First take on my Cub Cadet Z-Force 50

[MooreSites]

First off, thanks to this great discussion group for giving me some insight on what to look for in a mower. Keep up the great work!

My acreage situation
We just built a house in the middle of pasture land across from my wife's parents. We're almost a quarter of a mile off of the road with a pretty flat clearing all the way to the highway. I'm not great at estimating acreage, but I know it's easily 4 acres. About 2/3 is mostly flat (with rough spots) and the other third is a massive hill. I've tackled some of it with no problems (most is not growing fast yet). I'll edit this post if I run into trouble.

Determining what to buy
Before I purchased the Cub, I talked for at least 2 months to friends and local mowers about what to buy. Of course, there were your Ex-Mark fans, your Scag Fans, etc. I narrowed it down to the Z-Force versus the new Bad Boy residential model (60 inch), which is a great company, from what I've read here. After all was said and done, I just couldn't justify the Bad boy for the extra $1,000 it would cost me. Also, I read where the hydrolic system was different on the Cub Cadet models (RZT vs. ZF) - I can definitely feel the difference in driving the RZT vs. Z-Force. The ZF feels MUCH more secure. Also, it runs a couple miles an hour faster - which I can manage on a smooth stretch.

Z-Force versus RZT
Of course, I looked at the RZT model Cub before the Z-Force due to the fact that it was $1,000 lower. I actually tried a friend's out before deciding on the Z-Force. I'd say the RZT is a good model for just what it's recommended for - 1.5 acres. From just looking at the two side by side, you can tell that the Z-Force is built stronger. I have lots of old patches of uneven land that I'm glad I have the sturdier frame for. Plus, I get the Kohler Command 23 engine - sweeeeet.

Using the Z-Force
Operating the ZF took about a half an hour to master. At first, I thought I might have gotten into something I wouldn't like, but now I really enjoy using it. I'm finding out that the time savings has less to do with those extra miles per hour, but ALOT to do with the actual zero turning radius. What took me almost a minute to turn around a John Deer 42 inch tractor is literally almost instantaneous on the Z-Force. Also, I can now make alternating diagonal strips with each mowing session. I just whip the Z-Force around and start a new path immediately.

Cut Quality / Deck
Now, I'm not a pro by a long shot, but the cut on the Z-Force is as good as I could hope for. I can get a nice close cut and the rollers on the deck are great for anti-scalping. I used to chop my yard to death with the old mower, but this deck works great. That's another thing I noticed - the RZT model doesn't have front rollers on the deck. The Z-Force has front, side, and rear.

I read that the 48 inch Z-Force has a sturdier deck. I think this one will go the distance, however.

Power
No problem here. My first round of cutting followed what was left after a close bush-hog in the Fall (mostly dead grass from winter). I set the blade setting to half way and rolled right through it with virtually no fatique to the engine. Don't worry, I won't make a habit of that! The grass is now at a maintainable level . . . and getting higher by the second! I've always heard great things about KOHLER engines, so I trust that this one won't disappoint.

Ride Quality
Here is an example of night and day (sort of). When I first started mowing, I was using the inflation that was used upon delivery. The dealer had the tires up to 28 psi on the front and 20 on the back. That's the maximum per tire according to the manual. I had read where folks reduced it to the minumum to get a smoother ride - that is very advisable. I just reduced my rear tires to 10 psi (12 is maximum on the tire label - go figure) and 20 psi on the front. I took it for a quick spin and noticed a huge amount of difference. Bumps soak up much better. I highly recommend this for any mower - adjust to what works best for you.

Time Savings
I don't have an accurate time savings measure (hope to run some when I have . . . time), but I did notice this - on a portion that took me just over an hour to finish on a 42 inch tractor, I mowed that PLUS 2 more portions of the same size in well under 2 hours. AND the other two portions were the tall grass from the bush hog cut. Hopefully, I'll make even better time with shorter grass and softer tire pressure.
Bottom line: you WILL save time versus a lawn tractor.

Deck Wash System
Time will tell if this is just a marketing gimmick. I use it every other long mowing session. I think it works well (can't hurt). You just attach a nozel to the hose, and fasten it to one of two jets on the deck. I like to engage the blades to spray more water around the underside of the deck.

Gas Tank
I read another review discussing the gas tank. The Z-Force has a 5 gallon tank on the left with a cup holder and cargo box on the right. I'm not sure, but I believe that they left it at 5 gallons so as not to stress the engine with too long of a mowing session (since it's not commercial). Just an observation. I can get about 4 or so hours in with a tank.

