20 Best Zero Turn Mower Engine (2023 Updated)

When I got to first turning the blades on, I noticed the belt was extremely jumpy, and after cutting a few swaths, I noticed smoke coming from the deck. Low and behold, one of the tensioner pulleys wasnt turning.

Someone at the factory used the wrong size washer on the top of the pulley and caused it to seize the bearing. This was the only quality issue I found, and after replacing it with a washer I had in the bin, the deck blades spun well, and the belt was smooth.

The mower is absolutely a blast to use. The setup was straightforward, and the controls and maintenance are very intuitive. I had a smile on my face the entire time I mowed my lawn – which used to take 60 minutes on my old lawn tractor, now only takes 15 minutes.

The quality is good, seems like they thought of everything. Except for a fuel gauge. Even my 25-year-old MTD had that. You can mow tall grass at full speed, and the engine doesnt even seem to notice.

The cutting is fantastic (very even). Its not crazy heavy either, so it doesnt put ruts in the lawn. Not sure the deck wash system is very practical, but I tried it anyway. Id recommend this mower to anyone.

Great first-time ztr mower. Its not a Gravely or an Exmark, but its perfect for what I need it for, and I expect it to last well beyond its warranty. Cant go wrong with Husqvarna and Kohler.

We purchased our Z254 in the summer of 2018 and it IS the a work horse. Until recently the only thing that we have had done is routine maintenance thru a local repair shop. Our model has the Brigg and Stratton engine and is running just as strong and reliable as the mower body.

Due to unforeseen circumstances with the repair shop closing and my husband is the only one able to work now. We are forced to do our own maintenance and replace the deck wash port, deck gauge wheels and a front tire/hub and chute.

We hope to find a paint tube to fix a few places that need touched up. These parts just recently has broken or became worn. We would recommend this mower to the world if asked about the durability, ease of use and the flat out quality of this CUT ABOVE any zero turn on the market.

I have worked with a couple of local commercial mowing companies and our Z254 SURPASSES in EVERY aspect to any of the machines they are loyal to. “DECKS DOWN!” I am sorry, I can’t post pictures of the mower.

unfortunately my iPhone has a broken camera. Thank You, for building such a remarkable mower! Have an AMAZING DAY! FYI!, Where it asks: Did you receive an incentive or compensation for this review? It is ONLY showing ;”YES” in the drop down box.

I have not received any incentives or compensation for this review? I came across this review, while researching for replacement parts.

Hillclimber, very stable, the engine is powerful. I’ve owned regular lawn tractors, and when my last one crapped out I decided to look at some zero-turns. I almost didn’t go with a zero-turn because I have very hilly property.

I read several articles comparing reg lawn tractor versus zero-turn and they all recommended lawn tractor over zero-turn for stability. I didn’t find this to be the case. Several spots on my property I’d get an uncomfortable/ queasy feeling with my reg lawn tractor.

Not the case with this mower. I don’t know, low center of gravity, wide wheelbase? Whatever. Comfortable, stable, powerful mower. I would recommend it. I’m only going to give it a 3 star for quality.

It seems to be of high quality but I’ve only run it for about 3 hours. I can’t fairly judge a machine on quality after that short time.

I have been a fan of ariens for many years until now. This machine is poorly designed. The discharge chute is made of rigid plastic and doesn’t raise up when it touches something. It had a Crack in it the first time using it.

After a couple more times chunks were just falling off so u removed it. Whenever you need to change the deck belt, keep a 2 or 3 hour block to do it, you have to take every guard off to do it. It is very frustrating and takes forever compared to a normal 5 minute change for any other machine.

Also the deck belt is 144″ long. I bought the mower at fleet farm and they don’t even carry a belt that big. You can order them online for $100 though. Good luck finding one that big in a store. The front deck roller wheels have fallen off twice now as well.

Buy something else.

