My new 2554 saga begins at 7 hrs....

[hv cub]

I'm ready to spit nails.

My brand new 2554, now with all of 7 hrs and 3 mowings, will not engage the electric pto.

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the yard needs to be mowed as we have had rain all week, the dealer closed for the weekend 30 minutes ago, and I can't use my brand new $4,400 tractor to mow the grass.

You all may have read my recent thread wherein I compared my 15 year old 2185 to my new 2554 and suggested the more I used it the more I liked it. That is now retracted, and I am steamed that a bug that plagued me with the old unit has surfaced it's ugly head already.

Is there any straight forward adjustment I can try that someone here can suggest?

 

[JTKub]

Can you hear the clutch *click* when you pull the PTO knob? There's no adjustments aside from having the PTO to deck belt routed correctly.

Joel

 

[hv cub]

Yes it clicks. Sounds like a hiss of air.

I pulled the deck, double checked both belts. My luck with these PTO's is nothing but bad luck.

Anyone interested in a slightly used 2554?

 

[Baucom]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the most logical advice @ the moment. Unfortunately any machine can break, since it's made by man. Call the dealer as soon as he opens, and let the warranty take care of it. He should pick it up for free for warranty work (especially w/ only 7 hrs) and you should push for him to bring some kind of loaner out since your grass desperately needs to be cut. If he's any kind of dealer, he should oblige.

I know it sucks, and I know what kind of thoughts run through your head when you have a brand new $4000+ mower and it breaks early on. The drive shaft broke on the GT2554 that I had with only 1.2 hrs on it (on a Sat. afternoon). Fortunately it was picked up and warranty took care of it. I will say that in my experience with Cub Cadet, the company will stand behind their product and do their best to make the customer happy, within reason. Good luck getting it fixed, and hopefully this will be a 1 time thing with your new mower.

Another thought: If you truly have a long track record of bad luck with these pto clutches, and you really want rid of that new mower, get in touch with your territory rep (preferably in writing) and detail your issues and your idea of a reasonable resolution. You may be surprised by how well Cub Cadet will work with you to ensure your satisfaction.

 

[savageactor7]

hv sorry to hear that but it sounds like a simple safety switch problem but it could be the electric PTO too. Sure it's hard to sit around but try and make the best of it. When that repair is made you could go 500 hrs before something else came up.

 

[JTKub]

Yes it clicks. Sounds like a hiss of air....

Hmmm. This hiss noise is usually the PTO coasting to a stop. Sounds like it's firing off only for a quick burst, then releasing. You'd think the seat or reverse safety switch would lock it out all together, but I wouldn't rule that out. Like said, call the dealer, but they're likely swamped like all the rest this time of year.

Joel

 

[hv cub]

Update for those curious.

Called dealer first thing this morning and he thought it might be a simple loose wire issue which he stated they had seen fairly often a couple of years back.

He sent a mechanic with a trailer who arrived within a couple of hours. It wasn't the wiring issue and they hauled the tractor back to their shop. I borrowed my neighbors zero turn Ex Mark and while I was mowing with that, back comes the Cub by 1 pm same day.

The mechanic states there was a problem on the deck which had prevented the deck belt from turning freely apparently forcing the PTO to shut off immediately. I couldn't really understand exactly what he said was wrong but he claimed he had never seen this before. Ran the mower hard for the next hour and all seems well.

Kudo's to the dealer for picking up and delivering the unit back all within 5 hours of my call first thing Monday morning. I hope my journey now only includes all the regular maintenance issues for years to come.

 

[JTKub]

Good to hear your dealer took care of this ASAP. I don't understand it though.. There is no 'overload protection' that I am aware of on the PTO. If the deck was jammed or the deck drive belt askew, it normally would stall the engine or completely smoke and ruin the belt.

Joel

 

[micman32]

I am glad you got your problem taken care of. I had an issue early on when i got my 2518 and the dealer took care of it right away. Luckily I had my Craftsman yet to finish mowing.

Michael

 

[moe1942]

The mech sprinkled that story with fairy dust. Like was said if the belt doesn't turn the PTO will continue to turn and smoke the belt. I wish there was a magic disconnect. I picked up some wire the last mow and almost lost my belt.