Conclusion
I think I've made the right choice (will modify this post if not!). I'm glad ZTR mowers have finally made it to a (somewhat) affordable pricing scale. This mower seriously cuts my time down in mowing and I recommend it. It costs a bit more that the entry level, but the build quality, I think, is necessary for larger lawns and bumpy terrain.

I hope this review helps. If anyone has any question whatsoever, shoot me an email to lance@mooresites.com and I'll get you an answer - might not be the right one!

Lance Moore
MooreSites.com

 

[gamble77]

Great post, thanks for your review and for the tire inflation tip.

 

[oztrack]

My first take...

The mower was delivered (today) with the seat half falling off - one of the bolts was missing. I had to go back to the TSC store, get another bolt and fix the seat. Then, after 10 minutes of operation, in which I didn't even mow an inch, the Z-force cut out and then would not restart. After checking every safety switch was being operated correctly, I have concluded that I now have a $4,000 yard ornament. Anyone else have quality control issues with their cub cadets?

 

[gamble77]

Yeah...don't buy from TSC or any big box store...I would call you local dealer and see if they could meet TSC's price, then take yours back to TSC and get your money back.

If not then see if your local dealer has any suggestions as to what may be happening with your mower. Sounds like one of the safety switches went out. Good luck.

 

[oztrack]

I've learned my lesson - never again. It turns out that the Z-force is blowing a fuse every time the mower is engaged. Ever hear of that problem?

 

[swiftboot]

Apparently the fuse is operating as advertised, you must have a short somewhere in the system, either crosswired or perhaps pinched wire. Just wondering, have you had it fixed and/or did you follow Gamble's advice. fwiw I always try to purchase equipment that i dont have the expertise to work on from a dealer as opposed to big box unless the price difference is humongous. Please let us know what your remedy was to the problem when you get time. thanks, chuck

 

[Fordlords]

Right or wrong?- those z-force's don't even have a rear hitch to pull things.. what about something as simple as a yard sweeper? Ummm.. $4k to just mow, I'd cut the time loss and buy a 2544 for $3k that can mow, aerate, dethatch, sweep, pull cart, pull roller, push blade or snowblower, etc-etc. I guess I'm just too much of a fuddy-dud old school tractor fanatic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Anyways, hats off to you guys who have those ztr/z-forces, have a fun mowing season!

-Fordlords-

 

[Sigma]

I have a Wheel Horse (2 actually) for those occasional pulling needs. I have only used the Z Force a few times, but I'm thrilled with cutting my mowing time in almost 1/2. Not enough hours in the day ... so this really helps.

 

[JTKub]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Right or wrong?- those z-force's don't even have a rear hitch to pull things.. what about something as simple as a yard sweeper? Ummm.. $4k to just mow..)</font>

Yep, that's the limitation of them. Mow only. I've seen commerical guys use ZTR's to pull things, but it's pretty harry even with a tow strap. You will wind up arse over tea kettle real quick due to the tail swing of a ZTR.

Joel

 

[MrWiggles2]

If people drive a car as bad as most do, can you imagine how many people would jackknife their ZT into the object they were pulling? I could see someone pulling a roller and spinning around and ripping the hitch off or worse.

Not to mention they have 70% + of their weight rearward, not a good thing to pull.

I liked the writeup, my neighbor is looking at them, he wants the RZT because its $2400. I told him, don't make the mistake I did, buy up. A $2400 RZT is like a basic lawn tractor. Spend a little more and get the better ZForce and you'll be happier.

 

[MooreSites]

Well, I just paid off the old girl (gotta love 2 years no interest!). Still lovin' the Z-Force . . . I service it once before the summer starts. The Kohler uses a bit more oil than expected, but there have been no leaks (not sure where it goes!). I end up using about a half quart over the summer. Other than that, it's working fine.

I've given up on the spray out mechanism. They're clogged, so I just spray with a hose when needed. Honestly, I the deck doesn't get too clogged underneath. I do mow after lunch, though, so wet grass is at a minimum.

All parts seem to be in working order. I've banged it to death. My terrain was, as stated, less than desirable, but I'm pretty much rolling full throttle now over all the bumps. Can't shake anything loose!

If there was one gripe, it's that the front tires pop off easily. I was having to walk back to the house to get the air pump every other mow. I added tubes to the front and all is well now. If your terrain is fairly stable, this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[NassauEquipment]

Glad you like your Zforce....
On another note the seat and steer sticks are dealer installed after uncrating the unit. The earlier poster and his experience was a tSC one..not a reflection on the Cub.
Also, not to throw salt in the wound ...we're the same price. If the fuses were blowing from the beggining thats a setup issue. If it came later be sure that nothing has jammed between the blade and deck keeping the belt from turning. Also check for pinched wires.....especially the seat switch wire.

