F Series vs. ZD

[CigTopGun38]

You was premature on changing the hydraulic fluid imo but it won’t hurt anything.
As mentioned tighten the lower hose clamps & top off the coolant level.

When mowing in dry & windy conditions : keep a check on your temp gauge.
IF you’re getting grass clippings blown back on you (my chute is removed) your radiator is getting clippings & dust sucked into it.
I have to dump my radiator screen when temp gets too hi Before the horn sounds.
.
Make sure BLADES (not deck) measure dead level off concrete floor mowing at about 3.5”
Any lower & you’ll be complaining of scalping.
The deck knob #’s don’t always match blade measurement off concrete floor.
Adjust front deck wheels 1” off the concrete too.
Keep rear tires aired up pretty firm & you’ll absolutely love the Diesel 72 inch.

Thanks for the tips. Will adjust the mower deck height.

To clarify. I didn’t swap hydro fluid. Just the filters. And replaced whatever I lost. It’s cheap insurance for me.

The mower had some grass in the radiator when I picked it up. I’ve since cleaned it. Wasn’t a ton.

I’ll scope out the hoses to make sure they aren’t leaking. I spoke to previous owner. He said he never topped it off from new. Said it never over heated. And always had low coolant in the reservoir.

 

[RjCorazza]

Did your hose have tell tale signs of a leak. Like crusted up green stuff. I just looked. Mine looks like it has some stuff on it. But not enough to look like an issue. I’ll take a picture later today.

I don't recall. The overflow container is shaped such that even a small loss of coolant will make it appear practically empty.

 

[wagner58]

New member here but it’s an interesting thread so I thought I would add my thoughts. I have 2 zd1211 one with 2100 hours and the other with 1100 hours both 60 inch side discharge and just purchased a 2690 72 inch side discharge with 600 hours . my opinion on the 2 different models is , the 1211 seat is more comfortable, faster, I like you can flip the seat up to get to the transmission, a bit easier to clean radiator. On 2690 easier to grease, I like 1 fuel tank rather then 2 , 4 wheel drive ( yes I have been stuck several times in spring with 11211) , but the main difference is deck , blades whatever the problem is with with 1211 deck . It leaves a windrow of grass clumps , especially with the Kubota blades . Maybe it is the kind of grass that I mow but that deck packs grass like none other, you still need to scrape the deck on the 2690 but not like the 1211. I have contacted Kubota executives about it and get no where, I don’t really see many other people complain about it so maybe it’s just me. I think both machines are built like a tank and have had very few breakdowns with 1211 but until they get their cut quality issues fixed with that deck I personally will not buy another one.

 

[RjCorazza]

@wagner58
I'm surprised you're having problems with windrowing on your side discharge zd1211's. My deck remains practically clean down to metal, and disperses grass very well.
I removed the discharge cover and added a discharge gate, but normally cut with the gate wide open.
What kind of grass (type, height, moisture) are you cutting? Are you using the OEM grass flap? Have you tried other blade types?

 

[wagner58]

I run with my discharge chute open except when I am mowing a cemetery, when I have most of my problems is around late June to July when we have what people around here call water grass , which in my opinion is basically crab grass . The water grass was so bad last year you could have a perfectly clear day and your mower wheels would run wet all day. Height I mow is usually 2.75, and I now run copper head after market blades which are not perfect but do a better job than the Kubota blades. Basically when I have a problem I mow , trim and then run over the problem spots a second time with my deck partially raised.

 

[RjCorazza]

Wet crab grass is challenging here also. Several of my lawns are mostly crab grass, and they generally get mowed in the afternoon at the end of my day. If you have the time and inclination, running a blower over the lawn knocks a lot of the water off the grass blades and results in a better cut. You could also raise the deck for cool season grasses (tall fescue, etc) to around 3.5-3.75" and see how it does.
I really like the Oregon G5 or 6 Gator mulching blades year around. Downside is that you would need to modify the blade bushing to use them on your side discharge zd1211 (last checked there wasn't a Gator blade with the larger center hole for the 1211 side discharge).

 

[wagner58]

I’m think you are correct raising mower deck height would help, unfortunately most of the mowings I do are farms, and they typically like a shorter cut. As far as gator blades are concerned you are correct, they do not make a blade for that size center hole yet

 

[RjCorazza]

Here's the modified bushing that will allow the use of the Gator blades if you are interested. Credit to a user here on TBN from 4-5 years ago, unfortunately I don't remember who to give the credit to. I have been using them for the last 2000 hours.

 

[wagner58]

Thanks, out mowing this afternoon, this is an example of what I am talking about. I have mowed 2 hours since blades sharpened and deck cleaned

 

[CigTopGun38]

Ok so I have 2 mows under my belt…I think it’s time to write an honest review.

General background:
I have been researching mowers for 2-3 years. Yes a long time but it’s a big investment. Was toying with different ideas. F series, bigger tractor, zero turn, etc.

I finally decided on a zero turn. Went to go look at a few brands. Scag, Ferris, Kubota, gravely, hustler, and exmark.

First impressions was that the Kubota was built the best. And there really is no comparison. It’s like a tank. With no real expense spared. Everything is quality on it. Which is the reason I opted to buy one.

Next decision was new or used. I honestly couldn’t justify spending 24k to mow my yard. So started shopping around. One popped up that was about an hour away. Had 100 hours. Got it for 13k. I thought it was a good deal.

Finally got it home to mow.

