$4000 to spend on lawn/light duty garden tractor

[Baucom]

I bought a GT2554 about a month ago due to many of the positive traits mentioned in this thread. So far I've put 8 hrs on it aerating and fertilizing the yard, and I love it. It is smooth and quiet, and it pulls my 4' core aerator without straining.

Before buying, I looked seriously at the JD X500, and I wanted to look at the Simplicity Conquest but the local dealers I tried to visit either weren't open when I visited during posted business hours, or their inventory was virtually non-existent. For me, it wasn't the shaft drive that swayed me to Cub, but the $1000 price advantage. I've put many hours on Dad's JD 345 and had no problems with the belt drive, even when mowing up steep embankments. However, the shaft drive is a mark in Cub Cadet's favor when comparing features and specs between the two makes/models. IMO, both mowers were comfortable and roomy enough, the engines were smooth and quiet, and while I'm accustomed to Deere's hst pedal arrangement, I'm adapting to the Cub set-up perfectly well. Again, IMO Cub's largest advantage over the Deere was the price and the ease of servicing the transaxle with a drain plug and spin-on filter.

My experience with Cub Cadet's drive shaft has been very atypical, and it should in no way sway anyone's opinion of Cub Cadet or their shaft drive transmission; I simply find it a bit humorous in light of Cub Cadet's marketing of their "class exclusive" shaft drive and superiority to belts, which can break. When my new mower was delivered, I mowed the wild onions growing in my yard, and then began aerating. At 2 hrs I heard something break and the mower began shaking violently, so I quickly shut down. After calling the dealer and explaining the situation, he came out and picked up my new mower to take it in for repair. As it turns out, the coupler connecting the drive shaft to the engine broke, and he had to replace the entire drive shaft assembly. Fortunately, the dealer took care of the problem quickly and I've since put 6 hrs on it pulling an aerator and a broadcast spreader with not one hint of a problem.

 

[Fordlords]

That is one reason why the tunnel cover on the shaft drive Cubs is big and thick- if the cover were just thin plastic, the shaft could end up going through the operator's groin in the event of breakage or disloding from the transaxle pump. It's extremely rare, but it has happened. In that event the driveshaft usually beats itslf to death spinning wildly at engine RPM. -Fordlords-

 

[oakford4]

Baucom,

From what I can tell (only from the pictures). the anti-scalping wheel support design on the Cub 2554 deck is different from the smaller sizes (e.g., 2550). Can you explain, and do you see any advantages to the competition?

 

[Hard]

9 pages of commentary to buy a garden tractor....a little over analysis maybe??????????????

Buy something yellow, green or orange (simplicity/kubota)...you'll like it. Just make sure you get one big enough and powerful enough for the tasks you want to do.

 

[Baucom]

Baucom,

From what I can tell (only from the pictures). the anti-scalping wheel support design on the Cub 2554 deck is different from the smaller sizes (e.g., 2550). Can you explain, and do you see any advantages to the competition?

The smaller Cub models use anti-scalp wheels mounted in basically the standard manner -- i.e. the anti-scalp wheel is bolted to a bracket that is welded to the deck and the height of the wheels is not adjustable. On the 2554, the anti-scalp wheels are mounted on large, reinforced, brackets and can be adjusted up/down to coincide with your preferred height of cut. As the dealer explained it to me, the 54" deck is not designed to be fully supported by and roll on the deck wheels, but rather you select your height of cut and then adjust the anti-scalp wheels to the lowest setting at which they do not touch the ground. In this manner, if there is the slightest unevenness in your ground, the anti-scalp wheels make contact and the deck follows the contours more closely, resulting in a more even cutting height over uneven ground. On the 50" and smaller decks, the anti-scalp wheels won't make contact on smaller contours but will prevent scalping in severely uneven areas, however over some of the contours of the land, the grass height will be less uniform.

