SC 2400

[Fruitguy]

I have been looking to upgrade my 2544 and have been looking at the posts on the SC 2400 and have visited my dealer about 100 times. While I may have a use for the loader, this tractor will mainly be used to mow and throw snow. I have a lot of trees on my property and I知 worried about the maneuverability as we have about 2' feet of snow and I cannot test it, but would like to take advantage of the current financing. I am also pretty **** about my lawn and have not seen a lot about how the mid mount mower cuts. Beyond the attachments would someone let me know what they think about the mid mount mowers cut and the maneuverability.

Thanks,
James

 

[Undercover]

I test drove one late last summer with the FEL and i loved it.Plan to have one someday.It maneuverd great(just test drove).As far as snow blowing i would think it would be a beast with the 4x4.I would just use the FEL and maybe some day get a rear blade.IF the 60" deck cuts as good as the 60" deck i have on the Cub i got now you will be happy.Some one will come along that actually has one to help. Good luck

------------------------------------------------
new SWE 930 "very happy"
04 GT3235 60" deck
07 GT1554
08 CC 500
08 CC 4175

 

[lorus1966]

I've had a SC2400 for almost a year now. We've got a few acres of mowed grass area, complete with hills, trees, ditches, and other obstacles.

I've been more than impressed with the maneuverability of the tractor. I've got the rears filled (Rim Guard) and also have them swapped to provide for about 4" extra width. This has greatly improved stability on the hills. The thing seems to turn in much less space than I thought it would. I've got the R4 tires, and if the turf is wet they will cut in a bit on the turns. Not a problem though unless it's just stopped raining.

The deck seems to give a very good cut, although for me the 60" width proved to be a problem. My trees just don't want to move out of the way. The cut quality itself is better than my JD 318 ever could do, even when it ran right. Of course, with a 60" deck, any high spots will have to go through a bit of "training" until they are even with the rest.

The only complaint I have with the deck has been the powder coat that was applied to the underside, which doesn't seem that keen on staying put and is flaking off. Not just the usual wear & tear - it seems like the metal wasn't prepped properly.

I don't have the blower since I've got a gravel driveway, and flying gravel and windows just aren't a good match. I do have the front blade, which uses the same front hitch. So far I have not found a limit to its usefulness. I'm in the Milwaukee area, and so far we've had over 40" of snow to move. The 12" heavy snow we had last month was no problem, although I had to make my first pass on a downhill run. I just couldn't get enough traction going uphill, even with chains. The problem was the gravel moving, not so much the tractor itself. I tried to clear the first snow with a rear blade. It's like night and day comparing a front and rear blade for clearing snow. The front blade is the way to go.

I've not had any experience with the blower, but the unit certainly has the needed power. They also have a heated cab if you need.

After a bit of practice, I can remove the front hitch/blade and have the FEL back on in about 10 minutes. I've swapped them out often, as I need the FEL to pile the snow and move the snowbanks around so we don't get closed in by snow.

 

[Fruitguy]

Thanks for the feedback on the deck. If anyone has used the blower, please let me know. Wife is going to love when the dealer drops it off. Looks a little different than the 2544. I still need to think how I am going to explain that.

 

[dts1449]

I bought my SC2400 in October and moved a bunch of dirt with it just before winter set in. I only got to use the mower once before there was snow on the ground. I mow about three acres and was quite impressed with how it did the job. I have a few trees that I have to get around. I find the machine quite maneuverable. I haven't set it up to pull my Swisher 60" pull behind yet, but when I do I'll have over 9 feet of coverage while mowing. I like the pull behind for maneuvering around trees, I can reach right to the trunk without having to get beat up by branches.

I bought mine with the front mount blower attachment. I had a few small issues when I first started to use it, some were mine and some were the assembly from the factory. I have a gravel driveway that was newly repaired last summer so it was pretty smooth. I still managed to pick a few rocks up though. I'm sure next year will be different, I've learned allot so far. My driveway is almost 1000' long and the top coat is about 12' wide. I also clean a fairly large turn around area as well as paths around the house and garage.

When I first attached the blower I immediately tried to use it with just a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. I had moved the skids to give me the most clearance but the ground was soft and with no base built up yet they seemed to sink into the gravel. I picked a few loose stones up. I also found that when the driveway was topped with gravel, the contractor laid a ribbon on top of the base that was raised about 2 or 3 inches. If I let one tire slip off the top coat, it allowed the blower to scrape into the gravel and toss more stones. Next year I'll have that tapered or blended better into the rest of the material and won't have such a difference in height.

