Really appreciate this, its hard to find videos or even comments areas where its not just bashing or clearly biased. Seems like a good overall design and think I'll bite the bullet on one.
I purchased the exact same model (Home Depot) spring 2023 to replace a 42" cut Craftsman (made by Cub Cadet) lawn tractor that wasn't really a good match for the bigger lawn at my new home. I mowed my "new" 1.5 acre lawn 37 times that entire summer and into the fall and so far nine times this year with no significant issues at all. The Kawasaki engine is impressive, it cuts well, and it's easy to handle and service. I wish it had an hour meter like my Craftsman did, but it's not hard to keep notes on things, so that's not a big deal. All in all, I'm totally pleased with it. I'd recommend one to my best friend, and I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
I just bought a zt1 54". I dont like they didnt put an hour meter on it. (Like john deere) They wire it but they make you buy the meter. Mine was $40. Their way of "maximizing profit"..... But so far i like it alot. For the last 17yrs i have used a 50" cub zero turn with the Kawasaki, i have never had any trouble... Hope this new one is just as good!
@@livingwaters7841 it was simple. The plug is already there. It comes with the new sticker with the hr meter window. My mower was new enough the old sticker came off easily. 4 screws on the dash an the panel lifts off, unplug key switch and PTO and your in.
After owning my ZT1 42" FAB for a while now, there's a few things I've learned about this mower. The fabricated deck is indeed NOT fabricated. It's more of a stamped design hybrid if you will. It is, however, heavy duty compared to the all stamped deck. Never use water on your deck! Especially if it's hot. The water will be drawn into the spindle bearings, causing the bearings to rust. The plastic seat bumpers are really hard and dont help the ride quality at all. I replaced them with 3" Harley seat springs, and that made a big difference. The mower doesn't come with a strap to keep the seat in place while leaning it forward. Bought one from Amazon. The mower does not come with an hour meeter but is available from Cub cadet. Buy one, and it will help with the maintenance schedule. Do I like the mower. Yes, very much so. I hope my tips will help if someone's looking to buy a Cub cadet. As for the vibrating belt I talked about on my other post, I just learned to live with it.
@mikemccarthy6939 I know what they tell you to do, but I also know what you shouldn't do. I never spray any of my mowers with water. First, it will destroy spindle bearings and could or probably will rust your deck. I have a 30 year old Dixon sitting in my garage that has never had new bearings put in and it also has no rust on the deck. Proof is in the pudding.
I bought a 54 inch with fabricated 3 years ago almost 700 hours replaced a starter and throttle cable awesome machine also have 54 tractor fabricated deck gtx 2000 power steering 11 years old no problems still mows like a champ
I’ve had my cub cadet 50” for 2 years since we moved to a 2.5 acre property, other then the quality of the $500 bagger option it’s been an awesome mower and I still enjoy operating, cleaning/enjoying its design. I’ll be adding some led lights to it for evening mowing. I highly recommend it it to everyone. Ps ours has the kawi motor and the pre-fabbed 50” deck
@@IndRepair how does compare to a Hustler Raptor X? They are both comparable to each other. I have some issues with the vent holes around the spindles that are mounted on the cubby. Any thoughts?
I thought the newer cubs had built in LED’s standard? I currently have a 15 year old 50” zero turn Cub with the Kawasaki engine. It’s been a great machine with pretty much zero issues. I just never felt the cut quality was that great, but it’s sufficient. I thought I might try the Husky with the Kawasaki engine.
I have had two of these over the last five years or so, they have given me stellar service. The first one I thought I lost the transmission so I went out and bought a second one, but it turns out that the only problem was the spring had popped off the paul that interacts with the disc cog and locks the wheels. After I popped that spring back into place it ran just fine. I ended up selling it to a friend and he still uses it to this day to mow 7 acres+ at his place I’m mowing about 2 1/2 at my place. I took off the pulley guards because grass was gathering up in there and It was very hard to remove. Once I took the guards off the deck pulleys, I had no problem with grass. It blew off the deck as I mowed. One thing to watch out for is the throttle cable, will rust and get stuck, and you will have to replace it. The only other trouble I have had with this last one is that the seal for that disc brake cog went bad and I had to replace it. I found it on McMaster - Carr for eight dollars. The cub cadet dealer couldn’t even find that seal on the diagram. He said I’d have to buy the whole transmission to get that seal! One last thing, you need to keep the underside of the deck clean. As grass builds up, there will be a stripe of uncut grass left between the right side and middle blades. They really don't over lap. All in all, I can highly recommend this mower. PS: Can you do a video on changing the transmission fluids?
Awesome! Glad to hear it has been going well for you! I do not currently have a video on the transmission fluids on these but I believe there are a few out there. Thanks for watching and for your first hand informstion!!
