Cub Cadet sleeve hitch

[michaelf]

Hi all ,first post here!I have been lurking a while.
I just purchased a 2005 Cub 2544 and will be accepting delivery tomorrow.I purchased my machine with a 42" two stage blower ,Ag tires on rear,and rear wheel weights.I want to try and get by without chains since I just had my asphalt driveway resurfaced last year and I want to keep it nice.My driveway is reasonably flat 150ft long and two cars wide for the most part.I am upgrading from a thirty year old Ariens 22" walk behind snowblower that is slower than death but still runs like a top.I will probably donate to whichever friend or relative begs the loudest /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gifI live in a small village but I also recently purchased 10 Acres outside of town that is about half wooded with a stream and two fields that are overgrown ,the back field I will most likely not do anything with!Maybe a house once the kids are out of school,The front field which is about three acres I intend to mow with this cub.
I priced the cub electric sleeve hitch at the dealer the other day and he told me $700 when purchased with the tractor and about $900 if purchased separatly.I want to know If any of you fellow cub owners know of any manual sleeve hitches that can be used with my cub?I only want to spend a couple hundred$ max.I do not mind the lever !I want to be able to use a box blade or landscape rake for a gravel driveway maintainance.I like the looks of the craftsman hitch, is there any way to modify this sleeve hitch to work on my cub or am I SOL and forced to buy the cub unit for big money.I do not mind doing a little welding,cutting or drilling on the sears unit,But I do not want to throw away $100 either if there is no way to make it work!Thanks in advance for any help,and sorry about the long post.By the way I paid $5000.40 for my unit out the door with blower,weights ,ag tires.Did I do all right?
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JTKub]

I dont know of a direct fit manual sleeve hitch, but a few 2544 owners have had luck with a 'generic' electric sleeve hitch kit from eBay. You may wanna search eBay. As far as going w/out wheel chains, you may be alright provided your driveway is very level and you have LOTS of weights. The AG's will definately help. I think you did well on price. I paid $2999+tax for my 2544 alone in April.
G/luck
Joel

 

[Bob55]

I don't think you did too bad I paid $4737.00 with blower, and
weights a week ago. $2,999.00 mower and $1,400.00 for blower. With out the ag tires. I think you'll like it, I do.
Bob W

 

[Amontilado]

I see that Lowes has an MTD manual sleeve hitch for ~$170. They say that it fits '99 and up step-through frame garden tractors (as they put it). I did buy the power model when I got my GT2550 since I have a feeling the Mrs will be using it more when I get the attatchments.

Steve

 

[TRD]

Does anyone have or need any Sleeve Hitch Implements such as Moldboard Plow (Brinly), Cultivator (Brinly), Cultivator (Brinly/Craftsman), Dethatcher (Brinly), if so get in touch by PM.

 

[chuckab]

Michaelf;

I don't have any experience with the Cub 2544 but I just purchased a GT1554 this past spring and the MTD Fast Attach Manual Sleeve hitch works just fine on it. I got mine at Lowe's. I think it sold for $168 but it is supposed to fit all MTD step through models from 1999 so this may work for you.

It also looks like you could make it an electric lift without much trouble by purchasing an electric accentuator and attaching it without much modification. You can buy the accentuator for about $100. Haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking I might if If I have need for the electric in the future.

 

[wojnaroski]

Had a 3204 last year, before upgrade to 5254 this year 3 pt hitch.

I had also purchased a manual sleve hitch from lowes, price sounds about right.

I had to have a keyhole cut out of the sleve hitch bracket. This was for the transmission release lever that stuck out the back of the tractor. The hitch worked ok, but I had to hold onto the lifting lever because it would not keep the implement raised and locked in the up position.

The key here is that it was supposed to fit all step-through tractors covering certain years, mine was supposedly covered.

I believe that MTD and Cub parts are not always 100% interchangeable.