Heads up! We've started a new channel for all things tractors, firewood and other projects. Subscribe here: th-cam.com/channels/Pmos-Vu8QFlp3lXkQ38hfQ.html ... The Woods Tree Farm channel will focus more on christmas tree farming and agribusiness going forward.
Hey I just bought my first zero turn mowers and I got the ZT2 as well but I got the 50". Man I love that thing i got one acre that I cut it take me less the one hour to do I really recommend 👍this zero turn
Best of luck with it! I have nearly 2 ac of trees planted right now that we're going to keep mowed, and we'll add another 1.5-2 ac each year, so this thing will get plenty of use!
Bought my ZT2 54" last May. I mow over 5 acres with it. Takes me about 3.5 hours to do each time. Impressed with it so far. As far as mowing thick knee-high grass, I just overlap each pass by a third of the deck width. It seems to work, but I'll have to keep the blades sharp.
I just got my ZT2 54" delivered yesterday. Wondering if you have any issues with clippings piling up on top of the deck? I mowed 6" grass for an hour and had a couple inches of clippings on top of the deck that I had to remove. Maybe I'm missing something?
@@j.e.mcreynolds8763 I remove the plastic covers on each side of the deck and use my leaf blower to clean out the clippings. I've been wondering if it won't hurt anything to leave the covers off to save time.
FWIW, Wheelies aren't a bad idea, they are a terminal idea. The Hydro-Drive ZT-2800 trans is a super solid Residential trans, and is used throughout the industry at that price point. But the ZT-2800 is missing 1 to 3 crucial engineering features of their Commercial hydros, having to do with sudden torque "shocks". 1) A "Shock Valve" to relieve the pressure of sudden torque to the wheels on acceleration and hard turns. 2) In the primary gearing, the ZT-2800 uses powdered gears, instead of steel cut gears. 3) There is also a Charge Pump, which makes sure oil flow stay present/even when someone jacks the mower. Great review! The CC ZT mowers look cool, are a fresh design of quality components, and might last forever. But, IMHO, if someone keeps punching the trans, before too long they'll be taking their trans pumps/motors to the repair shop in a bucket.
Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe if you like my videos. Here's a more recent (April 2020) video of this mower in action (this time with aftermarket mulching blades) th-cam.com/video/NdH5JWNCzy0/w-d-xo.html
Just picked mine up today. To me it was worth The extra money over The Zt 1 for The exact upgrades you mentioned. The arm rests are pretty much useless unless I can find an adjustment on them. Also The distance needed to push The steer arms completely forward is excessive compared to other I run. But it seems to be a quality mower for The price
I've had similar observations about the arm rests. I've got 12 hours on mine now and will do an update video within the next couple weeks. Please Subscribe if you haven't already. Thanks for the comment and have a great day.
Thanks for watching, everyone! Can't believe this video has over 10k views. Be sure to hit the LIKE button if you want to see more mower videos. We put up a comparison video to see if this mower or the tractor do better in tall grass. Check it out here: th-cam.com/video/XQFqizV_uMY/w-d-xo.html
I have the ZT2 60. I bought it because it was in stock and I needed to mow the lawn on my new 5 acre property. I had planned to upgrade in a year or two but I've been pleasantly surprised with the Cub Cadet and may just hang on to it for a while.
@@WoodsTreeFarm cool, im hoping this thing keeps up with my 5 acres because I just ordered it and I really need this to work for me because I can't get another one
I have a Cub Cadet 50 inch deck Kawasaki engine having a engine bog down problem and this is just my second season cutting engine will start but won't run fast to engage the blades need help to figure out problem
Did you use ethanol free fuel last season? Did you leave fuel in it over the winter? The carb may need cleaning or replaced. That's where I'd start. Changing the fuel filter is an inexpensive thing you can try. Maybe its starving for fuel and the filter is the issue.
I just bought my ZT2 54" a week ago. Love it so far. I have one important question that's been bothering me about the unit. When you pull the transmission bypass valves on each hydro, for pushing the mower manually, does yours free wheel like a "neutral"? Or is there still a fair amount of resistance when pushing after pulling the bypass valves? I pull mine and I don't feel much of any difference when pushing the unit, but I'm wondering if it basically just prevents damage to the hydro but doesn't allow it to free wheel like actually disengaging the transmission.
