a couple hundred extra
about 2 grand less than a kubota 6 less than a JD 4 less than a NH
and right now the finance thing is about as good as it can get I think

 

[EmerichSales]

Great tractor, We have sold a bunch of them!

 

[dts1449]

I just got off mine, had to clean up after a few days of snow. It is unfortunate that the hitch has to come off before the FEL can go on but it really isn't that hard to take the hitch off or put it on. It took me a while the first time I attached the hitch to the tractor but now that I'm familiar with it it only takes a few minutes. The blower comes off the quick hitch in a matter of a couple minutes, nothing to it. The longest part is unhooking the hoses for the chute.

I was serious in my last post about some kind of gauge wheels for it though. Prior to the most recent snow we had a warm spell that took all the snow away including the base that was built up. Starting over every time the snow melts is a pain, not that I don't like the nice weather. My home made skis have two sets of mounting holes. One set is higher than the other so when I need extra clearance it's just a matter of unbolting them and using the second set of holes. It would be much handier to turn a small crank handle and raise or lower the wheels as needed. I guess that's the price I pay for having a gravel driveway.