Bought a Z-Force 44"..

   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #1  

JTKub

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2005
Messages
1,560
Location
West Falls, NY
Tractor
Cub Cadet Z-Force 44
The bug got to me and I ordered one today! Well... I need one in all reality now (and I use that term loosely) since my 2544 is moving a few miles away. My FIL has been struggling big time with an old MTD Yardman GT for years on their very hilly/rough property and it's not easy on him. The 2544 will be perfect for him and he's always wanted one. I made him an offer he couldn't refuse for my 2544 and totally made his day. :trink39: I've been eying the fab'd deck Z-Forces for a cpl years now and hopefully made the right choice today. I'll have my trusty Case 220 as a yard mule and b/u GT. One thing's for sure, my two local Cub dealers didn't have much by way of 2K series or ZTRs in stock. Just one or two 2544's one 3K series, a few commercial ZTRs and a whole bunch of 1000 series stuff. They did have one new 2542 flipped up on it's end in a Cub display to show off it's drivetrain. Pretty cool. Anyway, the current Z-Force 44" sale price is $3799. They knocked off $100 with the "Cub Loyalty Coupon" I had + no setup or delivery fee. With tax, $4022.66. Thank you once again Mr. GE / Cub Cadet credit! 0%/12mo. I'll figure out how to pay the bugger off by next March. :fing20:

17AE3AGF010_product_detail.jpg



Joel
 
Last edited:
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #2  
Looking Good Joel! Let us know how it performs!

Michael
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44"..
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Sure will Michael. Still waiting on the bugger! Called the dealership today and they are waiting from a shipment from the factory. A couple more days. The dealer claims even the factory inventory is low because of the early run on a bunch of models. I guess the mowing season started a few weeks early for most areas.

Joel
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #4  
Ah, The old waiting game! Hopefully you will have a nice sunny day when she arrives! When my 2518 was delivered I made a couple of rounds just to try it out and then was rained out for 2 days!

Michael
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #5  
Joel, Don't get discouraged about having to wait as it will be worth it. I spent 5 years at a CNH dealership as the primary L&G salesman. When I was still selling snowblowers in the central US, other dealers down south were selling mowers and well into it. I think you will like the Z-Force 44 as it seems to keep becoming a better machine year after year, and by far was my favorite of all. Good luck.
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44"..
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I finally got it around 6pm yesterday. Wow is it awesome! I mowed for an hour and was like a bull in a China shop on the darn thing. Looks like a drunkard mowed the lawn. I've taken quick spins on stick-steer equipment and have used skid-steers, etc.. but it is definitely a different experience when you used only conventional riding mowers for most of your life. Had a couple pleasant surprises. One is it has a Courage Pro series engine as opposed to the regular Courage series as some of the specs say (a few of the specs are inconsistent between sources BTW). The 44 deck is a BEAST. 11 ga welded steel with a 7 ga top plate and 7ga bumper all the way around. It's got a nice nearly full width rear roller on the deck as well. Servicing looks pretty easy on it with a flexible Parker drain hose kit and easy access to the oil filter. The Hydrogear ZT-2800 transaxles are pleasingly smooth and quiet. If heard reports of the lighter ZT series being ridiculously loud. Not so with these. The engine purrs like a kitten at idle and max speed and is quiet with the massive muffler. However, with the deck engaged this baby is LOUD. Imagine sitting between the engines on an MD-80 on takeoff.. X10. You need earplugs with this beast! The å*µel seat is very supportive, and it's got 2 squishy rubber suspension bumpers that smooth it out further. I find the ride to be about the same as my Cub 2544 GT. I barely had time to sit on it and my FIL was over with the trailer to p/u the 2544! I'm gonna miss it! Brace yourself for lots-o-pics!

009-1.jpg

001-1.jpg

002-3.jpg

004-2.jpg

005-3.jpg

012.jpg

003-2.jpg

007-1.jpg

006-3.jpg

008.jpg

005-4.jpg
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #7  
VERY nice, JT... Aw, a cuppla days & you'll be toolin thet thing around with only 2 fingertips on them strg arms - grinnin all the way.

Just remember to cut back on ground speed a bit when makin them curlie-cues around the flower beds and trees - don't wanna kick up turf clods with them power rears.

Keep 'er clean, but stay away from them garden hoses and power washers. A little compressed air or leafblower air will do nicely.

Best of all - ENJOY !
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44"..
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thanks rc. Have any of you fellow Z-Force owners managed to disable the no mow in reverse feature by chance? For whatever reason there's no rev-tech option on this machine like there was on my 2544. On my Z-Force, if you pull BOTH bars back to do a full reverse, the PTO cuts out until you release at least one bar, then it cuts back in by itself w/out touching the PTO knob. I know it's just a matter of making it so a switch doesn't get met, I just haven't devised a plan of attack yet. One disadvantage with this purchase is the literature included with the machine sucks!! With my 2544 came full blown parts diagrams and a much more explicit ops and owners manual. MTD got pretty light with this in 2010, there's little useful info included with the machine.

Joel
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #9  
It sure looks like I'm gonna miss my 2155. lol. 2155 for sale in Cleburne, Texas. $1000.00 OBO Z-Force here I come!:thumbsup:
 
   / Bought a Z-Force 44".. #10  
Good luck with your new mower...just say'en it looks a lot bigger than a 44" cut. I can't drive anything without a cup holder.
 
 
Top