Cub Cadet 2X (24") 208cc Two-Stage Snow Blower

My wife thinks I could clear an airport runway with this snowblower

We purchased our Cub Cadet three years ago for $799.00. For the past two winters, it ran great. We also winterized it properly. In 2016, the coil broke and the starter went out on it.

A cool $300 later, and we are up and running again. If I were to buy another snow thrower, we are going with Toro as Cub Cadet does not stand up to the competition.

I purchased a Cub Cadet 24HP to replace my 47 year old Gilson 24”, 5 horse, snow blower, a very well built machine with chain drive. The blower worked perfectly, but the 5 HP B&S engine was shot.

It arrived on October 5th and I thought I’d take it for a test drive. Going through the instruction manual, I noticed you have to check out whether the controls are working properly. I checked the engine for oil and found it to be full. One thing I noticed, not only do you have to check the oil on a level surface, but the engine has to be level also. By raising the rear of the machine 2-5/8”, as measured by a level on the crankcase casting, it allowed the dipstick to be accurate. Blower worked fine and drive worked fine.

Before my test drive, I checked tire pressure, as I noticed the right tire to be completely flat when I received it. I filled the tires to 17 PSI and went through the forward and reverse shift ranges. Everything checked out OK. The next day, I wanted to put it the barn as that’s where it will be, ready for use. I again, checked the tire pressure and found the right tire to be 6 PSI low. I emailed Snow Blowers Direct and told them of the situation. The only thing I got back was “it’s past the 30 day limit and we won’t do anything.” I called the maker (MTD) of the machine and explained the problem to them.

They suggested I take the tire to a shop that does warranty repairs. They gave me a name of the shop, one town over. The shop refused saying they don’t service warranty items for Cub Cadet. Being the problem was mine I pulled the tire and took it to Tires Plus, one town over. They surveyed the tire and told me it was a bead leak and suggested I put an inner tube in it and call it a day. I did just that and problem solved. My thoughts of having to inflate the tire, every time I wanted to use the blower weren’t in the cards. The inner tube and mounting the tire cost me $31.61. It should have been under warranty, but I couldn’t see running all over looking for a shop that would do it. Kudos to Tires Plus.

The drive system, consisting of a spinning motor disk and rubber drive wheel, leaves me skeptical as I had an AMF riding lawnmower, with friction drive, about 40 years ago. Friction drives will equal lots of wrench time. My thoughts on that are still out. I have two other Cub Cadet machines, and am very happy with both. That’s why I stayed with Cub Cadet.

I purchased a Cub Cadet 24HP to replace my 47 year old Gilson 24”, 5 horse, snow blower, a very well built machine with chain drive. The blower worked perfectly, but the 5 HP B&S engine was shot.

It arrived on October 5th and I thought I’d take it for a test drive. Going through the instruction manual, I noticed you have to check out whether the controls are working properly. I checked the engine for oil and found it to be full. One thing I noticed, not only do you have to check the oil... more

Snowblower was delivered by tractor trailer on 11/23, two days after a 24" snowfall. Driver was very helpful. It was packaged on a skid and needed some assembly which was straightforward except for the adjustment of the shift rod as outlined in steps 7, 8 and 9 on page 12 of the Owner's Manual. The upper end of the shift rod on my model does not have a washer but an offset ferrule that has to be at a 90 degree angle to the hole to be removed. I installed the recommended oil and when I checked the tire pressure, the right tire had separated from the rim and would not hold air.

I called customer support and followed their recommendation to wrap a tie down around the circumference to expand it and then add air. This worked. I purchased 91 octane ethanol free gas, added Sta-bil and poured some in the gas tank. It started on the first pull and while initially running put out a lot of blue smoke. It cleared up after 5 minutes or so. I then used the snowblower to clear some of the remaining snowfall.

It was the first time I ever used one - it certainly moved the snow and was fun to use. The steering trigger system is a great feature. I have started it several times since - by hand on the first pull and have not yet used the electric start. There has been some blue smoke each time at the start. I don't know if this is typical of a new engine or is a sign of something else. The machine looks and feels good and I hope to get many years of use out of it.

Snowblower was delivered by tractor trailer on 11/23, two days after a 24" snowfall. Driver was very helpful. It was packaged on a skid and needed some assembly which was straightforward except for the adjustment of the shift rod as outlined in steps 7, 8 and 9 on page 12 of the Owner's Manual. The upper end of the shift rod on my model does not have a washer but an offset ferrule that has to be at a 90 degree angle to the hole to be removed. I installed the recommended oil and when I... more