Cub Cadet 3184

Sawbuck · Oct 25, 2006

My local dealer has a carry-over '04 3184 with a 289 deck. I like this GT, but am worried about the deck being usable for my Texas Hill Country property. I have 2.75 acres, mostly flat with mature oak and elm trees, the mowable area is Hill Country rough grasses (coastal bermuda buffalo/etc..). Actual mowed area estimated to be just over 2 acres. My plan is to set the mower at 3-4", not do finish type mowing.

The deck, a 48" one, appears to be designed for finish mowing of yard grass, and includes rear rollers to set a pattern and outrigger-type bogey wheels. The dealer isn't pushing this GT to me, kind of agreeing about the mower not being ideal for my duty. Due to it being a carry-over, he is unwilling to break up the package and provide another deck.

I like the construction of the 3000 series, and the pluses of the hydraulic deck lift and steering, the shaft drive (both transmission and mower), etc.. My fall-back is a GT 2554.

We are down to about two weeks before occupancy of the house, and need to make a decision soon. Any thoughts about using this deck on rough grasses?

Sawbuck

Gary in NJ · Oct 25, 2006

The deck should be fine, it's the blades that will take all of the abuse of the course grasses. Not a problem, just keep 'em sharp.

The deck itself will track hills well, very well.

What kind of deal is he offering on the 3184 and the 48" deck?

neil_nassauequipment · Oct 25, 2006

Welcome to the forum! :Welcome1:

I don't understand a few things.....the 3000 series 48",54" and 60" decks can be run float (wheels/rollers up) or flat on the ground (wheels /rollers control Height of Cut)....why would the 54" be better? The 54" deck on a 3000 series has the same setup....
What other deck would you want on a 3000 series? Only 44",48" and 54" offered....The 60" is too much deck for it. The 48" has been out for a while for the current 50"...its a good deck as well.....but doesn't have the rollers and front wheel setup...so it can only float and its slightly lighter.

Another question...whats serial number of unit? 2nd character letter in it is month of production (A=jan,B=Feb,etc),next two numbers is calendar day of the month and the next is year. So a 2004 model would be "4".
therefore....it might look something like this 2C164XXXXX.that would be March 16,2004.the rest is actual item number built on that day and other info.
Maybe suggest buy it if its a deal to you and keep and eye on eBay for deck you want.....whichever one it is....they're easy to swap. some of the guys here have two decks for their 3000s.

They're ALL made to be lawnmowers.

Sawbuck · Oct 26, 2006

Gary in NJ said:
What kind of deal is he offering on the 3184 and the 48" deck?

He is asking $4900 - I haven't made an offer yet...

Sawbuck

Sawbuck · Oct 26, 2006

neil_nassauequipment said:
Welcome to the forum!

I don't understand a few things.....the 3000 series 48",54" and 60" decks can be run float (wheels/rollers up) or flat on the ground (wheels /rollers control Height of Cut)....why would the 54" be better?

What other deck would you want on a 3000 series?

Another question...whats serial number of unit?

Thanks, I joined a while ago, and got a fair amount of feed back of info on my initial question. Now I'm much closer to spending $.

Only reason I mentioned the 54' deck is that he has a '06 2554 which carries that size deck. It's size might be better on the open areas, but a hindrance around the trees...

Again, I don't necessarily know, but the dealer seemed to imply that I would be spending money on a deck that I wouldn't necessarily use...

S/N is 1C091G20017 - If I read your input correctly this means March 9, 2001? The '06's he has all use the system you describe with either a 5 or 6 for the year. Was this system used in '04? Is this really a 2001?

Thanks for all the help...

Sawbuck

Sawbuck · Oct 26, 2006

Gary & Neil;

The local dealer seems to be an okay guy, and he has a web site where all his current equipment is listed. Is it okay to identify the site on this forum? I don't want to look like I am shilling for him or otherwise promoting a commercial site.

I don't remember anything about this in the posting rules, but it has been a while since I read them.

Sawbuck

neil_nassauequipment · Oct 26, 2006

Yep, built March 9, 2001. the "1" in the beginning is the plant number.
Be sure and confirm warranty status.
Check your im also.

Gary in NJ · Oct 26, 2006

Seems odd that someone would have a five-year old leftover machine. Seems even odder that he presented it as an 2004 unit. Surely he knows how long he has had it.

My BS radar would be in full scan mode.

neil_nassauequipment · Oct 26, 2006

You're right more than you know Gary....
MIne started screaming when he gave me serial number.

glenn27 · Oct 26, 2006

neil_nassauequipment said:
You're right more than you know Gary....
MIne started screaming when he gave me serial number.

