# Cub Cadet 28"3XHD



## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Brand New never used in the snow until today and it let me down big time.

Here in Baltimore we got about 28" of snow so far, I fired up the new machine, purchased from and setup by my local dealer. It started great so I started my first pass down my driveway and I thought so far so good. About 20 feet down I needed to reverse and had nothing, the wheels stopped, I could move forward but even that was slow. The drive wheels or friction disc are slipping.

It took me forever to move it back in the garage. My first thought was I was sorry I purchased this machine, my old MTD 24" never let me down like this.

Is this normal for a Brand new Cub Cadet?


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I would say it shouldn't be normal.

Could need the friction disc adjustment tightened a bit.

Or, it could be that snow and water got inside there and it started slipping.


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Thank you Shryp for the reply, I will tighten the cable for the drive tomorrow and try that. Since snow is 100% water why would they sell a snow blower that would not work if a drive part gets wet? My 24" MTD never did this in 10 years, Sorry I sold it now to move up to a machine I thought was better.........


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

This guy has a similar issue and a few more replies.
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...te-snow-king-drive-stutters-lower-speeds.html


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

No, that's not normal for any snowblower. My Cub Cadet has been awesome.
But, it is a machine and they all can break. I had a brand new Ariens that let me down. So failures can happen with any brand.
Hopefully it's something simple!


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Problems with brand- new snowblowers on their very first use are unfortunately rather common, and 90% of the time they have one common cause: poor assembly, set-up and adjustment by big-box employees who don't know what they are doing.

The good news is that its probably not a fundimental flaw with the machine itself, and once the issue is found and fixed it will probably be fine..I know that little consolitation to the guy with a brand new but non-working snowblower..but its at least good news.

Another reason to always buy from a dealer..who can make sure its set up properly.

Scot


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Be sure to check the manual for proper adjustment too. If you make it too tight you can put unneeded excess wear on the parts and you might end up replacing something sooner than you should. In the extreme case of too tight the wheels will always turn even after you let go of the drive lever.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

sscotsman said:


> Another reason to always buy from a dealer..who can make sure its set up properly. Scot


(Except he did get it from a dealer. :icon_whistling

There is something that just isn't right and it's best to follow the adjustment procedures in your manual and not just tighten something up.
You either want to get it back to the dealer or pull the bottom cover off and inspect things to narrow down the problem to something you can adjust or repair or know it's something above your ability and the dealer needs to take care of it.

For whatever reason sometimes a specific machine will have a problem with snow melting off the engine getting to the friction disc and causing a problem. Not saying that's your problem but the manufacturers try their best to make the transmission housing water resistant. You still have bolts, cables, belts, rods, shafts and bearings that have to go through the housing so there are times water finds a way.

IMHO you have a good brand and model of machine and you didn't make a mistake buying it we just need to figure out what's keeping yours from performing the way it should.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> (Except he did get it from a dealer. :icon_whistling:


Ah! Right, so he did..
Well, it could still be a set-up problem..
Let's hope for that..otherwise it could be another fairly common problem: "its a MTD"..
But let's not go there yet..

Scot


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

sscotsman said:


> Let's hope for that..otherwise it could be another fairly common problem: "its a MTD"..
> But let's not go there yet..
> 
> Scot


Yeah, but like I said I had the problem called "its a Ariens" but lets not go there! :icon-hgtg:


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

*Thank you all*

I will call my dealer who set it up and delivered it. I hope they do house calls. Hope to have good news soon.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Please keep us updated Red!
We will be curious to know what the issue turns out to be.
And good luck..

Scot


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## DennisP (Jan 10, 2016)

Well, having gotten quite intimate with my MTD-built Craftsman, and having done a TON of research on all things "MTD", I can say that there is absolutely ZERO difference in build parts from say the late 90s up through today, except they got rid of chains and sprockets and went with a direct gear-to-gear drive (which allows the gears to break, which means more money for MTD). But, beyond that, the machines friction drives are all identical and any sort of "advantage" to a newer machine is minimal at best (usually just different auger design and newer engines with less vibration, but a lot lower expected engine life). So, if you got more features with a newer MTD brand over an older one, then you got those features. If you bought a Cub Cadet with all the same features as your older MTD, without adding anything, then you got a newer machine with less durability. We are firmly in the age of planned obsolescence. That much is apparent in the newer designs, the lack of proper painting/powdercoated, etc, etc...