I just bought my icon xd52. It’s my first zero turn and I absolutely love it. It’s a lil touchy but I run equipment and I found it to be a very good mower. Cuts really nice with no grass left standing.

This is a big upgrade from a JD L118. My yard is 2 acres and I cut it in 1. 45 my first time with Ariens, Normally it took 2 hrs with ol JD. Very happy with my purchase!.

Overall it’s a great lawn mower that cuts well. Does seem have alot of vibration if throttled all the way up. Only issue I had is a failure to start. I quickly diagnosed it myself quickly. Issue was loose linkage on the e brake.

The adjustment nut backed it self off and wasnt allowing the e brake to fully engage resulting in failure to start. This happened with 9. 6 hours on the mower.

Good: cuts fast. Easily maneuvers on flat ground. Bad: leaves a stripe down one side at times, usually in thicker or taller grass. Oil leaks. Seat slides at times. I’ve come to adjust myself while mowing so I don’t have any real issues other than the oil leak and I’m hoping maybe sharper blades will help with the stripe problem but reading other reviews I’m not going to hold my breath.

I’ve got about 60 hours in on 3 years in Wisconsin. I’ve used many mowers in my life and I probably won’t buy an ariens again. I’ll use it until it dies but will not be back for another. Sucks because they are made in Wisconsin but seems like half of them have issues.

I think it’s a wash between the Kawasaki and Kohler engines personally. I have the Kawasaki and it works good.

I always envied my neighbors mowing with a zero turn. 18 months ago for Christmas we got one. I have loved it from the start to this day. Like many of the people here, I did some research on zero turns and this one is the best bang for your buck.

I mow two acres in fast growing Florida. My new purchase is a head set hearing protection with radio insert. With this baby mowing is not a chore but my own zen moment. I have not hit anything to date thus have no problems with it and give it the loving attention it deserves.

After getting it home I had to make some minor adjustments and retighten some fasteners and put the proper air pressure in all four tires as per manufacture’s recommendations. 1st. cut found the emblem ( Ariens ) from the rear of the machine in the grass, it fell off and would not stick back on? Finished cutting the rest of the lawn with no issues but I noticed it left deep tire depressions in the entire lawn even though it hasn’t rained in several days and the temperatures have been the middle 90’s? Will check with customer service to see if lowering the tire air pressure would help resolve this issue or maybe larger tires.

The only other issue I have is there is a paint chip on the left side of the frame that needs to be touched up. Over all the cut was great, has plenty of power and is very well built! Great Job Ariens!.

IšverstiShow in original languageThe packaging was so sturdy! Had fun taking it apart with my wife, 10-year-old son and a crowbar. It took less than an hour. The crowbar is essential. Ours was like 16 – 18 inches long with flat ends.

I didn’t know anything about riding mowers. It’s difficult to attach one side of the battery because it’s hard to reach. There’s no gas gauge. It comes with practically clear synthetic oil prefilled.

I filled it with premium gas and it starts right up. It’s pretty fast! I like how zero-turn mowers have a wider swath than non-zero turns. It takes much less time than my neighbors. Our 1. 5-acre yard has a steep slope, and it angles too.

It does not handle well at all trying to mow downhill when there’s an angle. But like I said, our yard is steep. If mows fine downhill, as long as there’s not much angle. You must mow uphill if there’s an angle.

We got the light accessory. It wasn’t too difficult to install. The light is always on once you turn the key. The seat is comfortable. Love the 2 drink holders. It’s so cool the way it maneuvers so closely around trees, bushes, and everything else.

We paid for the shipping via truck with a lift ramp. The driver wanted to drop it off way downhill at the start of our driveway. I had to talk him into backing up the steep driveway, which he handled quickly and easily.

It was no problem at all.