Thats a great mower thats been out a number of years.

 

[Martinb]

Thought I'd throw in my 2-cents as well.

My previous lawn tractor was also a Cub Cadet ... I can't remember the model number .... maybe something like 2145 ... but it has something like 15? HP and a 48 in mowing deck. It's about 8 yrs old. It still runs and I have it as a backup mower just in case. But it just lacked the power we needed and mowing was taking too long. Especially if we got behind on our mowing schedule because of rain or other interruptions. We'd first have to mow at a fairly high level ... or else it would clog up under the deck. Then we'd have to go back and mow over the trails of grass mounded throughout our property from the side discharge. And because of it's age, we were constantly having to repair it.

I bought my Zforce 50 last September when I caught an end of the season sale as a local dealer. We've been very happy with this purchase so far. Our home is on approx 7 acres, of which we have to mow roughly 2 to 2 1/2 acres. Some of it is on fairly uneven, relatively bumpy ground .... so it's taking a bit of abuse when we mow. It really does a nice even mowing job ... never scalps the grass ... and the side discharge scatters the grass nice and far so that we don't have to go back and mow over the grass trails. Plenty of power. Thick grass doesn't slow it down at all.

The problems we've had have been minimal. But a few observations ....

1. I think the rear tires are too slick and spin out too easily if the grass or soil have even a minimal amount of moisture. Maybe a deeper tread would be better. When the tires spins, it ends up leaving a dirt skid spot where the grass has been torn out.

2. Currently the deck wash system seems to be at least partially clogged. One side kind of works, the other side doesn't. I haven't had a chance to figure out how to unclog them. Any advice?

3. The two handle drive system on our mower wasn't set properly. If we push both handles all the way forward, the right drive goes faster than the left, so the Z-force want to veer to the left. I'm having that fixed as we speak.

4. Driving it evenly on our property initially to a little practice. We learned we definitely have to rest our arms on the arm-rests, otherwise every bump we hit would cause our arms to move and cause us to swerve off course a little.

 

[ncbound]

Hello all, I have had our Z-Force 50" now going on 2 years. It is a breeze to cut the lawn now. What used to take almost 3.5 hours with our old Scotts 25HP 48" cut tractor I can now do in just over an hour. (Lot size is 3.5 acres and we maintain just over 2/3 of it with the Z and the last 1/3 with my tractor with a 72" bush hog finishing deck.) This has been very easy to learn to use and provides a quick, professional looking finnish to the lawn. I am starting to notice that the transmission on the right side of the machine is not as responsive as the one on the left side. I was wondering if there is an easy way to check the hydro fluid in the transmissions and if so how? If you have any ideas on the hydro fluid shoot me a post or PM and I will get back to you shortly. My unit has the hose for the motor oil on it, and I changed the oil and filter at the start of this years season and hasn't lost a drop as of yet. If I had to do it again I think I would of choose the model with the 60" deck and I could probably have the lawn done in under an hour. Thanks for the great forum. Ncbound

 

[OldMachinist]

I had this same problem with my Z Force a couple of weeks ago. There is no good way to check the oil with the transmission in the mower and more than likely if you haven't seen any leakage it is full. These Hydro Gear IZT transmissions are considered sealed for life but they do publish a service manual for them. It can be downloaded here. http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/content/husqwm224_hwen2001_W0107001.pdf

The only way to get the oil out is to remove the unit from the mower and ether remove the vent tube and turn it upside down or do what I did and removed both units,drained them, took off the bottom plate, cleaned the internal filter, reinstalled the plate with new sealant, refilled with high quality 20w50 engine oil, reinstalled transmissions, did purging procedure and every thing has been fine since. Now the bolts that hold the bottom plate on tend be siezed in the holes and if you try to force them they will break. I know because I broke two of them on the first unit and had to drill them out and retap. I have a milling machine and lots of experience so it wasn't too bad for me. On the second unit I soaked the holes that are exposed to the weather with Kroil oil overnight and the next day with a little heat from a propane torch and lot of working the screws back and forth I was able to remove them without breaking any but it took a while. I know this sounds like alot of work but they want $850 each for new units. The transmissions come out pretty easy and while your there you should replace the drive belt and idler pulley. Also while your down there you'll see a grease fitting you may not have known was there for the idler arm shaft.
Let me know if you need more info I know my Z Force 50 inside and out and have several modifications that will extend its life.

