Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Cub Cadet Hydro Tranny Slow Return to Neutral

I looked at a 3 year old Cub Cadet 2518 tractor with shaft drive and hydrostatic transmission. The tractor drives fine and seems to have full power. I noticed, however, that if you are driving forward and take your foot off the Forward pedal the tractor continues to go forward for a few feet before the pedal returns to the "neutral" position and the tractor comes to a stop. In reverse the same thing happens but it takes more time (and thus the tractor travels father--maybe 5 or 6 feet) before the pedal returns to the "neutral" position and the tractor comes to a stop. With my current Toro as soon as you lift your foot from the forward or reverse pedal the tractor comes to an abrupt stop. I suspect the behavior of my Toro is correct and something is wrong with the Cub Cadet.

Is this an adjustment problem? Or is there something wrong with the Cub Cadet hydro drive? If something is wrong is it an expensive fix? The hour meter on the Cub reads 76 hours and the tractor doesn't show a lot of wear so I'm inclined to believe it. Any help/guidance would be appreciated.

I doubt you have an adjustment issue, I'm more inclined to believe that you have a linkage/control arm in need of cleaning and lubricating. Check all the movable parts between the pedal and trans for grass buildup and clean and lube as needed.

Unfortunately, this tractor is located 75 miles from me so I can't easily try your suggestion, which I think is a good one. I did notice that when I took my foot off the forward or reverse pedal the pedal moves back to the neutral position is a very smooth manner, almost like it's viscous damped. I guess it's possible that a buildup of grass could do that but I'm concerned there may be a problem with the hydro drive that's causing this. The hydro drive is a good sized cast iron unit with a filter. I briefly checked the fluid level and it looked a little low but at that moment the tractor wasn't on a completley level surface and I didn't get to check the tranny fluid level when the tractor was level. Could low fluid level cause this condition? Could there be some other hydro drive problem? If it's just a build-up/lubrication issue I would not be dissuaded from buying the tractor. But if there's a significant problem in the hydrostatic drive then I wouldn't want to buy the tractor. Does this additional information suggest anything regarding the hydro drive?

Some WD40 sprayed on the linkages should answer your question.

You might also try pushing the pedal to neutral with your foot. If it exhibits the same behavior it may be an internal issue. If it stops immediately as expected, it's just a sticking linkage.

Otherwise, the shaft drive Cubs are nice units.

I've run into one other Cub, this season, with your same issue (out of a total of maybe 12 or so we've serviced) and spray lube improved the return rate of the pedals. Perhaps this is a trait intended by Cub, why, if so, I don't know. I suggest you contact a local Cub dealer and run your trouble past them and see if this is commonplace with them.