IšverstiShow in original languagePurchased this Z254 mower in mid-2019 and this review is based upon two mowing seasons. This is a wonderful machine that will truly cut your mowing time in half. The 24 HP Briggs engine supplies more than adequate power and the 54 inch deck does a beautiful job of mowing even when the grass is too tall or heavy! With a mulching kit, this machine makes fall leaf cleanup a snap! The only problem has been the parking brake adjustment, which is not a limiting factor.

Love the removable foot plate for easy cleaning of the mower deck although the finger notches could be a bit deeper for large hands. Overall, no buyer would be disappointed by purchasing this machine.

After using lawn tractors for many years commercially, the Z254 was my first zero turn and I must say I’ve grown to love it over time. Kohler’s V-Twin motor is super powerful and can handle anything you can throw at it.

The hydrostatic transmission is super smooth and powerful, but can be too powerful and rip up grass if not careful. Everything is fairly easy to replace and maintain. Spark plugs can be a bit challenging due to how tight it is, and the oil changes could be easier but that’s more the design of the engine than Husqvarna.

The deck belt is easy to replace and every greasable part on the mower is very accessible. The cut quality is good, but I’d recommend thicker Amazon high lift blades for better results. The gas tank is more than big enough, but has no gauge, so be careful when you think you’re running low.

Almost 400 hours in a year and a half and it has thrown no issues at me. With ~25 hour oil change intervals, yearly tune ups, and blade swaps every now and then, it will treat you right. If it can stand up commercially, it will have no problem for a normal homeowner.

I was hesitant to make this purchase but when my Husqvarna lawn tractor gave up the ghost after many years of service, I knew that whatever I replaced it with had to be Husqvarna as well. The Husqvarna 0% financing made it affordable for this widow with 3 acres to maintain.

It was a completely new experience and took some practice to learn to handle a zero-turn but it didn’t take long to realize what a well built, easy to use machine this is. It cut my mowing time in half and the lawn looks fantastic.

Yeah, I’m sold on Husqvarna and especially this Z254F.

I picked this mower up because my old Toro(2002) zero turn was going to cost me a fortune to fix. My dad(97) had purchased a Husqvarna RZ46i back in 2014. He was using it to mow 3 acres of grass and was wearing it out.

I bought this Z254F and promptly took it down to his house and traded him for his old Husqvarna. He loves the new machine-faster machine, additional 8″ of cutting width, three blades and a great uplift deck for beautiful lawn cutting.

He also really appreciates the spring assisted deck lift system and the nice cushioned seat gets a 5 star rating with him. So far it has knocked 40 minutes off his cutting time.

So my mower died at the beginning of the season. I looked at several online and compared features and reviews. The reviews seemed pretty good on this unit. Unfortunately TSC did not have one assembled, but it was the las one within a 60mile radius and my grass was literally 12″ tall so I had to buy it sight unseen.

I sure wish I had paid someone to cut my grass that week and did more shopping. Overall this is not a good mower. First off, the most important of any mower is the cut. It just simply does not cut well.

I have winter rye still which is a little harder to get a good cut on, but this mower requires at least 2 passes to make sure the grass is cut. Since I have. 7 acres, that is now 1. 5 acres that I need to cut each week since I have to do it twice.

The seat is very uncomfortable. The high back is nice, but the lumbar is so far back on it that I feel like I am in a hunched position. My back is killing me by the time I’m done cutting. The tires are absolutely horrible.

If there is any kind of moisture on the ground at all they just spin. If there is the slightest of angle of the yard then the rear end wants to slide the hill. Literally, not even enough dew left to clump grass, but it’s enough to make this mower slide on about a 10 degree angle.

It gets stuck super easy if the front wheels roll over a root or anything because the rear tires have no grip. Since it was put together in a few hours by a TSC employee, the handles do not line up. My drive handles have at least 1.

5″ in difference in all positions. Makes it very difficult to track straight. The front wheel hubs are not greaseable. Mine were squeaking day one. It started with one and now both squeak. Not having greaseable hubs means that I need to literally jack the mower up and remove the wheels to grease the front axles rather than just a few squirts of grease on a fitting.

