CC 1500 vs 2500 Series

[CCinCT]

I'm looking at the 1500 and 2500 series Cub Cadets, but need some advice on which is more appropriate for my situation. I've never owned a tractor before, and have only been educating myself on this topic for about a week. So if you could please spell out any acronyms, I'd much appreciate it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here's the situation: I'm buying a house in June that has about 1-1/2 acres, 1 acre of which is fully exposed lawn with a few obstacles spaced widely apart. There are only 2 small sections that have any slope: both mean that I'll travel up them (about 15-20 degree incline) for about 10-15 feet. The rest of the lawn is essentially flat with few bumps. There are 4 trees far apart from each other that I'll have to go around, but no roots are exposed. I'm not too concerned about how much time it takes to cut the lawn, as long as I can do it in under 90 minutes.

I also have about 150' of driveway to plow. The cost of the snow blower attachment is expensive, so I'd rather just get a blade. I will also be getting a mulch kit (if it isn't standard), dump cart, and sweeper. Do these have to be CC brands, or are there 3rd party manufacturers that will work with the CC?

Given all that, would the 1500's be sufficient? Would I have problems with the belt drive vs shaft drive while plowing? Is the frame of the 1500 rugged enough to take light towing and plowing?

Two complaints I've seen about the 2500 is that the 42" deck on the 2500 is not nearly as good as the larger sizes, and that the towing point on the rear of the tractor is somewhat weak. Any truth to these?

And last but not least, my budget is $4K total.

I've been thinking of getting the 2542, with the dump cart, sweeper, and plow blade which would put me right near that $4K limit. But I'm wondering if I should go with the 1554 with same attachments plus mulch kit, and come in about $350 less, and have an 12" wider cutting path.

Oh, another thing is that I do not have a trailer to haul this to and from the dealer. So I will be doing most of the maintenance myself. Is there a difference between the two series in terms of maintenance requirements or frequency? Is there a significant difference between the engines, other than horsepower? Are the transmissions serviceable, like replacing the fluid and filter?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[gamble77]

Where to start!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

First the obvious...with only 4K to spend and that wide open of a lawn the SLT1554 is the obvious winner here. You don't want to buy the smallest 2500 series because you will be cursing yourself every time you get that 42" mower on a yard that big. Trust me, your drive belt won't slip off enough to overcome the deck size defficet.

Secondly I would try my hardest to find an 2005 SLT1554, that way you can get one with the Kohler Command motor instead of the Kohler Courage. The command is head and shoulders the better motor.

There really aren't any differences with maintenance...the 2500 series will be slightly more expensive to maintain (transmission and filter).

Hope this helps some. I would search for an 2005 SLT1554. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[arthurb]

CCinCT

I know there are a lot of things to consider when buying the right lawn/garden tractor in comparison to your needs and budget. It seemed like I took months to figure out what I wanted compared to my budget and needs. First, I never have owned a Cub Cadet product. I have friends and neighbors who do. I know that CC has good quality and reliability.

Here's my 2 cents. I have owned both belt and shaft driven transmission Toro WH garden tractors. I traded the belt driven tractor in for the shaft driven tractor that I currently own now. I would never own another belt driven tractor after having the shaft driven tractor. I have a lot more torque for pushing and pulling with front and rear attachments.

Personnally, I would look at the 2500 series CC. 150' is a lot of driveway to clear snow from. The 2500 series CC weighs about 200 lbs. more than the 1500 series tractors. You'll want that extra weight for pushing snow. Also, you'll need wheel weights and chains for your rear tires when plowing snow. I prefer to use ag tires with chains and wheel weights on my garden tractor when plowing snow.

Like I said, this is just my 2 cents. I've went through a lot of trial and errors with my 10 years of garden tractor experience. Have you asked your local CC dealer on his opinion? He should have an idea about your lawn mowing deck size. I hope this info helps you.

arthurb,

 

[Rocko]

What if you got a 2500 series now, and got the dump cart and sweeper from sears, lowes or home depot. Would you be able to save for a plow or snowblower attachment before winter?

I live in CT also, and my driveway is about 100 ft with a parking area of about 30 by 40 ft. I have a area of about 1 acre to mow. I used a Cub LT1320 (belt drive) with a 38 inch deck for mowing for about ten years, no plow or snowblower tho. I think the mowing time was about an hour for me.

