This forum is fantastic. I have been lurking for awhile and the information here is unmatched.
I just purchased a GT2544 from my local dealer. This is my first ever garden level tractor, first twin cylinder and first CUB. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I pick it up on Thursday.
I have a Husqvarna, YTH145 yard tractor that I bought new. It is about 8 years old and the Hydrogear tranny just kicked the bucket a few weeks ago. It's sad because I took such good care of it. I tried hard to find a replacement at a fair price, but the best I could do was 700 dollars for a replacement unit. Not worth it.
I decided I was not going to spend good money on the lower range stuff. I was willing to spend the money on something well made that would cut grass well, pull my large cart with occasional heavy loads of gravel, mulch,, etc., pull my aerator and dethatcher, and a york rake now and then.
After weeks of research I narrowed it down to Deere or Cub. On Friday I started out by checking out the LX280 with the 42 inch deck. Deere is doing a 400 dollar off special right now. so I basically would have got it just under 4 grand. Nice unit and it's a Deere so few worries. Unfortunately, when you add in the bagger we are at 4500 bucks. A lot of green to me, even for "Green".
From there I went to check out the Cubs. Admittedtly, I hate the look of the front-end on the 2500's. Odd shape to the hood. I knew if I went "Cub" it had to be the shaft drive. So I went right for the 2544. I liked everything I saw (except the weird shaped hood /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). It looked every bit as well built as the Deere but with that shaft drive and super beefy cast iron hydro plus cheaper price it was a no brainer. The Cub's steering gear and tie rods looked so much better too. Sadly my dealer had to complicate matters by telling me he had a 1554GT out back. I loved the look of it. The 1554GT actually looked beefier to me. Bigger rear tires, roomier, giant Darth Vader like hood, ridiculously overpowered 27hp Kohler, brush guard standard, 4 gallon fuel tank, etc. Now I know the 2544 is a true Garder Tractor, and some will say the 1554GT is too, but after digging deeper I realized I should not choose between the two by looks alone. The dealer offerred the 1554GT with the bagger for 3100 dollars, a pretty good deal for sure. But I just could not help thinking about those important differences. Belt vs. shaft drive. Sealed aluminum tranny vs. what looked like a bullet proof cast iron beast in the 2544. Hydro filter, drain and fill. Awesome! Plus the 54 inch deck on the 1554GT was overkill for me and would require me to modify the doors/opening on my shed.
I did not sleep well the past 2 nights thinking about which one to choose. The 1554GT or the 2554. I went back to the Cub dealer on Saturday and looked at both again. Told them I wanted to sleep on it. Went back today and this time he rolled the 2554 out the door, put in some fuel and told me to get on it. I was blown away. The twin Kohler purs like a kitten, smooth, relatively quiet and powerful. This is the first time I ever drove a pedal equipped tranny (Husqvarna used a lever). And that shaft drive is beautiful. It drove like nothing I ever driven before. I took it around the yard, drove it up a 30 degree incline and was simply in awe. I drove it back to the door, shut it down and said "write one up"!
I know I made the right choice. The 1554GT is a heck of a tractor too and a bargain at that price, but I just kinda felt that it was still a yard tractor, just one on some serious steroids /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif .
Spending over 3 grand on a tractor made me say to myself, "spend the extra on the step up" even if it does not look as cool. It's not that I think the 2544 looks wimpy, by all means it looks beefy like a true garden tractor should look, but that 1554GT is really flashy looking. But the bottom line is I needed a replacement quality made tractor to do work, not to oogle at and the 2554 is hard to beat! I had them order me the front bumper/brush guard as I was used to having one on my Husqvarna.
Thanks again to this forum. It helped me decide on a Cub and I appreciate it.
Question: I've seen the posts on the headlight wiring issue. What are you guys doing? The one on display that I drove did not seem to have enough wire slack to reroute it away from the heat shield. I'm hoping mine will have some slack. If not, should I use wire loom or something? Is there such a loom available that is heat resistant?
Also....Does the bagger kit come with blades? I've read different things. Some say it comes with a single hi-lift blade for nearest the chute. Others say a full set of high lift blades come with the bagger. Still some others say it comes with no blades at all.
