Last good CC model?
 

Since I got my 2000 series and have been calling around dealers and lawn & garden shops for parts and maintenance, I’ve had a few people tell me that it’s a good tractor and “one of the last good ones” that CC made. I even had one guy even tell me that even though MTD bought CC back in the early 80s, they “held on” to the brand and remained separate until like the past 10 years or so.

Is there any truth to this? Are the late 90s CC the last good ones? I know I’ve seen some of the newer ones at the store and they all seem to made of plastic and the CC logo is tiny and not noticeable, as the old ones were all metal and had “Cub Cadet (by MTD)” proudly on the display.

I know some people will say the last good CC was made by IH, and I totally agree. But what about the post-IH era? What’s the last good one there?

Any Cyclops model was the last of the best.

Next!

Had to look up “cyclops” CC lol. Those are pretty hefty machines, for sure.

I wish I still had the OLD (not sure the model) CC my mom’s fiancé had before he died. We had it for years until my mom’s third husband GAVE IT AWAY to the guy who was fixing it since he couldn’t pay for the repairs…

I guess it all depends on what you call good. If you like your 2000 series then an XT3 is basically the same thing as your 2000 with a plastic hood. The hydro is the same hydro gear unit. The final drive is as good or better than a 2000 series. Depending on what year you are comparing to. They added a dif lock, electric deck lift, electric power steering, tilt steering wheel and larger deck options. Upped the power to 25 hp.

I ended up getting into the 3000 series, but I seriously considered a new xt3. I really wish they made a new 3000 series, but dropped in favor of zero turns.

A xt3 with mower deck, Berco Snow blower and Original brand tractor cab would be a good combination.

Like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTCdFq75Dg8

I know a lot of people won’t touch any of the newer CC (or any brand really), their reason being that as the years have gone by and MTD has bought up most of the brands, the quality has gone downhill substantially. They are all the same, just different label (and price to match the old familiar labels).

See the Avatar...

What Lew said!:beerchug:

In My Humble Opinion..... The last good series was through the 1989 model year. It was made by MTD, but it was an IH design. In 1990 the "plastic" started to appear.


:IH Trusted Hand:

The 3000 series were great garden tractors which were made in the late 90s to early 2000s. All metal panels (no plastic), Kohler Command engines, great mower decks that gave an excellent cut, and stout BDU 21 transmissions. The last best one made in my opinion. These were a step up from the 2000 series which were also a good tractor.

The Cyclops were the end of a glorious era. However, I'm partial to the 82 series.