Bran New Cub Cadet ZTX5-54 inch

[bsekf]

Just picked it up yesterday. Read the so-called manual. Does not mention what oil to use, I understand there is a special oil for air cooled engines. What is it or will Rotella T4, T5,or T6 work just as well? How about Mobile 1 5-30? How about a number for the oil filter so I can cross reference to Wix or NAPA. Manual says nothing about the Hydro Gear 3200 transaxles, is there a reservoir, how do you check fluid level? Hydro Gear already told me to use Mobile 1 for fluid in our Dixie Chopper. I haven't checked, but is there a shop manual for these things?

Mowed about an acre yesterday afternoon, worked well. Although the front suspension is not suspension and the Kohler engine will lug down and run over heavy grass, so I know there is some strain on the engine and want the best oil for it. This mower is for our Rod and Gun Club and has to last at least 100 years!

 

[tomplum]

You'll get a lot of I use this oil or that, or that's fine. I have no clue if someone understands that air cooled engine oil is recommended then why isn't it on the shopping list. I have barrels of air cooled synthetic oil myself. Kohler has some extended change kits which feature Amsoil synthetic and a notch up on filters.

 

[5030]

It won't last 100 years. I might last 10 if you are lucky.

 

[Rdrcr]

For my mower, I use whatever oil of the correct weight I have on hand. So, sometimes it gets Kubota oil and I think it’s got Valvoline right now.

Mike

 

[tracter]

Brand new , ask the dealer all the questions , that is part of his job

 

[Runner]

My CC came with two manuals, one for the mower, the other for the engine. The dealer gave me the wrong manual for the engine, so I had to download it from the internet. Just Google your engine ID and should pop up a source to download the manual.

For mine with a Kawasaki engine it just said use SAE30.

You can also use Google to find a manual for the Hydro Gear drives.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

My CC came with two manuals, one for the mower, the other for the engine. The dealer gave me the wrong manual for the engine, so I had to download it from the internet. Just Google your engine ID and should pop up a source to download the manual.

For mine with a Kawasaki engine it just said use SAE30.

You can also use Google to find a manual for the Hydro Gear drives.

^^^Exactly what my two Cubs came with, one has a Kohler other Kawasaki engine and I changed oil & filters yesterday going by the engine manual.

 

[deezler]

Just picked it up yesterday. Read the so-called manual. Does not mention what oil to use, I understand there is a special oil for air cooled engines. What is it or will Rotella T4, T5,or T6 work just as well? How about Mobile 1 5-30? How about a number for the oil filter so I can cross reference to Wix or NAPA. Manual says nothing about the Hydro Gear 3200 transaxles, is there a reservoir, how do you check fluid level? Hydro Gear already told me to use Mobile 1 for fluid in our Dixie Chopper. I haven't checked, but is there a shop manual for these things?

Mowed about an acre yesterday afternoon, worked well. Although the front suspension is not suspension and the Kohler engine will lug down and run over heavy grass, so I know there is some strain on the engine and want the best oil for it. This mower is for our Rod and Gun Club and has to last at least 100 years!

Mobil-1 5w30 will be just fine. Not sure what TomPlum was talking about with a special oil for air-cooled engines.... there's no difference between air cooled and water cooled in terms of oil needed, they run in the same general temperature range with the same general internal components. There should be a hydro reservoir, just go inspect the machine and you'll probably find it.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

"For a Kawasaki engine in the Cub Cadet ZTX5 54 zero-turn mower, the recommended engine oil type is 10W-30 SAE Premium 4-Cycle Engine Oil."
I'd prefer Castrol or Valvoline.
Manual says first change at 25 hours then every 100 hours after that. Changing more frequently for extreme use or engine longevity certainly would prolong life as well as keeping a clean air filter on it. I wash the foam pre-filter, dry it and spray a little WD-40 on it. It seems to catch more dust/dirt that way.

