GT2542 Cub, is this a good tractor

[pearlmanz]

Nope good information Joel as well as some of the other input.

I still will stay with the 42" deck as again, I am not paying 500.00 for 2" of additonal cut and the extra weight. But it was good to get some additional information.

The dealer here in town were I live says the 2542 will cost me 3000.00 and 3500.00 for the 2" bigger deck and an extra hp which I will never feel. Just can't justify the extra money, weight and the hassle of a 3 blade system. Two blades ara a big enough of a pain....grin.

Thanks again to everyone's feedback, including your's Joel. No offense taken from anyone as there was nothing to be offended about. I was a little dissapointed in not getting more GT2542 feedback vs telling me I should buy the 2544 instead. But some folks are passionate about their tractors so I understand....hihi.

Have a great weekend guys. Maybe this time next week I will be telling you about my new toy?? The PearlManZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[JTKub]

$3K is a good deal. I agree that $500 for a slightly larger mowing deck and front wheels is a tough pill to swallow. A neighbor up the road from me has a 2006 model year 2542. I havent talked to him about it, but his lawn looks nice. Anything 2006+ will have a revamped engine oil drain, so no worries there. Don't sweat the looooong twisted PTO/deck drive belt on the 2500 series machines. You can remove and replace it w/out tools in about a minute. Same goes with dropping/reinstalling the deck. The deck spindle drive belt will last a really long time as well. There's two belts total on the 2500 macines (including the deck) Three on the 3000 series (2 short side by side vee's for the PTO and one on the deck).

Joel

 

[pearlmanz]

Thank again for the kind and helpful reply Joel.

I have a 14 year old Snapper that will be replaced by whatever I buy and from the model number ( LT14H411KV ) on the tractor, I am pretty sure it is just a 42" cut also which has served me great for the last 14 years and it has mulching blades on it as I don't like to blow or bag. If the grass is real high like it gets some times if the weather doesn't clear for several days, I have to go back over the yard in some places anyway and chop the clumps up, but that is no big deal to me. I test drove the 2542 in the dealers lot and the only thing I didn't like was the vibration of the mower and front cowling when it was running all the way down on the throttle, but truth is, It won't be running like that very often and when it does, I probably won't be on it anyway....grin. I also wish the seat would go back further and there was more room on the floorboards. I might bolt on an extra set of forward control pedals I have from my big V-twin bike so I can stretch my legs out after mowing a while. My left knee gets real sore if I can't stretch it after being in one place for a while like when mowing.

Thanks again friend for your help and I hope I didn't offend you or anyone else by my replys. I would never do that on purpose, but when posting to these boards and sending emails, and not being able to hear a persons inflection, it is hard to really know where some folks are coming from. Have a great rest of the weekend friend. I appreciate you and all the guys in this board helping me to feel a little better about dropping some money and payments for the next 24 months.....Hi Hi. The PearlManZ

 

[RJ-NC]

Sounds like I'm a little late to the discussion (it seemed to take a long time before my account became active) but here goes... I've had my 2542 for a year and I've been really impressed. I was looking at JD vs. Cub about this time last year and after reviewing the information in this forum (thanks everyone!) and checking out the mowers themselves, I went with the Cub. Again, I haven't been disappointed.

As far as the deck is concerned, I've seen a lot of people who recommend the larger deck. I have about 1 to 1.5 acres (fairly gentle slope) and with the 2542 I get a quality cut in a reasonable amount of time. Personally I haven't missed the extra deck width or the 3rd blade but that's just one man's opinion. I think $3K is a good buy and is well worth the money in the long run.

Good luck and enjoy your new GT.
RJ

 

[Fordlords]

Just as I get done ripping Cub's advertising apart for saying there are no belts to replace on the 2500/3000' s, I see JD says the same thing on the X700 advertising of theirs, both manufacturers neglecting to mention the belts used for the mower decks.

-Fordlords-

 

[JTKub]

.. I test drove the 2542 in the dealers lot and the only thing I didn't like was the vibration of the mower and front cowling when it was running all the way down on the throttle, but truth is, It won't be running like that very often..

