ZForce48 Lap Levers

[GBHRPS]

Gentlemen,

Have had the Z Force 48 for three years now and it works just fine. However, the lap levers take a lot of muscle to activate and are very tiring on the arms. After having driven a neighbour's Kubota diesel zero turn (I know its 4 times the price new, but drives like a Cadillac with just your finger tips) recently, I'm thinking that there has to be a way to free up the spring tension on the Z Force lap bars.

Has anyone attempted it? Do you know how to free up the action so it doesn't take as much input to steer the unit?

Gene

 

[GBHRPS]

Gentlemen,

With the mowing season over here I finally dove into the tiring lap levers issue.

After removing the deck and the side panels that hold the ignition switch, choke, etc., I removed the lap levers. I disconnected the the lever shafts from the tractor and discovered that the shafts and bronze bushings at both ends were gummed up. After cleaning and waterproof greasing, I reinstalled them.

At this point I found that all of the heim joints on each of the lever mechanisms were tightened too much. I slackened each of their lock nuts off a half turn, and lubed them with WD40. The large rear most shaft that the heim joint shafts rotate on was also gummed up. A cleaning of the shaft and regrease was done.

The end result was the removal of all the binding and friction in the lap lever mechanisms. Everything moves so much smoother and without any effort. What a joy to drive now. Hope this helps someone else out with the same issue.

Gene