Rudedawg,

I have the GT 2000 which is very close--almost the same thing--to what the XT3 is, and I can tell you it is awesome. I have the 48" fabricated deck, ag tires on back, V61 tires on the front, and wheel weights on the back inside wheels. That tractor is a beast. I had an 1863 which had way too many problems, and there is a time that the effort and money to fix it is too much. There are folks on this site that will argue everything new is junk and everything IH and prior to 1994 is the best. Cub made some amazing machines in the past, but the XT3 is in the line of those great tractors of yesteryear. I would not get an XT2 or an XT1, however. Go to YouTube and search Cub Cadet XT3. There is a guy who has one and has numerous 6+ minute videos outlining his feelings on the machine, and he appears quite happy with it. By the way, do you have a link to the sleeve hitch for the XT3 as it would also fit mine? Good luck with your decision.

Come back in 10 years and tell me that. If it's still around ten years from now...:bigthink:

Thank you for the report. I watched the videos and read the positive responses from inquiries posted. I have narrowed my choices down to the Cub XT3 and JD X570 and have found just as many negative comments on the JD mostly about mower deck cut quality, expense of upkeep plus high initial cost. One thing I can attest to in the 14yrs. owning the 2166 and 675 hard hrs. on the meter is it has been relatively cheap to keep, easy for me to service and the 42" deck has given a super nice cut. Has it been trouble free-no; the stamped deck has been patched welded/painted twice due to rust from a crappy factory paint job, 2 pto belts (1 my fault), a recent electrical gremlin but bypassing pto switch with a push/pull switch from NAPA solved that, seat pan required welding reinforcements underneath due to stress cracks where seat hinges located (bad structural design) and now the engine cuts out & dies after about 2 hrs. of mowing but will eventually start back up so I can finish. I hope it's just some bad gas but will check spark the next time to see if it's the coil. Then there is the usual wear stuff: on the 2nd battery, 2nd set frt. tires, a tube in a rear tire due to hitting something and spare blades/belts. Enough ranting-lol. The hitch is listed on the Cub website under accessories section for the XT3; prt.# 19A40041100 Sleeve Hitch (manual lift)- XT3 Garden Tractor $249.00. Johnny Products also has one with electric lift @ $600.00 + change.Thanks again, Rudy.:Thanks:

Zippy1,

No problem; will do. I'm 4.5 years in and at 132 hours and all's well. Still looks like a brand new tractor. Upkeep, maintenance, and not beating the daylights out of your tractor seem to be the key.

I see nothing wrong with purchasing a new Cub Cadet if you have the coin to do it. Some people just want to gas and go when they mow grass.

Some people look at tractors as a tool to do yard work. It's kind of like how I look at a computer as a tool to surf the internet. When my computer doesn't work and it has a problem I take a hammer and destroy the hard drive and throw the pos in the garbage. Ya, maybe it was a simple fix but I don't care, I don't work on computers. I have friends that will disassemble them, buy parts online to fix and get it going again....like us and old Cubs.

I like the new stuff. I would also love to have the 50th anniversary model but they are still too much(I'm too cheap) to own. Will they last 50 years? No. Will they cut and drive better than anything 1997 and older? Yes.

I really like my 3000 series tractors and if a XT3 came my way cheap I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I believe the XT3's use a lot of the 3k series parts.

Good luck and if you do get the new machine of your dreams make sure to take lots of pics and keep us posted on how it does.:beerchug:

Seems like a lot of guys now a days (whether it's here, facebook groups, other forums, etc) like to bash new machines. Fact of the matter is, well, really two things. First, they aren't overbuilt like some of our older Cubs. They won't pull two half ton Chevrolet trucks (ask me how I know :biggrin2:), till a garden, do some light brush hogging, cultivate a small field, and mow a lawn one day then ask for more the next day. But they aren't meant to! Second, they are new, warrantied machines. Some guys, like Oak said, want to gas and go. Change the oil, trans fluid, etc and not worry about fixing loose steering, replacing axle seals, try to source a newer motor for the best cost because the old one is getting tired, fix undercarriages, etc. They don't want a relative money pit. They want to put gas in and mow, tow a cart, do some light work with a sleeve hitch, etc.