The rear plate might as well be made of paper. I use my ZT to pull small trailers around the yard, and I use it to park my trailers because of the maneuverability. The flimsy rear plate on this thing would never hold any weight so now I have lost another yard tool and will have to figure out that option.

The deck has no mounts to add a striping kit. I like the fact that it’s fabricated deck, but they can’t add either holes or mounts to add a striping kit? There are also no belt covers so I am sure it’s only a matter of time before a stick get ran over and goes directly into the belt and messes something up.

This is all after only owning this unit for 3 weeks. I am sure I will grow to hate it even more over time. Granted I am coming off of a commercial mower, but it’s a 1996 model with a 22hp motor and it will still out perform this mower.

I would consider this a mower for the yuppy in the burbs with an acre completely flat lot that just wants to own a new mower and when he’s talking to his neighbor he can say, “Check out this Bad Boy”.

My yard is by no means complicated, but this mower makes it complicated.

I really like the mower so far, very sturdy quality construction with obvious attention to detail. Bad Boy has established quality and performance. It’s my first zero turn and with the 60″ deck the task of mowing my yard is much faster and quality of cut is best I’ve ever had.

The ability to easily clean and maintain the unit with the flip up floor pan and seat is crucial to me coming from a maintenance background. I chose the Kohler 7000 Pro series motor because I have had good service out of Kohler motors on my wood splitter, generator and Cub Kadet riding mower.

The hydraulic drive units (3100) are technically “commercial grade” and are serviceable with a filter on each drive unit, again important for me and longevity of the mower, I believe in preventative maintenance not “Run to Fail”.

Bad Boy extended the oil drain tube to just below the frame to make it easy to place a drain pan on the floor below the drain tube. The front suspension makes the ride very soft and helps in transition areas (bumps and elevation changes).

The reason for the 4 star rating instead of 5 is due to my discovery that the unit came with wrong size rear tires. The website info and my owners manual on the ZT Elite says I should have 22x11x10 tires but my unit has 22x10x10.

I contacted Bad Boy via web site contact page about 10 days ago and have not heard back yet (gonna try again). They haven’t answered the phone and the contact phone numbers are confusing. Another issue is that the owners manual states to make sure your dealer registers your unit to activate the warranty within 30 days.

Problem is Tractor Supply is evidently not a dealer and does not notify Bad Boy so if I get in touch with them I will ensure “registration”. Kinda not the norm as I’m used to going to the web site and Registering my unit serial number and all pertinent information.

Finally I want to say my local TSC is Great and provided fantastic curbside pickup, they are the “Best”! They had the proper oil and filter for my mowers first 8 hour recommended change.

I bought this for the pricepoint. my mistake. I will try and make this an in depth review; I have a 3. 4 acre lawn. mostly flat with a couple of ditches to mow. this is NOT my first zero turn. I’ve run walker, Exmark and Ferris products; in comparison to a 60” toro this Bad Boy is like riding a brick on wheels.

the seat has poor comfort, when my unit showed up the controls were so out of adjustment that the left side control would run into my body before it would back up. the hydraulics are extremely noisy and inconsistent.

how it acts on one turn will be the different on the next one. the blade balance is off. it vibrates so bad at some points that it makes my hands go numb. it is fairly quiet. it is NOT fuel efficient.

it holds about 6 gallons and it burns almost 2 gallons an hour. It does have good side hill traction. its control station has no adjustability and if you are over 5’7” or have longer arms it will be uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time.

it leaves behind an excellent cut, the overall construction is very tough and some portions of it look like it would be easy to work on, however in my opinion after putting 12 or so hours on mine is that it is NOT worth the money paid for it.

I wish i could have demo’d one before buying in because the machine has left a sour taste.

I bought the mower on 9/8/2021. At first I was excited and nervous because it was my first zero turn. It did take some time getting used to the controls and getting them adjusted. I get better every time I use it and I can’t wait till next year to mow the whole season.

