2550

[klh92]

I'm about to purchase a 2550 mower. I've researched and researched and came down to the jd x320 or the 2550. My price is $3699 for the 2550....any feedback on the price? Also, is this a good machine? Will I be satisfied..will it last?

 

[Baucom]

Both the X320 and 2550 are excellent machines. The 2550 clearly provides more machine for roughly the same money with its GT frame, shaft drive, and slightly larger deck. However, after owning at GT2554 I believe the JD has better ergonomics, if that is an issue for you. Both the Kohler and Kawasaki engines are excellent. I personally prefer the JD hydro pedal set-up to Cub Cadet's pedal layout; for one, I found the CC reverse pedal somewhat awkward to use compared to Deere's side-by-side pedals, and for another, under certain circumstances I discovered that the mower deck on my 2554 interfered with the reverse pedal.

If you NEED a garden tractor, then the 2550 wins hands down. The 2550 will be far superior to the Deere if you plan to pull heavy loads, ground engaging attachments, or work on very steep terrain. Otherwise, if you simply want a machine to mow the yard in comfort, apply lime, fertilizer, and seed occassionally, and aerate with a normal box-store quality ( approx 300# with ballast ) aerator a couple times per year, then you may find the X320 to be a more comfortable and satisfying machine to operate. However, there is also a very real sensation that you're getting less machine with the X320--but you get a little more comfort and user friendliness. Also, though the CC is shaft drive and shaft drive is nicer/stronger/more expensive than a belt driven trans., I wouldn't be at all afraid of the durability/serviceability of JD's belt drive as the belt driven X-series mowers are some of the best belt drive mowers on the market. One last point on the 2550--I love CC's mow in reverse feature. You simply turn the key back one click after starting the mower and press a button on the dash and you can mow back and forth all day until you shut the engine off without doing anything else.

To answer your specific questions: 1) when I was shopping CC dealers stuck to the msrp shown on CC's website for pricing, so 3699 is basically 100 off and is a good price 2) the 2550 is built with very solid components but QC may be lacking at the factory so you may have some issues to sort out after delivery, but the engine, trans, frame and deck are all built like a tank to take hard work and abuse 3) You may be satisfied, I wasn't with my 2554. If you simply want the absolute strongest, heaviest, most heavy duty, largest GT you can get for your money then barring catastrophic failure you will be satisfied with the 2550; if ergonomics and the small details carry matter to you in the long run then you may not be satisfied after the new wears off--or you may be, satisfaction is hard to predict. There are a lot of satisfied 2500 series owners 4) yes it will definately last--if you wait for it to wear out before you buy a new mower, it will probably last far longer than you want it to

 

[2manyrocks]

Let's see. There's one post here saying it's great. There are how many posts elsewhere in this forum about the plastic hood melting?

 

[JSharp]

Let's see. There's one post here saying it's great. There are how many posts elsewhere in this forum about the plastic hood melting?

The hood's a warranty item. If you purchase new production the heatshield is already installed that should prevent the hood problems we all had with the older models.

And you can bet the JD isn't without it's set of problems. You're just not likely to hear about them on a Cub forum. Baucom seemed to have a pretty good summary in his post.

 

[Baucom]

Let's see. There's one post here saying it's great. There are how many posts elsewhere in this forum about the plastic hood melting?

I never said the 2550 was GREAT, in fact I recall telling the OP that the 2550 was the hands down winner if he simply wanted the absolute most machine for the money. Otherwise, QC seems to be lacking somewhat at the factory.

FWIW, I had a 2554 and you'll notice I told the OP I was NOT satisfied with it. However, CC did right by me in the end and bought my machine back after I expressed my dissatisfaction to the territory rep. CC is also taking care of these melting hoods by replacing them under warranty, and if a person is really committed to the 2500 series, then with a good dealer the kinks can be worked out in time. However, I'm not the type that wants to finish engineering a premium product after I buy it. I'll stand by my comment that the core components--engine, transaxle, and frame--on the 2500's are very solid and the 2500's are pretty much the most new GT you can get under $4000.

 

[2manyrocks]

Any potential buyer needs to read your posts about the 2550 in the other thread.

It's difficult to believe that the factory would put a plastic hood on what is supposed to be a $3,000 garden tractor. Heat shield or not, do you believe a plastic hood is going to last as long as the rest of the machine? After the warranty expires, how many of these machines are going to end up without hoods? Maybe CC owners can find a way to retrofit a metal hood from a Murray.

 

[JSharp]

Any potential buyer needs to read your posts about the 2550 in the other thread.

It's difficult to believe that the factory would put a plastic hood on what is supposed to be a $3,000 garden tractor. Heat shield or not, do you believe a plastic hood is going to last as long as the rest of the machine? After the warranty expires, how many of these machines are going to end up without hoods? Maybe CC owners can find a way to retrofit a metal hood from a Murray.

Let us know which brands currently use metal hoods.

Cub - No
John Deere - No
Simplicity - No
Kubota - No

You seldom see metal hoods used anymore even on large ag. equipment.

Sometimes it hard to know if someone is trolling or just not very smart. Then again, sometimes they can be both...

 

[JTKub]

JD used fiberglass hoods on their LT/GT's starting close to 40yrs ago & switched to plastic hoods around 20yrs ago. That's the least of the issues IMO. I do like deere better in regards to fit/finish/operator comfort. Deere resale is better as well. If you don't mind spending the bucks, go Deere, Simplicity, Kubota, Wheelhorse, or my personal favorite iron beast; Ingersoll. If your cap is ~$3700, go CC 2K series.

Joel

 

[2manyrocks]

I'm not smart enough to spend $3,000 to buy a garden tractor with a plastic hood.

 

[Baucom]

JSharp:

AFAIK, Simplicity still uses metal hoods on their mowers--at least on their Conquest, Prestige, and Legacy machines. I replaced my 2554 with a MF 2823 (equivalent to a Simplicity Prestige) and it has a metal hood as did the MF 2700 series and 2900 series machines I checked out before I bought. Mine was a new leftover 2006 model when I bought it in March 07, so the hood material could have changed since then, but that is my experience with Simplicity (and their clones).