Regardless, if you properly maintain a machine it "should" last for many years.

Now, as far as "buying from a dealer" it is just as bad as buying from a car dealer. They do as little as possible to get the product out the door. Sure, there are some that go above and beyond, but when you are talking brands like Troy-Bilt and Cub Cadet, both MTD brands, and both upper-end, but not as high-end as say Columbia, they are all based on volume with minimal actual "prep".

Honestly, after going through a few "MTD brands" in the past few weeks that were from quite a few different levels of "MTD" products, including Cub Cadet, Craftsman, Troy-Bilt and a Columbia, it is OBVIOUS that MTD is negligent on properly lubricating ALL the drive components properly, except for one, that being Columbia. The Columbia I looked at had the driveshaft planetaries completely lubricated properly, all the bushings were lubricated, and everything was adjusted perfectly. Now, this may all be because of the dealer, but not a single one of the other brands that I looked at had proper lubrication like the Columbia had.

My point here is that you cannot trust that a dealer will properly adjust and lubricate a new product. And, trust me, they all require just about a complete tear-down to lubricate them properly. And I KNOW there will be just about no dealers that will do that to a brand new product. Adjustments should be, but even a lot of that is something that a dealer will NOT spend the time on with a brand new product. They will wait until it comes in for service under warranty so that they can bill the company for it. Which is just as bad as new cars. Dealerships are about profits, not taking the time to make sure the customer is taken care of without getting paid for that time. And on a product sale the profit is fixed, so they do as little as possible.

Sad to say, but almost all the driveshafts I have looked at had improper lubrication from the factory, with the planetaries having a grey-looking grease that was goopy and wasn't even applied everywhere properly and most had no to little lubrication on the bushings themselves, which means they would end up wallowing quite quickly once any sort of load is placed on them.


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Update. After reading all the posts here and looking online I decided to tighten the drive cable from the factory setup and it did indeed let me use it for a few hours today. It than started to lose traction again.

Under load of 28” of snow it would tend to what I call climb up ward causing me to reverse it and go back over the area. At one point I had to use my shovel to dig the cub cadet out just to return it to my garage leaving much of the snow behind and still no way to get my cars out of my driveway. I am not talking a big driveway just a normal 2 car about 75 feet long, and 2 sidewalks about the same

I have emailed the dealer who set it up and asked for my money back and hired a company to remove the remaining snow. Shoveling myself is not an option that is why I always had a snow blower.

I wish I had my old 24” MTD back it never missed let me down but I figured at my age it may be time to move up to a better machine with hand warmers and more power.

Man I am sorry now.


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

I wish I had something to add to this, but I don't. 

PLEASE keep us updated as to how your Cub dealer responds for you on this.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

alot to digest in the post.... but most all blowers will tend to ride up on compacted snow, weight kits are sold to help out with that. jmo, but you have a machine that is what it is....i have one also, a sno tek. it wont perform or last like a high end machine, and wasnt designed to do so, ya get what ya pay for.


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

I thought the Cub Cadet was a High End machine, what is a High End Machine in your opinion? Was all the hype I read about how good the Cub Cadets are untrue and how they cut thru snow false? I never saw a warning compacted snow will cause problems, This machine is a .. It is what it is purchase.
I understand the concept of compacted snow and reversing the unit but when the wheels just spin or do not move when it happens and I have to keep pulling it, is that when I say…..It is what it is?
When I say my prayers tonight I will ask God, Please the next 30” snow you bring make it not compacted so my Cub Cadet will handle it, do not let the snow plows pile a huge drift in front of my driveway. My Cub Cadet is
It is what it is
That statement to me says POS loud and clear. Wasted $1300.


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## 1894 (Dec 16, 2014)

I hope it is something simple and gets corrected quickly. There is another post that has a video and that 3x seems to eat the snow pretty darn well.