So far it appears to be a solidly built machine, of course I have only used it 3 times this year. Based on my experience with this mower, I would have given it 5 stars but it has one problem that shouldn’t be a problem.

I can’t understand why a company that bases the service of their equipment on hours ran to not have a hour meter. I would have thought that this would be information that was provided to the customer before purchase.

It would have changed my mind I had known this was the case and yes I have had riding mowers before and they had hour meters. So, I only hope that there is not something else that should be on this mower that was not installed.

I hope that Cub Cadet understands by not providing this meter that they should be accountable for any damages that not having this meter causes to the components of the mower in the future. How would Cub Cadet suggest that I keep up with the maintenance of my machine without this hour meter or other form of knowing hours ran There is a question below that asks would I recommend this product to a friend and I will answer yes but I would tell this friend to make sure the one he/she purchases has some form of hour meter of service indicator.

I bought this to replace a 46″ tractor. I have a 1/2 acre to mow with quite a few obstacles and the dealer convinced me to get the Cub Cadet ZT1 42. After I brought it home it was obvious that I had to make some adjustments as the steering was not right, there was heavy vibrations with the mower deck engaged and there was no way to keep track of the engine hours and other small things.

After two day of messing with the steering, I got it to drive straight and turn as it should. I could not get the vibration to stop, purchased and installed an hour meter and read up on everything I needed to know.

I set up my cut height and started to mow. The vibration was very annoying. I adjusted the cut height a couple of times and found the right setting. My yard is uneven and I noticed light scalping here and there, My old tractor didn’t do that.

Needless to say, after cutting my yards once, this is not the right mower for me and my yard. I have too many obsatcles for a zero turn mower. The cut quality was not as good as my 12 year old mower, the vibrations were too bad, and all the adjusting I needed to do to get the steering right was just too much for me.

It is unfortunate, but I could not justify keeping the ZT1 42. I should not have all those issues at that price level. I tried calling Cub Cadet, hanging on the line and getting no response. I just took the ZT1 back.

This mower is a beast. I’ve had it for a few weeks now and I’m very happy. It feels large and powerful while also being agile enough for smaller areas. No one ever complains about the cut they get with a Cub Cadet, but what’s impressive is there is no loss of quality at top speed-HUGE time saver! It also handles some of the hillier parts of my yard with ease.

It has straightforward, easy to use/understand controls and everything just works. And as an added bonus – it’s definitely the coolest looking of all the mowers. For the price I would have loved to have the mulching kit included, but still I’m very pleased with this.

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.

My lawn has quite steep slopes +/- 20% in places and several tricky spots to get around and in and out of. I had used a Snapper ride on for the first two years, it was fine the 1st year but started losing drive and traction in the 2nd year culminating in a rather painful turnover.

So having read up a lot about mowing on hills I decided to purchase a stand on mower with a walk-behind feature. This would have worked fine I am sure but the drive/steering functions are not really meant for your resident weekend warrior.

Fine if you are a commercial guy using it every day it becomes second nature. For me it was like a trial and (mostly) error every time I took the stand on out. Honestly, it scared the you know what out of me every time, it was a heavy machine, 900 lbs or so.

Crazy. Then I happened to read about this Cub Cadet zero turn with a steering wheel. It was the first literature that featured mowing safely up to 20% slopes. So I sold the stand on and purchased the Cub Cadet.

Having used it now more than 10 times, I am totally impressed with this machine. It is powerful, fast and yes it will very safely mow 20% slopes. It is very easy to use and now I actually look forward to mowing my lawn.

Especially because it takes probably half the time as before. Very good clean cut too. Bonus is the CC is so maneuverable that I can now use it to mow a fairly large area that I could not before, which I used a smaller walk behind.

