New Cub Cadet Zero Turn ZT1 54

[ls1mike]

Should have bought one 38 years ago when I started mowing. It was on sale for 3299.00 plus 10 percent military discount. Fabricated deck, Kohler engine. It cut my mowing time in about half. I kept the Cub XT2. I found homes for all my other mowers. Gave them to people who needed them

 

[ka9mnx]

What, no roll bar?

 

[ls1mike]

What, no roll bar?

I'm not sure many in that price range have them. And if I roll it on my property I deserve what I get.

 

[spasm3]

View attachment 273543
Should have bought one 38 years ago when I started mowing. It was on sale for 3299.00 plus 10 percent military discount. Fabricated deck, Kohler engine. It cut my mowing time in about half. I kept the Cub XT2. I found homes for all my other mowers. Gave them to people who needed them

Tell us about the oil filter, and when you plan to change it!

Looks great, seat looks good.

 

[ls1mike]

Tell us about the oil filter, and when you plan to change it!

Looks great, seat looks good.

Seat is the best thing. 2 more mows and I will change it. I think they say at 5 hours.

 

[tiger862]

Check on mower blades. My brother goes through 2 sets a year without hitting anything. Cost him around 100.00 each time. I suggested changing spindles as that is the fix. Cub cadet uses a special hi lift blade with a certain pattern. On cub forums there is a spindle that will bolt on where factory is however blades are 1/3 the cost. He has had his for a couple of years with no problems other than blades. The blades separate at tips. He cuts 3 acres. Nice mower.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

You might look into heavy duty blades. Helped a neighbor sharpen his and I noted the OEM blades were a bit on the thin side. If you mow high and in non-sandy soil, you may get good life out of the blades though.

 

[97prizm]

View attachment 273543
Should have bought one 38 years ago when I started mowing. It was on sale for 3299.00 plus 10 percent military discount. Fabricated deck, Kohler engine. It cut my mowing time in about half. I kept the Cub XT2. I found homes for all my other mowers. Gave them to people who needed them

Definitely splurge and go with usa made Gator Blades. The best $20 I spent for my push mower. The original blade after a couple of years wouldn't stay sharp. The gator blade is sharp after 3 seasons and leaves just about no grass underneath the deck. Then get mower deck undercoating as it'll keep grass from sticking and rusting out the deck. Arnold used to sell some. A guy on YouTube conducted a test of 6 mower deck spray coating for his zero turn.

 

[fantastic]

Nice, I do see these around each year. I always liked the framing style when they launched these. My yard is rough, It's one reason I've been fearful of going to a zero turn. Afraid of the lightweight front end on them. Ironically I've mowed my neighbors yard & its smooth as can be. How has it been for you? I do like some of the brands that offer the adjustable seat shocks but I've never tested any of them.

 

[Delta]

Nice looking mower!

I run 15w40 in my Kohler twin on my Cub. But have run various 10w30 over the years. Glad I spent the extra $200 back in 2020 to have the twin cylinder. I've really never ran into a situation where I was lacking power.

 

[ls1mike]

Nice looking mower!

I run 15w40 in my Kohler twin on my Cub. But have run various 10w30 over the years. Glad I spent the extra $200 back in 2020 to have the twin cylinder. I've really never ran into a situation where I was lacking power.

Yeah I was surprised at how well it moved out.

 

[ls1mike]

Nice, I do see these around each year. I always liked the framing style when they launched these. My yard is rough, It's one reason I've been fearful of going to a zero turn. Afraid of the lightweight front end on them. Ironically I've mowed my neighbors yard & its smooth as can be. How has it been for you? I do like some of the brands that offer the adjustable seat shocks but I've never tested any of them.

I feel like it is better than the normal mowers

 

[fantastic]

I feel like it is better than the normal mowers

Thanks, I need to see where I can test one out.

 

[ls1mike]

Thanks, I need to see where I can test one out.

Compared to my XT2 it is leaps and bonds more solid. Rides much nicer

 

[ls1mike]

Nice looking mower!

I run 15w40 in my Kohler twin on my Cub. But have run various 10w30 over the years. Glad I spent the extra $200 back in 2020 to have the twin cylinder. I've really never ran into a situation where I was lacking power.

Mine calls for 10w-50

 

[mk378]

What, no roll bar?

They're great on flat land. If you lose traction on a hill you're going all the way down, hopefully upright.

 

[Delta]

Mine calls for 10w-50

Makes sense. IIRC I have heard Kohler's like to run on the hot side. Might be false, not sure.

 

[Skippy722]

Nice! I have a ZT2 50, basically the same thing except slightly bigger tires, arm rests, and in my case serviceable ZT-2800 hydro’s.

My only complaint is blade options suck and I only get about a year to a year and a half out of my blades at 3.5” mowing height. Not like “oh they’re dull!”, I mean like this.

 

[wavinwayne]

Nice machine. My lawn care guy that I used back around 2019-2021 had a similar Cub Cadet and my yard always looked great when he was done.

 

[JTK]

They're great on flat land. If you lose traction on a hill you're going all the way down, hopefully upright.

Absolutely. They are great for the right application.

I found this out years ago when I bought my 2010 model year Cub Z-force with a fab'd 44" deck and a Kohler Courage 20hp V-twin. It was a solid machine considered "premium residential" at the time. Had serviceable ZT2800 drives, etc. It had a gel seat, good sized wheels all the way around, etc. I really wished I had tried a lap bar ZTR on my very hilly, rough in spots, 1.5 acres before I bought it. For me it wasn't the ideal tool for the job.