JTKub
Veteran Member
I got to mow my neighbor's yard a few times earlier this month while they were on vacation with his IS1500Z - 48" deck with the Kawi engine...
A few things I noticed - it's LOUD. The deck howls louder than my Cub and the hydros whine a lot louder, too. I suppose having the engine out in the open and then sitting on top of the whole works makes it seem worse than my '05 with the full metal hood. .
Yep, I didn't mention it in this thread, but the fab'd 44" on my Z-Force is ridiculously loud as well, compared to the stamped 44" on my Cub 2544. Going without ear protection was not uncomfortable for me at all on the 2544. With the Z, ear protection is a must. The deck on my old Case 220 is basically silent. My Z-Force has those aggressive angled, very wide/thick blades. That may account for a lot of the noise. They're just too new and cut too well to replace at the moment.
Joel