20 Best Lawn Tractor For Hills (2023 Updated)

Bought in May 2019. YTH 22V46 Accelerator cable stretched and it wouldn’t choke to start. Dealer had it six weeks to fix it but didn’t fix the bad left mandrill or the balky starter. Went to another dealer who kept it four weeks but didn’t fix either problem but did manage to put twenty hours on it.

The second dealer did remove the deck but I don’t think it was replaced properly. Bumper to bumper three year warranty doesn’t cover the engine. It seems the engine is not between the bumpers. New problem is the front lower edge of the deck is separating but it’s probably not covered by the ten year deck warranty even though it is the deck.

Expensive junk!.

YTHV2246. Been using this for 7 years, well my wife has been cutting with it – she does the yard work. Looks good (who cares?), runs/starts reliably, no mechanical problems in 7 years, EXCEPT the deck will not cut high enuff.

During dry periods the grass is cut too short. My neighbors John deere goes up a good inch higher. I resorted to making brackets for the deck wheels to raise them about an inch and a half. Of course not they just drag the ground.

She’s mows about an acre and it’s too bad the engineers missed the boat on this. (I’m an engineer).

IšverstiShow in original languageElectric Cub Cadet Ride On Mower XT1LT42E Review We bought our Electric Cub Cadet Tractor last spring (2021). We have enjoyed it’s quiet, exhaust free, nimble performance both summer and winter.

Pros • Fast • Nimble, as if it has power steering • Quiet, ear protection no longer necessary • Great endurance or range. Cutting one acre grass, which takes about 45 minutes, uses approximately only 40% of its battery power.

• Comfortable seat • Shifting the mower deck off or on is quick and very easy compared to my former gas-powered mower. All it takes is a push of a button. • No exhaust fumes to smell and pollute the atmosphere • No messing around with smelly gasoline • No oil changes or spark plugs to replace • No belts to maintain • Removing the mower deck is quite easy to do just remove a couple quick pins and four quick disconnect power cables Cons • The mower deck height adjustment lever clangs and bangs when going over rougher ground.

I put a bungee on it to reduce this. • The tractor clunks loudly when stopping but I learnt how to reduce this by reducing the throttle more gradually. • Only one plastic key came with the tractor. Considering the cost of this tractor I find that this is being rather cheap on the part of the manufacturer.

• The blue on button on the dashboard. I find it is hard to distinguish between, when the tractor is on, and when the clutch is pushed in first and then tractor will actually move. • The digital display numbers showing percent of charge remaining do not show the top of the digits.

For example, a 7 looks like a 1 and a 9 looks like a 4. • The most annoying and frustrating part of this great tractor is the charger plug and port. Making a good connection is very finicky and causes a lot of error code numbers.

It usually takes three or four tries to get it to connect successfully.

IšverstiShow in original languageBought as a replacement for my ancient John Deere 300 Hydrostatic which has served me well for many years. Can’t really give an in depth review until I’ve used it for several seasons.

First impression is that it has a nice tight turning radius and the deck cuts much better than my old John Deere. It appears to be well made, perhaps not as sturdy as the old John Deere, but I don’t think any of the newer lawn tractors are built as tough as that old workhorse.

Added the mulching attachment and a front bumper after an unfortunate encounter with a fire hydrant which resulted because the forward speed control pedal is in exactly the same position as the old John Deere brake pedal.

No major harm done but did require straightening some sheet metal. The ergonomics of this unit are quite nice. The seat has a good adjustment range and all the controls are well placed and easy to use.

I have high hopes for the Kohler engine which starts easily and runs smoothly. I would have probably been happier with the XT 2 model with its better tires as these do not grip as well as I would like on wet grass and mild hills.

The coil springs on the seat do make for a much more comfortable ride. I appreciate the ease with which the oil can be changed. All in all I am very happy with this unit so far.

IšverstiShow in original languageGot it from Home Depot (local dealer didn’t have any :-); Price is $300 higher than Cub Cadet and many other sources. I did get the price match. Tractor was not very clean, HD employee hands me the key, I ask “are there 2 keys”, he says “I don’t know, maybe there’s one in that bag taped to the back of the seat”.

The bag only had documentation and what appears to be a connection to wash the inside of the mower deck and a short section of plastic hose (????). No explanation, no “Getting Started” guide, no basic operational/controls guide.

Wasn’t sure if there was oil in it, checked and there wasn’t. It’s like having a new lawn tractor left on your property and you have no intro to it. The Owners manual is for many models; it’s small, made of newspaper like material, tiny print (magnifying glass helps), reminds me of an Owners Manual for a piece of electronic equipment like a home sound system amplifier.