@@WoodsTreeFarm thanks for checking! Mine is the same way. I tried pushing it without the bypass pull and with it pulled and it didn't feel any easier. That made me think something was wrong. I'm wondering if the bypass isn't necessarily to make it roll easier but they protect the transmissions when manually moving the machine. This is my 1st zero turn so I've had nothing to compare it to.
@@blehmann22 My Zt1 moves easily, no resistance other than bearing drag pretty much, when I open the hydraulic bypass valves. We have different pumps, but a bypass valve is a bypass valve. Mine is a night and day difference between the vales being open or closed.
I'm at 130 hours and no major issues. I'm on my 3rd set of blades, and I've replaced one spindle. There are more mowers now at this price point and I'd do more shopping around and comparing if I was in the market again. th-cam.com/video/eKwRNNA045M/w-d-xo.html
Just came across your review of the Cub ZT2 54. Thanks for the honest review. To date how has the reliability been for the Cub? Anything new we should know about or has it been good. Approx. how many hours do you have on it now? I am on the fence about getting one because of the mixed reviews. I like the fact that the trans-axles are field serviceable and will last longer than the sealed units. Thanks for any input you can share.
Hi Paul - thanks for stopping by the channel. I have about 100 hours on the mower now and haven't had any real issues. I did break a spindle, but that's because I hit a piece of rebar. I run it pretty hard on my farm and cut a lot of really tall grass with it and it has so far taken the abuse. Here are a few other more recent videos I've done with it. th-cam.com/video/oPiD1vrf4Ik/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/NdH5JWNCzy0/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/M4KuKTANRYw/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/5L1EEqctZ9M/w-d-xo.html
I have 65 hours on mine. Some issues I've had are the tires go flat constantly. No holes in the tires they just leak air around the bead. Both sides. I'll end up putting some fixaflat in them but they shouldn't leak. The key sometimes has issues. You'll go to turn it and its just dead silence. I found out the deadman's switch under the seat that senses your weight is faulty and sometimes doesn't recognize you're sitting so I have to bounce up and down on the seat with the key turned to get it to turn over. I also had issues with the electronics on the mower blade pull button. It sometimes is faulty and doesn't know that im trying to turn the mower blade on. lots of little issues with this mower. I wouldn't recommend it.
@@scottcoleman7304 I ended up getting a Gravely ZT XL. When I compared the workmanship to the cub....there was no comparison. The Gravely hands down was way better.
Should I be concerned when my zt2 right out of the gate is misaligned? I pull the lap bar straight back and it pulls one way. The same going forward when both bars are fully extended.
I wouldn't be too concerned unless it's really bad. There might be an adjustment to try to dial one in (not sure if this one has adjustment or not). Check with your dealer. Good luck, and thanks for watching!
My ZT1 had uneven lap bars when positioned in neutral between forward and reverse for the actuation linkage on the pumps. You have different pumps, but all I had to do was adjust the linkage rod arm that connects the lap arm to the pump linkage. I did not even have to take the wheel off to reach what I needed to reach, but it would have been nice). Check out your rear pump linkage on each side while moving the lap bars through their travel to see what it is doing, and you should be able to figure it out. Mine was, loosen the 9/16th lock nut at the end of the rod (the end of the rod is threaded for adjustment), remove the funky cotter key, slide the threaded peg out of the linkage hole, and rotate the threaded plug a few times, (putting it back in the linkage hole to see if the bars are the same), to line the bars up when the linkage is right at the point between forward and reverse on both sides. I just adjusted one side to make them even. Now, it is perfect. That operation was not in the manual.
I have an unusual question. My Wife is only 5 ft tall... Is the deck strong enough for a step, with only three attachment points? Also any issues with it bouncing too much because of that? Thanks. Good video... I liked and subscribed.
@@WoodsTreeFarm I found a dealer on TH-cam who stood right on it. The place I like to step, it doesn't even budge. Right up by the frame, which is midway between the left hanger and the front bar. Also, there are traction stars stamped into the pulley covers. I'm sure it's fine. Very strong.
I was seriously considering this exact mower but the missed cuts definitely has me rethinking my decision. I need a nicer cut than what the Cub Cadet seems capable of.