Versus the competition, so long as you look at comparably sized mowers, they all stack up pretty evenly. Due to a very limited dealer network in my area, I didn't get a chance to actually look at the Simplicity Conquest, however I feel certain they are the equals of CC and JD in the quality and features departments. I would have liked to have the locking diff. that the Conquest offers, however it comes at the expense of a lighter duty transaxle than the X500 and 2500 series offer. IMO, Deere has an easier to access engine compartment than CC. Deere's hood tilts forward and leaves the engine fully open from above, the 2500 series hood lifts from the front and when fully raised, the grille is directly above the engine and somewhat restricts access. Also, the CC 2500's have a small fuel tank (2.25 gal.) compared to the competition. One nice feature that CC has that I didn't anticipate is their RevTEK system that permits you to set the "mow in reverse" system once and forget about it after you start the mower each time, unlike JD's reverse mowing system where you have to engage their mow in reverse system each time you begin backing up while mowing.

The Conquest, 2500's, and X500's are all very close in terms of quality, features and specs; all have commercial engines with ample power for any deck size offered, quality transmissions, large tires, decent ground speeds (6-7 mph), acceptable ergonomics, comparable weights, strong frames, heavy gauge mower decks, and a long history of building high quality machines. Any of these mowers would be a safe choice for your intended use--though I personally would skip over the X300's and get a GT. Make your decision based upon the quality and attitude of the dealer, your budget, and which mower fits you best. Rest easy, you really can't go wrong with any of these options. Remember, in a few yrs you will have forgotten about the price you paid to get a quality machine, so buy once and forget about it for a very long time.

 

[VA_Joe]

9 pages of commentary to buy a garden tractor....a little over analysis maybe??????????????

Buy something yellow, green or orange (simplicity/kubota)...you'll like it. Just make sure you get one big enough and powerful enough for the tasks you want to do.

When you think of it - all this talk over what is really just an oversized go kart (sorry - I meant garden tractor).

 

[oakford4]

Baucom,

That's awesome if I understand the RevTek correctly. Basically, after it's set the first (AND ONLY) time the tractor is operating, I don't have to worry about mowing AND CUTTING in reverse? If I understand that correctly, that is great news. Too many lawyers out there worried about liability make the cutting in reverse so cumbersome. Great!!!!!! Hey, I have kids, and I make SURE they're not around!! Period.

Please advise if I understand this incorrectly. Otherwise, that is certainly an advantage to any other garden tractor I have looked at.

 

[VA_Joe]

Baucom,

That's awesome if I understand the RevTek correctly. Basically, after it's set the first (AND ONLY) time the tractor is operating, I don't have to worry about mowing AND CUTTING in reverse? If I understand that correctly, that is great news. Too many lawyers out there worried about liability make the cutting in reverse so cumbersome. Great!!!!!! Hey, I have kids, and I make SURE they're not around!! Period.

Please advise if I understand this incorrectly. Otherwise, that is certainly an advantage to any other garden tractor I have looked at.

That was one feature I too really liked over the deere unit (which required pulling up on a lever when mowing in reverse). This feature really comes in handy when mowing in tight spaces. Very nice feature.

Joe

 

[Baucom]

Baucom,

That's awesome if I understand the RevTek correctly. Basically, after it's set the first (AND ONLY) time the tractor is operating, I don't have to worry about mowing AND CUTTING in reverse? If I understand that correctly, that is great news. Too many lawyers out there worried about liability make the cutting in reverse so cumbersome. Great!!!!!! Hey, I have kids, and I make SURE they're not around!! Period.

Please advise if I understand this incorrectly. Otherwise, that is certainly an advantage to any other garden tractor I have looked at.

That is correct. You start the mower, then turn the key back one position and press the little red button by the key switch, and then you can forget about it until you shut off the engine again. Repeat once each time you mow and you can mow back and forth all you want.

I didn't realize this is how Cub's work until the dealer explained it to me. I had asked if he could override the RevTEK and then he explained you set it once each time you mow and that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

 

[oakford4]

Baucom,

I can't believe Cub doesn't tout that feature. Almost everyone I know HATES the procedure that's required to CUT in reverse. They talk about the shaft drive, but not this?? Wow.