 

[bsekf]

Just called our dealer to get an extra key and a manual for the Kohler motor. We will be using Mobil 1 5w30 in the trans axel and the motor. This is a beast and rides like one. Have any of you experimented with tire pressure? Manual says not to. Understand lowering all to 15 psi improves the ride.

 

[Runner]

Manual says not to.

The manual also says to remove the mower deck every time you clean it or change blades....

 

[deezler]

We will be using Mobil 1 5w30 in the trans axel

I had to google that one a bit. Most hydro/transaxle fluids are more like 20w50, BUT, there's plenty of ~30W specs out there also, should be fine.

You can run whatever tire pressure you dang well please. The ~10-15 psi range is definitely nice and cushy, and gives better traction. Just gotta keep an eye on them so they dont get low/flat and blow off the rim.

 

[tracter]

What does the manual say about tyre pressures ? Manual says do not touch , that surprises me
Generally those rear tyres only run a low pressure 10 to 12 psi on convential Cub mowers , out front might be the same , I would check for sure

 

[Runner]

As far as I can see, my manual does not specify tire pressures for the ZTXS5 54. All it says is check tires and set to "recommended pressure". Since it does not specify the pressures, I can only assume they are referring to the maximum pressure shown on the sidewall.

They probably omit the tire pressure because the manuals cover several different models, all of which have different sized tires/pressures.

I would be interested to know if anyone else's manual actually specifies a tire pressure.

 

[deezler]

The Carlile Turf-masters on my Cub ZT2 mower show both "max 10 psi" and max 2.5bar (=36 psi) on the sidewall in directly conflicting markings. So stupid. I'm running ~12, pretty comfy.

 

[tracter]

Why don't you ring the mower or tyre manufacturer and ask
easy as

 

[tracter]

"For a Kawasaki engine in the Cub Cadet ZTX5 54 zero-turn mower, the recommended engine oil type is 10W-30 SAE Premium 4-Cycle Engine Oil."
I'd prefer Castrol or Valvoline.
Manual says first change at 25 hours then every 100 hours after that. Changing more frequently for extreme use or engine longevity certainly would prolong life as well as keeping a clean air filter on it. I wash the foam pre-filter, dry it and spray a little WD-40 on it. It seems to catch more dust/dirt that way.

You can buy a pre-cleaner oil , better than WD40 , it is quite sticky and definitely traps the dust and debris

 

[drumminj]

You can buy a pre-cleaner oil , better than WD40 , it is quite sticky and definitely traps the dust and debris

My manual recommends engine oil on the pre-cleaner if I remember correctly. For exactly that reason - to better trap dust and debris

 

[Runner]

My manual recommends engine oil on the pre-cleaner if I remember correctly. For exactly that reason - to better trap dust and debris

Here is what the engine manual says for the Kawasaki FS730V on the ZTXS5 54 regarding service of the air filter:

26 MAINTENANCE
Foam Element
Clean the foam element (A) every 25 hours.
• Wash the element in detergent and water, and dry
it thoroughly.
Paper Element
Clean the paper element (B) every 100 hours.
• Clean the paper element by tapping gently to re-
move dust. If very dirty, replace the paper element
with a new one.
Replace with a new paper element yearly or 200
hours. Whichever comes first.
NOTE
○Operating in dusty condition may require more fre-
quent maintenance than above.
CAUTION
Do not wash paper element.
Do not oil foam or paper element.
Do not use pressurized air to clean paper el-
ement.

For engine oil, it gives the usual chart with the arrows, showing SAE40, SAE30, 10w-40, 1w-30 and 5w-20 depending on expected ambient temperature.

 

[stevem5215]

I've blown out the paper element for years and years on all my serviced mowers. Without issue I might add. Does anyone know the reason why they don't recommend blowing out the air filters ? Like mentioned personally I've not had any issues with this method. Even on my Ridgeline I've done this and had an oil analysis done afterwards and it was even mentioned that the silica in the oil was low and the air filter was working well. Anyone know ?