Cub Cadet Steering Wheel Zero-Turn

[Coyote machine]

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 ]

Nice looking mower!
Can you say more about the oil filter re-location kit? Does it apply only to the Kohler engines or are the Kawasaki's also supposed to have them?
How did you find out about it?
Thanks!
BTW, suggest checking ALL the zerks including the front wheel spindles and wheel zerks at each axle.. No problem with them - just easy to forget in all the excitement! And check out where the Hydro-Gear filters are at. I downloaded their specs and they are very through in their owner's manuals. Me happy!
They also sell a kit with oil and filters all together....

 

[JerryK]

Kohler has a standard oil filter relocation kit available that I have looked at online. I did not order it, it just showed up with it mounted onto the ZTR. Looks like they welded a place to mount it onto the frame before they painted it. I am sure they make one that will fit a Kawsaki, too, if the Kohler one would not work. Most filter relocation kits just are held onto the block using the stock location pipe threaded location that the oil filter normally screws onto, and is sealed to the block with a filter like oil seal. I am going to grease the heck out of it with syn grease before I use it... if the snow ever melts, that is... I bought six of the larger yeller Kohler oil filters online and a case of Kohler 10w30... so I am set for six years...

 

[Coyote machine]

So you saw the Kohler oil filter relocation kit online. Was it a design change from what CC and Kohler had on the Pro-Zs originally?
Is it also a recommended retrofit for those who already had mowers prior to the kit being bolted on from the factory?
Aside from ease of access, there must have been some issue- like starvation on hills or similar, for CC to change the location?:confused2:

 

[JerryK]

So you saw the Kohler oil filter relocation kit online. Was it a design change from what CC and Kohler had on the Pro-Zs originally?
Is it also a recommended retrofit for those who already had mowers prior to the kit being bolted on from the factory?
Aside from ease of access, there must have been some issue- like starvation on hills or similar, for CC to change the location?:confused2:

I would think that they just probably added it since it is usually a pain to chain the oil filter in the stock location. My old Kawasaki powered Z Master always had oil all over the place when you changed it. I was going to add the kit, anyway. So, that was a plus. This one came with the center anti-scalp wheels, too. I thought they had deleted them, even their catalogs showed them missing.

 

[Coyote machine]

Strange why they wouldn't have thought of easy of LOF and added the kit from the OEM design stage.
An aside: why 3 Mahindra's; one or two wasn't enough? Do they have Daedong engines?

 

[JerryK]

Strange why they wouldn't have thought of easy of LOF and added the kit from the OEM design stage.
An aside: why 3 Mahindra's; one or two wasn't enough? Do they have Daedong engines?

Bought the big 5035 to do the heavy work. Used it for a few years to run my rear blower. Then sold my old JD 2240 and bought a 2555 cab with front blower. Had an old JD garden tractor that was 20 years old. Traded it in for a small 1526 to be my everyday out in the woods trailer towing workhorse, and to drag trails. Got a 6' blade with it to do light snow work and prep the drive for the big guy. Never can have enough tractors. The two big Mahindri have Mahindra engines, and the little 1526 has a Mitsubishi. All of them are fine motors.

 

[cpayne5]

Interesting about the oil filter location change. I haven't changed my filter yet (only 36 hours total), but it looks like a pain.

Looks like the Kohler relocation kit is ~$125. There's a ton of kits out there that would work for this application (common filter thread - 3/4-16), that are cheaper (~$50).

 

[cpayne5]

I just changed the oil and filter on mine. Not too bad.

I used a tool to loosen the filter, then was able to get my hand down in there to spin it off. I then rotated the filter so that the threaded end faced up and was able to squeeze it through the opening between the engine and fuel tank. Tight fit, but certainly doable without too much trouble. I also removed the metal spring clip that holds the fuel line and breather line to the metal bracket in the vicinity of the fuel filter.

Probably not worth it to me to spend the time or money on a filter relocation kit. Would have been nice if it came with one already installed, though.

 

[Coyote machine]

Interesting about the oil filter location change. I haven't changed my filter yet (only 36 hours total), but it looks like a pain.

Looks like the Kohler relocation kit is ~$125. There's a ton of kits out there that would work for this application (common filter thread - 3/4-16), that are cheaper (~$50).

Do you have a part # for the filter relocation kit? Where did you locate the info? TIA for both.

CM

 

[JerryK]

Don't know if this will fit or not... you will have to check into it.

Kohler Part # 2472S Remote Oil Filter - OPEengines.com

 

[cpayne5]

The Derale 15715 should work. ~$50

What you need to look for in a filter relocation kit is the thread (3/4-16) and o-ring diameter (~2.5-2.75").

 

[Beltzington]

Last week we bought a new 2018 z-force SX48, wife mowed about 2-acres of grass and is very happy with it so. She says it turns much easier thank the eXmark we rented but since they stopped manufacturing steering wheel ZT it is a mute point. Cub Cadet is the only and oldest manufacture of the steering wheel zero turn and the only one building heavy residential/commercial ZT in this configuration.

My first impression was this $5500 mower while having commercial grade pumps, good engine and deck. CC is doing allot of cost cutting with misc parts, allot of thin gauge stamped metal, control cables/rods should be much beefier, and allot of exposed wiring which should be protected. I over-engineer everything so hopefully this will last us 17-years like our JD lawn tractor did. It did come with a 48-month warranty so at least I do not need to worry about major components. I am not dissatisfied with the purchase just not blown away with the quality of the chassis like I hoped I would be. Time will tell.

 

[Coyote machine]

Last week we bought a new 2018 z-force SX48, wife mowed about 2-acres of grass and is very happy with it so. She says it turns much easier thank the eXmark we rented but since they stopped manufacturing steering wheel ZT it is a mute point. Cub Cadet is the only and oldest manufacture of the steering wheel zero turn and the only one building heavy residential/commercial ZT in this configuration.

