Anyone have a Cub Cadet RZT-S or Zforce-S model?

[consitter]

yeah, let's think about it, bright boy.. the engine lays over at a 30 degree angle, possiblly starving the oil pump pickup even on a pressurized sys vs. a splash sys; just how the h*ll his tranny drive drive belts would be extra stressed while moving back and forth ACROSS the 30 degree slope escapes me... but then yer the bright boy from ashland... sheesh.

yeah, let's think about it, bright boy.. the engine lays over at a 30 degree angle, possiblly starving the oil pump pickup even on a pressurized sys vs. a splash sys; just how the h*ll his tranny drive drive belts would be extra stressed while moving back and forth ACROSS the 30 degree slope escapes me... but then yer the bright boy from ashland... sheesh.

Aaannnddd...you're brain is so full of this knowledge that you had to post it twice.

Yeehaw.

 

[consitter]

Aaannnddd...you're brain is so full of this knowledge that you had to post it twice.

Yeehaw.

But seriously dude...when you're not trolling and trying to make others feel stupid...

What is your opinion of a z force sz model?

 

[gmason]

Hello, I have a 2012 Z-force S 48in mower and I love the ride and cutting of this mower. This summer my wife was mowing and as usual something happened and she got stuck and could go forward or backward. The engine was running fine and the mower blades were turning also.
I got on it and sure enough, no go. I got off and pushed it a little to get it off the slight incline and was able to get it to go down the hill ok, but when I turned it back to go up the hill, it just stalled, no wheels spinning or smoke coming from anywhere. We pushed it up the rest of the hill and parked it on the driveway for 3-4hrs, I got on it and it seamed to work fine again. I lifted the rear end and got under the mower to see if a belt was warn or any leaking. There did look like some black "dust" around the pulleys, but nothing overly heavy. No wet spots under the hydraulic rear wheel motors or anything that looked off or broken.
I was able to mow a few more times with no real problems like this, but didn't run it for more than 5-10min.
Does this sound like a belt problem or maybe a hydraulic issue?

gary

 

[rcbe]

But seriously dude...when you're not trolling and trying to make others feel stupid...

What is your opinion of a z force sz model?

didn't need to make you feel stupid - you did that all by yerself.

 

[Navasot]

I have a Zforce S 48 with a KW on it and mow way more than what its ment for. usually about 10 acres that's not clean at all. You will like the jump up to at least the Zforce model vs the RZT s. mine has 635 hours on it and even though its beat up from me using it like a brush hog it still mows like a champ. Not sure if anyone has touched on it but the Zforce also comes in a commercial model that is at a better cost than the tank but still has the commercial size parts.

 

[EddieL]

I have two full seasons on a Z-Force S 48. My dealer (Broughtons, Bridport, VT) told me to "wait until you use it three times before coming back here and cutting my balls off". He was right; it does take some getting used to.

I replaced a 20-year old Toro Commercial 52" walk-behind that served me well, but I'm getting too old for the walking part. Since we go away in the summer and my daughter mows for us, I opted for the steering wheel rather than than twin sticks.

Mowing-wise, the machine is a beast. Plenty of power from the 22-hp Kawasaki. The blades and welded deck create plenty of lift (hearing protection is a good idea); quality of cut is good with both regular and Gator blades. I had the rear roller from the twin-stick model installed for striping (it's optional on the S model).

Sidehill traction is an issue. It will climb a wall going straight up and reasonable sidehills aren't a problem. Turning on a slope is next to impossible; it loses traction turning uphill and 'snowplows' downhill. Since the front wheels turn more than 90 degrees, they tend to pop off their bead in snowplow mode if not at full pressure. I had tubes put in them for that reason and that has helped.

I took it out for the first time this season yesterday and noticed it seemed to have less traction (particularly in reverse) than normal. I'll have to look into that.

I believe newer models have larger front wheels, which should help. I may look into knobby tires for the rear to help with traction.

All in all, I like the machine. Not perfect, but the traction issues can be worked around.

petermac, were these actual Gator blades? I filled out the form on there web site for a 2013 Z-Force S48 and they told me they don't make a blade for that mower. If they were some other brand, could you tell me what they are, and how well they mulch. I would like a mulching blade for leaves, I would rather mow several times than rake once.

It sounds like your mower is older than mine since you posted this shortly after I got mine. My blades are 17".

And just to keep with the original post, I mow almost all hills and have no problems.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Franko]

I also love my Zforce SZ-60. I don't know if it is the tires they used in 2013 when I got mine, or what but it sticks like glue to the slopes, where my Craftsman conventional rider would not even go up. It is stable, too. You can turn on the slopes. Like all things, you have to try it carefully on your own slopes and go easy - it felt stable but I still went slow the first few times because I just could not believe that it could take it. But it does all the hilly land we have around the house and I even opened up new areas for mowing that I could not do with other mowers. There are some very informing YouTube videos on a guy taking his SZ around on some slopes. Once I saw it, I knew this was the mower for me, because I wanted zero turn and easy handling on slopes. Check them out if you have doubts or are not getting the traction you feel you should be getting.

 

[ntran]

I am also interested in the Cub Cadet zero turn with steering wheel, and would like to know for those of you who own it, how has it performed so far? Do you have any reliability issue with the mower? Thanks