Cub Cadet Pro Z - Any Experience?

[nh15201]

Hello,

Does anyone here have any experience with the Pro Z line of zero turns?
What are your thoughts about them?

I have not been able to find much discussion on them.

Thanks in advance.

Yep. I read all of those reviews too, good and bad. While all were helpful, I’m glad I didn’t allow the poor reviews to influence my decision. The demo sealed the deal.

Mike

My father bought an RZT SX Cub with the 42" Fab deck 3 years ago. It's got the Kohler engine and has been a great mower for his extremely hilly yard. He bought the optional bagger for fall PA oak leaves and it does a great job. We have been mowing for dad due to some recent health issues. My wife was watching me mow with it and wanted to try it out. Now in the 40 years that we have been together, she has never wanted to use any of our riding mowers and always preferred to push mow with her own vintage 1979 Lawnboy Utility. She was on to that little zero turn like a duck on a June Bug and loved it. I worked with her on start up, operation, how to mow forward and reverse, how to mow some pretty serious banks and how to clean it and shutdown. She quickly learned the maintenance basics and fueling. She was amazed how safe she felt when mowing, the mowing speed and cut quality. I let her mow my dad's whole yard by herself (with me observing from a distance of course) and she improved everytime until she can do the job as good as I can and knows the whole routine. I asked her since she retired last fall, what she thought about her own Cub to take over mowing our 2 1/2 + acres of grass since she loves to be outside in good weather and loves to help with yard work? She said that she wanted one. I practically fell over myself getting to our local Cub Cadet dealer and had them deliver the last 560 KW S that they had in stock the same day. The 560 with the 27 HP Kawasaki is perfect for her. It was a short learning curve for her going from the homeowner to a pro series but she handled it well. She likes the power steering and the deluxe seating. I let her take her time with it to figure out her mowing sections but she never skipped a beat and can mow our main yard area in 1 1/2 hours with great skill. She now asks me when I think she should mow grass, so I know she's hooked. I bought the 560 for durability, safety, excellent build quality and the twin Kawaski engine. Now that she knows our yard from the 560 seat, I turn her loose and let her have at it. I have to admit that she loves to mow with it and it's her mower when she's on it so I'm just there for moral support and technical advice. She is careful where she mows and how to adjust her speed to the terrain. I added a Qwikchute dis charge block for her. She loves this restrictor plate now so she doesn't blow grass in her mulch beds with the side discharge. She blows it off after every mowing, backs it the pole barn and shuts it down after letting it idle to cool down. I taught her how to fuel it and how to switch gas tanks every week or so.

I have to admit that I get a kick out of watching her go through the whole process and I think she likes being in charge of something that she never had before. I had dealers demo an Exmark and a Skag zero turn units and neither could hold a couple of the banks we had without sliding down. I never even let my wife try one of them. The 560 mows these areas without a hint of sliding, she feels safe and the rest is good enough for me as they say.

I am now regulated to doing the small amount of grass trimming and making sure that she has a cold water in her cup holder. Time will tell on the 560 but with all the spare time that I have for maintenance and upkeep - we hope to have this Cub for awhile. The rest of the tractors get a break now too.

 

[art]

Did you end up getting one?
I've got a 972 with duel wheels.
It shudders when taking off up hills. A bit rough.
Dealer tells me this is normal. I'd like to know if others do it as well. Because everyone says they are great. But don't think they should be shuddering.

Should not shudder anymore then any other hydro would which they shouldn't!!!

 

[Rdrcr]

My father bought an RZT SX Cub with the 42" Fab deck 3 years ago. It's got the Kohler engine and has been a great mower for his extremely hilly yard. He bought the optional bagger for fall PA oak leaves and it does a great job. We have been mowing for dad due to some recent health issues. My wife was watching me mow with it and wanted to try it out. Now in the 40 years that we have been together, she has never wanted to use any of our riding mowers and always preferred to push mow with her own vintage 1979 Lawnboy Utility. She was on to that little zero turn like a duck on a June Bug and loved it. I worked with her on start up, operation, how to mow forward and reverse, how to mow some pretty serious banks and how to clean it and shutdown. She quickly learned the maintenance basics and fueling. She was amazed how safe she felt when mowing, the mowing speed and cut quality. I let her mow my dad's whole yard by herself (with me observing from a distance of course) and she improved everytime until she can do the job as good as I can and knows the whole routine. I asked her since she retired last fall, what she thought about her own Cub to take over mowing our 2 1/2 + acres of grass since she loves to be outside in good weather and loves to help with yard work? She said that she wanted one. I practically fell over myself getting to our local Cub Cadet dealer and had them deliver the last 560 KW S that they had in stock the same day. The 560 with the 27 HP Kawasaki is perfect for her. It was a short learning curve for her going from the homeowner to a pro series but she handled it well. She likes the power steering and the deluxe seating. I let her take her time with it to figure out her mowing sections but she never skipped a beat and can mow our main yard area in 1 1/2 hours with great skill. She now asks me when I think she should mow grass, so I know she's hooked. I bought the 560 for durability, safety, excellent build quality and the twin Kawaski engine. Now that she knows our yard from the 560 seat, I turn her loose and let her have at it. I have to admit that she loves to mow with it and it's her mower when she's on it so I'm just there for moral support and technical advice. She is careful where she mows and how to adjust her speed to the terrain. I added a Qwikchute dis charge block for her. She loves this restrictor plate now so she doesn't blow grass in her mulch beds with the side discharge. She blows it off after every mowing, backs it the pole barn and shuts it down after letting it idle to cool down. I taught her how to fuel it and how to switch gas tanks every week or so.

