I need a garden tractor that has ground engaging capabilities. I have a one acre homesite and another 2 acre lot across the street that I have to mow. Plus, I need to do some levelling on some swales, haul rocks around, etc.

So I've just about decided to go with a 2500 series Cub Cadet. I'm thinking the 2554 is probably the best choice considering that I have 3 acres to mow. But I will want to mulch the yard on my 1 acre lot (where my house is), and side discharge on the 2 acres across the street.

Will the 2554 handle this and do a good job of mulching? Is it a pain to switch between mulching and side discharge? Does the mulch kit come with different blades that have to be switched every time I go from mulching to side discharge? Or can I just leave the mulch blades on and side discharge when I want to?

Is there a different CC 2500 series deck that might work better for me?