It's great in normal height grass. All that missed stuff was a single pass in knee high pasture. I wouldn't expect anything to cut that perfect in a single pass
Those tanks are expansion tanks,hydraulic fluid expands when warm and has to go somewhere, therefore the expansion tanks job, dont fill up with fluid,it will blow out and make a huge mess when hot.
Exactly. There's a cold level indicator on the reservoir and my levels went well below that initially, but haven't budged since I added more fluid. Thanks for watching!
zt2 w/60" fabricated deck here. 2 years in, and the fabricated deck is literally coming apart at the seams. have a cub tractor with a stamped 46", and that thing has held up wayyyyy better.
Heads up! We've started a new channel for all things tractors, firewood and other projects. Subscribe here: th-cam.com/channels/Pmos-Vu8QFlp3lXkQ38hfQ.html ... The Woods Tree Farm channel will focus more on christmas tree farming and agribusiness going forward.
Great review! No background music was so nice. I could actually hear the mower, which was very important to me, as I am about to buy a ZT2. Thank you!
I bought a ZT2 54" as well. It's my first zero turn. Very impressed!
My first zero turn too. So far so good!
Hey I just bought my first zero turn mowers and I got the ZT2 as well but I got the 50". Man I love that thing i got one acre that I cut
it take me less the one hour to do I really recommend 👍this zero turn
Best of luck with it! I have nearly 2 ac of trees planted right now that we're going to keep mowed, and we'll add another 1.5-2 ac each year, so this thing will get plenty of use!
Bought my ZT2 54" last May. I mow over 5 acres with it. Takes me about 3.5 hours to do each time. Impressed with it so far. As far as mowing thick knee-high grass, I just overlap each pass by a third of the deck width. It seems to work, but I'll have to keep the blades sharp.
Overlapping or two passes (and sometimes 3 passes) are the only to get a clean cut through really long and thick stuff from what I can tell.
I just got my ZT2 54" delivered yesterday. Wondering if you have any issues with clippings piling up on top of the deck? I mowed 6" grass for an hour and had a couple inches of clippings on top of the deck that I had to remove. Maybe I'm missing something?
@@j.e.mcreynolds8763 I remove the plastic covers on each side of the deck and use my leaf blower to clean out the clippings. I've been wondering if it won't hurt anything to leave the covers off to save time.
Just had my 54” delivered today. So buttery. Love it!
Just ordered my zt2 60 inch, can't wait to put it to use
nice! Good luck with it. hope it serves you well.
FWIW, Wheelies aren't a bad idea, they are a terminal idea. The Hydro-Drive ZT-2800 trans is a super solid Residential trans, and is used throughout the industry at that price point. But the ZT-2800 is missing 1 to 3 crucial engineering features of their Commercial hydros, having to do with sudden torque "shocks". 1) A "Shock Valve" to relieve the pressure of sudden torque to the wheels on acceleration and hard turns. 2) In the primary gearing, the ZT-2800 uses powdered gears, instead of steel cut gears. 3) There is also a Charge Pump, which makes sure oil flow stay present/even when someone jacks the mower. Great review! The CC ZT mowers look cool, are a fresh design of quality components, and might last forever. But, IMHO, if someone keeps punching the trans, before too long they'll be taking their trans pumps/motors to the repair shop in a bucket.
Great insight into the specifics of this mower! Thanks for sharing!
Nice review i have a zt3 nd i do landscaping for living and i have a lot of recidential properties and its doing really good i love it
Very nice! thanks for dropping by the channel
@Paul Cox it cuts well. Check out my other update video I show it on residential yard
Finally some reviews a 54”. ...... oh wait I have a 54” I love mine.
What's the width with the chute up
I have the ZT2-60” and I love it
I just got the ZT2-60 too, great mower and goes through thick grass like butter
Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe if you like my videos. Here's a more recent (April 2020) video of this mower in action (this time with aftermarket mulching blades) th-cam.com/video/NdH5JWNCzy0/w-d-xo.html
Just picked mine up today. To me it was worth The extra money over The Zt 1 for The exact upgrades you mentioned. The arm rests are pretty much useless unless I can find an adjustment on them. Also The distance needed to push The steer arms completely forward is excessive compared to other I run. But it seems to be a quality mower for The price
I've had similar observations about the arm rests. I've got 12 hours on mine now and will do an update video within the next couple weeks. Please Subscribe if you haven't already. Thanks for the comment and have a great day.