I also fashioned a couple of additional skis for skids out of 2x6's that have helped keep the blower from picking up so much gravel. I used 3/8 carriage bolts and just bolted them to the sides of the factory skids. They don't look like much but they do work. Maybe by next year I'll have built a set of adjustable gage wheels for it. I have been thinking about making a set that uses a hand crank adjustment system for height. Then at the beginning of winter it can be adjusted for high clearance and as a base of snow and ice builds up they can be adjusted up and out of the way.

The first larger stone it found knocked the chain off the sprockets. I was able to loosen the adjustments for the chain and put it back on but when I tried to tension it I ran into problems. If I tensioned the chain properly it bound on the sprockets. If I loosened it enough to not bind, it was way too loose. I took a straight edge and laid it between the sprockets and found them to be misaligned. I realigned them and haven't had any problems since.

I bought the chute rotation option, I wasn't sure it was going to be worth the money. My dealer recommended it and I'm glad he did. I started the season with the hand crank that came with the blower until the rotation kit arrived. It worked fine but restricted how you got on and off the machine. It's also really nice to have the fine adjustment at your fingertips. It's well worth the additional cost, having used it both ways I'd definitely recommend getting the option.

I really like the tractor, I've got about 40 hours on it so far and have no complaints. It has plenty of power for it's size, the mower works great and leaves a nice finish, the FEL can move allot of dirt, and the blower has kept the driveway clean.
DTS

 

[gordyy]

have a question for you how long does it take to pull the blower off and put it back on

was playing with one at the dealer and it looked like a bit of work but he said when I asked about a quick hitch they didnt have one

that is the only real drawback I have from pulling the trigger is the off on time as I will need the loader and the blower sometimes on the same day
the test drive I toook they had the blower on and boy that chute rotation is sweet lol

 

[lorus1966]

Once I got the hang of it, I was able to consistently get the loader on or off in less than five minutes. It's really quite simple.

The hitch that the blower uses is the same as the one my front blade uses. Once I figured out that by running the front wheels on a 2x6 and using a floor jack to help move the hitch was important, I've been able to get the front hitch mounted in less than 10 minutes. It's also very simple once you get the hang of it.

I did re-angle a few of the hydraulic hoses so that they point in a direction that provides a little more clearance, and I also have a set of ratcheting box-end wrenches dedicated to the front hitch in my shop.

Don't let the swapping thing keep you from the machine. Every time I finish clearing snow with the front blade I've got to remount the FEL to clean the horse stalls. It snowed LOTS here in Wisconsin in December, and swapping the blade/hitch for the FEL was the least of my problems.

 

[gordyy]

glad to hear I am pretty serious about this machine
have driven and played with a lot of em
can get this lil sc2400 here for about 21,000
with fel mower front blower w chute control cab heat lights
and a
vary rarely used rear blade for a couple hundred extra
about 2 grand less than a kubota 6 less than a JD 4 less than a NH
and right now the finance thing is about as good as it can get I think

 

[EmerichSales]

Great tractor, We have sold a bunch of them!

 

[dts1449]

I just got off mine, had to clean up after a few days of snow. It is unfortunate that the hitch has to come off before the FEL can go on but it really isn't that hard to take the hitch off or put it on. It took me a while the first time I attached the hitch to the tractor but now that I'm familiar with it it only takes a few minutes. The blower comes off the quick hitch in a matter of a couple minutes, nothing to it. The longest part is unhooking the hoses for the chute.

I was serious in my last post about some kind of gauge wheels for it though. Prior to the most recent snow we had a warm spell that took all the snow away including the base that was built up. Starting over every time the snow melts is a pain, not that I don't like the nice weather. My home made skis have two sets of mounting holes. One set is higher than the other so when I need extra clearance it's just a matter of unbolting them and using the second set of holes. It would be much handier to turn a small crank handle and raise or lower the wheels as needed. I guess that's the price I pay for having a gravel driveway.

 

[gordyy]

I know what you mean with the gravel
any blower I have had over the years has this problem

only bright spot
wait I cant call it a bright spot

here in ND once we get snow it lasts all dam year

 

[gordyy]

I will be finding out about your gauge wheel shortly
signed the papers ordered the tractor today probably get it in a few days have to wait for my tax $$$ to get back
tractor, loader, mmm ,front snowblower, cab with heater lights wiper, and roto tiller
tilller was a bit expensive but I like the fact that it can offset looks like that would be a real plus in some of the small gardens I have been known to get myself into

 

[scoutcub]

Congrats on the purchase! Sounds like quite the package. What size blower are you buying? I have the older Cubs with a blower and blade. Also, is it a Cub tiller? How far can you offset? Looking forward to pics/review!

