My new 2550 came home!!

kenfyoozed · Jul 3, 2008

I finally was able to bring my new 2550 home after I bought it 9 days ago. I am still waiting on my bagger, which should be here some time before the end of the year. Here are my first thoughts of the machine.

It was supposed to be cleaned up, but still had globs of grease all over the steering parts. Im not thinking this dealer has done anything he said he would.
This isnt the tractors fault but it does cast a negative shadow. Out of the gate the tractors top speed is faster than I was expecting. On flat ground you really dont need the brake as letting of the gas will bring you to a neck breaking stop. Both in forward and reverse. Hopefully this will ease off when she gets broken in a little more. The cut was great, but would like the deck to raise higher, as the positions 1,2,3 are useless. The deck bottoms out at position 3. The left side of the hood does not match up with the steering wheel shround. Should I worry about this? I take pride in what I own. I noticed the light for the PTO never comes on, is it supposed to? And twice when I had the key in the green position, I would turn it back to the yellow area and press the reverse button and nothing. The light never turned on . I used it about 5 times. I was on and off of it, thats why it didnt stay in that position. It climbed hills straight up very good. But when traversing a slight slope, and then turning up the slope, it would hesitate and was jerky. Hopefully some of these things are because it was new. Also I thought it was supposed to have an 18" cutting/turning diameter? Is this to the left or right. Its closer to a 18" cutting radius,or 36" cutting diameter. The lights filled with dust on the first outing, not impressive. The steering wheel seemed to be about a 1/2" off from true, which really irritates me. I hate a steering wheel thats turned straight and the vehicle veers of course. The engine ran great and sounds very good. The biggest grip I have is the fact that it doesnt have a fuel gauge, nor a sight area to see the fuel while your on the machine!:fing20:

I had high hopes for this machine. It did what it was designed to do, but its not as impressive as I thought it would be. Ask me again in 10 years, and if its still running that may change my mind.

Neil

moe1942 · Jul 3, 2008

Well Bama I have the same machine with 42" cut. I have no complaints. If you have the same grass as I do the lowest setting cuts too short in Bermuda or St Augustine. That type should be left at least 3 1/2" tall. One notch from the bottom should be pretty close.

offthegrid · Jul 3, 2008

Quality control on everything you buy now is S***. I did have better luck than you did with my dealer cleaning up the machine (also 2550) and getting it to me in good shape. Mine cuts and runs well. The small gas tank is a pain. The reverse safety override is a pain. If the PTO shuts off when you restart it you have to go through a reseting process to get the override to work again. Next project after the elimination of the leaking Chinese POS plastic oil drain valve is elimination of the reverse safety, it's a joke. The stock rear tires were worthless on my hills, (can't imagine they would be worth anything on all but the smallest, flattest village lawn). Since I put weighted ags on it is very stable and a good climber. These things run very hot, check for hood cracking/melting problems while you have the warrenty, the QC of the hood installation is suspect, many were over tightened. Check if the steering box is bolted on properly and make sure it is greased, give the 2 zerks a couple of hits just to be sure and put a little on the gear. My lights are full of dirt and dust already also. Lights are nice for some people maybe, but I have never mowed after dark when the grass is wet anyway so lights are a joke, I'd like to know how many people ever have a real use for them. I couldn't get my deck below 4 when I got it. I raised the wheels on the deck some and it will now go down to the # 2 setting, I cut on #2 or #3 depending on the section of lawn I am cutting. Wife likes me to keep the part right in front of main entrance to house short. I do as I am told.

For $3800.00 you don't get much real quality anymore, I have a friend that spent $10,000 recently on a machine ( I'll not bring up it's color) and he has had more problems than I have, some of his are serious including disputes with dealer about warrenty coverage. So I don't know what the ans is.

kenfyoozed · Jul 3, 2008

Thanks guys. I'm sure I'll enjoy it more in time. My grass is mostly bahaia. And i cut it on the highest setting. I like thick grass, it helps to choke out the weeds from my field. I thought to about bypassing the reverse lockout. Also I was able to pull the lense of the lights, that metalic silvery stuff that reflects the light is a joke. Its about as thick as "frog skin". I think I might replace that with some chrome vinyal graphics tape. It make aslo help to run some thin foam gasket tape around the perimiter and attempt to seal of the area. I do plan to add some small auto fog/diving lights. I plan to cut after dark. I get in from work late, and thats when I have to do some of my yard work. We'll see how it goes.

JMoe · Jul 3, 2008

Neil, those sound like the typical annoyances you'll find with the 2K series, metal or plastic hood versions. Dealers either don't care about appearance, or they can't afford to put the resources into making sure it's 100% all around. What I've found with the larger decks; 50"+ is you don't get much 'ride height' with them. I don't get the full range of deck lift with my 2544 (44") either, but the full up height is decent on it. Mine has always included whiplash free of charge if you release the drive pedals all at once. That jerkyness that you fell from the drive I've not heard of. Are you sure it's not wheel-spin? You shouldn't get any jerkyness. That machine should dig itself into the ground or pull a wheelie w/out issue. These machines are great from a mechanical standpoint, but they are not put together like a higher end JD, Kubota, Simplicity, etc...