I have to admit that I get a kick out of watching her go through the whole process and I think she likes being in charge of something that she never had before. I had dealers demo an Exmark and a Skag zero turn units and neither could hold a couple of the banks we had without sliding down. I never even let my wife try one of them. The 560 mows these areas without a hint of sliding, she feels safe and the rest is good enough for me as they say.

I am now regulated to doing the small amount of grass trimming and making sure that she has a cold water in her cup holder. Time will tell on the 560 but with all the spare time that I have for maintenance and upkeep - we hope to have this Cub for awhile. The rest of the tractors get a break now too.

I too purchased the Qwikshute block plate. It’s an excellent addition to an already amazing mower.

Mike

 

[nh15201]

Some of the reviews on the CC website were not good.

I read all the reviews that I could find before I bought our PRO 560 KW S. For that matter, I read all the reviews I can find on practically anything of any significance that I plan to buy. I don't think that I have bought anything that had 100% positive reviews. I take the 1 or 2 star reviews with a grain of salt since IMO the reviewers are disgruntled for whatever reason and want to do their level best to get other people to think like them or have neglected or abused some piece of equipment and then want something for nothing and don't get it. If the majority of the reviews on a product are negative or so so - then I pay more attention. The overwhelming reviews across the venues that I read - including actual users - was very positive for the PRO series. I wouldn't be caught dead on a Cub mower from TSC or Home Depot - but the PRO series from an actual servicing and selling dealer are to me, in a different ballpark.

 

[nh15201]

I too purchased the Qwikshute block plate. It’s an excellent addition to an already amazing mower.

Mike

I have to say that Dale Strange from GTM manufacturers of the Qwikchute is one of the nicest guys that I have spoken to in a long while. I was on the fence with which chute blocker to install, since the ones offered by Cub Cadet were NLA and no explanation to be had from any dealer that I spoke with??? Things have a way of working out since I wasn't too fond of the lever handle and cables on the Cub version (maybe why they discontinued them) in the first place and at over $425.00 - pretty pricey. The search continued for an aftermarket chute blocker and I reviewed them all and even considered making my own. I ran across the Qwikchute - read the reviews, watched the videos and even spoke to Dale before I decided it was the one that I would try. I only had to drill 2 3/8" holes in the discharge area of the 60" deck, which I painted before the actual install, and it was significantly cheaper with no cables to run. The Qwikchute is well made and fully adjustable for operator comfort. It has proven out to be the perfect addition and my wife loves it. Now she can buzz between her mulch beds, mow close to the road and around the house without throwing grass out 10' everywhere. I never liked the rubber chute that came with the mower in the first place. They must have been designed for liability purposes to keep someone's feet away from the mower only. They certainly didn't do much in actual practice - most of the ones I see are either removed or held upright with a bungee. If the grass is wet or high - closing the chute will leave a trail of small clumps - but it's easy enough to mow them up in another pass (blowing in the opposite direction). It's a small compromise - but a BIG win so I don't have to listen to momma rant about grass blowing everywhere now. My Landpride Patriot finish mower is a rear discharge so I didn't really realize the impact of a mower that can throw grass over 8' out of a side discharge. She likes that she can easily reach the handle and it doesn't take a lot of force to operate and it's quick. Of course, having a steering wheel and foot pedal you can take one hand off the wheel to run the chute without any effort vs needing to have both hands on a conventional stick ZT. She can steer with one hand and either get a drink or run the chute with the other. You know - it's the little things.

 

[workinonit]

What engine do they run?

 

[workinonit]

And what type of suspension does it have? Also, I'm guessing one of those pedals has to be pushed for forward or reverse? I've always felt that no foot controls was the beauty of the skid steers and ZTs with sticks.

 

[Rdrcr]

What engine do they run?

Kawasaki on most models

Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

And what type of suspension does it have? Also, I'm guessing one of those pedals has to be pushed for forward or reverse? I've always felt that no foot controls was the beauty of the skid steers and ZTs with sticks.

Ferris definitely has the better suspension setup when comparing ZT’s…

The Pro Z front axle has a pivot type suspension setup and nothing for the rear wheels.

The Pro series also have a suspension seat or air ride seat depending on the model.

Mike

 

[art]

Ferris definitely has the better suspension setup when comparing ZT’s…

The Pro Z front axle has a pivot type suspension setup and nothing for the rear wheels.

The Pro series also have a suspension seat or air ride seat depending on the model.

Mike

We sell both and have a customer with a 700 ferris as well as a 900s cadet and the 900s cadet is the smoother of the two according to the female operator of both. The Cadets with the steering wheel typically goes to people with wet yards so they don't tear it up or at least can mow it in a straight line or hills that the twin sticks slide off of!.