Cub Cadet XT3 GSX or Husqvarna TS354XD?

[Rock Crawler]

For mowing 3 acres on a consistent steep slope what would you choose between these two models? It doesn't seem that the Tuff Torq k66 is serviceable with a transmission filter, while the Cub Cadet uses a hydro Torq BDU 10 pump on a cast iron rear axle and has a spin-on filter so can be fully serviced.

I can buy the Cub Cadet for $6,043 out the door new, I found a used one that's a 2015 with 45 hours on it for $4,300 and I can buy the Husqvarna brand new for $3,700.

The Husqvarna has a Kawasaki vertical shaft engine, the Cub Cadet has the Kohler Command horizontal shaft engine with a drive shaft to the rear axle.

I'm not sure how to compare the service life of the Kohler Command compared to the Kawasaki, nor am I sure how to look at the service life of the BDU 10 compared to the k66.

My goal would be to buy what is possibly my last garden tractor in my life at 47 years old.

The 2015 Cub Cadet has the earlier version of the steering system that based on what a dealer is telling me was changed for 2016 and up. He's not specifically saying that that steering system is extremely bad, but he's saying that there was something about it that Cub Cadet did not like so they redesigned the steering system for the 2016 model year.

Buying the brand new Cub Cadet would get you the three-year and five-year warranty, while buying the 2015 Cub Cadet would get you essentially no warranty. But you're also looking at $1,700 savings on the used one. The Husqvarna for $3,700 is much cheaper yet and save $2,300 compared to the new Cub Cadet and I believe has a five year warranty. I have a Cub Cadet dealer 8 miles from my house and a Husqvarna dealer 40 miles from my house.

How would you decide between these two, or is the Cub Cadet so much better that it's really not a fair comparison at all and it's an apples-to-oranges kind of thing?

 

[Rock Crawler]

Believe it or not the Husqvarna dealer in my area called to tell me that he has the ts354xd tractor on stock right now with my name on it that I called about 2 weeks ago. So I took a drive up there he's got it ready for delivery, I'm going to come back up this coming week and possibly buy it if I don't buy that Cub Cadet. This is killing me.

Physically the Cub Cadet is a much larger height length width tractor than the Husqvarna, all around it seems like a much more substantial unit. But $3,700 out the door versus $6,000 out the door. Of course the Husqvarna dealer tells me that the Kawasaki FR series engine is a major major step up compared to my Kohler Courage Pro and that it is easily a 1500 plus our engine if properly maintained. I can tell you that the air filter on it is light years ahead of the air filter that is clipped on with a wire on my ten-year-old courage Pro. This Husqvarna dealer also says that while the case 66 / the manual is a sealed unit that $150 he removes the k66, drains it, cleans the six magnets out, cleans the internal screen out, and refills it with new synthetic fluid. He recommends to customers to bring it up. Honestly for $150 it isn't worth me doing it at home!

So back to the original dilemma, do I spend $3,700 on the Husqvarna and hope that it's enough tractor to last for 20 plus more years, where do I spend $6,000 on the Cub Cadet and also hope that that was better money spent and that it will live a longer life and ride me out.

Or do I do what my wife says, and that's keep putting new Amsoil oil in my old Courage Pro and keep changing the fluid in my G730 transmission and see how long I could stretch the life out on this non commercial grade Craftsman / Husqvarna tractor that I have now?

I am attaching pictures of the Husqvarna ts354xd that has my name hanging from the tag on the steering wheel at the moment.

 

[Rock Crawler]

One thing that I did forget to mention that this Husqvarna is not a fast cut, the k66 transmission is a 5.5 MPH transmission.

The hydro gear G730 that I have in my old one, and the same as is available in this same basic build tractor that will be released next month according to the dealer (without a diff lock) is going to be the 7 MPH fast cut version. But then you give up the differential lock that makes working on hillsides so much better.

Nothing about these choices is fun or easy. What I don't know, but wish I did right now on the top of my head, is what the actual maximum speed is in the Cub Cadet transmission. I'll have to Google that when I'm not driving down the road using voice to text!

 

[majorwager]

Rock,
I've been looking at ts354 and I read it is a fast cut and has diff lock. Only reason I considered it was because of both features combined. I also want the FR Series engine over the Kohler. I also saw the price as $3400. + tax.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Rock,
I've been looking at ts354 and I read it is a fast cut and has diff lock. Only reason I considered it was because of both features combined. I also want the FR Series engine over the Kohler. I also saw the price as $3400. + tax.

For me with tax is $3,704. It's $3,499 plus tax.

 

[Rock Crawler]

And... What about the Cub Cadet GX54D? Would that be more matched to the Husqvarna TS354XD? It has the differential lock that the base XT3 is lacking.

 

[Rock Crawler]

After going back and forth on this lot over the last week or so I decided to go with the used Cub Cadet.

Negotiated the used Cub Cadet down to $3,900, and that includes getting rid of the bar tires and putting the correct factory turf tires back on the rear axle.

I am hoping that the BDU-10 pump on the cast iron axle housing with steel gears is a step above and better than the k66. I'm pretty much counting on that to be true, although nobody seems to understand what that BDU-10 and axle combo really is. It's one of the great mysteries of the world today.

But I will be picking it up sometime this week. So if anyone is looking for a Husqvarna TS354XD in the Pittsburgh area, hit me up right quick and I'll tell you where my Husqvarna is sitting with my name on it waiting to be paid for and picked up in the next couple days and you can go and get it.

 

[majorwager]

Rock,

Believe you made the right decision even though I do lean toward Husqvarna generally. Your XT3 does have power steering?

 

[Rock Crawler]

Yes sir. With 42 hours on it, it's honestly like new. If there is one thing I question, it's the tilt wheel and the play in it. The guy selling it says that all of the 3 series with tilt wheel get like this within a few hours, but it's not a problem. I may look into that a bit. I'm not sure I can tolerate it.

The other question that no one knows is what the actual torque rating of the BDU-10 pump and the China rear axle assembly is, you can't compare it to the bulletproof G730 if you don't know what it's design maximum torque and weight is.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Oh, and I decided to keep those silly tires. I'll try them and if I hate them, I'll swap them out.