Cub Cadet Steering Wheel Zero-Turn

[Beltzington]

We (my wife is mowing about 4-acres of grass at three separate locations, one property has drainage ditches alongside the road with a couple steep slopes that will get your attention. I am on my third deck and have a few hundred hours on my trusty JD Garden tractor but looking to replace it with a zero-turn.

A few manufacturers offer a ZT with steering wheel instead of levers as a good solution for mowing slopes. I am looking hard at the Cub Cadet entry level (commercial 100 series) and was basically waiting until they went on sale this past winter but that did not happen. I just saw Exmark discontinued their steering wheel ZT mowers which doesn't inspire confidence it the concept.

Any experience or thoughts with these mowers? Also, I believe Toro and Cub Cadet are owned by the same company, are they selling different models or just rebranding>

 

[2ndhalf]

I had not seen these.. look very well thought out though. If you get one I would be interested in hearing how they do on slopes. I have long steep ditch I hate mowing with a ZTR.

PRO Z Series from Cub Cadet | Product Overview & Sales Training - YouTube

 

[GBHRPS]

Beltingzon,

Check out this YouTube video ... " Zero Turn Mower Caster Wheel Locking Mechanism" and note two other things in the video not addressed. First is that he has changed the front caster wheel tires to a very aggressive tread, and that the grass in the video is very wet.

I don't mow my slopes when the grass is even slightly damp, but the video seems to show that with his mechanical adaptation that it is possible. Personally I don't have enough slope to make the change worth while, but it might be a solution for you and others.

Gene

 

[scoutcub]

I've got a cub sz60 tank after trying numerous other mowers, and must say this thing is awesome on my severely sloped lawn. Lap bar machines with front casters just fall towards your downhill and are not good on significant slopes.
I also won't mow if there's moisture on the grass, moisture and slopes don't mix.

Love the Cub!

 

[cdcole]

Scoutcub. Can稚 figure out how to IM you. I have a cub cadet 7195 and I found a thread saying you might be able to sell me a front hitch and plow for it. My email is clifforddeancole@gmail.com if you can help me

 

[art]

I have customers that are on steep enough sloops with the PRO-Z 100 series that I tell the to keep the oil on the top side of the line on the dipstick. The one cemetary that is using them used to just use trimmers on the is area or a rope attached to a push mower that they would let down the hill. The steering wheel also is less intimidating for some operators. I won't say they won't rut on turns but they rarely do vs the lap bars.

 

[scoutcub]

Hey CDcole yes I do.....responded to your email.

 

[mikester]

My neighbor bought one the same time I got my zd326 in 2010. He told me at the time I got screwed because mine cost twice as much. We are doing similar acreage.

3 years years ago he traded it in and bought a Deere commercial ZT mower. He told me the CC kept breaking down, needed lots of re-welding, and parts were expensive. To date his “cheaper machine” has cost him more than mine. Mine has cost me a set of blades every year, one serpentine belt and a set of scalp wheels.

For your acreage you wouldn’t be sorry buying a HD commercial ZT machine or a CUT. Cub Cadet is homeowner duty at best.

If you have a lot of slopes to deal with and don’t like excitement get a 4wd CUT. You have to drive along slopes ZTs are not good going straight up and down. I would NOT recommend a ZT for inexperienced/unskilled operators, especially on slopes and dewy grass.

Ps. Has anyone else here had troubles using an iPad for postings here? I keep getting weird garbled characters after posting.

 

[JerryK]

We (my wife is mowing about 4-acres of grass at three separate locations, one property has drainage ditches alongside the road with a couple steep slopes that will get your attention. I am on my third deck and have a few hundred hours on my trusty JD Garden tractor but looking to replace it with a zero-turn.

A few manufacturers offer a ZT with steering wheel instead of levers as a good solution for mowing slopes. I am looking hard at the Cub Cadet entry level (commercial 100 series) and was basically waiting until they went on sale this past winter but that did not happen. I just saw Exmark discontinued their steering wheel ZT mowers which doesn't inspire confidence it the concept.