Saves me a lot of sweat and twisted ankles in the hot summertime. Summary: totally 100% satisfied with this mower. It safely, comfortably and efficiently mows hills as advertised. Just a great all round mower.

We’ve had this mower for a little under one year. We have 3 flat acres that we cut regularly and the mower works great. Go extra slow over very tall grass and keep at a higher cut level and it works fine.

We also have 10 hilly acres of pasture. Disappointed here. If the terrain is anything but flat, the mower makes all kinds of noises, rattles, and strains — mower is being driven slowly. We can tell the mower doesn’t like it.

When the mower didn’t start, we had to check that connections were still attached to the battery. The spring broke on the side discharge chute and so the chute fell off. We will need to replace the spring.

The floor mat is not attached and has flown off the mower several times. It has gotten cut up under the blades and we finally took it off completely. Gasoline tank size is fine. We’d like it larger, but have had no major issues with its current size.

It just about holds enough gasoline for our upper 3 acres. Height Adjustment selections are fine. We wish our model had a “wash out” attachment so we could clean under the mower after use. We’ve put SLIME in the tires after they went flat because we had a lot of Mesquite trees with large thorns, and the tires have held up okay since then.

Again, the best thing about this machine has been the seat. After riding other zero-turns, this is the most comfortable, especially if you are cutting multiple acres for hours on end. I would not call it “a beast” like some people do, and wish it would not rattle so much during and after bumpy rides, but overall we are satisfied for now, as the cost of a tractor is out of reach for us at this time.

I bought the Toro 75315 mower the week after Christmas 2021 to save money before the spring price increase so I have only mowed with it once so far. I chose the Toro myride system based on comfort and thus far I’m very pleased with my decision.

The ride comfort is different than any other mower that I looked at. It mows very well and has ample power to keep it from bogging down in high grass. The price was reasonable and in line with similar machines when you added in the $500 extra they wanted for their premium seat upgrade.

On the Toro you rock with the rough terrain instead of being pounded up and down. In my opinion there is no other comparable suspension system in this price range on the market. Having had 2 disc fusion’s in my neck ride comfort is critical and the Toro MyRide system delivers.

Time will tell but as this point I would recommend this mower to anyone and especially to those that need the extra ride comfort this mower delivers. Thanks Toro.

I was wrong. I had a riding mower with a 54″ deck that I absolutely hated doing the yard with. 2 acres of bumpy yard that would have me feeling like I had went a few rounds of body blows, bumped around so much my insides hurt.

It normally took about two hours to cut all the grass because of obstacles, so much turning. Now cutting the grass is a pleasure. 45 minutes and all done. Bumpy yard but not a bumpy ride at all. I feel better after cutting the yard now than I do before.

I know it is a bigger deck, but the riding, no more doing great big circles to get back in the line, just a touch on the lever and all is good. This is a huge investment to someone like me, but the first time I cut the yard with it I knew it was completely worth it.

It’s like finding your yard’s soul mate. If you think this investment is not worth it, I urge you to reconsider. The MyRide feature, I can’t say enough about it. The best way to describe it is to say that after mowing the yard I don’t feel like I’ve been punched in the gut for an hour.

I did on my riding mower, all that twisting and turning and bumping. Thank you Toro for MyRide, you’ve turned my chore into an enjoyable experience, something I can look forward to. Once again I can stand on my deck after cutting the grass and feel good about it.

My yard has never looked better, it doesn’t miss anything. I go over a spot and I know exactly what it will look like after my pass. No more looking back to see if it left a streak of tall grass that needs to be gone back over.

One and done, saving time and sanity. Please do yourself a favor and give this machine a try, it is one decision that I will never regret!.

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!.

Used it about a dozen times so I think I can give it a fair review now. I use it to mow about a one-acre yard on my farm and then I trailer it to mow a one-acre commercial property. It replaced a push mower, so beware I might be more favorable towards it than others might be.

