Strengths Heavy duty tractor with decent transmission gives smooth ride.

Weaknesses COOLING!!! Poor ergonomics (130 lb. woman can't keep seat switch from shutting off engine). Headlights quickly fill with dust. Gas tank too small. Noisy (always had to wear earplugs). Doesn't cut very evenly.

Overall The Kohler engine runs hot and Cub has done very little to keep it cool. In fact, the 2500 is the only Cub Cadet series that does nothing to filter grass out of the cooling air. The 1000's pull air in through baffles in the hood and the 3000's have a large screen inlet below the steering wheel. The early 2500s had major problems with hoods melting and breaking. Cub came up with a heat shield which only diverts the heat to other areas under the hood. First, my cables melted. Then at 10 hours, the engine overheated to the point where the oil was burned. The dealer said the engine cooling passages had gotten clogged with grass. The internet is full of reports relating to this issue: Cables melting, Hoods melting, grass scorching, engines burning up, premature PTO failure. Fortunately, I had a great dealer who cleaned out the engine under warranty (not a simple chore ... over $300 of work). I tried mounting a homemade screen on the inlet, but it continually got clogged with debris. Cub tried putting a baffle on the 50" mower deck to direct the grass away from the engine, but this didn't help much. Plus I was concerned that overheating may have caused engine damage that would come back to haunt me later. Unlike many who have had to deal with Cub Cadet directly, my dealer was great and offered a full refund. Because my dealer gave such good support, I waited until this spring to see how Cub would fix the problem. When I saw that nothing was changed on the new models, I decided Cub Cadet wasn't for me. Ended up with a Deere X540.

Strengths machine holds up to its heavy duty name

Weaknesses i have long legs ( real long) and seat could stand to go back one knotch more

Overall sounds like this other guy has had problems with the DEALER and not the machine. customers are not spposted to contact cub, that is why they have dealers to go to. Also all problems sound like an issue with the assembly of the machine, which the dealer is suppost to take care of.

Strengths Frame

Weaknesses Purchased 07/25/07, left at dealer 08/22/07- after 5 weeks at dealer, warranty issues remain unresolved: Hood melts at grill opening! Hood has weakness - fractured mounting tiers from factory will cause hood to break loose when the fractures break, leaving the hood latched at the front and not attached at the pivoting mounting plate! Excessive heat generated under hood - use caution! Stainless shield covering exhaust has no insulating properties or any air moving across it, helping to create more heat issues. Possible premature engine failure due to high heat. Cub Cadet/MTD Products customer service technician was very rude and never returns any phone calls! Cub Cadet/MTD Territory Sales Manager does not warranty products or contact customers when issues arise, as he promised me at the time of purchase. Engine contained no oil on dipstick after 10 hrs of use - only extensive debris from friction. No signs of leakage. Digital hour meter erratic. Never stayed on one reading, constantly changing numbers when in use. Sensor and switches for engine apparently not working properly or faulting would have stopped engine from operating in Low oil/NO oil condition. Warranty void if using any additional equipment NOT supplied by Cub Cadet/MTD - read the warranty BEFORE you purchase. MUST return to purchasing dealer for warranty and service for warranty to remain valid.

Overall Very unhappy with unit. Incredibly rude employees of MTD/Cub Cadet. showing poor management skills and customer service responsibilites. Dealer has been very rude, refusing to warranty any issues. Many people have had the same problems with their hoods and questions of heat and it's potential damage to engine components.