Joel

kenfyoozed · Jul 3, 2008

I thought it might be wheel spin but I could never see the wheel spin. Which side would be spinning or would it matter. It seemed to do the same when I tuned very sharp at slow speeds, as if the transmission had to build up pressure to turn the rear wheels to over come the bite of the front turning sharp.

xPosTech · Jul 3, 2008

Traditionally with differentials it is the inside tire that spins in a turn, since weight is transferred to the outside tire and the inside has less traction. With a live axle it is the inside tire since that tire has a smaller arc to traverse with the axle turning at the same speed as the outside arc and less traction due to weight transfer. Dealer's choice.

Check air pressure in all four tires. That dealer is less than ideal.

Ted

bontai Joe · Jul 3, 2008

I have used the lights on my tractor a lot over the years, especially in the fall and winter months when it's dark at 5:00 PM and I have snow to move. I also use them during the day, not to see, but to help others see me if I cut grass close to the road.

Definitely check your air pressure in your tires, Almost ALL brand machines are shipped with overinflated tires so they don't pop off the bead during shipping. Softer tores will slip less and bite more when climbing.

NewCubGuy · Jul 3, 2008

kenfyoozed said:
I finally was able to bring my new 2550 home after I bought it 9 days ago. I am still waiting on my bagger, which should be here some time before the end of the year. Here are my first thoughts of the machine.

It was supposed to be cleaned up, but still had globs of grease all over the steering parts. Im not thinking this dealer has done anything he said he would.
This isnt the tractors fault but it does cast a negative shadow. Out of the gate the tractors top speed is faster than I was expecting. On flat ground you really dont need the brake as letting of the gas will bring you to a neck breaking stop. Both in forward and reverse. Hopefully this will ease off when she gets broken in a little more. The cut was great, but would like the deck to raise higher, as the positions 1,2,3 are useless. The deck bottoms out at position 3. The left side of the hood does not match up with the steering wheel shround. Should I worry about this? I take pride in what I own. I noticed the light for the PTO never comes on, is it supposed to? And twice when I had the key in the green position, I would turn it back to the yellow area and press the reverse button and nothing. The light never turned on . I used it about 5 times. I was on and off of it, thats why it didnt stay in that position. It climbed hills straight up very good. But when traversing a slight slope, and then turning up the slope, it would hesitate and was jerky. Hopefully some of these things are because it was new. Also I thought it was supposed to have an 18" cutting/turning diameter? Is this to the left or right. Its closer to a 18" cutting radius,or 36" cutting diameter. The lights filled with dust on the first outing, not impressive. The steering wheel seemed to be about a 1/2" off from true, which really irritates me. I hate a steering wheel thats turned straight and the vehicle veers of course. The engine ran great and sounds very good. The biggest grip I have is the fact that it doesnt have a fuel gauge, nor a sight area to see the fuel while your on the machine!:fing20:

I had high hopes for this machine. It did what it was designed to do, but its not as impressive as I thought it would be. Ask me again in 10 years, and if its still running that may change my mind.

Neil

Well, Hope you enjoy your 2550. I also just bought one, has 30 hrs. on it now. After using mine for only 45 min. the pto belt that drives the deck snapped so I didn't get to finish the yard that day. Dealer said it was just a fluke, since the belt replacement its been ok. Right now I don't have a HOOD because the four mounts cracked and broke so I couldn't even open the hood, so I had to take the mower to the dealer and I'm still waiting on a new hood, its been a month, its on back order!. Keep an eye on your four mounting molds where its bolted down, if they start cracking, take it in to your dealer. My lights are better than the JD that I had but I haven't used them much yet, but they due get dust/dirt inside them witch sucks. My steering wheel is ligned up, at least right now. I'm not sure on the cutting radius, haven't really measured it yet. I hate the fuel gauge missing, but I still may figure out something on that. They make caps with gauges if they would fit I'll try that. I always set my reverse switch on when I mow so I don't have to worry about it due to not having any kids around. I like it better than my old mower. I need to let the dealer look at my engine cause every time I turn it off it wants to run on or try to run backwards as I call it. I have weights on my stock tires which help a lot on turning on banks, but I don't have any issues your talking about with the tranny not being smooth. Hows your tranny fluid level? Hopefully I'll get my hood soon, so I'll have headlights!