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/cub-cadet-snowblowers/82753-how-cubby-can-eat-thru-30-plus.html


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

caddydaddy said:


> Yeah, but like I said I had the problem called "its a Ariens" but lets not go there! :icon-hgtg:


haha good one . It is true any brand can and does have issues. No one brand is perfect or better than any other in that regard although some like to think so. 
Just have to read this forum to see all the problems with new Ariens , Hondas and Toros


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

redshome said:


> Brand New never used in the snow until today and it let me down big time.
> 
> Here in Baltimore we got about 28" of snow so far, I fired up the new machine, purchased from and setup by my local dealer. It started great so I started my first pass down my driveway and I thought so far so good. About 20 feet down I needed to reverse and had nothing, the wheels stopped, I could move forward but even that was slow. The drive wheels or friction disc are slipping.
> 
> ...


No this is certainly not normal . Sorry to hear you are having a problem with your Cub and at such an inopportune time . Something is definitely amiss. My Cub performs flawlessly which is not what you need to hear right now. Try not to get too down on it I'm sure your dealer will be able to fix you up. I know this is a horrible time for a new machine to not work properly. Too bad your dealer didn't get it right the first time. Let us know how it works out and what the problem was. Hopefully your dealer will step up and get you taken care of ASAP


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

redshome said:


> When I say my prayers tonight I will ask God, Please the next 30” snow you bring make it not compacted so my Cub Cadet will handle it, do not let the snow plows pile a huge drift in front of my driveway. My Cub Cadet is
> It is what it is
> That statement to me says POS loud and clear. Wasted $1300.


 Don't give up on it just yet, there's obviously something amiss with the drive system on yours. Sucks, but even new machines can break. Don't give up on it until the dealer and manufacturer leaves you no choice! At least Cub Cadet has a 3 year warranty on their blowers!

My little 24" Cub Cadet powers through the deepest snow, so it's not that yours can't do it, there's just something not right with it.

Good luck!


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

*Update*

Dealer will not let me return it, They will pick it up tomorrow for service.


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## Elt31987 (Sep 6, 2015)

At least they are picking it up.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

if they wont let you return it do a chargeback


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Good idea but stupid me paid cash as I always tend to do.
The dealer has me by the 3x impellers. If you catch my drift


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

redshome said:


> Good idea but stupid me paid cash as I always tend to do.
> The dealer has me by the 3x impellers. If you catch my drift


That's funny on a couple different level. NICE!


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

43128 said:


> if they wont let you return it do a chargeback


You wouldn't just let them fix it? That's what I did with my Ariens. I made them fix it!


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Liftoff I am glad you caught my humor......LOL

CaddyDaddy How do I make them fix it?


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

redshome said:


> CaddyDaddy How do I make them fix it?


For starters, you got them to come pick it up to fix it! That's more than I got. I had to rent a truck to bring my Ariens back for repairs.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

From reading your thread it seems like a classic case of snow melt getting to the disk plate hence friction disk is spinning without grab.
This is my take but we will soon see. Good Luck


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

43128 said:


> if they wont let you return it do a chargeback


Maybe just waiting until they get a look at it and see if it's curable, what they find might be a first step rather than starting out with trying to return it and demanding your money back.
Might be a good time to call corporate customer service (when you're calm) and discussing your issues with the machine and how unhappy you are and see what they have to say. Just document it or do it in writing, email. That way you're recording how this goes in case it does get ugly.
You just don't want to start out "ugly" demanding and threatening. They want you happy so it's best to see how you can help them do that for you. 

There is also discussing options with the dealer for a trade in and what the $$$ difference would be on something else.

