Pro Z 160 & 4 wheel steering

[Coyote machine]

Considering getting a Pro Z 160 L KW which can be equipped with 4 wheel steering- not to be mistaken for 4 wheel drive.
Does anyone have one?
I'm looking for feedback about slopes and hill mowing with the 4 wheel steering feature. It seems to be easy to steer; I test drove one today, it has turf like front tire mounted, where conventional ZT's would have a swivel smooth tire; which is just about useless on anything except bone dry grass.
I'd like to get some general feedback too on the quality, longevity, parts availability of CC mowers/ZTs compared to other brands like Scag, Xmark, Toro, Hustler, etc.

Thanks,

CM

 

[daking2959]

I have a Cub Cadet with all wheel steering and love it, especially on hills. Front wheels work just like a car and do the steering up to a point when making gradual turns but turn the steering wheel sharper and the rear steering working like most zero turns takes over. Since the front wheels aren't just caster wheels, they hold your position on a hill much better. I love the steering wheel ease of use over traditional zero-turns, mainly for my teenage daughters and girlfriend who occasionally help mow. Much easier for someone who doesn't use the mower regularly to get the hang of.

 

[Coyote machine]

Here's my review of the Cub Cadet Pro Z 160 with all wheel steering and Kawasaki 23.5 carbed engine.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/cub-cadet-l-g/383701-cc-pro-z-160s-kawasaki.html#post4836409.

I've had it for a few weeks of hard use on tall grass that was badly in need of cutting, and it has performed very well with everything I've thrown at it.

Anyone else who has a Pro Z 160 with either the kawasaki OR the EFI Kohler 27HP engine, please chime in as to your own experiences.

Thanks,

CM

 

[SJeP]

Re: Pro Z 160 & 4 wheel steering

I bought a CC Pro Z 154S this spring. It has the 27hp Kohler EFI engine.

So far I love it. I mow about 1.5 acres and some of it is sloped. The 4 wheel steering with the steering wheel is GREAT. It goes up, down, and across the hills with no drama at all.

Total of about 25 hours on it so far and I'm really impressed. The build quality is good and it mows the best of any riding mower I've ever owned or used. I installed the CC mulching kit and it also works great. My neighbor down the road mowed his yard with his Husqvarna LT this summer and left terrible rows and clumps. I mowed over it with my CC with mulching kit and the clumps and rows disappeared.

I messed up the decal on the operator's console. One call to CC customer service had a new one on the way. Service was quick, friendly, and the CS rep was American!

So far I'm very happy with my purchase

 

[Forbes]

CM,

We’re looking at buying a Pro Z 160 this year, love it for production on the hills and opportunity to build custom rear mount attachments with that great drive belt configuration and heavy duty chassis. Dealer let us try it out and it’s a good size down from the brush hog on our 2013 DK45-Se but still has great power.

Have you made up and customization for your machine? A big drawback we see if no readily available snow blower attachment.

 

[Coyote machine]

No custom attachments for the Pro Z from me. I use it just to beat my lawn(s) into shape, so far. I did use a rear de-thatcher briefly, but backed up, forgot it was on the hitch, and broke the cheap plastic wheels off the de-thatcher- pure operator error.:duh:
I don't know how suited the machine would be to a snowblower, but I'd look at mytractorforum.com for snowblower attachments used on various ride mowers. There is a LOT of useful info there.

 

[Forbes]

CM, thank you for the advise. I’ve decided to buy the machine.