JTKub
Veteran Member
New poster here! Been lurking for a bit, just got my new 2544 yesterday. Wow this thing is BIG compared to my MTD 600 series.
Seating is WAY up high. Kind of van-like. Seat is large, comfortable, supportive (like me
))
Fit & finish look good at this point. Nice paint. Nice plating on all hardware, plastic parts not too bad. Everything tight.
Nice model specific ops and parts manuals.
The kohler command 20hp lit off with a bump of the key. This is my first V-twin piece of OPE. I love the low-tone, mellow exhaust note. Has a nice ‘harly-ish’ ratta-tatta-tattta. Really cool sound when you throttle it up. Not a hint of black smoke, no nasty exhaust smell. I killed the ignition several times at idle. No backfiring like my 17hp briggs single if you forgot to s/d at hi throttle (thank God!).
It’s HEAVY. I used to be able to lift the back end of our 1992 JD GT262. I can’t budge the CC 2544.
I’m not sure if the 2005 44" triple blade deck is an all new design, but it’s super deep & the hardware seems well laid out & easy to maintain. It barely sticks out from the sides of the tractor & the deflector is nice & short. Glad to hear it does not roar like a 747 when engaged!
The pedal drive hydro is nice. Will take me some getting used to since it’s the first non-gear dive I’ve ever owned. Hydro sure seems like a smart way to go for any LT/GT.
Now for the not so great(s):
Setup was poor. Not sure they did anything but gas it up & make sure everything works. One tenth of an hour on it. Tire pressures were all over the place, HUGE globs of grease on every zerk & this red sticky spray lube sprayed all over every linkage, hinge, battery terminals etc. Overspray was free of charge apparently. Machine was fairly dirty as well.
Some of the wire routing & protection is questionable. For ex. Headlamp wiring close to exhaust heat shields, Several single ‘fuse holders’ just float around near the battery. I’ll have to touch those up with cable ties, wire wrap/loom.
Mounting/dismounting is awkward with the deck raise lever on one side & the deck discharge on the other.
Pretty much every stick-on decal, including the rear taillight reflectors needed to be reseated. The decals themselves are a heavy mylar material, but the adhesive is questionable. Again, this is a setup issue. Their delivery guy (kid) blasted it up the driveway @ full speed, turned it over to me & bailed. He still had several 1000 series on the trailer (at 4pm) Said he’d been going non-stop all day. I really can’t be too tough on the dealer. 1) this is their BUSY season. 2) Their sales/service/parts/availability are awesome.
So far so good. Time will tell. It’s no JD GT/GX, but it is the best you are gonna get for $2999.
Sorry for the long post!
THANKS!
Joel
Seating is WAY up high. Kind of van-like. Seat is large, comfortable, supportive (like me
)) Fit & finish look good at this point. Nice paint. Nice plating on all hardware, plastic parts not too bad. Everything tight.
Nice model specific ops and parts manuals.
The kohler command 20hp lit off with a bump of the key. This is my first V-twin piece of OPE. I love the low-tone, mellow exhaust note. Has a nice ‘harly-ish’ ratta-tatta-tattta. Really cool sound when you throttle it up. Not a hint of black smoke, no nasty exhaust smell. I killed the ignition several times at idle. No backfiring like my 17hp briggs single if you forgot to s/d at hi throttle (thank God!).
It’s HEAVY. I used to be able to lift the back end of our 1992 JD GT262. I can’t budge the CC 2544.
I’m not sure if the 2005 44" triple blade deck is an all new design, but it’s super deep & the hardware seems well laid out & easy to maintain. It barely sticks out from the sides of the tractor & the deflector is nice & short. Glad to hear it does not roar like a 747 when engaged!
The pedal drive hydro is nice. Will take me some getting used to since it’s the first non-gear dive I’ve ever owned. Hydro sure seems like a smart way to go for any LT/GT.
Now for the not so great(s):
Setup was poor. Not sure they did anything but gas it up & make sure everything works. One tenth of an hour on it. Tire pressures were all over the place, HUGE globs of grease on every zerk & this red sticky spray lube sprayed all over every linkage, hinge, battery terminals etc. Overspray was free of charge apparently. Machine was fairly dirty as well.
Some of the wire routing & protection is questionable. For ex. Headlamp wiring close to exhaust heat shields, Several single ‘fuse holders’ just float around near the battery. I’ll have to touch those up with cable ties, wire wrap/loom.
Mounting/dismounting is awkward with the deck raise lever on one side & the deck discharge on the other.
Pretty much every stick-on decal, including the rear taillight reflectors needed to be reseated. The decals themselves are a heavy mylar material, but the adhesive is questionable. Again, this is a setup issue. Their delivery guy (kid) blasted it up the driveway @ full speed, turned it over to me & bailed. He still had several 1000 series on the trailer (at 4pm) Said he’d been going non-stop all day. I really can’t be too tough on the dealer. 1) this is their BUSY season. 2) Their sales/service/parts/availability are awesome.
So far so good. Time will tell. It’s no JD GT/GX, but it is the best you are gonna get for $2999.
Sorry for the long post!
THANKS!
Joel