# First oil change



## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

Changed the oil in my Cub yesterday. About 4&1/2 hours of use on the new engine. So far have had mostly heavy wet snow. No broken shear pins yet. Guess if I stick to blowing just snow I shouldn't have any problems:blowerhug:
I read that some people pointed out shear pin breakage as an issue. No problems here. Just wanted to get that info out there. 
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Love this yellow machine !!!


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

What model do you have? I put over 20 hours on my Cub Cadet 524 SWE last winter, and no broken shear pins either.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Congrats on the new machine and the first oil change did you go with 5W30 synthetic?

Cub makes a solid machine at a reasonable price and often goes overlooked on this forum which is more partial to Ariens and Hondas.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

canadagoose said:


> Changed the oil in my Cub yesterday. About 4&1/2 hours of use on the new engine. So far have had mostly heavy wet snow. No broken shear pins yet. Guess if I stick to blowing just snow I shouldn't have any problems:blowerhug:
> I read that some people pointed out shear pin breakage as an issue. No problems here. Just wanted to get that info out there.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR
> Love this yellow machine !!!


Ya, snow is OK, phone books, newspapers, rocks, dog and kid toys, not so much...


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

Cardo111 said:


> Cub makes a solid machine at a reasonable price and often goes overlooked on this forum which is more partial to Ariens and Hondas.


I've also noticed the favoritism for certain brands and shunning of others. I'm happy with my Cub and think it's a well built machine.
As long as I'm happy with what I bought, that's all that matters, right? :wavetowel2:


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## SlowRider22 (Oct 17, 2013)

Awesome to hear that things are working out for you...sounds like you put the machine through enough stress to break it in. Not sure if you did or didn't, but most folks will recommend using synthetic oil for the first oil change and thereon after. For just a couple dollars more than conventional, it'll prove to be beneficial on cold start-ups and long term wear & tear of the engine internals.

And now you jynxed yourself about the shearpins haha just kidding...just be weary about newspapers, branches/sticks, little dogs, and the like


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## 2point2 (Sep 20, 2014)

I broke 2 pins last winter, both times it was a newspaper bundle breaking an "accelerator" pin. I created a good blast of grey shreds the second time. 

I used dino oil for my first oil change... mostly to get rid of the last 4L left in my garage. For me, more important that the type of oil one uses, is to let the engine warm up before putting load on it. At work I hear people pull out of their parking spots aggressively without warming up their cars... a loaded cold engine makes a horrible racket. :facepalm_zpsdj194qh


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

Modern vehicles don't need a long warm up....it's better to drive slow after a 45-1 minute warm up to properly warm up the vehicle


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## 2point2 (Sep 20, 2014)

The people who make me cringe are the ones that turn the key and push the pedal at the same time. 

Most of the winter the wife and I warm up our cars for about 2 min and drive lightly until the temperature gauge starts to move. My newer Honda has a 'cold engine' light that turns off after the engine is warm. We drive the car like an old lady until the light turns off. 

It really depends on temperature, for my blower:
- If it's -1DegC 20-30 seconds or so
- If it's -20DegC, not giving the engine 1-2min to warm up is gambling with long term reliability IMO. *shrug*

Note that a car has a large cooling system to warm up and also idles at a very low rpm. Easy driving is a good idea until everything is brought up to temp.


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## boxxer06 (Nov 12, 2015)

It sure is nice to have some positive thoughts on our CUB CADETS as most people on this site DO NOT have to much good to say about them.I just bought a 528 SWE and have not had the chance to use it yet.But my opinion is they are as good as any out there for the money


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

Hi Caddydaddy
I have the 3X 30 HDT . Very happy with it. Waiting for some deeper snow to really work it !


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

Hey there cardo111. I went with regular 5W30 but I think I'll switch to synthetic at my next oil change.
I too feel that Cub Cadet makes a good machine but that this forum is very partial to Ariens , Honda and Toro. Nice to get good honest info on other brands too and not just unfounded opinions


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

I went with conventional 5W30 this change but going to switch to synthetic at my next change. 
Yeah I hope I didn't jynx myself about the shearpins not breaking yet. haha . I'll try to stay away from the frozen newspapers lol . I did suck up a 2 L plastic milk container one time. Blew over from someone's garbage was buried in snow. I had no idea it was there. Did break a shearpin that night. That was my 11HP 30 " Craftsman. That was a great little machine too.


