What should I Choose?

[saspaul]

Perhaps you folks could help me decide. I have a 3 acre lot on a hillside. I don't know the grade but it's a fairly steep walk in some spots, not steep enough to be able to sled down well! I had 2 Older Case/IH Cubs in the past, bought used, but recurrent problems cused me to sell them and Hire a lawn service. Now that i have a 14-year old son, I think I'm ready to get back to mowing again, with his help.

I've read many of the threads here re: cub, researched Cubs vs Deere's and some others, and i think I want to go back to cubs, especially because out here in the country there are not lots of dealers, but we have a big cub dealer 3 miles away, and service is very important to me, as I'm not very mechanically oriented. It always used to take 3-4 hours to mow the lot, so I've been considering the zero-turn radius machines, but have heard they are not great on hills. From reading your posts, it looks like having more HP is a legit concern, and perhaps I should insted be considering a 1554 or a 2500series (dealer has a 2554 in stock). What do you think? Lawn/garden tractor or ZTR? 1500 vs 2500? Any advice will be most appreciated. Thanks.
PS he has used 3240, 3205 3185 available as well.
I don't want to buy too little of a machine and be buying a new one in 2 years...did that when I moved here long ago.
Again, thanks.

 

[gamble77]

I think the key here is that you have a very hilly property. For that reason alone I would rule out any 1000 series and look heavily at the 2500 and 3000 series. The shaft drive will save you on the hills and the shaft drive is also much more efficent at putting power to the rear end.

 

[CCinCT]

Definitely go with shaft drive. Don't know what your budget is, but the CC 2500 series will be your least expensive shaft drive option, unless you decide to go used. If you are not mechanically inclined, then I would highly recommend going new. You'll have 2+ years of warranty coverage that when it runs out, you'll know exactly how the tractor has been treated and maintained. Plus, if you're inquisitive during any dealer maintenance or repairs, you'll pick up a lot of knowledge about the tractor that will help you ease into maintaining it yourself.

 

[saspaul]

Gentlemen, thanks for the posts: most helpful! I especially appreciate the suggestion re: buying new for one as mechanically unsophisticated as I. I have learnd a lot already since discovering this web community 3 days ago. Thank you, and any other post are very welcome. I will be buying this week.

 

[saspaul]

I have ben to a few dealers of various makes (Cub, Troy-bilt, Snapper, White, Kubota) and have received mixed signals, perhaps due to inexperienced staff. I have had salesmen tell me that the ZTR machines are fine on hills, and others that says they'll do poorly on hills unless mowing straight up and straight down the hills, ie poor traversing the hills. Others relate similar to you guys that hills require tractors with good HP. As much as I'd like to save time, I don't want to gamble and have machines that can't take it. Any input?

 

[cager]

I purchased a cc 2554 in Dec 05. My previous garden tractor had a 50in deck. Didn't consider anything but a shaft drive and the cc 2554 fit the bill. I did look at the 2550 but went with the 54 in deck. I have noticed no engine (Kohler 23hp) strain of any kind with the 54 in deck. Plowing my garden and scraping a neighbor's gravel drive was just as satisfactory. I maintain two yards: mine yard is 2 acres, wide open with gradual inclines. Consider me an extremely satisfied cc 2554 owner. I'm sure you will be too!

 

[saspaul]

Cager, 1 question: do you use the deck wash, and are you happy with how it works? Sounds like a great feature to me, given the problems I had with my old cub that had a 50" deck. I went to buy it today, and the dealer was charging $400 over the official Cub cadet web site price, so I backed off for today, even looked at used 3000 series vehicles for less. Now I don't know what to do!

 

[cager]

Saspaul...
My opinion on the deckwash, and my opinion only, is: I have not used it and have no intention of using it. It was certainly not a factor in my decision to purchase the cc 2554. My reason for not using it? When I purchased it, the dealer told me, based on his experince, 1) simply put, he didn't think it was effective; 2) it would not remove all the grass and the caked on stuff would remain wet and therefore add to the rust process. Best thing I have found is an air compressor and when I have the deck off, I'll clean it then, without water.

 

[saspaul]

Guys, I hope I am not posting this in the wrong forum, but here goes. When I went to buy the 2554 at my local Cub dealer, he was charging an extra $400 over the price from the Cub Cadet web site. Something did not feel right. So I made excuses and backed away. Since then, I have looked around some more and even went to the local John Deere dealer. It looks like I can get a new JD X340 (25 hp Kawasaki, 54" deck) from john Deere for $4599, vs $4399 for a new 2554, and this dealer seems way more friendly and easy to work with. I could also get an X320 (22 HP Kawasaki, 48" deck) for $3599, vs $4199 for a CC 2550. For my 3 acre lot on the side of a hill, I suspect both would do. What do you guys think: is the Deere a good deal, and could it do the job, or should I stick with the Cub and pay a premium? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[CCinCT]

The CC dealer you went to appears to be more interesting in maximizing profits from one-time sales, rather than fostering repeat customers. I wouldn't do business with him on principle alone.

You'd be happy with the JD or the CC, as they are both great products. But it appears that in this case the CC deal would mean you wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. It pains me to say this... but go get the JD, because in the end, no tractor will ever make you happy if you've been raped by the dealer.

 

[JTKub]

To pay more than whats listed on the CC website would be rediculous. More important than that IMHO is to have a good local dealership for parts and service. If your JD guys are the best in town, go with them.

Joel

 

[TedBell]

At my dealer, I saw a CC 2554 that was regularly priced at $4300, but marked down as a 'sale price' to $4000. (the MSRP).

You could probably get it at $4000, especially if you print out the MSRP from CC's web page and showed it to the dealer.

I too was thinking about a JD X340, but am a tad nervous about a 1st year model. They also had a GT245 for $5000. So I haven't decided on one yet.

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out!

 

[saspaul]

Well, was away on a short trip to take my daughter back to college, and I decided that I could not afford the $4500-5000 to buy a new JD or Cub. Upon arrrival tonight I saw and ad for a JD GT262, 1998, for $1400, advertised as well-maintained. I called and went to check this out tonight. This fellow knows engines, changes oil every 6-8 mows (~1 acre), services it every years in Nov, gave me plenty of tips on maintenance, and the machine, a 17 HP Kohler with 48" deck, was immaculate, new blades, new oil, very clean engine and deck. It drives and cuts well, is a standard, in great shape, and his lot is smaller but just as hilly as mine. This may be the solution to my search. Does this sound like a good deal? Thanks for any input.

 

[saspaul]

Just to close the loop, and to thank al of you who helped. With a good JD dealer in area but a suspicious Cub dealer, and the sudden availability of a very well-maintained JD GT262 for $1400, I went for the 262. It has a 48" deck. It did a nice job when I used it to make the first mowing of the year yesterday. My son had his intro to lawn mowers and standard transmissions, and will be a good learning experience for him as well. I still have some concerns about how it will ahndle the steepest slopes, but I think I can mow those in a different direction and avoid that problem. Thank you to all who gave input. I am indebted to you, those on this thread and the many others that I read, as I became a much better-educated consumer, and eventually found the machine I needed at the price I could afford, with much more confidence in the purchase.
Thanks again.