I just purchased a GT2544 from my local dealer. This is my first ever garden level tractor, first twin cylinder and first CUB. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I pick it up on Thursday.
I have a Husqvarna, YTH145 yard tractor that I bought new. It is about 8 years old and the Hydrogear tranny just kicked the bucket a few weeks ago. It's sad because I took such good care of it. I tried hard to find a replacement at a fair price, but the best I could do was 700 dollars for a replacement unit. Not worth it.
I decided I was not going to spend good money on the lower range stuff. I was willing to spend the money on something well made that would cut grass well, pull my large cart with occasional heavy loads of gravel, mulch,, etc., pull my aerator and dethatcher, and a york rake now and then.
After weeks of research I narrowed it down to Deere or Cub. On Friday I started out by checking out the LX280 with the 42 inch deck. Deere is doing a 400 dollar off special right now. so I basically would have got it just under 4 grand. Nice unit and it's a Deere so few worries. Unfortunately, when you add in the bagger we are at 4500 bucks. A lot of green to me, even for "Green".
From there I went to check out the Cubs. Admittedtly, I hate the look of the front-end on the 2500's. Odd shape to the hood. I knew if I went "Cub" it had to be the shaft drive. So I went right for the 2544. I liked everything I saw (except the weird shaped hood /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). It looked every bit as well built as the Deere but with that shaft drive and super beefy cast iron hydro plus cheaper price it was a no brainer. The Cub's steering gear and tie rods looked so much better too. Sadly my dealer had to complicate matters by telling me he had a 1554GT out back. I loved the look of it. The 1554GT actually looked beefier to me. Bigger rear tires, roomier, giant Darth Vader like hood, ridiculously overpowered 27hp Kohler, brush guard standard, 4 gallon fuel tank, etc. Now I know the 2544 is a true Garder Tractor, and some will say the 1554GT is too, but after digging deeper I realized I should not choose between the two by looks alone. The dealer offerred the 1554GT with the bagger for 3100 dollars, a pretty good deal for sure. But I just could not help thinking about those important differences. Belt vs. shaft drive. Sealed aluminum tranny vs. what looked like a bullet proof cast iron beast in the 2544. Hydro filter, drain and fill. Awesome! Plus the 54 inch deck on the 1554GT was overkill for me and would require me to modify the doors/opening on my shed.
I did not sleep well the past 2 nights thinking about which one to choose. The 1554GT or the 2554. I went back to the Cub dealer on Saturday and looked at both again. Told them I wanted to sleep on it. Went back today and this time he rolled the 2554 out the door, put in some fuel and told me to get on it. I was blown away. The twin Kohler purs like a kitten, smooth, relatively quiet and powerful. This is the first time I ever drove a pedal equipped tranny (Husqvarna used a lever). And that shaft drive is beautiful. It drove like nothing I ever driven before. I took it around the yard, drove it up a 30 degree incline and was simply in awe. I drove it back to the door, shut it down and said "write one up"!
I know I made the right choice. The 1554GT is a heck of a tractor too and a bargain at that price, but I just kinda felt that it was still a yard tractor, just one on some serious steroids /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif .
Spending over 3 grand on a tractor made me say to myself, "spend the extra on the step up" even if it does not look as cool. It's not that I think the 2544 looks wimpy, by all means it looks beefy like a true garden tractor should look, but that 1554GT is really flashy looking. But the bottom line is I needed a replacement quality made tractor to do work, not to oogle at and the 2554 is hard to beat! I had them order me the front bumper/brush guard as I was used to having one on my Husqvarna.
Thanks again to this forum. It helped me decide on a Cub and I appreciate it.
Question: I've seen the posts on the headlight wiring issue. What are you guys doing? The one on display that I drove did not seem to have enough wire slack to reroute it away from the heat shield. I'm hoping mine will have some slack. If not, should I use wire loom or something? Is there such a loom available that is heat resistant?
Also....Does the bagger kit come with blades? I've read different things. Some say it comes with a single hi-lift blade for nearest the chute. Others say a full set of high lift blades come with the bagger. Still some others say it comes with no blades at all.
