Strengths Power of operation especially on steep grades. Confortable riding and has wide cut (54").

Weaknesses Third time in use both front deck wheels broke off. Bad welding at factory. Deck drive belt jumps off pto pulley often. Deck blades seem to wear out too quickly. Motor back fires every time you turn off the ignition switch and I mean loud. Drinks gas for the amount of cutting. Deck wash system is a joke unless you stop three times and wash for fifteen minutes then go again. Seat broke off tractor while mowing. Lucky I wasn't on a steep slope. Plate that seat attaches to is way too light weight for that size seat.

Overall I won't class this unit a piece of junk but it is not far from that. This is my first and last Cub Cadet. Don't waste your money on such a sub par unit when there are many other units better than a Cub Cadet. Right now is it sitting under the shed and unusable due to the pto clutch will not engage. Clutch is ok but something is wrong in the electrical system. Just another in a long line of problems encountered with this tractor.

Strengths Powerful engine. Wide deck. Steers great. Forward speed good. "Mow in reverse" easy to use and well thought out. Lots of grease fittings.

Weaknesses Reverse pedal does not give full throw, hard to use. Don't like having to set parking brake to get off tractor to keep engine from stalling.....protect us from the idiots out there!

Overall So far so good. Found a left-over '08 model for $2995!! Great deal.

Strengths The tractor is beefy and I beat the hell out of it year round. With basic oil, filter etc. changes, it has been great.

Weaknesses Mice have eaten 2 of my ingnition housings and they aren't cheap to replace. DON'T buy the snow thrower for this..I've had nothing but troubles from cables to auger housing, which I'm fighting to get a new one after using only 4 times...they (PartsTree.Com) have the parts, but do NOT WARRANTY anything they sell. My auger housing must have had a hairline crack which got larger and larger as I thought it was blowing snow...not good...They requested a letter from a certified Cub Cadet dealer explaining that the part was defective...did that...now lets see how their customer service handles this!! I'm looking at 6+ inches of snow in my 400' driveway, and I'm without a snow thrower for it. I'm screwed... Thanks PartsTree.com!!

Overall The tractor can use some work in that the oil drain plug needs a hose to drain..stupid design...Now they have a plastic body, mine is metal and it chips easily and rusts even faster. Having said that...I really do put the tractor to some heavy use...I don't have the mower platform, just the snow thrower...which I would STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST PURCHASING...Unless you own a parts store!

Strengths Heavy duty constuction. 54" deck is much better than the 48" deck. Good job mowing and plowing snow. More features for the price than other brands.

Weaknesses Engine stalls when starting mower deck sometimes. Deck wheels fall off all the time. Kohler engine is much harder to start in winter.

Overall This is my second Cub in 10 years. This one replaced a 2164. I liked Vangaurd engine much better in the 2164. Much easier to start and it never backfired when I shut it down. Finish is poor on the new one the same as the 2164. The old one rusted even though it never spent a night outside. I expect the new one will do the same. This most likely will be my last Cub.

Strengths The Tractor is great.Only thing is if you use the deck wash system and dont run your mower deck for a few minutes before putting it up till next time then things kinda lock up and your belt will jump off when you start it!

Weaknesses DO NOT get the Snow Blower for this unit..my gosh the steel is so thin.. the welds on the 2nd stage impeler broke the 1st time I used it..and the skid shoes are so thin..they wear out FAST..and any uneven surface if the shave plate hits just right then the bottom will fold completly back..and rip the sheet metal..I am fighting with MTD rep to replace the Auger housing..But if you really look this blower unit is the same for all of MTD's tractors..Yard Man..White..etc.. dont't spend the $1000 for it..look at Simplicity's stuff only if I had known...they have a Legacy XL with a 27hp deisel..4x4 awesome tractor and all attachments are SOLID!!!

Overall GT2554 Tractor (B) anything that goes on it (F) no more Cubs for me...just make sure you do your research before spending that kind of money....JD, Kubota or Simplicity are your best bets for durability and quality..

Strengths heaveier duty construction, cuts very well all the parts have held up well.

Weaknesses the deck collects debries and I have to remove deck plates EVERY TIME I start to mow but thats ok because it slings the deck belt EVERY TIME I start the PTO each week, once I replace the belt its ok for that day. but a huge pain in the butt! deck wheels come off a lot. it get stuck on every little bump and has no power, I wish I had my old beat up snapper rear engine mower back. cruise control is a joke, it only works at half speed. the oil drain was put in a place where the supplied drail hose will not connect so you will have a mess there.

Overall I wanted a ztr but bought this cause of my pond sloap, I have 6 acres and now I wish I had just bought a small cheap used one for that and a ztr for the main yard job. its my last cub. went to my dealer yesterday to see about a trade in and they were too busy to help me. does anyone know where I can buy some goats??

Strengths Powerful, cuts well, nice transmission controls

Weaknesses Short mower deck belt life. When first received deck was not level, belts lasted less than 10 hrs. Finally after 3-4 weeks in and out of shop, dealer figured it out. Since then belts last about 20=30 hours, not good. Underhood heat due to poor vents in original metal hood design, caused headlight bezel to melt. Also melted headlight wiring. Removed sides of hood, ended overheating. Not much support from dealer.

Overall Not a good design. They have changed the hood design the second year of this model. Belt life is a common problem I have heard about from other owners.

Strengths Kohler horizontal shaft engine with shaft drive to hydrostatic transmission. All metal construction - no cheap plastic!

Weaknesses Purchased July 2005. So far the right rear deck mounting link has had to be repaired twice - the roll pin that retains the spring has fallen out both times! Have also had to replace the right rear deck roller once - the shoulder bolt broke off in the roller bracket.

Overall Not off to a great start! The deck mounting link broke the first time out. The deck roller broke the 3rd or 4th time I used it! I used it about 6 more times last season to mow 5 acres of grass with no further problems.