If they fix the problem and it chugs through compacted snow or at least the stuff other owners seem to do with theirs hopefully everyone's happy. :wavetowel2:


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## Old6516 (Jan 26, 2016)

*Cub cadet 3X-28*

01/26/16 I am a 1st time messenager and put this message in with yours. Nothing else would click to make the post.
The drive wheel adjustment sounds like the problem. I had the opposite problem and had to return 2 new Cub cadets blowers this month. The auger belt kept slapping up against the plastic auger cover when you release or engage the auger. I couldn't get any sound advice or repair from anyone. Like you I pulled my 30 year old Bolens out. 




redshome said:


> Brand New never used in the snow until today and it let me down big time.
> 
> Here in Baltimore we got about 28" of snow so far, I fired up the new machine, purchased from and setup by my local dealer. It started great so I started my first pass down my driveway and I thought so far so good. About 20 feet down I needed to reverse and had nothing, the wheels stopped, I could move forward but even that was slow. The drive wheels or friction disc are slipping.
> 
> ...


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Update Dealer picked up the Cub Cadet and 11:00AM 12:30PM they called and said there is nothing wrong they cleared some snow for a few minutes and it ran fine. They invited me up to show THEM how I operate it......Wrong thing to say to me. I own a service biz myself and right off he is saying it is an operator problem.

I than send have you even removed the belly pan and checked the friction drive parts and linkages and see if they are getting wet? Any settings related to drive problems with the auto steer? He said NO they want me to leave work and show them what is wrong.

Clearing a little bit of snow off a cleaned parking lot in no way reflects the actual conditions I faced in real use. I refused to come up and in hind sight I should have invited him over to show me on my driveway.

I have not heard from them since but I doubt they will do anything.


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

Wow, that's a poor diagnosis from a dealer! So are they doing anything else to it, or just going to bring it back to you?
I'd call Cub Cadet customer service and complain. They should do more than start it up, blow some snow and call it a day!


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Update: At 5PM they said they were to busy to look at it more in depth all the service bays were filled. They will get back to me ASAP. Let us take a poll?
Will they find any problems or not?

I vote NO


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

redshome said:


> Let us take a poll?
> Will they find any problems or not?
> I vote NO


Hate to say it, but I agree with you. 

In their mind there is no problem, so they will try to pacify you by using time, then call you to come pick up the blower, indicating that have been testing it for hours, even days, and found no issue. 

Next time out, I would have a recording device near by and use a recording as evidence.


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## redshome (Sep 23, 2015)

Update: Dealer called me this morning and said after the tech looked at it he found 2 problems. The friction disk was not touching the friction plate properly and I was told the reverse gears were acting funky. They made adjustments to the parts and cleaned the friction plate of rubber left by the poor contact. I guess from the wheels just spinning.

They delivered it back today and I used it for a few hours and all in all it is better. Reverse gear 1 still is funky and works and stops, but 2 seems good. The tires still spin many times under load of tough snow but at least they do not stop, like before.

If the snow is fresh and dry and say 25" deep the Cubby would do it in style. So now that my Stephen King novel "The Cub Cadet 3X from ****" is over for now I will wait for the next storm.

Thanks for all your help and support guys


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## Old6516 (Jan 26, 2016)

Old6516 01/28/16 Anyone have any idea what causes auger belt slap with against the plastic auger cover on a 3X by 28 Cub Cadet. I just returned 2 of them.


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

redshome said:


> Update: Dealer called me this morning and said after the tech looked at it he found 2 problems.
> 
> Thanks for all your help and support guys


Glad it was just an adjustment problem. Hope it works flawlessly for you from now on. My little Cub has been awesome, even in deep snow.


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## canadagoose (Dec 5, 2014)

redshome said:


> Update: Dealer called me this morning and said after the tech looked at it he found 2 problems. The friction disk was not touching the friction plate properly and I was told the reverse gears were acting funky. They made adjustments to the parts and cleaned the friction plate of rubber left by the poor contact. I guess from the wheels just spinning.
> 
> They delivered it back today and I used it for a few hours and all in all it is better. Reverse gear 1 still is funky and works and stops, but 2 seems good. The tires still spin many times under load of tough snow but at least they do not stop, like before.
> 
> ...



Glad they finally stepped up and did something although , without your persistence they wouldn't have done that.
Hopefully they adjusted everything properly and that it works well for you now. My Cub is awesome but then again so is my dealer. Vesey's in York PEI. They really know their stuff and put their customers first.


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## Frankrizzo (Dec 19, 2017)

Gee,I have a 26 inch HD and it's grest.


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