HoosierJeeper
New member
Hello. This is my first post here. Been lurking in the shadows for a while. Well, in April ’05 I started looking for a lawn mower to replace my 16 Year old Cub Cadet 1020. The old Cub has served me well. It’s nothing fancy, 10 HP Briggs, 32” deck, hydrostatic, stamped frame. The local Dealer gave me a 2-year warranty on parts and labor so at 2 years and 1 week (to the day) the rear end went out. Ain’t that life? When I looked underneath all I could see was a small “cut” in the back of the case coming from the inside out. The dealer put in a new rear end free of charge. Turns out a metal tab that holds the head of a bolt on the inside of the case wasn’t bent up against the head so the bolt backed out. The new case looked to be a little beefier than the original. For most of the next 14 years I ran that poor thing just as fast is it would cut grass. There was no stopping and backing up. It was full forward then full reverse, then full forward again with the hydrostatic. I broke the factory bracket that holds the rear end in place 3 times so the last time I fabricated a bracket out of ¼ inch steel but I have never had a bit of trouble from the replacement hydrostatic transmission. It was that “takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’ “ durability that persuaded me to take a close look at the Cubs this time around.
I went to 18 different dealers and looked at 11 different brands. Agco, Bolens, Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Husky, John Deere, Kubota, Poland, Simplicity and White. Some of these brands I looked at only because they were there but the ones I was most interested in were the Agco, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, John Deere, Kubota and Simplicity.
Kubota was more smack them I could part with but I sure had a good time checking them out. Agco turned out to be a Simplicity with different decals and a higher price tag. Looking at the Cub Cadet and Husqvarna side by side I liked the fender mount hydro shift lever of the Husqvarna (similar to my old Cub) but all in all the Cub just looked better built to me. John Deere and Simplicity were well built but then there’s the price of the green paint to consider. (One Simplicity dealer let me cut grass with a new unit off the show room floor) I took a serious look at the Simplicity and I compared the Cub 2500 series to Simplicity with similar price range, engine HP and deck width. The Simplicity only offered a yard tractor, Cub offered a GT with the cast iron tranny and a shaft drive plus the Cub is a bit heavier.(more steel) Decision made. And it only took 3 weeks, just over 200 miles of driving and countless hours of pouring over prices, dealer attitude and product brochures. Part of my decision was based quite simply on my fondness for International and Cub Cadet as a youngster. A Cub hydro was the first thing I ever drove and I got to drive it by myself. (age 8-9?)
I chose the dealer I liked the best (my old dealer closed his doors) and placed an order on 4/23/05. Other dealers in the area had the Cub I wanted in stock but I liked the people at this dealership so I can wait a few days. April 28, 2005 4:17 pm a shinny new Cub Cadet GT2550 showed up on a trailer in the drive.
After looking it over and after getting the basic instructions, I took it for a spin. I headed for the toughest, thickest grass I have. I dropped the deck and hit the gas. I hit the grass as fast as it would go and even going up hill the Kohler didn’t lose any PRM. (that I could tell) The GT 2550 did a beautiful job.
Pros:
Tight turning radios.
Smooth cut.
Doesn’t scalp like the old 32” deck.
Much better traction going up hulls.
Cool engine sound, especially when it’s cold and idling.
Cons:
Head Lights
1. Wires were taped up by the dealer but still got melted by the muffler heat shield.
2. Bulbs (1156 backup lights) could be brighter though easy to find replacements.
3. Reflectors inside the lights are a plastic film and move around and come loose when the socket is inserted.
4. Light bulb sockets are a loose fit in the back of the light.
Seat springs tend to lay over in stead of compressing. (could be they are just protesting under the heavy load)
It’s about time for the 10 hr service. I went to Lowes and picked up both filters and 2 qts of hydro fluid, YIKES, over $42.00. I guess I’ll be stuck with these nasty prices till the warranty runs out in 2 years.
· Has anyone here used an aftermarket tiller, snow blower or blade on a 2500 series?
· Where can I find a good price on Ag tires, (23/10.50/12) chains and wheel weights?
· Has anyone here put a 3 point hitch on a 2500 series?
Lon of Indiana
I went to 18 different dealers and looked at 11 different brands. Agco, Bolens, Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Husky, John Deere, Kubota, Poland, Simplicity and White. Some of these brands I looked at only because they were there but the ones I was most interested in were the Agco, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, John Deere, Kubota and Simplicity.
Kubota was more smack them I could part with but I sure had a good time checking them out. Agco turned out to be a Simplicity with different decals and a higher price tag. Looking at the Cub Cadet and Husqvarna side by side I liked the fender mount hydro shift lever of the Husqvarna (similar to my old Cub) but all in all the Cub just looked better built to me. John Deere and Simplicity were well built but then there’s the price of the green paint to consider. (One Simplicity dealer let me cut grass with a new unit off the show room floor) I took a serious look at the Simplicity and I compared the Cub 2500 series to Simplicity with similar price range, engine HP and deck width. The Simplicity only offered a yard tractor, Cub offered a GT with the cast iron tranny and a shaft drive plus the Cub is a bit heavier.(more steel) Decision made. And it only took 3 weeks, just over 200 miles of driving and countless hours of pouring over prices, dealer attitude and product brochures. Part of my decision was based quite simply on my fondness for International and Cub Cadet as a youngster. A Cub hydro was the first thing I ever drove and I got to drive it by myself. (age 8-9?)
I chose the dealer I liked the best (my old dealer closed his doors) and placed an order on 4/23/05. Other dealers in the area had the Cub I wanted in stock but I liked the people at this dealership so I can wait a few days. April 28, 2005 4:17 pm a shinny new Cub Cadet GT2550 showed up on a trailer in the drive.
After looking it over and after getting the basic instructions, I took it for a spin. I headed for the toughest, thickest grass I have. I dropped the deck and hit the gas. I hit the grass as fast as it would go and even going up hill the Kohler didn’t lose any PRM. (that I could tell) The GT 2550 did a beautiful job.
Pros:
Tight turning radios.
Smooth cut.
Doesn’t scalp like the old 32” deck.
Much better traction going up hulls.
Cool engine sound, especially when it’s cold and idling.
Cons:
Head Lights
1. Wires were taped up by the dealer but still got melted by the muffler heat shield.
2. Bulbs (1156 backup lights) could be brighter though easy to find replacements.
3. Reflectors inside the lights are a plastic film and move around and come loose when the socket is inserted.
4. Light bulb sockets are a loose fit in the back of the light.
Seat springs tend to lay over in stead of compressing. (could be they are just protesting under the heavy load)
It’s about time for the 10 hr service. I went to Lowes and picked up both filters and 2 qts of hydro fluid, YIKES, over $42.00. I guess I’ll be stuck with these nasty prices till the warranty runs out in 2 years.
· Has anyone here used an aftermarket tiller, snow blower or blade on a 2500 series?
· Where can I find a good price on Ag tires, (23/10.50/12) chains and wheel weights?
· Has anyone here put a 3 point hitch on a 2500 series?
Lon of Indiana
