Cub Cadet Enduro XT1 and XT2 Tractors

Cub Cadet redesigned their Enduro XT1 and XT2 tractors from the ground up for exceptional strength, durability and operator comfort.

Cub Cadet Enduro XT1 Lawn Tractors
Some of the differences on the XT1 are they start with a 42-inch deck with a single cylinder engine where from this model forward they go into a twin cylinder. You get smoother operation and increased torque with a twin cylinder engine but the single cylinder engine for a smaller lawn will perform and do a great job.

Other Enduro tractors come with a five-year frame and front axle warranty and they’re able to do that because they’ve gone to a cast iron front axle. This cast iron versus stamped out hollowed steel axle is exceptionally durable. There’s not going to be any breakage with this heavy cast iron front axle. Cub Cadet also redesigned the ergonomics of the tractor, so some nice features include ease of getting on and off the tractor, a lever to slide your seat back and forth, and as the seat slides back it also goes up so to accommodate a taller operator and offer increased legroom.

All your controls are easily accessible. Cub Cadet Enduro tractors feature a key switch, throttle positioning, and brake and transmission operation pedal. The transmission operation pedal is a hydrostatic drive transmission which is a fluid drive system so it’s like an automatic transmission in the car. The way this is designed, the further you push forward on the pedal the faster the machine goes. When you release the pedal, it will return to neutral, and for reverse you push on the opposite pedal.

Cub Cadet also added a nice feature of cruise control. Push the pedal, push down on your cruise control lever and it’ll lock in that position so if you have a lot of straight areas and don’t want to hold your foot on the pedal you can lock the cruise. Release the cruise either by tapping the pedal or you can just tap your brake pedal.

There are controls for your height of cut. Your height of cut is adjustable from one to four inches. It has a spring assisted lever so with one finger you can raise your mower deck up and down. You can set the height in quarter inch increments.

Cub Cadet Enduro XT2 Lawn Tractors
The XT1 and XT2 lawn tractors are on the same chassis. The key difference when you go into the XT2 series, from the front you’ll notice the front bumper is standard. It gives you added protection if you hit something and protects the front grill and front hood. The XT2 tractors go to a turf master tire. This will give you increased traction and durability. Cub Cadet upgraded the battery on the XT2 models for longer life and better cold-weather starts, and in your front axle they use a bearing which is typically found on much higher priced tractors. This bearing in the front axle will give you much longer life. The bushing on the XT1 models is easily replaced but this bearing really should last for the life of the tractor.

Cub Cadet also added armrests. These can be added to XT1 models but is standard for XT2 tractors to give you a little added comfort. The XT2 models have larger engines so you have an increase in performance. Another nice feature is the easy maintenance. Cub Cadet has a color-coded oil drain plug and a color-coded dipstick for checking your oil; it’s easy to spot. When you need change that oil, there’s no tools required. Just push the hood forward, pop the cap off the oil drain, twist the yellow part, and the oil will drain.

The engines on the Cub Cadet Enduro tractors are all protected by an oil filter. This oil filter is easy to access, you don’t have to remove anything because it’s right out in the open. These tractors are available in 42, 46, 50, and 54-inch deck sizes. As you go into the 46 inch and larger another feature Cub Cadet added is electric PTO clutch. Other models have a lever to push to engage the mower, but these tractors have a switch. Just pull the switch to engage the mower and push to disengage. The key advantage is you get longer belt life.

Cub Cadet offers some enhanced engine and deck features such as an electronic fuel-injected engine or EFI for short. The electronic fuel injection gives you enhanced features including a little better fuel economy and better cold weather starts.

Cub Cadet has what they call SLX which stands for “super lawn tractor.” This is available in 54-inch mower decks and the first thing to note is the much larger tires. Typically, this tire size is found on a garden tractor. The advantage you have with this is if you have rough terrain, those bigger tires give you a little smoother ride. If you’re planning on adding a snow blade or snow blower it gives you better traction with the larger tires. To handle the larger tires Cub Cadet upgraded the transmission for a longer life and you still get that tight turning radius and exceptional performance.

Cub Cadet Enduro XT2 lawn tractors are very easy to operate. To round out the XT2 line Cub Cadet has the GX series. The GX is a garden tractor and the advantage you have with the garden tractor is an upgraded transmission. The garden tractor is designed for heavier use. The GX54 comes with a differential lock. To engage, just push down on the pedal with the heel of your foot. This will lock both wheels together. Differential lock is very useful in snow conditions, it gives you increased traction. Additionally, if you have some areas that are a little slippery on your lawn and you need to increase traction to eliminate that tire slip that’s where differential lock comes in handy. This feature is available on the GX models in the XT2 line.