The pro’s:
It’s build quality is very impressive.
Ride is smooth. The front articulating axle works really well with the bumps. The weight also helps with absorbing un even terrain. I was able to cover a ton of ground very very quickly with the 72” deck. It’s very quiet and doesn’t consume a lot of fuel. Many people complain about grass clippings getting caught in the radiator. I have not experienced that. So no complaints yet. Side discharge is the way to go. Grass dispersion is very nice and no clumping. The hydraulic lift for the deck is very clever and works well. For 20k all mowers should have one. The traction is very good although my yard is not very hilly. Maneuverability is nice even for a big machine. The controls for hydros are super smooth. Seat is incredibly comfortable and absorbs shocks well. I went from 2.5 hours of mow time down to 1 hour. Insanely fast. I don’t feel beat up after mowing either. The zd1211 has plenty of power for a 72” deck. I don’t even run the unit full power. Honestly don’t feel like it needs it. It’s nice knowing I have more power available if needed. The rops feature a tensioner so it doesn’t move when pinned. Many other machines don’t have this. It’s small things like this that make it a better unit.

The cons:
I don’t have many. The hose clamps loosening seems like a systemic problem. Mine were loose and leaking coolant. Seems like others have the same problem. The shift lever for the PTO is awful. I took a picture. The lever is incredibly flimsy and the notch for engagement is so close to the plastic. I have a hard time engaging it. I’ve looked at pictures of other units. They suffer the same problem. I saw a brand new unit in the show room. They seeemed to fix the issue but not sure why it’s like this to begin with. Some of the grease zerks are not placed well. Getting to some of them is difficult. Not a huge fan of the neutral and e brake setup. Its way more complicated then it needs to be. Placing the levers in neutral should be the e brake. Like on most other units. The area for a tow hitch should be a little beefier. I’m surprised it’s not better built. Unit is not as snappy in the corners. Which is expected with the weight. The digital read out should have rpm. That’s a little disappointing.

Overall I’m very happy with the purchase. It has cut my mowing time in half. It’s super comfortable and built to last.

 

[RjCorazza]

I cut that little plastic cover off of the pto lever, and it works fine without it. I agree that the dash should include an rpm indicator.
Glad to hear that you're enjoying the zd1211 !

 

[arto98607]

I think for the design blade tip speed the engine should run at the max Rpm which is how I always run my F3060 when mowing.

 

[CigTopGun38]

I think for the design blade tip speed the engine should run at the max Rpm which is how I always run my F3060 when mowing.

Maybe so…but I don’t notice any cut quality issues. Suppose it doesn’t hurt to fun it full throttle

 

[CigTopGun38]

I cut that little plastic cover off of the pto lever, and it works fine without it. I agree that the dash should include an rpm indicator.
Glad to hear that you're enjoying the zd1211 !

I opened my unit up today to see if there were any adjustments I could make with the bracket. I didn’t see anything obvious. Unfortunately.

I did reach out to Kubota. They said the bracket was recently re-designed because of the issue I stated. They made the notch wider from 3 mm to 5 mm. This centers everything better. It’s a $130 part if anyone wants to do the replacement.

Otherwise I’ll have to deal with it. The new ones look like this.

 

[Brown Dog]

Maybe so…but I don’t notice any cut quality issues. Suppose it doesn’t hurt to fun it full throttle

You must not be cutting thick grass if you’re not running max rpm & seeing decent cut quality .
Mowers are designed to run at max rpm for higher bts.
You’re not going to hurt it or save enough fuel to bother.

 

[Hay Dude]

Anyone buy the Kubota “trailer hitch” for their ZD1211?
I just bought it.
$111.
Warning label says “max towing weight is 250lbs”.
My empty John Deere cart weighs 250lbs.

 

[RjCorazza]

Anyone buy the Kubota “trailer hitch” for their ZD1211?
I just bought it.
$111.
Warning label says “max towing weight is 250lbs”.
My empty John Deere cart weighs 250lbs.

Is limit that for the hitch hardware or what they want the machine towing?
I bought an aftermarket heavy duty hitch several years ago, but have yet to install it. It is certainly heavy duty enough to pull more than 250 lbs.

 

[CigTopGun38]

Anyone buy the Kubota “trailer hitch” for their ZD1211?
I just bought it.
$111.
Warning label says “max towing weight is 250lbs”.
My empty John Deere cart weighs 250lbs.

Bahahahaha.

I haven’t even looked. What’s the attachment look like?

 

[WM75Guy]

Anyone buy the Kubota “trailer hitch” for their ZD1211?
I just bought it.
$111.
Warning label says “max towing weight is 250lbs”.
My empty John Deere cart weighs 250lbs.

I looked at it but decided not to buy it. Too flimsy for me. I use the Kubota RTV-X to tow my lawn cart, manure spreader, and pasture vacuum.

 

[Hay Dude]

Is limit that for the hitch hardware or what they want the machine towing?
I bought an aftermarket heavy duty hitch several years ago, but have yet to install it. It is certainly heavy duty enough to pull more than 250 lbs.

Not sure
I already used it to tow a lot more weight than what they rated it for. No problems, but man, talk about conservative ratings.

One thing anyone with a 1211 or really any Kubota zero turn should do is immediately remove the lynch pins holding the front mower deck casters and replace with a bolt & nut. The lynch pins can and do get pulled off and the caster will fall out, taking the kubota bushings with it.
Can be pretty expensive if you run over the caster with blades running.