 

[ncbound]

Thanks for the info. If you don't mind sharing what might be the info on the mods for extending the life of this unit. I have owned ours for just under 2 years and I might give my dealer a call and check on the warrenty and see if they might look at the transmission on the right under warrenty. (I think this thing came with a 2 year warrenty though I may be wrong). Again thanks for the quick reply. Ncbound

I had this same problem with my Z Force a couple of weeks ago. There is no good way to check the oil with the transmission in the mower and more than likely if you haven't seen any leakage it is full. These Hydro Gear IZT transmissions are considered sealed for life but they do publish a service manual for them. It can be downloaded here. http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/content/husqwm224_hwen2001_W0107001.pdf

The only way to get the oil out is to remove the unit from the mower and ether remove the vent tube and turn it upside down or do what I did and removed both units,drained them, took off the bottom plate, cleaned the internal filter, reinstalled the plate with new sealant, refilled with high quality 20w50 engine oil, reinstalled transmissions, did purging procedure and every thing has been fine since. Now the bolts that hold the bottom plate on tend be siezed in the holes and if you try to force them they will break. I know because I broke two of them on the first unit and had to drill them out and retap. I have a milling machine and lots of experience so it wasn't too bad for me. On the second unit I soaked the holes that are exposed to the weather with Kroil oil overnight and the next day with a little heat from a propane torch and lot of working the screws back and forth I was able to remove them without breaking any but it took a while. I know this sounds like alot of work but they want $850 each for new units. The transmissions come out pretty easy and while your there you should replace the drive belt and idler pulley. Also while your down there you'll see a grease fitting you may not have known was there for the idler arm shaft.
Let me know if you need more info I know my Z Force 50 inside and out and have several modifications that will extend its life.

 

[OldMachinist]

Yes, they come with a 2 year warranty so if I'd take it in for them to look at.

The last mod I made was to the front axle pivot point. On mine the bolt they used for the pivot shaft had the threads riding in the plastic bushing which made it wear fast. I replaced the bushing and used a bolt that had a longer unthreaded section that the bushing could ride on and I added a grease fitting to it.

The idler pulleys on the deck are only shielded bearings and moisture can get in them when they failed I replaced the bearings with seal ones.

The bronze bushings for the steering levers tend to get tight if you don't remove the side covers, clean out all the clippings that accumulate there and lube them along with the rod ends under the tractor used to attached the levers to the transmissions. These items when not lubed can also make it seem like something is wrong the transmissions.

More later as I remember them.

 

[colepc]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this site and appreciate the info shared in this thread!

I just bought a new ZF50 and am getting used to it, having received it yesterday afternoon and going at it on my property. We're mowing about 2.5 acres with about 10% of it on hills/grades greater than that recommended in the book. I'm excited about saving time mowing and it already has proven to me that it will give me back a great deal of time in taking care of the mowing!

The dealer we bought from was closed after I found the following issue, and I intend to bring it to to their attention Tuesday morning when they re-open for the week, however I though it may ring a bell with some folks here.

After about 20 minutes of mowing, the left-side hydro/steering becomes increasingly unresponsive (sounds like there's no hydraulic fluid in it). If I sit and wait for a period of time, the left-side recovers it's good performance again, but within a few minutes it will again degrade as I continue to mow. The more the left side is manipulated (short radius turns), the quicker it will degrade. Without a rest, it is possible to get it to where it totally does not respond at all (no pump noise, no 'effort' applied to the left traction wheel).

The right side does not degrade whatsoever at any time during this event with the left side.

The delivery guy advised that the hydraulic resevoir tank under the seat should "almost always be either empty or the bottom just covered" with fluid and that is normal. I observed that when the left-side is operating normally, the resevoir is indeed empty (this is the current normal state of the resevoir tank when cold as well). When the left-side does not perform, the tank contains fluid (approx 1/3" or less).

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Thanks for any advice or opinions.

Terry

 

[OldMachinist]

From what I've read the oil tank is a expansion tank and that cold it should have about 1/4" of oil in it. As the transmissions heat up the oil expands into it and depending on how hot they the oil level varies. I have a older model with different transmissions that didn't use an expansion tank.
As far as the drive problems alert the dealer as soon as possible as it sounds like a defective transmission. Tell them to replace the transmission or exchange the mower for another one. I had nearly 200 hrs on my Z Force before I had any transmission problems.

As far as the hills and slopes they will climb a mountain until they flip over going up but do not drive down hill with out a safe run out area as there no stopping or backing these things up on a steep slope.

 

[colepc]

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely be talking with the dealer when they open up for the week.