I recently purchased a Cub GT2542 with a snowblower, it takes less than a half hour to clean up after a snow storm. I just picked up a used plow off of ebay for 200.00....after seeing the plow, I was glad I went with the snowblower.

 

[CCinCT]

I appreciate everyone's input. Let me respond to each of you individually.


gamble77: you brought up something I forgot to mention in my original post: engine differences and quality. Based on your signature and obvious first-hand experience, you have inadvertently pushed me more solidly in the 2542 camp, even though you recommended the 1554 /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I don't have a problem spending another 20-30 minutes cutting the lawn if it means I get a better product. I don't know the difference between the Courage and the Command, other than the Command has horizontal and vertical shaft variants, where the Courage is all vertical. Based on Kohler's site, I'm guessing the 2542 is using a horizontal version, but I don't know why that would be better or worse. Any insight on why the Command is better would be appreciated. With regards to a used 1554, that's unlikely. I have no means to transport one, and I wouldn't know how to inspect it to make sure it was in good condition. The only local dealer has none (I checked today), and said he rarely gets trade-ins less than 5 years old. But I won't be buying until the first week in July, so I'll definitely keep an eye open.

Regarding the transmissions: is the 1500 series serviceable? You only mentioned fluid and filter for the 2500, which makes me wonder how long the 1500 will last if you can't change the fluid periodically. Thoughts?

arthurb: thanks for the input about the differences between belt and shaft drive. I suspected as much, but it always better to hear that from someone with experience.

Rocko: I went to Lowes and Home Depot this evening, and have decided that getting a non-CC brand trailer and sweeper is the way to go. Can save a lot of money that way. And thanks for the input about the plow. The more I think about it, the more I think it'll be a waste of money and that I'll just be out there pushing snow around, cold, and angry as **** that I didn't just bite the bullet and get a snow blower /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

One other thing I noticed about the 2500 series is that the transmission and steering housings are cast iron, rather than aluminum as in the 1500 series. The only benefit I can see to this is if you hit something with them, the cast iron would be more resistant to dents and such. Are the transmission and steering housings exposed enough for that to happen? Is there any other reason why cast iron is better in this application?

 

[gamble77]

Right, I wasn't exactly suggesting you buy a used '05 SLT1554 but rather see if you can find a dealer who has an '05 left over. Good luck whichever way you decide to go and keep us posted!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[e36m3]

CCinCT,

Welll here is my 1.5 cents. I picked up a 2544 05 left over that is still waiting to be delivered to me at my new house which is similar in size, approx 2 acres with a long drive that slopes downward and a bit of a slope that has grass on it that needs to get cut.

The reason I went with a 2500 series was for the reasons you mentioned, you want to do more than just cutting grass. As already mentioned it's frame is more stout and can handle plowing a little better and can take more abuse. I like the fact that trans is servicable and has a seperate filter, not to metion it also has the command motor. With a bagger, mulch plug comes with this model, I was under your limit of $4k.

I just picked up a new plow via ebay for 1/2 dealer price. Depending on where you are in CT. The dealer (fairfield county area) near me still has a couple of 05 2544's in stock and is giving decent pricing on them.

rlm

 

[CCinCT]

I'm pretty settled on going with a 2542, and will probably hold off on the snow blower until next Feb unless I can wiggle a sweet deal out of the dealer. Is there any reason to spend $400 to go up to a 2544?

Are the snow blowers difficult to install? I read one post somewhere where the person described the installation as extremely difficult, in part because the documentation was inaccurate. Does the front end need to be elevated to install the snow blower?

What about the deck itself, how difficult is removing/installing it, and does the tractor need to be elevated?

Are wheel weights better or worse than trunk weights?

Does anyone know if the CC brand tool trunk can be mounted while pulling a trailer?

 

[e36m3]

The only diff appears to be the gauge of the steel used to make the mower deck frame. Otherwise the same engine is used in my 05 2544 as the 06 2542, the 20 hp commad. I does seem like a toss up.

I have heard the same info regarding putting on a blower and since I already have a large ariens snowblower which would be easier to manuver than a tractor with a blower attachment I didn't consider one.

 

[DmansPadge]

The difference between the vertical and horizontal shafts on the engines is due to the transmission being belt or shaft driven. The shaft drive uses the horizontal shaft and the belt driven the vertical shaft.

The Command is superior to the Courage.