This is my first zero-turn machine so there was a bit of a learning curve to overcome in driving it. I purchased it fully assembled from my local TSC, they did a pretty good job except for not sufficiently tightening some bolts on the steering bars (I should have more thoroughly test drove it before taking it home).

This nearly ended in disaster on the first use when one of bars loosened and I lost control of the machine. Fortunately, I had enough time to collect my senses and kill the motor before too much damage was done.

(Hey engineers at Toro, research the concept of safe-failure before starting your next design. ) Otherwise, I’m happy with the machine and it almost meets all expectations. Easy to start, seems economical on fuel, reasonably comfortable (but it is loud – buy ear protection along with the mower).

Mows close to fences pretty good. What I wished was better: 1) quality of cut – have to drive it slowly to get the best results, 2) ground holding ability – the slightest slope is a challenge, especially for this newbie, 3) the grass clippings chute sticks way out there and is easily snagged on fence posts and trees (needs some kind of mechanism to allow it to deflect?).

This review lost one star because I cannot get its drive motors balanced. One hydro-motor has noticeably less torque than the other and I have to drive with one steering bar offset by about a half inch from the other.

In effect always having to slightly counter-steer to go in a straight line (it was originally pretty bad). This gets irritating after a while. My mower does not have enough range of adjustment to correct this.

I purchased my mower from a local big box store online. The mower was shipped to an auto parts store dealer in my town to be delivered to me. The auto store called me when they received the mower and made arrangements to deliver the mower.

The man delivering the mower got on it and drove it a little bit and then showed me the basics and left. Not ever using a zero turn mower I quickly went through the owner’s manual and then proceeded to pretend to mow with my new mower.

I had a little trouble getting the hang of things because as soon as I brought the handles up to what should have been the neutral position the mower started to move ever so little to the left. Also when I had the mower on a straight stretch it pulled more to the left and I had to pull back on the right lever.

Then when backing up the right side would hardly pull at all it was most the left. Needless to say I was having a terrible time learning to drive my first zero turn. After taking the mower back to the auto parts store and going over the manual myself I was able to adjust the motion going forward so that both sides were pulling the same but then when I had both levers push all the way forward the two levers were off (not equal) by several inches.

I thought surely this cannot be correct on a brand new mower! So I called Toro and they suggested I take it back to the auto parts store which I already had to no avail. So I look around for other Toro dealerships which had a service department.

I found one about 40 miles to west of me. I called Toro again and asked about having the Mower checked out under warranty and the representative told me I could but when I contacted the dealership they told me it would not be covered under warranty that I would have to pay for any adjustments made unless they found a faulty part was the cause of my problem.

I needed my mower setup correctly so I could learn to mow with it so I took it had it adjusted and paid for it out of my pocket. It’s hard for me to believe that Toro is not able to setup these mowers correctly at the factory before they are shipped out.

You should only have to add oil and gas before being able to use your new mower. I feel this is quite an unacceptable practice by Toro and it does not make me look favorable toward their product name.

I purchased the mower about a month and a half ago. I also purchased and installed the recycler kit. The recycler kit was easy to install and all parts fit perfectly. It’s nice not having to worry about grass discharge as I have many mulched planting beds in my yard.

I’ve only mowed with the mower three times. It takes a little time to become accustomed to operating a zero turn mower, but after a few laps around the yard, things become a little more intuitive. I can see that mowing time will be reduced substantially.

I’ve had two problems with the mower. While mowing, the engine sputters and then stalls out. The first two times I used the mower, this problem occurred after approximately 30 minutes of use. The third time, the problem occurred throughout the mow.

After a stall I have to wait a few minutes before restarting, then mow for a short while before the next stall. This is very disappointing for a fairy expensive yard mower. I plan to limp through one more mow this season and take it in for a warranty repair.

The other problem is that the right drive wheel rotates at a faster rate than the left wheel causing me to back off the speed on the right wheel to drive straight. The owner’s manual has instructions for making an adjustment for this situation.