I don’t see the words Cub Cadet anywhere on/in the manual. There’s no Table of Contents, no index. Can’t tell if what you are reading applies or doesn’t apply to my specific tractor. I have no idea if I’m supposed to have two keys or what if anything else should have come with the tractor that I am missing.

I found a little plastic square cap sort of piece that says 12a (12 amps???) in the cup holder. Does this belong on my tractor? This is no way to begin with a very expensive piece of equipment. Found what oil I need in the owners manual and capcity in the Kohler owners manual.

The only manual on your site for this model is an assembly manual. I could go on but enough is enough.

IšverstiShow in original languageDoes the job as expected, I have thick grass and it has no trouble. Also have heavily wooded brush all around my house and she goes right through no problem.

IšverstiShow in original languageVery tight in the operating area, so a little difficult to navigate turns. Also does not cut grass in reverse is a down factor

IšverstiShow in original languageWorks great so far. No problem, no any issues. Easy to handle. I’m happy with it.

IšverstiShow in original languageI have used Cub Cadet for years. Now that I am older I wanted a reliable and easy to use machine in order to keep my lawn looking good. I ordered this model from Tractor Supply and it took several weeks to come in and the whole experience has been nothing but a headache.

After i started it up it started to vibrate violently. I assumed maybe it was supposed to be like this and thought nothing of it until my son convinced me to get it looked at. Once I did the mechanic made it clear that problem was not normal.

Thankfully Tractor Supply was gracious enough to take it back and order a new one for me. Three weeks later I received a new mower. Even this second mower had a problem with it not being able to go in reverse.

Finally I got fed up and sent it to a cub cadet authorized repair shop and they say it will take 3 weeks before they can even look at it. So now after spending a tidy sum on this mower I am stuck without a mower for several weeks.

I hope this is all covered under warranty considering I have only had this for 2 days. But we will see. I am disappointed, this is not the quality of the Cub Cadets that I am used to.

IšverstiShow in original languageI bought this last May and within 3 months I had to take it back because the throttle cable bent inside the housing. It took a few weeks for the part to come but was replaced under warranty.

This spring at the beginning of mowing season, the new throttle cable bent also. This year it took over 2 months for the part to come in. After dropping it off at the dealer, they then lost the part.

I also let them know that the mower constantly surges like it’s running out of gas unless it’s under a heavy load. The service manager didn’t write anything down except “throttle cable” and then proceeded to tell me I just need to clean the carb out.

I reminded him this is the electronic fuel injection model so there is no carb to clean. He let me know that’s “above his skill set to fix. ” However the sales guy told me last year it would be no problem to work on.

I’ve gone through two seasons now with a brand new working mower for only 4 months. If you try to reach cub cadet service line, you wait on the line only never to be able to speak with a human. If you send your info through messenger, they give you the same number for the automated answering service with a case number to reference.

And still can’t speak with a real person. This was my first Cub purchase and will undoubtedly be my last purchase.

This mower is a game changer for lawn care. It turns on a dime has great horse power, it does take practice if you have never driven a zero turn. It also has a lever to adjust the cut of the grass which is a big help.

The only thing I didn’t like was the directions were pretty vague but youtube has tons of videos if you need help. It comes with different speeds from rabbit to turtle so that’s helpful. It’s comfortable to drive and has a cup holder for hot days.

It starts right up and it hasn’t stalled out while I’m cutting grass. But the absolute biggest thing is to practice driving it, you don’t want to get hurt or hit the mower off anything. Once you get the hang of it you will never want any other mower.

Bought this thing last year, loved it. Cut way better than my old JD ridin mower, and a little more rugged in comparison. However, first cut this season and I hit something in my yard that jarred the middle blade enough to break the spindle from the deck.

I walk my yard regularly, remove debris (limbs/rocks etc) and keep things tidy, so this was totally unexpected. Now what?? I got a buy an entire new deck to remount the spindle?? This is potentially going to be insane.

Nevermind that the people at Lowes did not have the manual available for me at purchase. =/.

I have a pretty big grassy area at a lot I own that I have to keep maintained in addition to the lawn at my house so I’m very well versed on zero turn mowers. Now I have to state upfront I am a Cub Cadet fan and have been for many years so getting the Ultima ZTS1 42” zero turn mower didn’t even require a second thought, that said lets cut to the chase and get into this mower.

Shipping packing/de-crating – The ZTS1 comes fully plastic wrapped strapped to a custom built wooden protective frame. This shipping frame is quite large as it must contain the full mower, keep note of that should you intend to pickup and transport it yourself, in my case the unit was delivered by a trucking company.

