Leo Rabon
Bronze Member
I recently purchased a 2011 Cub Cadet GT 2000 with a 42" stamped mower deck and also the two-bin bagger. I opted for the 42" mower deck since my yard is not level and I felt the 42" deck could handle the uneven terrain (1-acre) better than the larger decks. In that regard I believe that my decision there was a good one as the cut in my yard is very good and I am very satisfied. The bagging system itself works well as I keep my grass cut on a regular basis so I am not faced with overgrown grass. My experience has never been good with overgrown grass using a bagger attachment. The quality of the bagger itself is average but I expected a little more from Cub Cadet. To unload the bags, you have to flip the seat forward to open the system for bag removal. That really is a pain after a while. Another thing I did not like is the "mesh bags" that let a lot of fine debris through the bags that migrates onto the rear of the tractor and the transmission. I will be correcting that problem by attaching a cut piece of a "tarp" purchased from "Lowes" to the frame of the bagger that will go between the bags and the rear of the tractor to help stop the dust and debris buildup on the tractor. Cub Cadet should have made that system and placed on the bagger. I did have to cut my grass without the bagger on the first time "bagger was not in stock". One thing I noticed when I cut the next time, was the amount of dry grass (almost fogging the air) that the engine air discharge was blowing up as I mowed. Some of that debris will eventually end up going through the engine fan. The air flow from the engine fan (coming from under the tractor) seemed to be adequate and I have not noticed any engine overheating problems as mentioned by many others on their Cubs. Mine is the 20HP Kohler. Speculation tells me that mulching your grass with this machine is going to produce so much fine grass particles (from previous cuts) blowing that it will eventually cause a buildup on the engine from the engine fan blowing through the shrouds and probably cause an overheating problem. It appears that frequent enigne cleaning and maintenance will be a must under those conditions. So far, I am satisfied with my 2011 Cub Cadet GT 2000 and time will tell. I did look at buying a John Deere and I know that I got "more bang for the buck" with the Cub Cadet. A heavier duty tractor with a heavier duty "Hyrostatic Drive" for about $1,600.00 less. Warning: If you stop your GT 2000 on your lawn and leave the engine running "even for one minute" the engine heat being discharged from under the tractor will "kill" the grass under it. The first time I used the Cub, I did that several times and now I have dead grass patches over my lawn. If I need to stop for anything now, I pull over to the side as I don't like to shut the engine down without a proper engine "cool down". Please note that you need to have the engine at approximately 3/4 power for shut down or you will get a "backfire" which is not good at all :thumbsup:for the enigne. Engine power is good and the "shaft drive" is great. As time goes on, I hope that I will have some additional "positive" reports to make.
Leo
Leo
