2554 thoughts after first few uses

[diesel_nut]

Bad:
-Water gets trapped under foot rest covers. May cause rust if(when) paint gets rubbed off.
-Reverse pedal needs to be rethought. Works Ok but could be better.
-Hood catches slightly when opening. Nothing horrible.
-Tranny dipstick a pain to get out. Screw-on type would be better IMHO.
-Leaner carb settings might be better..........maybe, maybe not.
-Don't care for parking brake set up but nothing major.
--mainly getting used to having to use it is the pain after years on older tractor.
-Lights always on is something I'd rather not have. Nothing major but it has to cut into battery life. A switch is in my future.

Good:
-Plenty of power
-Engine is smooth and quiet
-Cuts well
-Traction is good, especially on uneven terrain
-Deck washing system seems to work well
-Deck is quiet
-Comfortable layout
-Steering is light and turn radius pretty tight
-Seems easy to work on routine maintenence items
--air filter easy to get to and well thought out
-Cut-in-reverse sytem well thought out and easy to use!! THANK YOU!!
-Cubby holes and cup holders are nice
-Cleans up easily
-Grease fittings everywhere
-Storage under seat is nice to have
-Gas tank easy to fill up and nice it isn't next to a hot engine
-Initially thought I'd miss a hand-operated hydo tranny but forward pedal is easy to use.
--but poor reverse pedal makes hand unit better.
-Looks great

Overall I am very pleased with it. Seems like a very good lawn tractor.

 

[CCinCT]

Just going to comment on some of the bad points you had.

Bad:
-Water gets trapped under foot rest covers. May cause rust if(when) paint gets rubbed off.

I have never noticed that to be the case. I'll look today and maybe post a picture to see if there's a difference between your and mine. Would be interesting to find out.

-Reverse pedal needs to be rethought. Works Ok but could be better.

What do you mean, it's location?

-Hood catches slightly when opening. Nothing horrible.

I know you want to go easy on your dealer, and I think that's a good idea. However, you should make him aware of it. Tell him you're good for the summer if he's too busy, but that you'd like to get it taken care of in the off season, maybe while performing a scheduled service or something. Just make sure he's aware of it because hoods were at one point a very long lead item, like 2-3 months.

-Tranny dipstick a pain to get out. Screw-on type would be better IMHO.

Unfortunately, it'll loosen over time. Mine had to be replaced 12 months after I got my tractor because it got so loose it could fall out under the right circumstances. Never did, thankfully, but something to keep an eye on over time. The replacement one has been fine for almost 2 years now, so I'm hoping the original was just a fluke.

-Don't care for parking brake set up but nothing major.

Agreed. This year on the 1000's they moved the pedal to the left side, where it's all by itself. Much better imho.

-Lights always on is something I'd rather not have. Nothing major but it has to cut into battery life. A switch is in my future.

Agreed. While you're at it, install some rear lights. They make the tractor look more complete.

 

[moe1942]

I plan to add some rubber to the top of the reverse pedal. I have more than enough speed in reverse when I use the side of my boot to push it down flush with the floor board.

I never wash my tractor. Just blow it off with air.

 

[JTKub]

All good points DN. Do you store your 2554 outdoors or is the water thing from washings? Like moe says, you might want to switch to air for most of your 'washings'. I give the deck a scrape, use my gas leaf blower after each use and abandoned the jet washing system after it's first use due to the mess both above and below (for me anyway). The leaner carb thing is intriguing. Mine runs rich at idle, thus the Harley like ratta..tatta...tatta gas smelling idle, but up to max governed speed it leans right out. Once hot, if I spool mine up with the deck engaged, my 20hp will knock/ping on it's way up, not to mention the heat that pours off the engine further supporting a lean possibility. Other than that, it's silky smooth under load with no lack of power.

Joel

 

[diesel_nut]

Thanks! I will abandon the water except for the deck. Funny, I've done that in the past and forgot about it. I store it inside the garage hense the cleaning off before it goes back in. Just got done cleaning out the garage and don't want the mower to mess it up.

I second the reverse pedal extension.

I checked the carb. looks like there is no air screw. Would have to rejet the carb. I'm gonna check the spark plugs after extended full-throttle run before doing anything(this dumb ).

 

[diesel_nut]

Quote:
-Reverse pedal needs to be rethought. Works Ok but could be better.

What do you mean, it's location?
_________________________________

Having to push down is awkward at best. Plus the amount of "throw" you get isn't enough to get it moving much. I have the feeling you have to push it below the level of the floorboard to get it moving. Maybe mine is mis-adjusted. Pulling back on the forward pedal gets much more speed in reverse.

 

[VinceSMTA]

I had to adjust the reverse on my 2542 shortly after I got it. Its actually very easy to do. It just takes a 3/8" wrench to loosen the two self tapping screws in the linkage underneath your right foot then you adjust in the slotted hole accordingly. It didn't take much of an adjustment to give me a lot more reverse.

 

[diesel_nut]

I looked at the adjustment and thought I'd give it a try. Thanks for the encouragement for possibility of getting some results from messing with it.

 

[ran007]

If you adjust for more reverse speed, you lose the equal amount of forward speed. It seems that a reverse extention peice of rubber or something may be the best way to go, instead of adjusting the linkage for more reverse speed.

I adjusted my 2544 a week after I got it (3 yrs ago), and love being able to reverse back up the ditch incline - and its a steep incline too! I love the sheer power on reverse , but the foward speed leaves a little to be desired.

 

[diesel_nut]

I thought that might happen too. I guess maybe I'm back to the extending the pedal idea.

Hmmmm.