The frame did it’s job well as the unit had zero defects that I could find after de-crating. To de-crate you will need a nut driver and drill as well as a straight claw hammer or, as I used, a crowbar.

First I removed the lag bolts on both ends of the craft and then crow-barred off the sides. Once down to a bare frame I cut the three straps holding the unit to the crate bottom (the crate in my case sits on top of an additional pallet) and WITH HELP (the unit weighs approximately 600lbs) lift and push the unit off the crate bottom.

NOTE do not try and drive the unit off the crate, it’s easy to tell this won’t work but I am sure that someone will try, trust me, get a couple of people and work it off. Assembly – Assembly was a breeze as the unit came 99% assembled.

Once off the crate I located the manuals and parts bag then got to work with the couple of items that needed to be installed before use. Note that the key is zip tied to the discharge chute deflector and includes a small quick ref card which was a nice touch.

I checked the oil level as well as the tire pressure, note that the tires were at various inflation levels but all above the level indicated on the tire, make sure to deflate to the appropriate PSI. I then hooked up the battery and filled the fuel tank.

Note that you need to use regular gasoline or, a maximum of ethanol 10 either at 87 octane, I am calling this out as ethanol 15 is common in some areas. Use – The ZTS1 fired up almost immediately with the choke on and quickly came to a nice even idle.

I don’t know if it is me or just that my old zero turn is louder but the Ultima ZTS1 seems at least a little quieter than my 7 yr old Cub. The controls should be familiar to anyone that has used a zero turn mower except the steering wheel, I know everyone is used to the directional control levers but the steering wheel is just as responsive, even if it takes a few laps to get used to.

I think it took maybe four passes to quickly get some dexterity using the steering wheel but it quickly became second nature. Now as for the features lets dive in (note I will probably leave some off as it’s these that come to mind after my first use), I love the LED headlights, they really light the way in low light well.

The steering wheel tilt is very nice and has a great range BUT the lever leaves something to be desired. The deck height knob is nice and it’s easy to select the desired height, and in my opinion, is much nicer to use than the lever type I have on my old Cub.

The deck height range is more than sufficient from 1. 0” to 4. 25”. The transmission is super responsive to all inputs and lends to very precise maneuvering. All in all I am in love with the ZTS1 and am ready after the first use to retire my old Cub to my dad.

My Final thoughts on the Cub Cadet ZTS1 42” is that, as I have come to expect from Cub Cadet, it is a cut above and them some from the competition. Everything from the intuitive control locations and layout to the precision of the steering, the ZTS1 brought the enjoyment back into mowing that I felt with my first zero turn, and as I have learned with Cub Cadet the ZTS1 will be mowing with me for many years to come!.

First off I have to say how amazed and excited I am that I was actually able to get this because from what I have heard, riding lawnmowers are very hard to get right now and this one specifically shows out of stock everywhere I’ve looked atleast locally to me.

I will start by saying this is my first riding lawnmower (Incase I get any of the terminology wrong or leave something out of this review that the pros think should have been included) and I wish I didn’t wait so long to get one because with the added speed and maneuverability of this mower I have reduced my cutting time significantly.

It has blown my mind how fast I can get my yard done now and the results are amazing, even my neighbors agree! I do not have any experience with the lap-bar zero turn mowers so I cannot compare this to those ones but I can tell you that this works just as good if not better than what I’ve seen in videos of that type of mower and actually better because it’s much easier using a steering wheel.

The ride on this ZTS1 is so smooth and comfortable to ride I can’t believe it. I always just assumed that most riding lawnmowers were uncomfortable and had a lot of shaking and rattling going on but I get none of that with this.

It feels to me that everything on this mower is made of high quality materials and just feels really solid when I am riding it. It also responds well to doing anything I try to do meaning when I want to go faster I push the pedal down and it goes, when I want to stop I let off the pedal and it stops, when I want to back up I stop and use the reverse pedal and it backs up.

I know you are thinking that it’s just doing what it’s supposed to do I’m just saying that it’s very responsive and quick to react to the things you want it to do. When I sit down in the seat it just feels great! All the controls are positioned perfectly and are easy to use like the steering wheel adjuster, the speed control adjuster that moves from choke to turtle and rabbit speeds, the parking brake and the deck height adjuster.

I also no longer have to ask my kids to go out and cut the grass, they volunteer to do it now! The only thing I am missing that I wish I had is a bagger for it!.

I wanted another Country Clipper like the one I bought in 2003 and gave to my Son 2 years ago. I could not justify its $9500 price tag! If Cub Cadet had parts to still build the ZTS model (steering wheel) I’d have bought one of those from the hardware store dealer that used to carry CC and who has provided good service through the years.