If you ask me, I think it's great Cub still makes three ranges of machines. There will always, ALWAYS, be a cheap, disposable range of LT's and I like that Cub has its hand in the pot getting brand recognition and building a customer base. No, they aren't near half ton hard working monsters. But again, they aren't meant to be. I also like that Cub has an XT3 range of machines that has some more a$$ to them. Horizontal shaft engine, tougher trans, creature comforts, and more.

Bottom line, if you don't want a machine you have to somewhat regularly work on, get a new machine. Case in point; I bought my 2284 a couple years and I knew what I was getting into. I have spent more than I'm sure I'd care to admit working on it but I wouldn't trade it for another machine (within reason :biggrin2:). Since I've had it, I've torn it down to frame, cleaned it, changed all the fuel line, cleaned the tank, replaced bungs, replaced the engine, tightened up steering, diagnosed electrical issues, replaced the PTO (twice), dealt with plastic issues, and more. That's the short list I remember off the top of my head. A new machine? None of that.

OP: check the machines out, get what you like, and rub it in our faces that it works great and does exactly what you need :beerchug:

Thanks guys. The fact of of the matter is I have worked all my life but last year was a major set back which forced me to retire due to a major heart condition and just can't do the things I use to. The 2166 has a Kohler retired CH16S single cyl. 16 hp. horizontal engine and with no short block available unless it could be rebuilt I would have no clue what engine would even replace it that would accommodate the shaft drive on that frame. Should the tranny go it is still available @ over $1000.00 as is a 42" deck shell (that it could use now) @ over $400.00. I know I'm "what if'n" but the reality is I am not mechanically inclined and would be at the mercy of a shop for any engine & tranny work which could add up to over half the msrp price of a new $4400.00 XT3 GS w/42" deck. For now I'm resolved to keep patching on a 14 yr. old machine but when something major does happens there doesn't seem to be a logical cost effective choice. Maybe I'm wrong.:HeadScratch: Anyway, I really appreciate your input and advice. Rudy.

Sightly of topic, but I think the garden tractor need/demand is not what it used to be in say 1960--2000. Back when Cub started, there were many brands of tractors out there--John Deere, Simplicity, Bolens, Chalmers, Wheelhorse, Toro, Craftsman, etc--all making garden tractors that could plow a small field in the new suburbs of America. Those days are gone. There are many people out there now with large yards paying someone to cut their grass, and those yards are being cut with zero turn mowers. Smaller yards are being cut by homeowners who don't want to pay large quantities of money for garden tractors and are buying lawn mowers. They can get something cheap at Sears, Home Depot, or Lowes. Few people in the area I live in, which is rural, even bother tilling any portion of their yard for a small garden. The big wigs of industry see the trend and are making machines for the demand.

As a side note, has anyone checked out the Pro series zero turn Cubs. They are amazing and are built like tanks. Cub can still make great machines and for much less than most other brands.

That is exactly why there are so few true GT being offered. I'm 63 and our family always had a garden section on our property here in rural MS. Gardening was my dad's passion and stress reliever after a day at work and he & my mom would can the vegetables together. To us kids it was more of a duty to help work it but as we got older we realized what it truly meant to him not to mention how good it tasted. We still garden but on a much smaller scale. Our Cub pic was taken in one section of the old garden spot that we have since turned back to yard.
It takes me 3 hrs. to mow our place and the main reason I choose to own a GT is for versatility and ease of maintenance. A ztr will cut faster than a GT but to do so & handle hills, tow loads and still be durable requires a hd unit such as the Pro Z 100 and now you are back into big bucks. I considered and actually looked at the Pro Z 148S because it would pull our lawn sweeper and yard cart plus handle our long ditch bank but oh man was that deck heavy to maneuver for servicing. I was also told if the drive belt breaks back to the shop it had to go as it was not repairable by the homeowner. That turned me off then and there. I can pull my 42" deck in 2 min., clean it off, grease all fittings & replace the blades in 15 min. then reinstall it in 3 -5 min., done deal. They say JD's belt drive tranny X5** series rules the roost for homeowner GT's but I still like Cub's shaft drive set up.

Oh and while recovering from recent surgery I hired a young guy to mow and he had it done in 1 1/2hrs. with a massive Scag ztr. Our place is mostly wide open but not golf course smooth and he said although not as bad as some he couldn't mow flat out without being jostled around. I hardly feel the bumps with my old tractor, but flat out is <6 mph.-lol