New XT2 purchased, have questions

daugen · Apr 12, 2016

after John Deere would not take one penny off their Sport 240 model, even though I bought an expensive X750 diesel garden tractor from them two years ago...,
I think I got a better deal from Cub Cadet. I grew up with Cub Cadets on our farm in Pa, and am now finishing the renovation of a 1968 CC 125. Not overly fond of the styling of the new CC lawn tractors but not an issue on this mower.

216 Cub Cadet XT2 LX 46" Fabricated Deck for sale in Washington, NC | Mitchell Tractor & Equipment Company (8) 672-6

I was able to buy this mower with a 23hp Kawasaki engine instead for 2399 cash. I figure the fab deck won't wear out, the engine is pretty bulletproof, so it's all the other parts that will wear more quickly than frankly I'm used to on heavier duty equipment. I know folks trash talk the K46 rear ,but this unit will only mow a half acre flat yard and be driven by a little old lady. She needs a mower for three years before she sells her home. This has a three year warranty and a local dealer to service it annually. I'm loaning the mower to her and will get it back, so I'll have it dealer serviced each year.

My real question is about MTD in general. I know this is their top tier brand, and i sure know how CC used to be way back when. Not sure why but I think MTD has improved their quality, maybe due to the cost of warranty repairs. I mean what do you expect from a $899 Husky? Not ten years of flawless operation for sure. Are there weak points to the CC line I should be aware of? Things to watch out for? Anyone have an XT2 and care to talk about it? Thanks

Bob_Bainbridge · Apr 13, 2016

My first Cub was a 1978 1450 which was built like a tank by International Harvester. It had engine mount problems and transmission leaks etc. but gave me 26 years of service. I didn't expect to get the same service from my second Cub, which was a 3235 built by MTD. It had a 52 inch fab deck which never rusted like the stamped 44 inch deck on the 1450. 2 decks rusted through in the 26 years of service. I had a leaky deck lift valve body on the 3235 and the 25HP Kohler blew a head gasket due to the bolts never being torqued down correctly. This was a fault of Kohler and not MTD. One cylinder started burning oil at 550 hours and the rear engine crankshaft seal went, again a Kohler fault and not MTD. My brother bought an XT2 last year and loves it but he only has about 20 hours on it. I bought the larger XT3 GSX with 54 inch fab deck and am happy so far, but again I only have 12 hours on it. It has another Kohler Command 25 so we'll see how this one works out. The XT series have been getting rave reviews so far. I miss the hydraulic power steering and deck lift that were on the 3235. The XT3 has replaced both those with electric assist. The 3235 was traded in after 11 years with the original Cub battery still working fine. I don't expect to match that again.

Bob B.

daugen · Apr 13, 2016

Thanks Bob. I'm hoping, that maybe, just maybe, the extra cost fabricated deck has higher quality spindles. I restricted the deck size to make sure there were only two blades and I was told spindles and front suspension were greasable. All good.

23hp is too much engine for this size riding mower but at least the Kawasaki should be bulletproof. Normally they put in an 18hp version, I assume the next size block down, but for doing very light lawn mowing, this engine will never get used hard. I've driven several z turns including my own with 27hp Kawasaki engines and never had problems, other than the higher up the hp the more gas it used. In this case, keep the blades sharp and just throttle back a bit. I usually run at 2/3 to 3/4 speed. Never flat out. Major fuel savings. Never had an issue with airflow or cooling because I keep aircooled engines clean.

I'm glad to hear about positive reviews on the XT series. What I read confirmed that. Like the Chinese, MTD had a long hole to crawl up out of to get any respect for quality manufacturing, and the real issue was how much did they change the factory where the CC's were being built. Somewhere back in the 60's and 70's these garden tractors seemed to hit a high point of quality and durability, then it all started going down as zero turns and SCUTS took over and most buyers would not pay big money for an "old fashioned" garden tractor. But it's not like the folks at CC didn't know how to build a good mower. I'm sure everything got decontented around them to hit different market price points. Survival of the company at issue I'm sure. While over at MTD, what had they ever engineered and built themselves that was top quality? MTD has been more the Walmart of small equipment. When you wanted a good price, you went there.

No one expects an inexpensive mower to last twenty years. What I bought was not inexpensive, though in comparison to my JD diesel unit, it's about one third the weight and one fifth the price. I expect the JD to last twenty years, or more; no such expectations for this unit. Sometimes small things like cheap idler pulleys and related hardware, that breaks, or gets out of alignment constantly chewing up belts, can be aggravating two to three years later, and the oem replacements are the same junk. It's really all a matter of what the design spec was. What I do like is this unit is built in Tennessee. So if the engineering spec is of high enough quality, I can be confident it got put together properly at the plant. Bolts torqued to correct specs, decks properly aligned, controls not binding.
Then of course there's the issue of the dealer. Do I trust the assembly guy at Lowes or my local Kubota dealer. Thank you, I'll take the tractor dealer any day. Which I did.

Bob, sounds like you have gotten your money's worth and had good service. Mower decks do rust and I think they make them better today. Kohler, well, let's say if you had a Honda or Kawasaki engine in those units you likely would be singing their praises. Kohler and Briggs have been going neck and neck; luckily Briggs has had much better luck it seems with their Vanguard line. Which is good because I just repowered my Gravely with a 23hp Vanguard.
I'm going to avoid plastic camshafts and valve gear as long as I can...

Bob_Bainbridge · Apr 13, 2016

Cub Cadet was built by International Harvester from 1960 to 1981 when they sold out to MTD. I think the quality dropped at that time but has been gradually improving. My IH Cub Cadet 1450 had a single cylinder cast iron Kohler engine and had 1100 hours on the clock when I traded it in. The only thing ever done to the engine was points, plugs and I replaced the aluminum oil pan because the engine mounts failed and allowed the engine to drop down causing the sides of the pan, containing the mounting bolt holes, to wear. I didn't realize what was happening until I couldn't get enough tension on the belt to the deck.

Bob B.

daugen · Apr 14, 2016

here are some pics. Seatbottom too hard, fixable with cushion, seat back has good back support.
Haven't tried cruise control.
find out their fabricated deck has sealed lube spindles. Actually better for this application because older lady would never
lube this thing corrected; didn't even know what a grease gun was. So in four or five years, around 300 hours likely the two spindles will be worn out.
Nice replacement business for CC...
24hp engine is silly for this size; reminds me of a Chevy Nova with a 396 engine...