Lawn tractor vs ZT

[bmg88201]

I mow 2 acres with JD X300 with a 42 inch deck, recently my neighbor rode over on his new Bad Boy ZT and he let me mow my place with it. My place is mostly flat but not smooth at all and my ground is soft. The ZT was fun to drive but it rutted up my yard in places and it beat me half to death. I felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat the next day. I can see the benefit of a ZT in terms of time spent mowing but they are heavy and expensive and they look like they would be harder to maintain.

 

[nybirdman]

I like and use the tractor type mowers;best for me but for sure "slower" than a Z.Just purchased a Simplicty Conquest;has shocks in back and power steering,25 HP twin B&S.

 

[N80]

Follow up on the new Cub Cadet Z turn:

I think I made the right choice of tool and its specs. Since getting used to operating it I am definitely getting the job done faster and the cut looks way better than the rotary cutter. And now, instead of spending 30-40 minutes behind a push mower I can get the actual yard part done in less than 10 minutes on the ZT and about 5 minutes with the push mower to get the tight spots.

Power, deck width, tires, features, speed, comfort, operation etc are just right.

So I got the right tool for the job. It remains to be seen if I got the right brand. A couple of thoughts on that. First, Cub Cadet advertises that their stuff is made in the US. That's relatively important to me. But as with most such claims, it is only a little bit true. The tires are Carlisle and say made in China on the sides. I'm assuming the Kawasaki engine is made in Japan (of course JD and Kubota use Kawasaki engines as well). The hydro units say "Assembled in the US". So presumably those parts are made in China and put together here. Anyway, I don't like that sort of advertising or outsourcing but both seem to be standard practices regardless of the brand.

Second, the ride was rough. Tolerable but not great and it worried me some. Then I saw a video where the owner of the same model was doing his first maintenance interval and found that the rear tires had 30 psi in them and that the sidewall says maximum of 10 psi. He said they are shipped that way for some reason. I checked mine: 30 psi. Dropped them down to 10 and it makes a huge difference. Smoother ride. Better traction too. Problem solved.

Third, the cut is so-so in my not-quite-field but not-quite-lawn areas. These are grassy but with lots of leggy weeds mixed in. These areas are also rough-ish. I've noticed a fair amount of stragglers sticking up even if I mow slow. No big deal. Still looks worlds better than the rotary cutter. On the actual lawn the cut is great.

Fourth, mower belt somehow came off and I mowed for about a minute with it running on the middle spindle shaft rather than the spindle pulley. The belt is now very frayed. Not sure how, when or why it came off. It is likely I did something wrong. I know I engaged the PTO with the engine on low throttle once and I might have even cranked it or shut it down with it engaged. Not sure. In any case, it was easy to get back on and it has mowed for 2 hours with no problems since then.

The dealer and manual recommend oil change after first 5 hours so I'll put a new belt on it when I do that.

Bottom line, if the unit remains reliable then I will have lucked out and will be pleased with the purchase.

 

[Richard001]

If you purchased this new, you should not have to buy/pay for the belt. If the manufacture of the equipment can't design the unit in a manner that keeps the belt on, you should not have to pay for their poor design.

Richard

 

[N80]

Agreed. But as mentioned, there is, at least in my mind, a reasonably good chance that it was due to me not following proper operating procedure as specified in the owner’s manual. Since then I have been and have not had an issue. If the problem reoccurs while using it properly I will definitely take it up with the dealer.

 

[yomax4]

The ZT's are not all created equal. I still have a Cub ZT at my cabin that gets the job done but a better seat would help the ride. At my home I use Gravely commercial units and I know they are out of the range you were interested in but man what a difference from the Cubby. Good luck and enjoy your extra free time due to ZT.

 

[N80]

Thanks. You are right, a commercial unit would have been my first choice if cost had not been an issue.Even the commercial Cub Cadets are very different machines from the residential units. As is I feel like what I paid for this unit was a stretch. And even if I had had the funds for a commercial unit I'm not sure I could have justified the cost for the relatively infrequent use it would get (two or three times a month for half the year).