Any experience or thoughts with these mowers? Also, I believe Toro and Cub Cadet are owned by the same company, are they selling different models or just rebranding>

I have been looking at zero turns for several years now. I currently run a Z Master 52" commercial unit that was made about 2003. I am just starting the process of buying a new Cub Cadet Pro Z 154S [ steering wheel 4 wheel steer ]. All the ZTR's have good and bad points, just like tractors. I decided on the 154S finally because of the all wheel steer [ my property is sandy but sometimes water soaked and my current ZTR is hard to turn somedays without tearing up spots ], dusty at times [ fairly good air cleaner on the 100 series [ Kohler 27hp EFI ] compared to the homeowner series ], and hilly [ comes with a 3400 hydro that should hold up better than powdered gear units ]... Anywhilst, I am in the process.... This will be way more mower than I need, but I am at the point in life that I want to get one that will last until whenever.... I believe Toro is in cahoots with Exmark [ both good units ], and Cub Cadet is part of MTD now... Cub Cadet is running $300 off on the Z160S now, but I can not go that wide....

 

[JerryK]

Here is a link to a video that pretty much explains what all wheel steer is, and some of it's advantages [ again, ZTR AWS is not all advantages, everything is a compromise, nothing is perfect, etc... ]... I actually like the lap bar system, but I do not like the Y turns at the end of each row and the time it takes.... And the resulting torn sod if you are not fully aware of what you are doing, like listening to the FM stereo headphones and enjoying life too much....
Steering Wheel Zero Turn Vs. Lap Bar Zero Turn - YouTube

 

[Beltzington]

Appreciate the information, the more research I do the more I find this is a which is better Ford or Chevy type topic. This morning I stopped by the local ExMark dealer and went in and asked them why Exmark had stopped making steering wheel ZT mowers and his answer didn't surprise me. "They weren't selling," apparently most commercial lawn care folks are happy with their levers. I asked the salesman what they had done with last years inventory and they said they had one steering ZT left that they started to use as a rental, so as soon as we get a sunny weekend I will be able to at least try before I buy. I post my wife's driving impressions.

 

[AxleHub]

Beltzington,

I have written several times about a lawn tractor I own that was made by cub cadet. It's not 4wd but it is 2wd with separate rear end driven wheels.

It's a ZTE that was designed for slopes and sidehill as well as flats. They came in 3 sizes of engines and decks. Mine is the zt1050 as it is a 25 HP gas engine and a 50 inch deck.

Personally I have never ridden a lawn tractor that could so effortlessly handle "steep" so well. It does sidehills like most traditional mowers do hills.

I bought mine slightly used in the last year of production 2012.

I would never ever do my slopes with a traditional ZTR. Mine looks like a normal lawn/garden tractor until you see it turn a corner or trim a tree.

 

[scoutcub]

The zero turn tractors (ZTT) were great little machines as axle hub indicated. I owned them for a few years before switching to the SZ60. They are great on slopes, a very low CG definitely helps.
The only drawback I experienced was they were a bit slow....and I wanted a 60" deck.
The SZ60 is almost overkill for me, as it is a heavy duty commercial unit....and I'm mowing 1.5 acres....but with my extreme slopes it's well worth it. I wouldn't pay the 10k for a new one, but shopped around and found a low hour 2012 for under 5k.
It's got a hole for a ball hitch, I've actually towed my enclosed 7X12 loaded with quads up a hill behind my garage without a problem.....

 

[cpayne5]

I've got a ProZ 154S. Purchased it last March and have only put about 30 hours on it (it cut my mowing time in half!).

I was very hesitant to buy a Cub Cadet, but it's a solid machine and no issues so far. It's been great on my hills here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

I bought mine as a leftover unit that had 4 hours of demo time on it. Paid $6300 out the door (including 5% tax here in VA).

 

[Beltzington]

WX was finally nice enough to mow, so I rented an eXmark ZT steering wheel mower from a local shop and asked my wife to try it out. She mowed two large home lawns and then we hauled it out to our property and she mowed another 1.5 acres including some steep ditch banks. She was all smiles and when I asked if it was 2x as good as our 15-year old lawn tractor she replied it is 10x better. Since she usually ends up double cutting some of the rye grass areas time was cut in half due to the higher blade tip and forward speed of the ZT. Looks like we found the type of mower we want now just need to decide on a make and model. Cub Cadet has been building the steering wheel ZT for many more years but they are pretty expensive.

 

[Coyote machine]

Here are two threads I started last season about the Cub Cadet Pro-Z mowers: Check them out- there's a bunch more info on these mowers, AND they're NOT expensive compared to most Z-turns, especially when considering CC is the ONLY mower with 4 wheel steering. (Not 4wd, but that isn't needed if one wants to mow safely in area that conventional ZTM's CAN'T). These mowers aren't built of consumer grade materials; instead they are all pro-grade, especially the individual rear wheel Hydro-gear motors, each with it's own gear oil filter.
AND you can still get CC with either steering wheel OR lapbars, with 4 wheel steering.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-pro-z-160s-kawasaki.html?highlight=pro+z+160

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/cub-cadet-l-g/383458-pro-z-160-4-wheel.html?highlight=pro-Z+160

 

[Coyote machine]

I suggest you wife, like mine, will be very comfortable and safer than on any other brand using the CC 160 or 154. I would NOT suggest going to a higher deck size for basic consumer use. 60" is the sweet spot to reduce scalping and to maneuver around objects like trees, etc.

Make no mistake that Exmark discontinuing steering wheel zero turns is no reflection on their capability; rather the true pro users who are cutting lawns ten hours/day are used to and prefer the lapbars since they've been in use for so many years. And I suspect they look at the steering wheel mowers as less 'manly'. :confused3:

Trust me, I've put my Pro-Z 160 through its paces last season and it performs flawlessly. It out cut my Scag 62" deck ZT in every category. The only thing I suggest keeping an eye on is not allowing grass to accumulate on the rear wheel motors. CC uses fans to keep them cool, and the CC is NOT a water cooled and fan cooled radiator system like the Scag Wildcat I had. BUT the Scag with 12.xx buschel bagger was over $13,000 back when it was new around 2008-'09. I bought it used for $8K and sold it for $4K to pay for most of the new CC cost. I don't see the lack of water cooling to be a problem so long as one maintains the fans ability to do their job. After all, most buying one of these aren't going to be using them 10 or more hours every day of the week, though I'm confident they would hold up if properly attended to.
PM me if you have any specific questions.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, there is cruise control for forward, and though I don't use it often it's a nice feature to have, just in case.:thumbsup:

 

[Coyote machine]

My neighbor bought one the same time I got my zd326 in 2010. He told me at the time I got screwed because mine cost twice as much. We are doing similar acreage.

3 years years ago he traded it in and bought a Deere commercial ZT mower. He told me the CC kept breaking down, needed lots of re-welding, and parts were expensive. To date his 田heaper machine has cost him more than mine. Mine has cost me a set of blades every year, one serpentine belt and a set of scalp wheels.

For your acreage you wouldn稚 be sorry buying a HD commercial ZT machine or a CUT. Cub Cadet is homeowner duty at best.

If you have a lot of slopes to deal with and don稚 like excitement get a 4wd CUT. You have to drive along slopes ZTs are not good going straight up and down. I would NOT recommend a ZT for inexperienced/unskilled operators, especially on slopes and dewy grass.

Ps. Has anyone else here had troubles using an iPad for postings here? I keep getting weird garbled characters after posting.

Sorry your statements are incorrect about Cub Cadet being homeowner 'duty' at best. And a ZT is NOT suited to slopes wet or dry, whether going at it sideways or up/down. Inexperienced or not, without front wheel steering capability, one should not be anywhere near a steep slope or cutting on wet grass.

I can testify to the strength of the current series of Cub Cadet ZT mowers. Can't speak to the quality of their prior mowers, or the ones that get sold like J. Deeres at home centers.
The Pro-Z series is just what it's called, pro grade mowers. They were built to near final production specs and then tested by pro landscapers across the US before final production, to insure the best of class features and design.
I'm not saying they are World's best that money can buy, but I will say for what they cost, especially on sale like now, they are a very good choice.

 

[Coyote machine]

I rest my case on ZTMs. And ANYONE foolish enough to ride one with the rollbar down gets what they deserve by defeating the one item that could save their life!
ROPS up- seatbelt ON! ROPS down- never use seatbelt.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/394548-zero-turn-rollover.html

 

[JerryK]

Mine got delivered today. Maybe play with it someday, if that foot or two of white krap ever gets off my yard.... I have trees coming to plant the first weekend of next month..... 154S/Kohler 27hp EFI, Hydro 3400 trans... [ notice that they have started putting on the oil filter relocation kits at the factory as standard equip ]