My first impression was this $5500 mower while having commercial grade pumps, good engine and deck. CC is doing allot of cost cutting with misc parts, allot of thin gauge stamped metal, control cables/rods should be much beefier, and allot of exposed wiring which should be protected. I over-engineer everything so hopefully this will last us 17-years like our JD lawn tractor did. It did come with a 48-month warranty so at least I do not need to worry about major components. I am not dissatisfied with the purchase just not blown away with the quality of the chassis like I hoped I would be. Time will tell.

I think if CC delivered what you refer to overengineered misc parts/metal on their Pro-Z line you'd be paying a LOT more money like one does for completely pro mowers. I would maybe re classify these mowers as pro-sumer, (consumer), consumer level Pro grade equipment. The mower I had, a Scag Wildcat with 61" high Velocity deck and 3 bag bagger system was $13,000 new in 2006-7. It was definitely heavy duty Pro grade, BUT the CC runs rings around it in terms of not sliding into the woods whenever it feels like it, not scalping the grass on turns, shooting the clippings way away from the mower, not having a hard breakable shoot flap, etc.
For $6K and a 4 year warranty if it lasts 5 years without falling apart I can go buy another brand new one, and still have $1000 left to burn. Can't say that about most things,in fact hardly anything today...
JMHO.

 

[varmint]

Just saw this thread: I got tired of mowing with a 42" Husky garden tractor, and searched for a ZT for a while last year. Our "lawn" is fairly rough, so a 60" deck wasn't ideal because of unevenness. I came across a CC steering wheel Commercial Z turn with the 48" deck, slightly used, with 55 hours on it. Everything looked new, blades were still sharp, clean anywhere I looked. I got it delivered, with a spare set of filters, plugs, etc., for $3250 and I have to say I am pleased with it. I liked the fact it has the 3400 HD hydraulic motors, a commercial Kohler engine and a fabricated deck. It cuts quickly, and the blades really suck up the grass. Cut my mowing time from 2 1/2 hours to just about half that. If the lawn were smooth, it would be even less. Interesting to learn about the filter relocation kits... may be worth looking into.

 

[cpayne5]

Just saw this thread: I got tired of mowing with a 42" Husky garden tractor, and searched for a ZT for a while last year. Our "lawn" is fairly rough, so a 60" deck wasn't ideal because of unevenness. I came across a CC steering wheel Commercial Z turn with the 48" deck, slightly used, with 55 hours on it. Everything looked new, blades were still sharp, clean anywhere I looked. I got it delivered, with a spare set of filters, plugs, etc., for $3250 and I have to say I am pleased with it. I liked the fact it has the 3400 HD hydraulic motors, a commercial Kohler engine and a fabricated deck. It cuts quickly, and the blades really suck up the grass. Cut my mowing time from 2 1/2 hours to just about half that. If the lawn were smooth, it would be even less. Interesting to learn about the filter relocation kits... may be worth looking into.

Good deal! Changing the filter gets easier once you've done it. I decided against relocation - not necessary.

 

[zuren]

I know this is an older thread, but I was hoping to get long-term feedback on those who have been using the Cub Cadet ZTs with a steering wheel (Syncro-Steer)?

I have a larger garden tractor with loader (Power King 1618) that is my one and only tractor and mower. A more modern ZT would probably reduce my mowing time by 40%, and the wife would feel comfortable using it but she is intimidated by the lap bar zero turns. A ZT with a steering wheel would be a happy compromise. This won't be an immediate purchase, but I'm researching the Cub Cadet Pro Z 100 and 500 series units with a 54" deck.

I'm wondering if the Syncho-Steer mechanism has proven to be reliable?

Thanks!

 

[Grumpycat]

I know this is an older thread, but I was hoping to get long-term feedback on those who have been using the Cub Cadet ZTs with a steering wheel (Syncro-Steer)?

I have a larger garden tractor with loader (Power King 1618) that is my one and only tractor and mower. A more modern ZT would probably reduce my mowing time by 40%, and the wife would feel comfortable using it but she is intimidated by the lap bar zero turns. A ZT with a steering wheel would be a happy compromise. This won't be an immediate purchase, but I'm researching the Cub Cadet Pro Z 100 and 500 series units with a 54" deck.

I'm wondering if the Syncho-Steer mechanism has proven to be reliable?

Thanks!

Consider a Country Clipper. Most models available with either twin-stick or single joystick control, same price. Heavy welded steel mower decks. 90 seconds to release and flip the mower deck vertical to wash or sharpen blades. I think Country Clipper is a much higher quality unit than Cub Cadet which has fallen to barely box-store grade.

Country Clipper Zero-Turn Mowers

 

[zuren]

I think Country Clipper is a much higher quality unit than Cub Cadet which has fallen to barely box-store grade.

Thanks for the advice! I understand the "box store" sentiment around Cub Cadet; I have the same general opinion. However, is that true/fair to say about their "commercial" line of equipment that is purchased from dealers? I've read some comments that Cub Cadet commercial is more "prosumer" than commercial/contractor grade. I have not done any heavy comparison research yet, or put my hands on anything, so I have no clue. I was focused on the steering wheel control.

Thanks!

 

[shooterdon]

Just to add....we test drove a Country Clipper with the joy stick and it was impressive. Very intuitive. As mentioned above, being able to quickly flip up the deck for servicing is a very attractive feature.

Money is tight right now, but when my rider craps out, or I get extra cash, I will likely buy one. They have a range of models to hit various price points. Many have the Kawasaki engines...another plus.

 

[lman]

We've got a 60" CC Charger. My wife uses it while I pull the 12' Woods. No complaints from her.