Bought this ZT1-50 for a reasonable price and it looks to be well built. My Son’s CC has a 19HP Kawasaki that is still going strong in its 19th season, so the 23HP Kawasaki influenced my decision for the ZT1.

Mowed for the first time today and have no issues with the quality of the cut or its lap bar steering. I AM going to have to trim all those low hanging branches I used to just push aside as I mowed. No free hand with lap bar steering – LOL.

BTW for $10 I’ve bought an inductive hour meter like the one I mounted in about ten minutes on my 2022 60HP Honda Marine outboard. And for $18 Cub Cadet is sending the deck wash fitting that I will also install.

People who care to provide good maintenance for their equipment should understand why Cub Cadet no longer installs parts that the majority of buyers simply ignore. For a reasonable price I also bought a replacement oil filter and air filter from them to put on my shelf.

Cub Cadet should, however, be ashamed of the quality of the Owner’s Manual and Replacement Parts List they provide for this machine! Printed on newsprint quality paper with several smudged sections. And they are filled with information with statements that it may, or may not, apply to the ZT1.

Come on people! You have reference to lubricating all grease points every 10 hours without listing or illustrating them (do they even exist)? They show a “break-in oil change” after 5 hours, while the Kawasaki Owner’s Manual makes no mention of any need.

They list the multi-tool functions to include using it as a “lockout for the deck lift” with absolutely no further reference to uses beyond 1/2 inch socket for lap bar adjustment or removal of deck floor.

And you list replacement parts without reference to which model they fit. Hopeful that this ZT1 last as long as the lawn tractor my father bought back in 2012.

I have four acres of lawn to cut. This is a great mower. I studied the comparative price difference and model features between the TS354XD and “those other guys”, and the green mower just didn’t meet the mark of this 354.

However, a few things do sorta bug me. Every time I raise & lower the hood, it rubs up against engine cables. The so-called fuel level window is a joke. It’s absolutely worthless, almost to the point of infuriation.

I have zero idea about fuel burn with this mower, only knowing when it is full. My left left is constantly banging against the deck level lever, almost to the point of bruising. This causes physical pain and is a major frustration.

When dismounting the mower, 9/10 times my short pants get caught on the deck level teeth. Being overweight in my 60’s and getting hung-up and off balance just trying to get off the mower, I’m always concerned about severely hurting myself during this maneuver.

This could be easily remedied by moving the deck lever to the right side of the tractor. This could possibly provide a better fuel level window, as is on other name brand garden tractors. I’ve had two other smaller riding mowers on my property and neither of them rode as hard as this one does.

Perhaps it’s the incredible weight of this machine. coupled with the steel box frame, but even after I cut my relatively flat front two acres, I feel like I’ve gone through a demolition derby. They asked what I didn’t like about it, so I’m being truthful as I can.

However, I would buy this mower again if I had to. I love the thick steel deck. This is hugely important to the quality of this machine. The engine is great, but I’m 110% in love with the deck. Aside from my gripes above, I love this mower.

I cannot say it enough, but the manufacture needs to address these complaints because I’ve read them many times from other users, meaning they are an issue. In closing, this is a fantastic mower. Head & Shoukders above all others.

I bought this Garden Tractor Brand New, rom Lanier Outdoor , in Georgia. Once I got it home, the next morning both the right front tire and back tire were flat. I also went to register it, the S/N is suppose to be under the seat, yet the only numbers under there were written in black magic marker.

Huskavarna said that was not a recognized manufacturer S/N so I have no warranty on it. The headlights are useless for cutting at night, they are just regular bulbs and not any type of high beam so you can see what you are cutting.

The gas tank level is useless, as you can barely see the level if at all in the plastic tank. The mower stabilizer fell off the second time cutting the grass and was a problem getting back on. You have to buy a special kit just to drain the oil, the seat lock does not stay tight so you have to stop and constantly adjust it.

I paid $3000. 00 dollars for this supposedly garden tractor, with the heavy duty transmission, only to find out that the transmission was not what they claimed it to be. I have had one problem after the other with this mower, and I wish I had never bought it.

The only reason I bought it , was I looked at the reviews on mowers, and this was suppose to be the top of the line. If that is so, I can not imagine what the bottom of the line could possibly be. I only have 40 hours on it, but I could never get 1/2 of the money for it , that I paid for it.

Find something better than this mower, do not walk away from it, RUN.

This was such a smart decision for our company. We have manufactured home community and we have some vacants lots that we take care of and this tractor/mower is very powerful and easy to use. We have a cyclone bagger system that we haul behind it and its has no probelm hauling it and picking up all the leaves and grass clippings.