offthegrid · Jul 3, 2008

NewCubGuy said:
Well, Hope you enjoy your 2550. I also just bought one, has 30 hrs. on it now. After using mine for only 45 min. the pto belt that drives the deck snapped so I didn't get to finish the yard that day. Dealer said it was just a fluke, since the belt replacement its been ok. Right now I don't have a HOOD because the four mounts cracked and broke so I couldn't even open the hood, so I had to take the mower to the dealer and I'm still waiting on a new hood, its been a month, its on back order!. Keep an eye on your four mounting molds where its bolted down, if they start cracking, take it in to your dealer. My lights are better than the JD that I had but I haven't used them much yet, but they due get dust/dirt inside them witch sucks. My steering wheel is ligned up, at least right now. I'm not sure on the cutting radius, haven't really measured it yet. I hate the fuel gauge missing, but I still may figure out something on that. They make caps with gauges if they would fit I'll try that. I always set my reverse switch on when I mow so I don't have to worry about it due to not having any kids around. I like it better than my old mower. I need to let the dealer look at my engine cause every time I turn it off it wants to run on or try to run backwards as I call it. I have weights on my stock tires which help a lot on turning on banks, but I don't have any issues your talking about with the tranny not being smooth. Hows your tranny fluid level? Hopefully I'll get my hood soon, so I'll have headlights!

Far as I know they have not put a "safety switch" on the hood yet, so it will run and cut grass without it. If mine melts or cracks I'll take the POS plastic hood only to the dealer (a saws all will get it off), and keep the "semi-tough tractor " at home to cut with if I can get the POS plastic oil valve replaced so it will stop leaking oil on the PTO belt long enough to use it.

A month to get a hood ? Wonder why there has been such a demand for them that they are back order that far out. Gee I wonder.

Yours sits at the dealers out of commission, mine sits in my garage out of commission. Like the ads say built tough - rugged - dependable ? Yup.

Ya know those $6,000 Chinese CUT's from Northern Tool look better all the time. The nay says tell us they are not tough, not rugged, not dependable, parts are not readily available -- compared to what, what we have now?

Not much differance between a $4,000 throw away machine and a $6,000 throw away machine. May as well go for the big one. Weights more and the junk price would be higher at the scrap yard when you haul it in a year or two from when you buy it, may come out close to even.

JMoe · Jul 4, 2008

offthegrid said:
Ya know those $6,000 Chinese CUT's from Northern Tool look better all the time..

Oh no doubt. If you could get one delivered to the door with a decent mid mount mower for just over $6K, I'd seriously consider one. Unfortunately, the only mower it looks like they offer is a rough cut, drag behind unit.

Joel

offthegrid · Jul 4, 2008

JMoe said:
Oh no doubt. If you could get one delivered to the door with a decent mid mount mower for just over $6K, I'd seriously consider one. Unfortunately, the only mower it looks like they offer is a rough cut, drag behind unit.

Joel

I was going to pick up a nice set of reel gang mowers hook them up to the cub and drag the whole contraption around with the Chiney Norteck tractor. That way I could still tell the wife I use my Cub to mow our grass. Presently she is not impressed with my Cub Cadet "tractor" taking up a garage space leaking oil and having me make excusses for why I can't mow with it.

By the way the Northern tool Chinese tractor price does include shipping. Think about that set of reel gang mowers, you may not need to have the Cub between the Chiney tractor and the mowers.

moe1942 · Jul 4, 2008

Newcubguy when you shut down don't do it from idle. Drop back just a tad from WOT and go to off. They will diesel and runon otherwise. There is a solenoid shutoff on the carb bowl. If it still runs on it might be bad.

JMoe · Jul 4, 2008

moe1942 said:
.. Drop back just a tad from WOT and go to off. They will diesel and runon otherwise..

That is true, although I've never been able to fully figure that one out. I've operated a few late model Kohler V-twins on other brands of equipment, all equipped with solenoid fuel cut-off and the CCs are the ONLY ones i've experienced that will afterfire or diesel on s/d at idle. We all know how to prevent it (open throttle s/d's), but why?? The scorching hot muffler won't cause it to diesel. Could it just be all the under-hood heat?

Joel

offthegrid · Jul 4, 2008

JMoe said:
That is true, although I've never been able to fully figure that one out. I've operated a few late model Kohler V-twins on other brands of equipment, all equipped with solenoid fuel cut-off and the CCs are the ONLY ones i've experienced that will afterfire or diesel on s/d at idle. We all know how to prevent it (open throttle s/d's), but why?? The scorching hot muffler won't cause it to diesel. Could it just be all the under-hood heat?

Joel

Interesting, notice the muffler outside the heat box on the Chiney tractor. What are they thinking.

http://www.northerntool.com/tractors/

NewCubGuy · Jul 5, 2008

moe1942 said:
Newcubguy when you shut down don't do it from idle. Drop back just a tad from WOT and go to off. They will diesel and runon otherwise. There is a solenoid shutoff on the carb bowl. If it still runs on it might be bad.

thanks moe, I'll try that

My new 2550 came home!!

kenfyoozed

moe1942

offthegrid

kenfyoozed

JMoe

kenfyoozed

xPosTech

bontai Joe

NewCubGuy

offthegrid

JMoe

offthegrid

moe1942

JMoe

offthegrid

NewCubGuy

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities