My new toy

[Daniel G]

Picked up today. Had lawn tractors for 30 years...now my first zero turn....now to learn how to use it!!

 

[jlsmith]

congrats, hope you like it.

 

[Thomas]

Congrats on your new investment.
Don't forget stop for lunch and gas.

 

[JTKub]

That's true Dan. The other day I fired up my old Case 220 w/38" deck to mow for a bit. Holy aggravating Batman! Once you go ZTR for mowing, it's tough to go back. Lap bars do have their disadvantages- for me anyway; My hands/arms sometimes numb up. Gotta shake it off. Also, when you go to slap that !@#$ horse fly that's biting you in the forehead, you're either going to whip yourself into a spin, or stop normally if you remember to take your other hand off too. Same goes with waving to neighbors [insert awkward moment]. Hey.. VERY clean garage BTW!

Joel

 

[Carl_NH]

Very nice unit Dan,

Getting used to a ZTR is fun - like riding a bumper car, and over time things will smooth out. I got a Ferris IS2000 this year after having Cub 1811 GT for the last 20+ yrs and in it does take some time to master the controls.

Re JT reply about the handles, I find very little input is needed when runnnig these and my handles tend to stay in position when slapping a fly/mosquito or waving to a neighbor - its the setting and tension you can make on the handles that I made seems to work well for me. THe only thing that gets me is the low hanging hemlock branches or shrubs that "grab" the handles can cause minor issues as I found.

After my first few cuts I was wishing for more lawn, as I did it in half the time as the GT.

Have fun and enjoy your new toy!

 

[MAsZ71]

Congratulations on a nice machine! You'll get use to it pretty quickly:thumbsup:

 

[Johndeere3720]

Congrats on your new ZTR. :thumbsup: wish i had one, oh well, i'll just add it to my wish list. :laughing:

 

[doall]

You will love it. after about 15 minutes its second nature, you don't even think about turning it just happens. If I take my hands off, mine just stays where it is unless I pull it back. speaking of low branches, If they are big enough they will hit your rops and try to turn you over so watch for that at first.


Just noticed no rops. But be careful anyway.

 

[JTKub]

Re JT reply about the handles, I find very little input is needed when runnnig these and my handles tend to stay in position when slapping a fly/mosquito or waving to a neighbor - its the setting and tension you can make on the handles that I made seems to work well for me. THe only thing that gets me is the low hanging hemlock branches or shrubs that "grab" the handles can cause minor issues as I found.

As far as I know, the only way to adjust the lap bars on the Cub so they'll stay put, would be to disconnect the gas strut/dampener to each lap bar. There's no tension adjustibility to them that I know of. It's just linkages with ball joints, with the strut that slowly brings them back to neutral if you let go of them.

Joel

 

[Carl_NH]

Hi JT,

Youre right about the gas struts but as Doall says with his JD737 and with the Ferris the handles with the struts stay in the FWD position unless you pull them back. I did snug up the handle swivel points where they have locknuts to take out the free play. The reverse action is spring loaded on mine to return to neutral which I think is SOP for the ZTRs?

I got into all the adjustments when the unit wasnt tracking straight and the right side being more responsive than the left. After lots of tweaking come to find out the left hydro pump release valve was open a full turn! Problem solved but I did do a lot of tweaks only to find the real culprit - now it's running straight and fast both sides.

 

[JTKub]

Good info Carl. I bet that's the difference between a commercial grade machine like the Ferris and a 'high-end' residential unit like the new Cub Z-Force. More adjustibility on the Ferris. The Cub would be torture on your arms/hands to run 6-8hrs a day! At best (or worst!?!?) I do 30hrs per year.

Joel

 

[micman32]

Congrats on your new ZTR! Learning to use it is half the fun!

Michael

 

[Unregistered2013]

good luck with it -- they're a godsend time-wise --

-- watch making corners / turns too quick -- you'll rip up the grass --

-- and always hose down the deck when you're done --

-- and grease the spindles before mowing --

then you're all set!

 

[scoutcub]

Great new toy!
I had an M-72 for awhile, wished I still had it now with the bigger lawn I just bought. What a blast to drive!

Always love the look of a brand new piece of yellow gear.....

 

[JTKub]

-

-- and always hose down the deck when you're done --

Eeek! Gotta disagree with you there. A quick underneath scrape and a leaf blower are your friends when it comes to cleaning off the deck. All these cubs do come with the "deck wash system" that you can snap your garden hose on, but it makes a nightmarish mess and absolutely will ruin your spindles and multitude of sealed bearing belt pulleys quicker than air will. I had one of the first "deck wash" equipped Cubs in 2005 and can't believe it's still a marketing ploy today.

Joel

 

[EuropaChris]

Eeek! Gotta disagree with you there. A quick underneath scrape and a leaf blower are your friends when it comes to cleaning off the deck. All these cubs do come with the "deck wash system" that you can snap your garden hose on, but it makes a nightmarish mess and absolutely will ruin your spindles and multitude of sealed bearing belt pulleys quicker than air will. I had one of the first "deck wash" equipped Cubs in 2005 and can't believe it's still a marketing ploy today.
Joel

AMEN!! I threw the deckwash hose adapter away as soon as the tractor was delivered in '05. I do wash the tractor once a year, usually before I cover it up for the winter, but I only use the bare hose (no nozzle) so as not to blast water where it doesn't belong, and then grease all fittings after the wash to purge out any moisture.

I just blow it off with either my air compressor or shop vacuum after each mowing and since I always mow in the evening when the grass is dry, I get very little grass buildup under the deck once the first few mowings of spring have passed.

 

[Unregistered2013]

that's okay to disagree --

-- i use a compressor to blow the grass off the top of the unit when done mowing --

-- and jack up the front and lie on the ground to manually wash the underside of the deck --

-- that way, i stay away from the spindles, and just get the areas where the grass build-up is -- on the sides of the deck.

-- has worked very well thusfar --