Do you know that you can adjust the lap bars? He covers this in the updated review mentioned.
Definitely am going for the zt2 as I'm not very pleased with Proformance of the zt1 because of its bad reviews and thank you for your input.
Thanks for watching, everyone! Can't believe this video has over 10k views. Be sure to hit the LIKE button if you want to see more mower videos. We put up a comparison video to see if this mower or the tractor do better in tall grass. Check it out here: th-cam.com/video/XQFqizV_uMY/w-d-xo.html
Love my Zt2 50”
Me too I have ZT2 50’’ as well
I have the ZT2 60.
I bought it because it was in stock and I needed to mow the lawn on my new 5 acre property.
I had planned to upgrade in a year or two but I've been pleasantly surprised with the Cub Cadet and may just hang on to it for a while.
Hello, what's the most you cut with this machine? Is 5 acres good?
I have about 4 ac I keep cut right now. That'll go up to about 5 next year.
@@WoodsTreeFarm cool, im hoping this thing keeps up with my 5 acres because I just ordered it and I really need this to work for me because I can't get another one
I have a Cub Cadet 50 inch deck Kawasaki engine having a engine bog down problem and this is just my second season cutting engine will start but won't run fast to engage the blades need help to figure out problem
Did you use ethanol free fuel last season? Did you leave fuel in it over the winter? The carb may need cleaning or replaced. That's where I'd start. Changing the fuel filter is an inexpensive thing you can try. Maybe its starving for fuel and the filter is the issue.
I just bought my ZT2 54" a week ago. Love it so far. I have one important question that's been bothering me about the unit. When you pull the transmission bypass valves on each hydro, for pushing the mower manually, does yours free wheel like a "neutral"? Or is there still a fair amount of resistance when pushing after pulling the bypass valves? I pull mine and I don't feel much of any difference when pushing the unit, but I'm wondering if it basically just prevents damage to the hydro but doesn't allow it to free wheel like actually disengaging the transmission.
I've only moved my mower by hand once and it did seem like there was quite a bit of resistance
@@WoodsTreeFarm when you moved it by hand did you pull the trans bypass levers 1st?
Yes. And I tried it with the lap bars both in and out. Lots of resistance either way.
@@WoodsTreeFarm thanks for checking! Mine is the same way. I tried pushing it without the bypass pull and with it pulled and it didn't feel any easier. That made me think something was wrong. I'm wondering if the bypass isn't necessarily to make it roll easier but they protect the transmissions when manually moving the machine. This is my 1st zero turn so I've had nothing to compare it to.
@@blehmann22 My Zt1 moves easily, no resistance other than bearing drag pretty much, when I open the hydraulic bypass valves. We have different pumps, but a bypass valve is a bypass valve. Mine is a night and day difference between the vales being open or closed.
I have a zt1 50 inch cut what's a 23 horse Kawasaki motor I love it
great - glad its working out for you
Is that cub still holding up
I'm at 130 hours and no major issues. I'm on my 3rd set of blades, and I've replaced one spindle. There are more mowers now at this price point and I'd do more shopping around and comparing if I was in the market again. th-cam.com/video/eKwRNNA045M/w-d-xo.html
Just came across your review of the Cub ZT2 54. Thanks for the honest review. To date how has the reliability been for the Cub? Anything new we should know about or has it been good. Approx. how many hours do you have on it now? I am on the fence about getting one because of the mixed reviews. I like the fact that the trans-axles are field serviceable and will last longer than the sealed units. Thanks for any input you can share.
Hi Paul - thanks for stopping by the channel. I have about 100 hours on the mower now and haven't had any real issues. I did break a spindle, but that's because I hit a piece of rebar. I run it pretty hard on my farm and cut a lot of really tall grass with it and it has so far taken the abuse. Here are a few other more recent videos I've done with it. th-cam.com/video/oPiD1vrf4Ik/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/NdH5JWNCzy0/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/M4KuKTANRYw/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/5L1EEqctZ9M/w-d-xo.html
@@WoodsTreeFarm awesome... Thank you
I have 65 hours on mine. Some issues I've had are the tires go flat constantly. No holes in the tires they just leak air around the bead. Both sides. I'll end up putting some fixaflat in them but they shouldn't leak. The key sometimes has issues. You'll go to turn it and its just dead silence. I found out the deadman's switch under the seat that senses your weight is faulty and sometimes doesn't recognize you're sitting so I have to bounce up and down on the seat with the key turned to get it to turn over. I also had issues with the electronics on the mower blade pull button. It sometimes is faulty and doesn't know that im trying to turn the mower blade on. lots of little issues with this mower. I wouldn't recommend it.
