$25 Zero turn seat mod to soften ride

[Hay Dude]

Love my ZD331
The seat suspension isnt that great for this lower back of mine (too many years of hay bales and carpentry work).
The seat sits on 2 sliding tracks.
I removed the 4 bolts from the tracks where they bolt to the seat. In their place, I installed 1.5 expanding rubber plugs. These are the type that have a metal washer on the top and bottom to squish the rubber. The bolts that come with them are too short, so I purchased (4) 5/16 by 2 inch bolts, nuts and lock washers.
Put everything back together and mowed the yard.
For a small investment of $25 and 1/2 hr of time, it improved the ride noticeably. When the seat would bottom out previously, it would hit steel on steel. Now there is a bit of dense rubber cushioning.

One drawback is you sit 1 inch higher.
Only time will tell how long the rubber holds out.

 

[seville009]

My Ferris ztr seat actually sits on a spring (front part is latched to the frame and flips forward; rear portion sits on the spring).

If the rubber you put on doesn’t work, look at motorcycle or bicycle springs in their place possibly.

 

[RoyJackson]

Love my ZD331
The seat suspension isnt that great for this lower back of mine (too many years of hay bales and carpentry work).
The seat sits on 2 sliding tracks.
I removed the 4 bolts from the tracks where they bolt to the seat. In their place, I installed 1.5 expanding rubber plugs. These are the type that have a metal washer on the top and bottom to squish the rubber. The bolts that come with them are too short, so I purchased (4) 5/16 by 2 inch bolts, nuts and lock washers.
Put everything back together and mowed the yard.
For a small investment of $25 and 1/2 hr of time, it improved the ride noticeably. When the seat would bottom out previously, it would hit steel on steel. Now there is a bit of dense rubber cushioning.

One drawback is you sit 1 inch higher.
Only time will tell how long the rubber holds out.

Very nice! Thanks for the tip!
My ZTR (a Deere 920) doesn't have a suspension seat and I am considering the suspension seat adapter (discussed in another thread) but I do need to determine if any changes (adapter or those rubber mounts) prevent the seat from locking into position.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks Hay Dude. Maybe I can rig something like that on my B2650 Kubota CUT. It rides rough compared to the same mowing using my B2620.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Hay Dude]

Absolutely gentlemen! :thumbsup:
In times like these, its good to do some little projects like that.

Another little luxury I added was a 12V lighter socket. Into that, I plugged in a digital readout and double USB plug (Amazon about $15). I put my I-phone in the cup holder and blue tooth my wireless headphones to it. I can listen to a favorite radio talk show or my music while I cut and I get a constant readout of my charging system volts, a voltage readout of my charger output and charge my phone all day.:cool2: The cord plugged into my IPhone acts as a “tether” in case it falls (I should probably use a shorter cord).
Works awesome! :thumbsup:

 

[dstig1]

Nice idea, but I am not familiar with those rubber/washer assemblies. What do you call them and where do you find them?

 

[Hay Dude]

Nice idea, but I am not familiar with those rubber/washer assemblies. What do you call them and where do you find them?

They are called expansion plugs. Typically found in well stocked hardware stores. Theory is, when you tighten the nut, the rubber squishes outward, plugging the hole.
If you look at the picture of it, you’ll see a dimension on it. Say it’s 1&1/2” to 1&3/4”. That’s the size range of the hole it will plug. For example, itll work for plugging a hole in a missing tank drain plug.
Expect to pay $5-$6 a piece.

 

[walker450]

Thanks for sharing. I have the same suspension and have found that the linkage mounts start to bend over time and the travel is greatly restricted. I have been able to pry them back straight, lubes it up, then it's fine again. Just something to check for anyone that has this setup.

I'll have to find me some of those rubber pieces and try them out on my zero turn.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Walgreens $13.99

 

[ruffdog]

Keep the rubbers on the front and stack Belleville spring washers on the back bolts. You can tailor how much spring you have by the way you stack them.

McMaster-Carr