Using this machine with the bagger system is really great because this mower already mulches before it goes to the machine which makes packing the trailer with debri very full and good. I ready all the reviews and most people said the hardest thing was getting it out of the crate well they must have changed what they did before because it was very easy and just rolled off the crate with no problems.

The only negative thing we had to do was drill some holes for our bagger system to fit on the out take area where the mower throws the cliupping. They did not leave alot of root for attachements however with a little thinking and drilled a couple of holes we made it work with our current system.

This is by far the best machines we have had and jobs that use to take hours now just takes minutes. You wont be disappointed with this mower / tractor.

Purchased last year’s model and it is a mess. Had to buy new tires with grip as the turf tires won’t traverse even slight embankments. You must to cross a small sloped area go straight across, if you go across at a angle there is no play in the chassie and the rear wheels come of the ground.

The way the transmission works it won’t be long before that will have to be replaced. If you have a hilly area in your yard the mower feels very unstable. Safety shoot cover is to big making a 50 inch wide deck and a 15 inch or so plastic shoot safety cover way to wide to maneuver in a yard.

If you have a flat yard with no hills or indentions would be ok, but be prepared for a struggle with this mower. Fab deck adds too much weight to the center of the mower which leaves the back turf wheels really with not the weight they need to move properly.

Maybe the newer models have been improved!.

This is my third Cub Cadet mower. IMO the Kohler engine MTD uses makes all the difference in the world. They outlast and out preform Briggs & Stratton engines used in other mowers including John Deere, (yes they use B&S, you can find the logo stamped on the engine) Some suggestions for maintenance – check the transmission and engine oil levels before you fire it up.

In my experience the factory uses the absolute bare minimum fluid when they ship, especially the trans. YouTube videos can show you how to check the trans level. It’s a bit of a pain to access, but any owner with a little know-how can check it and add fluid.

Use a 15-50 synthetic oil like Mobile One. In this price range and mower style Cub is as good or better than any other brand with the Kohler engine.

Overall it appears to be a great machine. It’ fast, cut’s impeccably. The turns are sharp and it’s easy to drive with the hydrostatic transmission. The “reverse turn a key push a button” is not a big deal.

In fact in tight spots mowing forward and backwards was a breeze. With the floor board foot shifter. Similar to a motorcycle is cool. I think it would have received five stars had the seat bolt and nut not fallen off during shipment.

Trying to reach manufacturer now. It’s a custom type bolt so just any bolt won’t replace it. You may need assistance to pull off crate base but otherwise easy to uncrate if you follow instructions. Use a socket set with extension and an adjustable wrench to attach the seat, steering wheel and discharge chute.

The top cover to engine and dash cover slide and snap into place. Best feature in my opinion is the ability to see the actual fuel level on the side.

I have been mowing my 1. 5 acre yard and 2 acre field as well as my inlaws 1 acre yard and 2 acre field for 6 years. Been wanting to write about my experience for a while, just now taking the time and I don’t normally do this.

I just felt so strongly about it. About 1,950 hours on this mower, I perform general maintenance, has never failed to start and nothing has broken other than something that was my fault. I also pull my dump cart with 4 to 5 of my grandchildren in it.

wide open over the bumpy fields and not so level/even yard, they love the joyrides. I am not gentle with this thing, I literally beat it to death. So much power. I could not be more pleased. I bought mine at Home depot.

I know mine won’t last forever so I recently decided that since mine has done so well I would buy another one a store it, but can’t find one. The Home Depot site, as well as others, says it is no longer available.

This is the same issue I ran into when I was looking for the Toro Garden Tractor (which to my dismay had been discontinued) 6 years ago, then I found this Troy Bilt Super Bronco XP that spec’d out very close to the Toro.

I have no use for nor do I need/want a zero turn. Seems as if these Super Bronco’s aren’t produced anymore, I’m going to look into it. Seems that the largest Troy Bilt/Home Depot still offers is the 46 inch cut with the small rear wheels.

The first thing I check when I look for a Riding Mower is the rear wheels, if the rear wheels don’t bolt on I totally disregard it and keep looking, no key in the rear axle for the wheels wheels for me.

This mower has exceeded all my expectations, just hope I find one to put in reserve. Just can’t beat them for the price and they are worth every penny.

As far as I know, this is the only year they put a Chinese motor in this mower. Mine started coughing and smoking the first time I used it. I took it to the service center, and it worked for a short and did the same thing, took it in again.

Same thing again. It sat for the rest of the mowing season because I knew they could not fix it. Now it is the second year. I thought it might work if it sat for a while, but I was wrong. It will not even start now.

