Like you I was at one time considering the purchase of a Cub Cadet vs. John
Deere. Originally, I was intrigued by the shaft drive system in the Cub
Cadet. I live on 3 acres of rough, rocky ground with roots of large trees
protruding out of the surface in certain areas. A friend mentioned that I
might warp or bend a blade if I happened to hit any of this "immovable"
stuff while mowing; whereas a belt would slip. It kinda made sense to me. I
ended up buying the LX280. I've been please with it. I dropped the deck and
bagger off the mower over the winter and used a trailer to haul wood, bags
of dirt, rocks, etc.

Good luck with whatever you purchase.

John


"Jeff" wrote in message
...
Right now I'm looking at the 2500 series with the shaft drive, probably
the 2544. The more I look at the brochure, the more little, subtle
differences I see that make my head spin. For example, the 2544 has an 11
gauge 44 inch deck, the 2550 has a 12 gauge 50 inch deck, and the 2554 has
an 11 gauge 54 inch deck. Unless it's a typo, I can't figure out why the
deck on the 50 inch would be thinner gauge.

Do you think the 3000 series is comparable to the Deere LX280, which is
probably my choice if I go with Deere. (I just don't think I need a
shaft-drive deck which costs plenty extra, right?)

By the way, I agree with your comment about synthetic oil. I do it on my
Ariens snow blower as well and my current rider, a little Honda 11 hp.




"Ron B" wrote in message
...
On 3/31/05 10:42 PM, in article ,
"Jeff"
wrote:3/31/05 10:42 PM

Hi, I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that the Cub and Deere
models
sold at Home Depot are the bottom feeders?




"op4_camper" wrote in message
...
Deere is available at Home
Depot, the Cub at Lowes. I'm primarily interested in durability and
reliability.

Sorry they don't go together.... for that you have to try a different
store. They are the bottom feeders of there equipment line



IMHO, as for a Cub, you need to look at 3000 series machines for truly
durable machines. I would also recommend using synthetic oils after the
break in of about 10 hours of initial use.

I also use MotorKote in my Cub 3235, but this is just a suggestion that
you
may take for what it is worth.

Many others will say that synthetic oils are only marketing, but research
it
and decide for yourself if a few dollars more are worth protecting your
investment.