My Kohler Command 20 idles like that as well, especially when not fully warmed up. Like a Harley. Ratta--Tat--Tat..Tat. Fuel trim smells to be on the rich side @ idle even after it's hot. Like you say, being a hydrostatic drive machine, they are designed & intended to be run at max governed speed all the time they are running (like a BobCat, etc..) You will find you will have to get used to killing the ignition with the engine throttled up as well. If not, you get an after-fire BANG!! out of the exhaust. I almost soiled myself a few times with that.

Joel

 

[pearlmanz]

RJ-NC and all the rest, thank you for the help and for making this knot in my stomach feel a little less tight with your recomendations.

Like I have mentioned, I have a Snapper or had a Snapper for 14 years that only had a 41" deck with a 14HP Kohler and it used the Ninja blades and when the blades were sharp it cut great. I had to go back over the grass if it had not been cut for a couple of weeks due to weather, but I simply went back over the clumps and no worries. So I am sure with 6 more HP and an additonal inch of deck, this tractor will do great.

By the way is the Cub Cadet cover at 60.00 a good deal for the GT2542? The 2542 will have to be outside under my deck until I can sell my big V-twin motorcycle....frown. If this is not a good cover can I get a good deal on one on line you guys can recomend?? I would appreciate some advice there.

Thanks again and the sun is finally supposed to shine tomorrow and the GT2542 should be in my garage when I get home tomorrow. I only owe 2000.00 more...grin. I hope with care, it is the last tractor I have to buy for a while.

The dealer had the entire back end of a GT2542 in his showroom and I have to say, the differential and the build of this garden tractor is impressive....grin. Never thought I would get excited about mowing grass.......hi hi, and finally, I get a place to put a big cup or water bottle instead of leaving it on a hand rail and having to stop to get some relief on those hot days here in good old Virginia.

Got to go, thanks again to all of you guys and especailly, RJ-NC. That is exactly what I needed to hear. I was able to get 24 months to pay the other 2000.00 at no interest which helps with the purchase.

God bless all and keep us in your prayers down here in Hokie land as in the Virginia Tech Hokies. It has been a tough week. The PMZ

 

[LBrown59]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/lawn-garden/94634-4000-spend-lawn-light-duty.html
This is a good thread debating the same basic theme.

 

[LBrown59]

Thanks for the reply, I did not want a three blade mower and with my lot being no bigger than an acre, I don't feel it is needed with no offense intended.

I am more interested in feedback for the GT2542 and how reliable it is as CC has not received very good reviews from Consumer reports. It has a very poor reliablity rating. Thank you for taking the time to reply, PearlManZ

I'm not overly impressed with CR.
A narrower mower means more trimming no matter what the lot size.

 

[LBrown59]

I have a 14 year old Snapper that the tranny is getting ready to go south and I need to replace it.

1* I was going to buy another Snapper but the dealer I purchased my last one from, said they are junk now and he no longer carries them. He only does 6000.00 and up commercial duty mowers.
2*He told me I had two choices, either buy 1200.00-1900.00 and they might last 4-5 years or spend 3000.00 and up and get something like a CC that will last for a while.
3*I saw some reviews about CC and it did not fair well with Consumer Reports.
4*But it looks like most of those are the 1000 and 1500 series.
5*I am looking at a GT2542. The dealer is close buy and will sell to me for 3000.00 plus 24 months no interest. and deliver at N/C.

PearlManZ

1*Snapper is Simplicity now and they aren't junk, but they are fairly expensive.
2*That's about right.
3* consumer reports don't fair to well with me.
4*CR is talking Box store tractors here. Me and you are talking Garden tractors . 2 different ball games.
A box store tractor is a box store tractor is a box store tractor be it CC or John Deere or any other label.
5* This is a garden tractor so forget Consumer Reports comments about Box store tractors.

 

[LBrown59]

Joe thanks for the reply, I have done some Goggle searches but just have not seen a lot of information on the GT2542 model.

PearlManZ

That's because they don't have the info.
The info you want is on this board so do a dearch here.

 

[LBrown59]

There are a lot of posts on the 25xx series. Do some searches. You will see that they are a bargain compared to the JD series. Most who have one will tell you how much they like them.