I know the service center cannot fix it so I am trying to get my money back or a new mower with a Kohler motor in it?.

Purchased 6-22-2022. Hydrostatic belt started slipping < 30 minutes operating time. 5. 3 hours run time tension pulley failed on transaxle drive belt. Probable cause? Excessive Hydrostatic transaxle drag due to poor design and/or lack of quality control during construction.

Use it on 1+ acre of flat terrain. Makes a good but expensive paper weight.

I have used it for three mowings and one fertilizer spreading with the Brinly tow-behind, calibrated spreader for accurate product application. I have some semi-steep slopes and it climbs them “straight-on” with no strain apparent from the 24.

5 HP engine. I like the ability to circular-cut around mulched trees in one pass. The water hose clean-out process seems adequate. Best of all. the time spent doing a lawn is lessened significantly. It’s 45-50% less over-the-turf time! My time on this Toro machine is really FUN.

The steering wheel and foot pedal controls is easy for a licensed car driver. The double lever control system requires hours of learning to master the necessary manueverability to handle a lawn with obstacles.

This is a good machine. Love how fast it mows and how easy it turns. I have a long sloped ditch down one side of my yard and this machine handles it with ease. Only disappointment is the $250 seat I opted for.

It is poorly made and does little for shocks. It also feels flimsy (I’m a big guy though). Also, seat came in a different shipment, so now I’m stuck with the original seat. I don’t know what to do with it.

Still recommend this machine highly. If you have never had a zero turn buy this now!.

I just got this today and just tried it out. Cut my mowing time way over half the time with my other riding mower. The old mower has the same size cutting deck as this one. But with the zero turning, I didn’t have to shift back and forth.

Had the dealer deliver this mower and tried it on my front yard. Just to go up and down. And around my big tree. I have a pretty steep sloped yard, and it went around the tree, uphill. He even stopped half way around and started up again, and no tire slip.

Buy this mower.

60 hours in and one idler pulley bearing seized taking the belt with it. $80 out of pocket since my dealer said that I need to bring the deck or mower in per Husqvarna for warranty to apply. Dealer was backed up 3 months or more due to Covid.

My grass grows 6 inches a month. So. 70 hours in I find the mower was delivered without grease on the front spindles ruing both wheels. Ended up buying some generic wheels/tires because dealing with Husqvarna and my dealer was not worth the hassle.

The mower randomly scalps, buries he blades. The anti-scalp wheels do nothing. I bent one blade went the mower just sucked it into the ground. The deck/mower has major design flaws. The front wheels through grass, water and mud all over the two blade pulleys.

The front roller throws the same but onto the 2 idler pulleys. It’s a mess even when the grass is dry which where I live is not very often. My neighbor has a competing brand and the deck pulleys are mounted much farther back and the wheels are not so much in line with the pulleys.

Much better design. I was told before making the purchase that this more 242xd had an automatic limited slip differential. Well, it’s in limited slip mode all the time so it either tears up the grass or pushes the front tires across the lawn when turning.

Will never buy another Husqvarna mower. Poor design, lousy warranty policies and the local dealer is kind of hit or miss.

2020 Husqvarna TS242XD is a smooooth mower. I’ve used it several times now, and attempt to find excuses to go use it more. I will say the 42″ deck is great if you have narrow passages to get from say the front yard to the back yard, as well as rocks and trees are much easier to navigate with the smaller deck.

I noticed right away the 42″ Clear Cut fabricated deck goes WAY WAY higher than any other tractor I’ve owned, and significantly higher than the stamped steel deck tractor sitting next to it on the lot.

It allows you to mow in areas normally reserved for weed wackers, because of the tall clearance you can go right over large rocks. I also tested it in my neighbors very L A R G E yard, wich was very very tall at the time and this thing does not bog down the engine is advertised at 21.

5Hp but I’ve discovered it produces 40ft lbs of torque, so it can throw tall wet grass like its nothing, as well as the deck flows air. It can also be used as a leaf blower by the way! From over 20ft away leaves stand no chance with this wind machine.

NOW! You may be wondering, whats the bad? Give it to me straight your saying. OK fine. The rear diff, spends more time locked than un-locked I’ve found. So you must expect this ahead of time you cant just swing around corners like on your old tractor, this one will just lock the wheels, and begin devouring your soil.

You have to plan for corners and take them gently. wich is a great trade off in my opinion because once you get used to it you’ll see how to avoid doing that, so its not that bad after all and you can climb hills in reverse that most tractors can’t climb going forward with the wind behind them.

If I was to make any suggestion it would be to go back to the C-channel + cross member style frame!!! because this frame is very bendy on un-even ground, you can feel and see the whole tractor flexing, from front to rear.

