My 14yr. old Cub series 2000 shaft drive 2166 is beginning to require a lot of attention lately and I am in the market to purchase a new GT. I like the shaft drive and have looked online at the entry level XT3 GS w/42" deck (dealers here do not stock anything but XT2's) and have read a few reviews but would really like to hear first hand from any owners on both the positives & negatives of the XT3 series. I had looked at a John Deere X570 @ $1600.00 more only because it had a sleeve hitch available but not thrilled about the belt drive and triple blade deck. Cub has now released a sleeve hitch for their XT3 so a small garden is now doable. The Cub really fits our budget better but I would have to order it sight unseen so any advice or input given on the Cub XT3 series from an actual owner is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rudy.