 

[gordyy]

the blower is a 45 inch front mount
the tiller is also the cub built for this machine
I just looked and it offsets 32 inches which is pretty unbelievable for an 42 in tiller
it can be set up they claim as a 3 in one tiller can be reverse tine (still not sure how that works) like I say that I will have to wait to see
I didn't get the front blade yet!! the quick attach does let you pull the blower and pop the blade on in about 2 minutes did try that at the dealers as he had one on another tractor the biggest thing was threading the hyd lines thru to protect them I will look at some steel or copper loops for that when I get it home. HE is still waiting to hear back from CC yanmar what ever they actually call the home company as he didn't have a price on the blade without the quick hitch as I sure dont need 2 of those
blower has hyd chute rotation which is sweet
already ordered a lineal actuator and swith to make the chute movement up and down an inside job too, here believe it or not even when below zero is more common than not when blowing, it is the wind blowing the snow that causes the biggest problem you can always dress for cold. It gets hard to dress for cold and wet. And as we all know the lower you can keep the snow to get it out of your way, the less the wind will catch it.
talking to a couple guys locally that bought them they told me to go out and buy a couple cheap circulating fans to blow air down across the windows and towards the toes the only thing they didnt like about the cab is the opening for air intake is all at the bottom the heater is supposed to be able to cook you out even at -38 which is the coldest the one guy operated in. He said his toes were cold that morning till he stopped at walmart and rigged up a couple little fans to blow down along the side from the top said it sure defrosted the windows as well as allowed him to take off the stomper and put on his tennis' on

 

[scoutcub]

I REALLY liked my blade this past winter. We got a lot of snow in MI, and my little 5234 performed flawlessly. I've got the ag tires, never chained it, and never had a problem with traction. I found that by dragging the plow backwards got me even closer to the pavement, I was always the first driveway to be melted! I've got 2 Cub blowers, a 48" and 54", I tried the 54" on the 5234 but just too much blower, the engine would bog down. I sold my neighbor my GT3200 with blower, so between him and I we have the neighborhood covered!
I've got a soft cab with a heater, but never had the time to install it. Definitely would come in handy, as I was blowing snow on a windy day, watch out. Good idea on those fans.
The 48" blower I have has the manual direction/angle, (from the operator's seat) and the 54" has the hydraulic direction, but only manual angle, adjustment is on the chute itself .....does anyone know of a kit to control angle from the cab?

 

[gordyy]

just ordered a lineal actuator to put on my chute from surplus up there on top
there are several threads detailing how to do it just search you will find
ordered the actuator and a dpdt momentary on switch to power it up and down

 

[Fruitguy]

Well I finally bought one. Have about 16 hours so far and have to say I love it. Only have the loader and the 60" mmm so far. Have to say it manuvers great and looking forward to this winter, since we are not having a summer here.

One question though. I was tired of the grass building up under the belt guards on the deck, so I took them off. Has anyone else done this? Besides saftey, is there any other reason to put them back on?

Thanks,
James

 

[gordyy]

I usually get that grass out with the aircompressor
have about 90 hours on mine and love it
do you have a ballast box on behind?
I found mine to be almost dangerous without something behind as the tight turning you have to be careful with a loaded bucket lift a heavy load up a bit then the bucket curl will allow you to lift the rear wheels up.

I did fill the rears with rimguard and that made a very big difference

and I got the 5 ft boxblade on mine instead of the 4ft it handles it great
and with the boxblade on its heavy enough to allow me to actually dig very well with the loader
I do love this lil toy

 

[Fruitguy]

I have been looking at box blades lately and was not sure if I could go to a 5', but it sounds like it will be fine. As for weight, I have not added any yet and yes it gets a little scary at times. I have been trying to find somebody in Western NY that I can get rim guard from, but have not had any luck.

I think I am going to get a rear scoop for weight instead of the ballast box. I figure I can use it for weight when needed, but I could also use it for a quick scoop of dirt when needed.

 

[LBrown59]

I have been looking at box blades lately and was not sure if I could go to a 5', but it sounds like it will be fine.

As for weight, I have not added any yet and yes it gets a little scary at times. I have been trying to find somebody in Western NY that I can get rim guard from, but have not had any luck.

I think I am going to get a rear scoop for weight instead of the ballast box. I figure I can use it for weight when needed, but I could also use it for a quick scoop of dirt when needed.

Then stay off tractor till you get things properly counter balanced.
A Fel is very dangerous with out it.