Hi - and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you
The 2017 mowing season is over, and I have cleaned the mower and the bag, sharpened the 4 knives, and my Zanon mower and I are ready for the coming season. This was my fifth season with the ZCR, and I used it for another 30 hours this year, bringing the total up to 169 hours.
As Zanon has not come up with a replacement for the ZCR on their home page, updating this thread might seem like a waste of my time, but I had one experience this summer that might be of interest to users of other Zanon mowers with a similar drive train. This could be mowers like the ZRA lawn mower with side discharge, the ZRF disc mower or the FALK brush mower.
As can be seen on my pictures in post #7 in this thread, there is a universal joint in the drive line through the PTO-flange. This is in order to allow the flange to be adjusted vertically, allowing the deck to run parallel to the ground independent of tractor wheel size and mowing hight. Each part of the universal joint is fitted with a bolt - and these 2 bolts gave me a sudden and big surprise this summer! One day as I was mowing, the tractor stopped very abrupt, with the engine still running and the mower free-wheeling to a stop. As this happened at brisk walking speed in 3rd gear - and without warning - I almost stumbled and fell on top of the tractor. The PowerSafe clutch did a good job protecting the engine from the shock load, as it slipped, allowing the engine to continue to run. I turned the engine off, and began investigating. At first I was afraid that the gearbox of the tractor was the problem, but after removing the yellow cover over the universal joint, the problem was obvious: both bolts had unscrewed themselves, and one of them was now trapped between the universal joint and the bottom of the housing, and thereby making a nice dent (see picture).
I felt lucky that nothing worse had happened, and after having replaced the 2 bolts, I now mow without the yellow cover over the universal joint, allowing me to keep an eye on the bolts at all time. On top of that, I frequently check that the bolts are tight.
As a little bonus, this incident showed me that the PowerSafe clutch is capable of protecting the engine very well, should the PTO or gearbox get jammed. :thumbsup:
Hi again Brian
In your post #25 in this thread, your tell that you hope to purchase a 2-wheel tractor in spring. Did you get one?
I have found it very difficult to find information on the Zanon ZCR mower - before I got mine, and also since. Perhaps I am the only one having one?
I have read post #13 from rickyd79 of course, but sadly I have not been able to find out, why Joel at Earth Tools and several of his customers did not like the ZCR mower, but I would like to hear. Perhaps your only choice now for a mower with a bag, are the BCS 22" or 38" models, or have you been able to find other brands? I hope that my Zanon will serve me well for many years to come, but if it should not, I would love to try the BCS 38" model as well.
Best regards
Jens
The 2017 mowing season is over, and I have cleaned the mower and the bag, sharpened the 4 knives, and my Zanon mower and I are ready for the coming season. This was my fifth season with the ZCR, and I used it for another 30 hours this year, bringing the total up to 169 hours.
As Zanon has not come up with a replacement for the ZCR on their home page, updating this thread might seem like a waste of my time, but I had one experience this summer that might be of interest to users of other Zanon mowers with a similar drive train. This could be mowers like the ZRA lawn mower with side discharge, the ZRF disc mower or the FALK brush mower.
As can be seen on my pictures in post #7 in this thread, there is a universal joint in the drive line through the PTO-flange. This is in order to allow the flange to be adjusted vertically, allowing the deck to run parallel to the ground independent of tractor wheel size and mowing hight. Each part of the universal joint is fitted with a bolt - and these 2 bolts gave me a sudden and big surprise this summer! One day as I was mowing, the tractor stopped very abrupt, with the engine still running and the mower free-wheeling to a stop. As this happened at brisk walking speed in 3rd gear - and without warning - I almost stumbled and fell on top of the tractor. The PowerSafe clutch did a good job protecting the engine from the shock load, as it slipped, allowing the engine to continue to run. I turned the engine off, and began investigating. At first I was afraid that the gearbox of the tractor was the problem, but after removing the yellow cover over the universal joint, the problem was obvious: both bolts had unscrewed themselves, and one of them was now trapped between the universal joint and the bottom of the housing, and thereby making a nice dent (see picture).
I felt lucky that nothing worse had happened, and after having replaced the 2 bolts, I now mow without the yellow cover over the universal joint, allowing me to keep an eye on the bolts at all time. On top of that, I frequently check that the bolts are tight.
As a little bonus, this incident showed me that the PowerSafe clutch is capable of protecting the engine very well, should the PTO or gearbox get jammed. :thumbsup:
Hi again Brian
In your post #25 in this thread, your tell that you hope to purchase a 2-wheel tractor in spring. Did you get one?
I have found it very difficult to find information on the Zanon ZCR mower - before I got mine, and also since. Perhaps I am the only one having one?
I have read post #13 from rickyd79 of course, but sadly I have not been able to find out, why Joel at Earth Tools and several of his customers did not like the ZCR mower, but I would like to hear. Perhaps your only choice now for a mower with a bag, are the BCS 22" or 38" models, or have you been able to find other brands? I hope that my Zanon will serve me well for many years to come, but if it should not, I would love to try the BCS 38" model as well.
Best regards
Jens