Strengths james w..well its march 29 today and the litte tractor is taking the summer off.the last storm we had was back in late feburary and march has been remarkably snow free,my contracts expire in 2 days and ive done well this winter with about 40 hrs total on the tractor..i have only good things to say about the tractor.it functioned perfectly all winter.i would recommend cub to anyone who asks,,but only if your buying from a dealer.

Weaknesses wish i could hookup a blade in back,to drag the snow up out of sloped driveways.really need a cab for it..

Overall i would certainly buy another cub cadet.

Strengths james.w. update on cub 2523.jan 20 09.machine now has 227 hours on the clock,and she is running strong.gas consumption is very good.little tractor has been sitting outside under tarps for about 2 weeks, as i dont have a garage. we have just come thru a period of extreme cold -30f and she fired up first shot.only problem the right rear tire was flat pumped it up,good as new.plastic windsheild washer bottle got caught in blower but thakfully caused no damage,other than some loud noise..this caused pto drive belt to come off,i noticed belt seemed to be stretched somewhat.i had a new belt in stock ....34.00usd at dragoons.very simple job taking about 2mins to change..and we were off to the races.we have recieved more than 2 feet of snow and i still have not found the limits of its performance.it chews thru everything ive thrown at it.i have found a good source for non oem filters (wix) makes them..little bit cheaper for transaxle and oil filters,top quality filters... ...

Weaknesses still have not found any

Overall very happy......

Strengths i bought mine used in upstate new york;from dragoons farm supply,seem to be a well run quality dealer.i have a cottage in ny and decided to buy it there because they had a good selection of used machines,and they are nice people.brought it home to montreal to clear snow,42 inch snow thrower onboard.its a 2004.looked it over well and it seemed to have been a well cared for machine.did some research on the computer and feelings were mixed about cub in general.if you bought the machine at a dealer it seems to be less troublesome.did not know much about garden tractors when i bought it.we have just gone through a major week of snow including a period of freezing rain that turned the snow into a frozen crust.the little tractor performed amazingly well,powering through every thing i could throw at her.i have several snow clearing contracts, nine all together.they consist of long double driveways and the machine has worked extremely well.always starts on the first go.seems to be well built and rugged.i have changed the oil,filter,trans axle filter and fluid,and cleaned,greased and lubed every part of it.cleaned the engine fins,quite a bit off old grass trimmings..an have maintnanced the heck out.ive been a mechanic for 20 years and iam a maintance fanatic and have had few problems with the machines i have owned.it had 197 hours on the clock when i bought and now has 209 so i have only owned it for a short period of time,however if its recent performance is any indication of its long term reliability it should prove to be a fine piece of equipment.with the suitcase weights and tire chains i have had no problems even with sloped driveways.the deeper the snow the more she seems to like it,you can hear the blower and engine change the sound they make when you hit the deep stuff,,, its almost like an extra turbine drive kicks in and just chews through the drifts.our problem here is the large city snow plows continualy block you back in every time they pass,and the streets my contracts are on are in the same situation.the snowbanks they create consist of heavy large volumes of compacted snow.the machine just powers through with minimal effort.parts and belts seem to be well priced at dragoons and in stock.

Weaknesses cant say yet,nothing to report.

Overall the tractor should almost pay for itself this year with the few contracts i have...

Strengths Powerful, wide cut, nice transmission action

Weaknesses Burns up mower deck belts due to the convoluted path the belt takes. You will be lucky to get 30 hours on a deck belt. Headlight bezel and wiring melted due to poor airflow (I have the metal hood model) in the engine compartment. Engine hot air blows directly on underhood wiring and headlight plastic

Overall Would not buy again. Dealer not very helpful.

Strengths Easy to use and service. Excellent cut. Good job mulching. Sturdy construction. Logical controls.

Weaknesses Pins that hold deck wheels lose balls and fall out. Right rear deck wheel has broken shoulder bolt 3 times.

Overall Overall I am happy with the machine. It does everything I've asked of it. I mow 2.5 acres about twice a week and have logged 300 hrs in 3 years.

Strengths Confortable ride.

Weaknesses Very poor assembly from the factory. Accumulated several failures in 80 hrs of light duty: Stearing, belt drive on deck, pins holding castor wheels (they come loose with vibration and cost $5.25 each !) and others. Of most concern is the lifting of the deck problem where two of the four pins near the handle become loose with time: this does not allow the lifting of the deck, and if the problem is undetected causes damage to the castor wheels. This problem was found in two equal models. The first model had the problem at the first cut. We returned the first mower because of extremely poor service. Purchased a second mower from another dealer, but the same problem developed after 80 hrs, with

Overall The product is very poor overall. Stay away from this defective design !