But again! Not a big deal for me, as I also own an ancient, super HEAVY duty garden tractor from back before safety was invented. And I use that for pulling large objects and ground engaging implements, I understood the TS242XD from day 1 to be a luxury Lawn mowing machine, not a pulling truck.

And it does excellent at mowing, A+++ but I wouldn’t expect to do anything more than towing a light garden cart around, possibly some brush or a small load of fire wood. The frame and K46D transmission are not engineered for more than what I just described.

For a mower/fall clean up machine, I’d 110% recommend, it will last forever in that use-case.

Just turned 50hrs on mower and feel it’s time I can properly evaluate the machine. Pros: 1. )The seat, most comfortable in the industry, and for all those complaining of how rough this tractor rides, remember there’s no suspension on any these tractors, just take some air out of the tires.

20# is too much 2. ) Ease of starting with seperate choke 3. ) Individual pedals for forward & reverse 4. ) Ability to cut in reverse without having to press a button each time 5. ) Eveness of cut 6.

) Locking differential ( takes a little getting use to especially when making tight turns) Cons: 1. ) Lots of grass clippings are blown up onto the deck and on your left foot 2. ) Have to remove the anti scalp wheel in order to install/remove the mulch cover 3.

) Get rid of that oil drain valve and install the proper Kawasaki drain hose. Makes changing oil much easier and cleaner.

JUNK! STAY AWAY! Troy built mowers have given me nothing but problems. Everything about them is cheaply made. The metalwork is thin and rusted in less than a year, it throws the blade belt off every 10 feet and gets stuck, the shifter is hard to move between forward/neutral/reverse, and half the time, the mower will only drive in reverse.

The motor purges a lot and doesn’t run smooth. The tires also go flat after every use, and the wheels they have don’t come off. Beware. These mowers are not good. My next mower purchase will definitely be a John Deere with a hydrostatic transmission.

I purchased this Troy Bilt 42 Pony after 10 years with a Craftsman rider same size engine. There were many things I hard trouble to do with the Pony I could not cut one area that was more bumpy but the Craftsman never gave me trouble.

When driving without the blades running the engine sounds like I am working it hard wining just going forward. After two years and I used ethanol free gas the carburetor appears to have a clog in the screen and I never had an issue of running with my Craftsman.

I would not buy a Troy Bilt again. The oil change was the best thing very easy and user friendly!.

I bought my Troy-Bill Pony T the beginning of growing season in 2015. I’m now finishing my sixth growing season. I have a 1 acre lot, with half of it in grass that needs to be cut once per week in growing season.

So, my mower has been heavily used. So far, it’s performance has been perfect. I had to get a new battery two years ago, and I make sure the air filter is clean. Other than changing the oil and filling the gas tank, I’ve done nothing else to it.

It easily starts every time and is able to handle the toughest grass. The only drawback is that on this model, the blade has to be disengaged when going in reverse. I knew that when I bought it, though, choosing this model to save a little money, so that drawback is on me.

I really like this mower and would recommend it to anyone who wants a steady, dependable, easy to operate riding mower without spending a fortune.

IšverstiShow in original languageMy wife shopped for a smaller mower that she could handle better than my old 42 inch which she found too big. She sat on a bunch of makes and models and the Cub Cadet CC30 worked best of all for her.

No engine up front to obstruct her view while mowing around obstacles, was both slow and fast, easy to steer and easy get in and out of, she could operate all the switches and levers as needed. She liked it.

It was a lot quieter than my old mower, and she could adjust her seat forward for a better fit there too, as she could hardly reach the pedals on my old mower. Came in a big box, read the manual first, this is key as there are some unique assembly aspects to know ahead of time, to make it much easier.

I pulled all the parts out etc, but couldn’t move the mower out of the wooden frame until I read the manual to figure out how the parking brake worked. Once I had installed the steering wheel with the gear shifter shroud, it indicated there that the parking brake was on, and how/where to properly position that lever to release the foot/parking brake.

Then I could easily roll the unit out of the wood frame, as its very light and rolls well. It assembled very easily, if you follow the manual. Worked perfectly, all the parts were there and fit. Notice most of the fasteners are attached to the main unit, and need to be removed to install most of the items.

Read all the notes in the manual as it describes exactly how its goes together. I filled it half full of gas, put on full choke, turn the key and it sparked to life immediately, dropped the throttle back to full power, ran like a top first time.

Nice. Couple of negatives: It has a funny AGM battery with a rectangle block on the end of the positive and negative wires that needs to get installed inside a lead battery post. This was very odd to me, and I had never seen this before.