I have seen one, unfortunately the only way they could figure out how to do. It was to vacuum out the fluid and even doing that they could only get 1/4 of the time and it holds 2 quarts. There’s no drain plug.
@@TexasScout There is a manual you can download from Hydro Gear at www.hydro-gear.com/download/zt-2100-zt-2200-ezt/ that will explain how to do this. If you cannot get to the fill port on the top to remove the plug and fill it then the hydro would have to be removed to do the hydro oil change. I have seen them designed both ways but I do not remember on this one how it is set up. Thanks for watching!
I purchased a zt1 50" , basically the same one that he is reviewing. No hour meter pissed me off, but not a deal breaker . No deck clean out washer, you can see where they capped it off as they are too cheap to continue installing them, but you can buy it aftermarket for less than $20. The blades are basically crap as they have put 'S' spindles on them instead off 'star' spindles, and that adds about $20 to blade replacement costs. You can get 3rd party 'squashed hexagon' shaped blades that will fit the spindle and are much beafer.
Delivered a nice even cut, has the super tight turning ability ru-vid.comUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend I was looking for, and is just a blast to drive. It takes a little bit to get used to driving one after driving a normal tractor style, but once you've got it, you've got it. If you're cutting lines, you have to be careful spinning the mower around or the back tire will dig a bare spot. Just take it nice and slow during the turn and then it's back to full throttle across the yard!
I have this mower. Only thing I don’t like is the grass collecting on top of the deck and sticking to the bottom of the deck. Other than that it’s a great mower. My friend bought a John Deer 54 inch zero turn. It looks like a toy next to my cub cadet. I added grease fittings to my blade spindles.
Considering my options to upgrade from a Cub 1045 to one like this. Lots of viable options. I do think using the blower we have out already for yard work is a good idea to get the grass off the mower after every cut. No matter what brand or style.
I bought a cub cadet 50in mower and used it a few times since I had 3 acres to mow and I loved it. Then someone stole it and insurance paid less than 25% for the cost of replacement leaving me with a bill with nothing to show for it. Life is cruel. Robbed twice.
Wow, that is really ridiculous how they scam you after paying them eveey month for so long.. Seems like this is the case with many things anymore unfortunately
EZT hydros have been junk on my two year old Cub Cadet ZT1 54. It's in the shop for the second time this year for a leaking left hydrostatic transmission. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought an Ariens.
Interesting, I have not seen this and definitely isn't the norm. Sounds like you got a defective hydro and they didn't fix it correctly when it was back for repair. I hope they get you fixed up right soon!
Cub cadet is easier compared to our other toro mower, the toro mower is kind of a car without steering fluid , the cub cadet is much much smoother hydro to operate i can operate the with my finger tips..we have 3 toro time cutters all of them has same hard/sticky to operate hydro’s and 3 ZT2’s on out fleet which is always a joy to ride.
One of the best things you can do to these is rip off the plastic seat bumpers and replace with 3 inch motorcycle seat springs barrel type , send them back to Mr cadet with love (receiver pays) .also,if you do your own blades ,get a blade balancer ,cheap as chips . If you need to double stripe your grass for the "neighbours " maybe get a life first, mower second.
@Daves2024 rip off the bumpers, there's a hole in between the 2 slots that secured the bumper, screw, or nut and bolt the spring down. The point of getting motorcycle seat springs is that they make this easy, a standard coil spring is hard to fit.
Thanks so much for your expertise. I sat on this mower, being 6 foot plus, 370, and it was the most comfortable model. I guess my question is would this handle with me on it a i acre slight elevated property? I would say yes, but I am open to your view and others?
@@IndRepair Whats your thoughts about the trans being non-servable? Is it worth it to step up to the ZT2 should the trans need work? I believe ZT2 has a stronger trans, your thoughts?
I am not a big fan of the deck on it, the Kohler 7000 engines see their issues but are generally a good engine, drive train is solid, frame and operation generally ok and I don't see too many issues. If you are using it for your own yard (not commercially) and it is not too rough of a cut (sticks, rocks, holes, debris) I think it would last you just fine
I have both the cub zero turn 54 deck and regular riding mower 50 deck they both have same engine and hp both have fabricated decks i will say the riding mower cuts better then the zero turn also the zero turn uses more gas
I enjoyed your video about this model. One question - you talked about cleaning grass off of various parts behind the engine and below. Since I've read that you can't use water to spray things off how/with what do you do the cleaning? One disadvantage I have is that I can no longer get down on my knees which I would think would make it more difficult.
Compressed air or a leaf blower work well. Water can also be used but you want to make sure it is completely dried out before trying to start after washing. Thanks for watching!
