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