Joe

Yep use this forums search feature.

 

[LBrown59]

They are all made by MTD, it is Cub Cadet's parent company. But the 2500's and 3000's are their flagships and are sturdy, well built machines. The 2500 series weigh in at nearly 800 lbs with their decks, which shows they still contain a lot of that magical stuff we used to know as metal.

I can only think of one 2542 owner who posts on here regularly, who wishes he opted for the 2544- the 44" deck is really outstanding compared to the 42", that's why it's so highly recommended. But I have not seen any real complaints about the 2542, so if you like it I wouldn't hesitate to get it. Short of a 1 HP rating difference on the engines, (and the decks) the 2542 and 2544 tractors themselves are totally identical, so just about all the stuff you can read here about the 2544 pertains to all the 2500 series Cub tractors.

-Fordlords-

Here are the results I got from doing a search on the board for
Cub Cadet 2500.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/search.php?searchid=540339

 

[pearlmanz]

LTBrown, it has nothing to do with deck size as far as me having to do more trimming as the GT2542 is an inch larger than the Snapper it just replaced.

It has to do with the tractor being bigger in size, turn radius, and those useless side hand rails which were hitting and catching everything in site.

So with no offense, you and I will disagree to disagree on that subject and case closed as I have the GT2542 and it cut great this past Saturday and really impressed me with it power and smooth operation and cut quality. I have already made the plunge.

Go Hokies, We will Prevail, The PMZ

 

[LBrown59]

One again perlmanz, there are reams of info on the 2500 series machines on this forum and others. All the 2500's are the SAME TRACTOR aside from deck sizes and slight HP differences. The 2542 does have smaller front tires than the 2544+, but that's neglegible. If you read through some posts, you will see lots of specific information on the 42" deck. It is a decent bagging and side discharging deck. Not so great at muching. It's a shallow deck design that cloggs and clumps more easily than the rest. The 42" and 44" BARELY clear the sides of the 2500 series machines making close-trimming a tad more challenging. If you need to do lots of edgework, a wider deck that sticks out beyond the tractor's tires makes the job easier. Is that specific? Hope I didn't offend you.

Joel

I had a powerKraft with a 46''mower. Replaced it with a CC GT2554 54'' cut.
Looking now for a CC GT2554 without a deck to put my 54'' deck on.

 

[LBrown59]

They fixed the oil drain issue in 2006. The model that I have has the fix (they piped the oil drain from the side to the front with a 90 degree fitting).

Joe

( Wonder if you could get this part or parts for a 2006 from a dealer and install them on a 2005? )

 

[oceanjoe]

1) Did you get the GT2542 and if so how do you like it?

2)question; can you attach a hydraulic tiller to the GT2542? does it need an adapter and a shift lever installed where one of the fender cup holders is in oder to do this? Anyone????

 

[Fordlords]

( Wonder if you could get this part or parts for a 2006 from a dealer and install them on a 2005? )

Yes, you can. Order for your tractor using the parts listing "KO15 and after" at the dealer or online, but the parts are honestly just your standard hardware store items. It's a 3/8 NPT x 2.0 straight pipe (737-0199) and a 90 degree elbow (737-0272). At the opposite end of the elbow the others are using a much better metal valve than the plastic one supplied by Cub, which is a good idea, but your old plastic one will work.

-Fordlords-

 

[LBrown59]

The 2500 and 3000 are the premium products (higher end engines; better construction; etc.). Compared to the comparable JD models, they are about a $1000 less.

Joe

I looked at a 1998 JD x345 with mower front blade and tire chains for $3900.
Wound up getting a new CC GT2554 with 54'' mower front blade weights lug rear tires and a rear tiller for $5050.
A new JD would have cost me about 10000 for all this.

 

[weedwhacker]

I bought a John Deere X300 and once I got it home I quickly discovered I wasn't going to be happy with it.....especially after seeing the CC 2542.
The JD went back and I purchased the CC 2542 and have been happy since.
After all that rain we had the grass was over six inches high and the CC never once whimpered and what a nice job it did.
The CC 2542 to me beautiful and wouldn't go back to that JD if they gave it to me.....
That is my input on this subject.......