@@IndRepair Thanks for the advice. I went out and got a Ryobi cordless compact workshop blower. Seems to be easier to poke around on top of the deck and in other places.
I bought a zt1 54 " deck in 2019 it has 120 hours on it and the right side hydro transmission is out . Went to dealer to order one 1100.00 said it would be in 5-18-23 went to check today was told it was on back order and it would be Jun 1-2023 so over 3 week not mowing smh
Same here, mine has around +100 hours and same issue. Hydro is getting very weak and have sheered the bolt off twice in the PTO clutch. I am assuming it is locking up and ripping the clutch out.
Worst investment I’ve made. What junk! I have to but 3 new blade spindles. Whoever assembled this thing had the blade nuts so tight that they all stripped the spindle threads as they unscrewed.. the grass evacuation shoot fell off after 4 uses . Just poor quality
It sounds like you had one that somebody first using how to operate and impact assembled. Thank the local place you bought it for hiring people that were qualified and the management for not being smart enough to check behind him
Great video. Whats your thoughts on the 42" stamped deck? I have a 25 year old Dixon with a stamped deck and it has no rust on it. I'm really leaning towards the Cub Cadet but I wish it had a fabricated 42-inch deck option. And what do you think about the Kohler engine I can get the Kawasaki but it's 300 more.Thanks.
@@IndRepair Yep they sure do. For anyone that might be interested it's the Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 42" FAB. It was down to the Bad Boy MZ Rambler or the CC. CC just offers more for the money and has better reviews. Your video also helped sway my decision. Thanks.
So I purchased the ZT1 42" FAB and it has the belt vibration issue. Any Idea what's causing this? Mine is doing the same thing as this video posted on YT. Thanks. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7MKHEajIJNk.htmlfeature=shared
Sealed bearings seems to me to be a real flaw? The smaller ZT1 has a much thinner stamped deck too which is another concern. The hour meter is an easy fix. This video is specific to the fabricated deck models and you should point that out. I don’t think you would recommend all ZT1s.
Almost everyone is using sealed bearings anymore with no grease zerk but this does not make them the best option. I mention the deck options toward the beginning of the video and touch on the quality of the stamped deck a few more times throughout the video. Thanks for watching and for your input!
I have a quick question.. the white plug on the deck next to the batter on the opposite side of the solenoid.. what is it? My buddy’s mower won’t start and that wire assembly is ripped off.. the plug is still there but the rest of it is completely gone so we don’t know where it ran to
There’s a plug next to the battery that I believe goes to the ignition assembly. One plug is free and goes to nothing.. the other plug has a green and red wire.. I’m not sure where those wires were leading to exactly because somehow they got torn out by a stick or something. It’s on the left side of the battery if you’re looking at it from the front.. that’s all I really know
At 5:07 of the video you can see it.. it’s a clear plug on the far side of the battery.. I have no idea where those wires go all that’s left is the plug unfortunately
this is by far the worst purchase I have ever made. a Walnut took out an arbor, somehow that also bent the deck (paper thin) 700 dollars. i have needed service 2 times in 2 years and nothing is covered. don't waste your time calling cub cadet because they could not care less about their reputation. I walk my yard but I never thought a walnut was enough to take out a 4000 dollar machine...the question is do i even spend the 700 to fix on a bic lighter?
This has the fabricated deck which is much thicker. I would think yours was the stamped deck model? Warranties at all levels anymore are useless it seems. That's just for them to switch the shell out too probably?
@@IndRepair He comes here to complain, but too busy to answer your question? I'm skeptical that a Walnut took out a spindle which is what I'm assuming he's talking about. Not to mention bending the deck, even a stamped deck. Something doesn't add up.
That’s total BS. I’ve dealt with Cub Cadet for other products and find them great to deal with…. Maybe find a different dealer or go directly to CC…. They certainly don’t block phone numbers.
I have a zts2 with Kohler 7000 series on it. About 6 hrs. I noticed early that one exhaust pipe seemed like it was running hotter than the other because it was discoloring. I had it running after dark the other night and the pipe was glowing a nice cherry red. What's going to be causing one side to overheat like this? There's no debris on the cylinders blocking airflow.
This should still be covered under warranty I would have them take care of it. It could be a few different things. Your exhaust valve not seating properly is the most probable at 6 hours for sure! It could just need a simple adjustment but being this new...let them deal with it in my opinion...