Ah-Ha! The plot thickens... :tsk:

Sawbuck · Oct 26, 2006

Boy, am I glad I joined MTF!!!

I will be working this more, but I was talking to a floor guy when I looked at the 3184. The owner/dealer came out of his office later, and as we had previously met, he came over to say hi and ask if I our house was finished. Anyway, he led me to a '06 CC 2554 and also offered a carry-over '05 2544. I have now checked the S/N's and they work with Neil's guide.

Now I'm thinking either I mis-understood, or the floor guy didn't know what he was taking about.

I will get back to you about this as soon as I get over to Austin.

Side thought - If the 3184 doesn't make sense, does the JD X324 (w/4WS) offer anything over the CC 2554? I still favor the shaft drive and horizontal crankshaft engine.

Sawbuck · Oct 26, 2006

Guys;

I should add that I am pretty much a novice around GT's like this. My previous rider was a '79 Craftsman 10 HP LT. I bought it new and it gave us five years of good service, after which we gifted it to my father-in-law, who rode it into the ground. The craftsman mowed about a quarter acre of bluegrass weekly in the summer at our acreage in Colorado. Once a year, it mowed about two acres of rough grasses around the house to meet the fire break rules. Lastly, it towed my utility trailer moving landscaping rock around the house. Anyway, it did all I asked of it - only maintenance was oil changes, clean air filter, and repair tire punctures from cactus spines.

Now I am moving up and want more capability.

neil_nassauequipment · Oct 27, 2006

I wondered ....
Since the s/n you gave me had been registered to an owner in 2002. :fing20:

Sawbuck · Oct 27, 2006

neil_nassauequipment said:
I wondered ....
Since the s/n you gave me had been registered to an owner in 2002. :fing20:

Guess that info pretty much explains it. Price seems high for a used unit, although it appears to be in good shape.

ducati996 · Oct 28, 2006

Price is high - you could be on a new 3000 for a few bills more..

Sawbuck · Nov 5, 2006

Well I finally got back to the dealer to get the real story on this tractor/mower. Yes, it is a '01, not a '04 and I cannot explain the mixup. It has 9 hours on it, the story is that the previous owner of the dealership used it as a demo. I asked if it had ever been sold and if it had been registered for warranty coverage. Response was no and that a new warranty would come with it.

I challenged this and price with info from Neil of Nassau Equipment, without identifying source, and was not satisfied with answers. So, my confidence in both the dealer and the unit dropped.

My interest in CC continued, so Friday I used their web page to do a dealer locator search. I was in luck - a new dealer has opened in the Hill Country, owned by a local, growing auto dealer. Saturday, we drove over to their shop, about twelve miles from the house, and they were having their grand opening celebration. After another test drive of a CC 2542, we put together a deal on a '06 2554. The tractor was not set-up, so it will be available for a test drive and delivery this Thursday.

The price was better than the dealer, free pick-up and delivery is included, and the service area is larger and may be better supplied.

Pics will follow, and I'll report on operation on my acreage later this month.

Thanks to all who responded to my posts for the help with this purchase.

Sawbuck

Gary in NJ · Nov 6, 2006

A nice outcome. Glad you looked into another dealer. And now you have a relationship with a dealer you can trust.

Good work.

Sawbuck · Nov 6, 2006

Gary;

Thanks! I can't take delivery until the house closes, so now I am stuck waiting. The builder claims he is within days of scheduling the walk-through, but until I have keys, I don't want this tractor sitting outside, where it could just disappear!

neil_nassauequipment · Nov 8, 2006

Glad to be of help..... :fing32:

lb59 · Nov 11, 2006

Sawbuck said:
We put together a deal on a '06 2554. The tractor was not setup, so it will be available for a test drive and delivery this Thursday.
The price was better than the other dealer, free pickup and delivery is included, and the service area is larger and may be better supplied.
Sawbuck

I just got a new 2005 GT2554 last month with 54'' deck a tiller and a front blade The deal included free delivery and 2 free suit case weights

The thing I like better about the 3000 series over the 2000 series is the power steering and hydraulic lift on the 3000 series.

I almost wish I'd have gone with a 3000 with out any deck instead.

Cub Cadet 3184

Sawbuck

Gary in NJ

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Sawbuck

Sawbuck

Sawbuck

neil_nassauequipment

Gary in NJ

neil_nassauequipment

glenn27

Sawbuck

Sawbuck

neil_nassauequipment

Sawbuck

ducati996

Sawbuck

Gary in NJ

Sawbuck

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