Blades Fast Attach Blade System Problem

[jmacgreg]

I purchased a Cub Cadet XT2 GX50 earlier this summer. I have a little more than 4 acres to manage. This includes about 3.5 acres of pasture and the rest is lawn surrounding my house. I bought this tractor because I could dual purpose it and change blades quickly. Standard blades for the pasture and mulching system for my yard. The fast attach system seemed ideal as I could jack the mower up and change blades quickly. I think there might be a design problem with the locking collars because they have become impossible to remove by hand. I have to wedge the collars up and pound the blades off with a rubber mallet. I think that debris collects inside the collar making it extremely hard to push it up to clear the dowel pins that secure the blades. I will be calling the Cub Cadet help line, but was wondering if any of the other users on the forum have experienced similar problems and what, if any, solutions there are. Overall, I'm pleased with the mower except for this. Thanks.

 

[rpking]

I bought a XT2 with the fast attach blade system too.
I haven't mowed with it yet.
I didn't really want a fast attach deck when I bought my mower, but the features I wanted on the tractor only came with that deck.
Kind of sucks a person can't pick the tractor and the deck separately, I think that option is available on the XT3 series, but those are out of my price range.
Do you use the deck wash system after you mow? I have not owned a mower with the deck wash feature.
I was just wondering if it worked or not. If you use it evidently it doesn't work very well.
Good luck.

 

[jmacgreg]

Yes, I use the deck wash system. It does not remove ALL of the buildup around the deck's perimeter. I have to use a big screwdriver for that. I called the Cub Cadet customer service people and they weren't much help. The guy said he hadn't received any other calls on this issue. I think he will. He said I should take the machine to the dealer where I purchased it. The openings on the collar that retains the blades faces downward which I think might be a design problem. I'll try blowing some high pressure air into the collar to see if that helps. I can't imagine anything other than debris limiting the upward travel of the retaining collar. If this problem continues, I'll see if I can retrofit bolt-on blade spindles to the deck. With an air impact wrench Itwould have taken me maybe 10 minutes to change blades instead of the 2 hours of banging with a rubber mallet and cussing.

 

[Rivets]

If you are using the deck wash systems, two things to remember. First, do it as soon as possible, so debris does not have time to stick tight. Second, run the deck for 15 minutes after you disconnect the water. This is to insure that you dry everything off. There are those here who will tell you not to use it due to premature deck and bearing failure, but we have been doing this a shop and never had a problem.

 

[rpking]

Good idea on the retrofit idea of regular spindles.
Keep us posted, if you do that I would be interested in knowing what spindles you use.

 

[Jeffalex2]

I was struggling with it too... I figured out the following:

1. Raise the tractor and work from underneath... tap the collars with a mallet and the dirt drop out
2. Clean the top of the collar so that it can retract all of the way allowing the blade to move

https://youtu.be/nGbWTgfgAVg

That said, I will probably replace with regular spindles when these wear out.

 

[jmacgreg]

Thanks for the replies. I will try cleaning the top of the retainers. I'll also use high pressure air on them as well. I think the concept is a good one, but I suspect Cub did not do a whole lot of field testing before releasing this "feature." I also can't believe that the service rep had not received any complaints about this problem. Since the tractor is new, I'm not ready to pay more money to fix this issue yet. I will endeavor to live with it until the spindles give out and need replacing. Thanks again!

 

[Husky16913]

I have had similar problems with my XT2 with 54" fab deck and Fast-Attach system. I found cleaning the area with a screwdriver, scraping out the debris( I much a lot so I get quite an accumulation) and then hitting the area with a wire brush removes enough of the material to allow the mechanism to be lifted upward. I anticipate it getting more problematic as the mower deck gets older, though.

I have also contacted CC to ask about some kind of fixture to allow blade balancing after sharpening. Right now the "s" shaped opening in the
blade does not allow conventional blade balancers to be used. Apparently after having this system out for almost 2 years, they( CC) have not addressed this problem.
My dealer has been as helpful as one can expect. Checking on the parts and prices to change spindles and blades the parts alone would be $395! Ouch! It would be much, much faster to change blades( and balance) with an impact rather than the Fast-Attach system. From an engineering standpoint, the FA system looks nice, but I suspect it will disappear due to its inherent issues.

 

[StarTech]

At least it don't look as flimsy as the Husqvarna version.

 

[Rivets]

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