@@scottcoleman7304 I ended up getting a Gravely ZT XL. When I compared the workmanship to the cub....there was no comparison. The Gravely hands down was way better.
@@YukonHawk1 good call wish I did
Should I be concerned when my zt2 right out of the gate is misaligned? I pull the lap bar straight back and it pulls one way. The same going forward when both bars are fully extended.
I wouldn't be too concerned unless it's really bad. There might be an adjustment to try to dial one in (not sure if this one has adjustment or not). Check with your dealer. Good luck, and thanks for watching!
There are two "bolts" basically behind where your calves are when sitting on the seat. By adjusting one side or the other you can get an even trim.
My ZT1 had uneven lap bars when positioned in neutral between forward and reverse for the actuation linkage on the pumps. You have different pumps, but all I had to do was adjust the linkage rod arm that connects the lap arm to the pump linkage. I did not even have to take the wheel off to reach what I needed to reach, but it would have been nice). Check out your rear pump linkage on each side while moving the lap bars through their travel to see what it is doing, and you should be able to figure it out. Mine was, loosen the 9/16th lock nut at the end of the rod (the end of the rod is threaded for adjustment), remove the funky cotter key, slide the threaded peg out of the linkage hole, and rotate the threaded plug a few times, (putting it back in the linkage hole to see if the bars are the same), to line the bars up when the linkage is right at the point between forward and reverse on both sides. I just adjusted one side to make them even. Now, it is perfect. That operation was not in the manual.
I have an unusual question. My Wife is only 5 ft tall... Is the deck strong enough for a step, with only three attachment points? Also any issues with it bouncing too much because of that? Thanks. Good video... I liked and subscribed.
Not sure about the strength. My kids step on it all the time, but I never do. I don't notice any bouncing issues.
@@WoodsTreeFarm I found a dealer on TH-cam who stood right on it. The place I like to step, it doesn't even budge. Right up by the frame, which is midway between the left hanger and the front bar. Also, there are traction stars stamped into the pulley covers. I'm sure it's fine. Very strong.
Btw
.. I bought the zt3 60 Inch. Super machine.
Does it mow in reverse????
Yes it does!
My cub cadet doesn’t have any lights. Mine has the same engine. I got the zero turn with the steering wheel.
Nice! I looked at a couple of those models, but chose this one primarily due to the lower cost.
I was seriously considering this exact mower but the missed cuts definitely has me rethinking my decision. I need a nicer cut than what the Cub Cadet seems capable of.
It's great in normal height grass. All that missed stuff was a single pass in knee high pasture. I wouldn't expect anything to cut that perfect in a single pass
Cubs just don’t cut well.
The zt2 has the same trans an dual hydro as the the zt1
I just double checked the spec on the Cub website and ZT1 54 comes with Hydro-Gear EZT 2200 and the ZT2 54 has Hydro-Gear ZT 2800
The reason it left some grass on the tall stuff is that you had the deck set to high for the speed you were going.
Those tanks are expansion tanks,hydraulic fluid expands when warm and has to go somewhere, therefore the expansion tanks job, dont fill up with fluid,it will blow out and make a huge mess when hot.
Exactly. There's a cold level indicator on the reservoir and my levels went well below that initially, but haven't budged since I added more fluid. Thanks for watching!
Doing wheelies on a residential zero turn mower is the kiss of death for the hydros not to mention childish
👌
plumber802
Sorry “dad” 🤣😅😅
You accidentally called it a kubota
I know. Surprised it took 2 years for anyone to point that out. LoL. Points to you, sir.
Haha
zt2 w/60" fabricated deck here. 2 years in, and the fabricated deck is literally coming apart at the seams. have a cub tractor with a stamped 46", and that thing has held up wayyyyy better.
Did you put this review on every video?