Advice on GT2550 purchase

[clifforr1]

Good Morning,


I am in the market for a new tractor and I am considering a CC GT2550. My main use is for mowing but I would like to use it for dragging my sand horse arena ( 2-3X/week 120' X 60') as well and other small farm chores. The arena drag is about 150-200lbs. I have considered a sub compact tractor but do not like the limited maneuverbility for mowing.

1. Will this tractor be able to accomplish the tasks
2. Should I spend the extra $$ and go with a Deere X500 series or a Kubota or New Holland

Thanks for your input

 

[CCinCT]

1) Yes, very easily.

2) Well, that's a hard call. The X500 is the next step up (class-wise) from the 2500's, so it costs more but you get more. Personally if I were to go up to the X500's, I'd go far enough to get power steering. Anything less than that and the only real functional advantage over the 2500's would be the locking differential. It arguably has a heavier duty tranny and frame, but for your tasks that won't make a difference.

As for the Kubota's and NH's, I'm not to familiar with them so I can't say much. The GR's are nice mowers, but I haven't heard too many comments about them doing GT tasks. They have had tranny problems in the past, but I would imagine that's not an issue any more.

 

[clifforr1]

Thanks CCinCT. Have you heard any issues with the Kohler Command engine running too hot and melting wires etc.? Any plus, minuses about the Gt 2500 series?

 

[diesel_nut]

Might check out the 3000 Series also.

I have the 2554 and think it would do that just fine. If you are gonna do more ,maybe lean to the 3000 or the JD 500.
Mine does not run hot. I heard there were some covers on the hoods of some models that blocked the air vents but mine did not come with them. Runs a LOT cooler than the Cub 1872 I had.

 

[savageactor7]

I have a dealer purchased GT2550 with 70+ hrs. So far the Kohler Command has been OK except that it uses gas like an airplane.

One improvement is the tighter steering, that may be of help to you dragging the arena.

If I had to do it all over again I would have spent the extra dough and bought a small diesel Kubota garden tractor.

If I just arrived from another planet I'd be very happy with this unit. Unfortunately we've had 3 other CC's and have come to expect ...certain things. So after using it for awhile I was initially depressed with this purchase but after a couple 3 easy modifications or so I'm pretty much content with it now.

All things considered I suppose a dealer purchased GT2550 is the best value for that amount of money.

 

[CCinCT]

Other than the one recent thread, I've never heard anything bad about the Command engines. There have been a couple people that had wires suffer some heat damage, but that's was an issue with Cub's routing of the wires (throttle cable, I believe), not Kohler. Most of the people on here have not had issues with heat affecting wires and such, so it's likely that there was something unusual going on in those machines.

As for the 2500's in general, there have been issues with the hood in the past. There was two fixes over the past 3 years: one was a revised latch, the other was a redesign of some of the metal support structure underneath the hood, including some strengthening of the plastic boss' that received fasteners. There was also a period of time where some run of units had the struts over-tightened, causing cracking in the struts or hood. Most of those seem to have been caught either by the dealers or by the owners very quickly. All of these issues have been covered under warranty and/or by TSB's (or whatever Cub's term for them is).

Strengths: Strong frame, great engine, great transmission. The best bang for the buck.

Weaknesses: mediocre quality control at assembly, hood design that's not adjustable to account for tolerances at assembly (sometimes they sit a little crooked), a bit rough around the edges compared to JD and Simplicity.

One thing about the 2500's: you want to get one from a dealer that does a good job at setting them up and giving them a once-over. If you don't have a thorough dealer that's good at what he does, he may not notice little things that get by the factory's QC inspections.

Also keep in mind that we're talking about a <$4K tractor here. It is in a class by itself, for better or worse. JD and Simplicity offer more tractor for more money, but they don't have a GT in this price range.

 

[clifforr1]

Thanks all for the input. I agree the 2500 series seem to be the best bang for the buck. I priced the small Kubotas and the are easily double the price. Unfortunately I have a budget and have a hard time spending ~9-10K for a tractor I'll primarily use for mowing. I've also thought about buying a 1500 series for the mowing and picking up a Farmall Cub or Lo Boy for dragging the arena, but by the time I'm done I'll be right back up to 4-6K.

 

[hv cub]

I was initially depressed with this purchase but after a couple 3 easy modifications or so I'm pretty much content with it now.

Being the new owner of a 2554, do you mind sharing what your 3 easy modifications were that helped?

 

[savageactor7]

hv Cub After about an hour of mowing I noticed some belt fraying. Investigation revealed the belt was hitting the 'quick disconnect bracket' in front. Took off the bracket and angle grinded some clearance ...as shown.

The tractor couldn't back up to save it self so after getting some ideas here I fashioned this pedal extender out of an old license plate with a block of wood inside for support.

The mower couldn't cut grass as low as my other cubs so I took off all the gauge wheels and nose roller and trimmed down the wheel bracket holders so they didn't hang lower than the bottom of the deck. You can see some of the trimmed off pieces on the bottom.

Made the deck float by hack sawing a very slight notch in the release button and using baling wire.

After properly adjusting the 2 deck tensioning springs now the deck has a neutral buoyancy to it ...it just stays where I put it unless I hit a bump. Now I can get a close fairway cut in some areas and the longer 4"+ in other places.

I still have a few things to do but the pecking order is I take care of what bugs me the most. And these few things made the tractor way more user friendly for me.

 

[bwmarine]

Wow... could not imagine mowing any lower than the #3 setting