Never buy any riding lawn mower from the big box stores. First: they don't know how to put them together and second: they wash their hands of it after 30 days and tell you to call Cub Cadet if you have problems and you will have problems. you will get juggled from one to the other with nowhere to turn. The ZT1 is the cheapest (in quality) you could get, 2 ply tires that are paper thin, the lowest quality engine of each brand, the Hydros are the cheapest, the deck vibrates, and they throw belts. If you must buy the CC ZT get the ZT 3,4,5 or better yet, buy the commercial grade, you will pay more for quality and like my pappy says, you get what you pay for.
This mod has the deck upgrade instead of stamped deck. I dont see hardly any issues with this deck setup. Getting help with a warranty often takes much persistance no matter the company anymore (buying at a dealer you will normally get better service & repairs, yes) The assembly techs at dealerships are many times just as unskilled as box store assembly techs (not going to put your best guys on assembly as they make much more on repairs) Yes this is the cheapest of the line but the ZT4 is almost twice as much. Many better options available when you get to that price point. Definitely true if you spend more you will get a better quality (most cases). These are sold at dealerships and the box stores. Thanks for watching!
I have had a Zt1 3.2 years and it’s been junk for the last 2 years. The clutch just fell off and now there is an electrical problem to engage the new Pto clutch It’s not uncommon to find parts that fall off in the yard. Junk junk junk.
Never heard of issues like this on them. What engine and setup do you have? Where did you buy it? Almost seems like it has to be the assembly that went wrong from where you got it
Waiting on my refund check very first time 15 mins into cutting grass spinde covers was so full of grass deck wouldn't turn took covers off was fine first time I needed blades had to change spindes to six point cause S blades weren't available had a spinde freeze up then throttle cable broke on back order the two year warranty insurance company been dealing with them since April 20 called the other day said mower wasn't fixable sending me m.y . money back don't recommend at All
You could be accurate in saying something like this about most mowers out there today but how you take care of it directly correlates to how it treats you in most cases. Thanks for watching!
i'm looking at cub cadets after owing 4 brand new scags and having issues with all of them, i'm not kidding, i have videos all over my channel, the latest was a $12k tiger cat that leaked in 5 different places after 30 minutes of being in my garage.
There holding up pretty well for business people and I do warranty work I think you’ll be happy if you keep it serviced regularly and don’t abuse it Let it warm up and let it cool down
Good advice and when you get it have the service person get the Deck height level so the blades last longer and give a beautiful cut or before you buy it have them check it out you can check the electrical connections to get the chance of corrosion low
My daughter bought this exact model, 2 yrs ago, and one of her goals was, help/ pull, dad into the 21st century… (I was hooked on using a 30+ yr old garden tractor… ),didn’t take long for me to recognize huge advantages in speed and comfort… so, last spring, I got a cub cadet Z2, 60” at a dealership.. priced a bit higher, with larger Kawasaki engine, larger tires, upsized 2800 tranny, $4300, included an extra set of blades… their both great machines, I do the maintenance on both of them, and I agree with all your maintenance tips…:)
Good video Just need to tell people that if you have the Kawasaki engine you have to replace the air filter with only a Kawasaki air filter If you don’t it voids warranty After warranty do what you want Just letting everyone know cause my Kawasaki has major problems and dealer sent photos and Kawasaki saw that the air filter wasn’t factory and Kawasaki voided my warranty Know I’m stuck with a new mower that is junk and have to replace Just trying to help everyone Doesn’t matter what make you have If it’s a Kawasaki engine don’t go to Napa and get a filter Only use Kawasaki parts if under warranty
Warranties are voided for many reasons but in my opinion most cases they are useless anyway. They just give you a reason for the problem to be diagnosed at a dealer so they can tell you it is not covered and xyz amount it what it would cost to fix it.
Thanking about the 50 in this weekend . I have a 24 Hp Cadet garden tractor Kohler engine fab deck about five years now great tractor so Ive almost decided to get a 0turn .
I have had 4 cubs, 2- 50" and now I have 2 54". Love them. They do a beautiful cut and easy to work on and light weight. Haven't even though about getting any other brand.
Awesome video. Would you happen to know what the spring part number is for the deck tensioner spring. The 9" or so gold colored spring on the top of the deck.
I’ve owned my 54 p for 20 months and the left hydro seal (brake cog )is leaking so it’s at the repair shop being fixed under warranty unless I hear different. For some reason the seal backs out maybe it’s a touch to small . Using a special locktite when putting the new one in should help the back out thats what the service guy said.mine cuts good but the original blades that came on machine are cheap metal got 2 seasons out of them sharpened them once .took the deck off to do maintenance underneath and the blades were shot metal pieces missing on all blades.what a surprise! Got new blades low lift from tractor supply not cheap but way better metal . I have some bare areas not so much grass hopefully these blades help not creating as much as a dust storm like the height lift blades. Wish the mower went a little faster speed. Thank for the vid!