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

Hey Boxxer06
Congrats on the new Cub ! I think you'll find that you will be very happy with it. Let us know how you get on with it once you've had a chance to try it out ! 
And I agree , Cub Cadet is as good as any model out there at an affordable price.
Have fun !


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

I was a long time Cub fan - up until MTD bought them out. They still meet better standards and are a fair bit better than your run of the mill MTD - but I don't know that I can say they are as good as they used to be. They aren't as pricey as they used to be either - so I guess they have hit a good balance. I do use their commercial grade mowers
since the sell out, and they are very well made and reliable. I think they are as good of a value as you can find without going silly and breaking the bank. Just dont' eat any yellow snow after your done!! ;>P


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## 2point2 (Sep 20, 2014)

bad69cat said:


> I think they are as good of a value as you can find without going silly and breaking the bank.


:3tens:

Brought an XT2 this past summer. The compatible Deere models were quite a bit more.


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## DennisP (Jan 10, 2016)

Yeah, there is a bit of brand bias on here, but, personally, use what works for you.

I have a 2015 221LHP single stage Cub Cadet. Love it. Good power, and I love both remote chute controls.

At the time I didn't know that MTD was the OEM of so many other brands. Even so, the Cub Cadet was the only one I could order online and have delivered that had the headlight, larger motor, horizontal and vertical chute controls.

Since then I have found that the Craftsman version of this blower does not get the vertical chute control.

The only other one that gets the vertical chute control is the Columbia-branded blower. Seems like Cub Cadet is the mainstream product with Columbia being sold through independent dealers on a local-basis (re, I never found an online Columbia dealer, so I have no idea on pricing).

But, it does seem like the Columbia-branded stuff has a heavy-duty level that even Cub Cadet doesn't carry.

Almost like the "brand order" from "top-end" to "low-end" is like:

1. Columbia
2. Cub Cadet
3. Craftsman Professional
4. Troy-Built
5. Craftsman
6. Yard Machines

And there are a ton of other brands that OEM from MTD as well, but those are the ones that are most likely to been seen.

The interesting part is that ALL the parts are used on all the machines from different brands. The big difference is the "color branded" parts. Ie, the yellow housing for the Cub Cadets is different than the red housing for Troy-Built which is different from the red housing for Craftsman.

Honestly, it is really hard to justify some of the excessive costs differences between brands, especially when you take into consideration end of season sales.

But, it is also nice to know that if you wamt to have a Cub Cadet HD metal chute on your Craftsman unit, you can literally just buy the parts and everything will bolt up.

Personally I am redoing a 1999 Craftsman 9hp/28" EZ-Steer unit with a new 11hp Tecumseh motor, all new bearings/bushings, new upgraded chute, new cables, new driveshaft and chains, new idler pulleys, new springs and all new stainless hardware. Oh, I am also putting on an impeller paddle kit as well.

I have more into the rebuild than buying a new 11hp/30" Craftsman, but considering how more flimsy everything newer is built compared to the older stuff, I am not complaining.

The entire transmission, housing, augers, impeller, etc, etc is the same as used on a bunch of the Cub Cadet models of the same years. And I am putting in some of the Cub Cadet HD reinforcement parts as well as part of the rebuild.

One thing I missed out on was converting it to a 4x4 arrangement. The axle transfer cases were available until late last year and are no longer to be found for one side. So I am stuck with two wheels instead of four.

I am contemplating going with the White Outdoor powered horizontal chute motor setup. It is kinda spendy at about $180 for the entire setup with all new parts, otherwise I can engineer a different solution for cheaper.

In the end I have all the bells and whistles and I know it is all built properly. I do believe Cub Cadet was the only one to offer the 11hp motor on this model as well.


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