Took awhile to figure out a trick or 2 to install the wires on the battery. Last the Speed level position indicator position numbers on the steering column shroud are not high lighted, and are difficult to see, especially for older folks, so I had to use a black marker to highlight the top of the plastic impressions to contrast them against the back ground yellow plastic.

Last it would be nice if they included a long lanyard for the key so I don’t loose it in the grass, and a nice Cub Cadet baseball cap to match the mower 🙂 As a small riding mower it has to be one of the better ones we could find.

Works very well as designed for it purpose as a smaller mower with normal small mower limitations.

IšverstiShow in original languageI purchased this product because i am experiencing difficulty with my mobility, and am awaiting surgery on my left hip. I used it only once for approximately 30 minutes to cut my grass.

My lawn is mostly flat but also contains two grades, one is a slight grade/slope, and the other is a greater grade/slope. I only cut the grass on the first grade, and the lawn mower negotiated it okay, however there was some minor traction slippage ie spinning of wheels.

I did not attempt the greater grade. Additionally, it did not perform well on tight turns in cutting close to edges as well as expected. One final and very disappointing point is, that when putting the machine in reverse, it stalled the engine unless the blade rotation was disengaged.

I have not used it since and have resorted to my push lawn mower.

IšverstiShow in original languageI’ve been using this mower for the past 2 years and it served me well, even if it has its limitations. Pros: -Always starts right away. Kept the maintenance up to date and this little guys fires right up.

(Make sure you remove the battery and hook it up to a battery charger during winter to avoid killing your battery). -Turns very easily and has a very good tuning radius. -Center of gravity is low, so you can mow at an angle without too much issues.

Cons: -For me, the fact that the cutting deck is static (does not float or has little wheels on) is a big issue. My land is a bit uneven sometimes, and the fact that the cutting deck doesnt float causes uneven cuts to the lawn (sometime will leave an extra 1-2in of grass or will cut right to the soil).

-Not capable of towing heavier loads. I know these are not made for this but I’ve been using it to tow a small garden trailer, lawn aerator and leaf sweeper. The belt doesnt like this and has started to slip a bit when I tow at higher speeds.

Over and all, its great for small, simple jobs but get something else if you have uneven land or towing needs.

I purchased the mower in July for my 8 acre property. Half my property is semi flat or gentle 5 degree inclines. The mower is great for general cutting on these areas with moderate length grass. Unfortunately it is awful on any type of incline.

The other half of my property is 10 – 15 degree inclines and the mower does not handle these well at all. The wheels do not have solid traction and the lack of power in the mower makes it very difficult to turn out of downhill tight areas.

Further, it seems the mower does not have equal traction on the wheels. When trying to turn on an incline in wet grass, the left wheel will sit while the right wheel spins. I have to twist and backup off the incline or maneuver to get any type of “Posi traction” effect out of the steering Finally, the cuts are not very even.

Setting the deck height to 4″, I find that If the grass gets a little long, over 7″ or so, the blades have a hard time cutting evenly unless I go very very slow. This defeats the purpose of a fast mower.

On reflection, I should have gone with a more commercial grade mower that can handle the terrain. If you live on flat land and cut your grass at least once a week, this is a great mower.

Updated review, I regret buying this mower and the bagger system for it. I knew when I drove it it the parking lot it tracked bad to the left side. Now it will not adjust straight at all. A pully is squeeling loudly already after only 3 months of light use.

The worst part is Tractor Supply did not offer me any kind of help with this mower. They said it’s past 30 days so sorry about your bad luck. How are problems to arrise only after 30 days of use!? Cub Cadet customer solutions told me they could not help me over the phone because I bought the tractor in store?? The mower I bought does not cut grass untill you go over it 2 times? Tried new blades, going really slow and not mowing while the dew is even on the ground still does not cut well at all.

Before buying this I researched heavily about the different brands and which to go with. I wish I would have left without buying this. Trying to run a successful lawn care business is hard when your worrying about when your new mower is going to break down.

I just purchased this mower after trying a friends zt3 and I am very happy with it While this is my first zero turn mower, I’ve owned and operated many mowers from various manufacturers before. I love the look of it and its operation.

The engine starts very easily and the mower makes a clean cut. I only gave this mower 4 stars because it came without the required parts to use the Smartjet deck washing system. The dealer said this omission is new this year Cub Cadet — stop listening to the “bean counters” and listen to your customer service representatives! Saving ten cents (your cost — $$ for us) on this plastic part only serves to alienate your customers! Are you going to exclude the mower blades next year?? My dealer doesn’t stock the part because they never had to order it before.

A very frustrating initial experience!.