I have not attempted the adjustment and will ask the repair shop to address the issue when they address the stalling issue. If these issues are addressed, I think I will be very pleased with my purchase.

I’ll update my review after a few mows next spring.

Cuts & discharges grass very well! Working good so far 30hrs. Extremely disappointed that it has a Chinese knock off engine. Engine vibrates mid range RPM. Manual poor doesn’t even have a wheel torque or parts display for engine or mower.

Floor pan has very annoying rattle & is slippery after deck wash out. HR meter too small. Hard start cold. Lap levers not even. No headlights.

had mine for two years. it very easy on your hands and arms; well so what ? if you have regular riding mower without power steering you would know what i mean. most riding mowers will turn enough, but the best advantage of zero turn is when you steer it; it’s very easy.

i rarely use zero turn on my lawn because it can tear up the lawn, but i do use zero turn on a hard surface. i learned to turn the mower on the lawn you have to do it slowly, and when you accelerate you also do it slowly.

especially for older people, the zero turn mower is a must have.

My First Zero Turn. This is a Smooth Operating mower with plenty of power. I’m getting a professional looking cut. Now I’m able to cut different patterns which eliminates wear ruts.

I’ve never owned a zero turn and I tend to over-analyze when it comes to these large purchases. So I spent a few months reading reviews, watching YouTube videos, and going around to check out different brands.

I had my heart set on something with a Kawasaki engine but what eventually sold me was the Toro 4 year warranty that covers the engine. Kawasaki configurations require you to go through Kawasaki, and the mower manufacturer covers other things.

All in all that’s what really sold me. One little annoying thing that happened is the oil drain tube broke off when I was trying to do the first oil change. I was not rough with it. I actually gave up a few times and would go back and try again to get it to come off before it finally snapped.

It was seized to the top of the engine cover where it connects. When I called the dealer they knew exactly what happened as if it is a common thing. They gave me a replacement piece that has a screw off cap.

It really needs to be fixed by Toro before it becomes my or your problem. Luckily I’m a mile from my dealer but I would probably have taken a star off if I had to drive a long ways for that.

I just bought the Z 2000 Toro mower which replaces my Toro ZMaster which is 22 years old. It still runs but has been great having an issue with spurting like running out of gas but ran all summer like that.

I’m a mechanic but not sure what is causing problem because it’s a fuel injection engine. Several parts could cause same symptoms. It’s been a great mower so when I found a replacement I bought it. Mine has 1143 hours on it and just last year replaced the first belt on it which wasn’t broke but had some wear.

Bought the mower off a local dealer (Sawkill Power Equipment) and used it the same day. It took me less that an hour to cut my lawn. My older mower would take me a few hours to cut my lawn. I look forward to cutting my lawn now.

The Z246 is easy to use and control. It cuts my lawn fast and better than any other mower. I’m very pleased with it. I will be taking great care of this mower to ensure that it will continue run and preform like it should.

The mower is meant to cut only grass. I walk my yard to remove any rocks, sticks, and other junk that may hurt the mower. That is step one in taking care of any good lawn cut with any mower.

I bought this mower about 4 to 5 years ago and i just dont have to do much of anything to it. The belts dont wear out or the idlers or anything elce it just keeps going. I have changed the oil a couple times and i do grease it often.

I have put new blades on it a couple times. The motor is strong and never fails to start unless the battery fails and that did happen on the third year. Nothing seems to wear out on this 246 z. I have allways had cheaper mowers that you allways have to keep putting new belts and idlers and other things on but not the Husqvarna.

It was the best investment i have ever made and will never return to another brand. I allso have a husqvarna weed trimmer and i have had it 8 years i havg it on the wall every year when im done and pull it off in the summer and fill it with gas and it fires right up and have never worked on it at all.

This is part of the husqvarna review sweepstakes.

I have had this mower for 5 years now so I feel like i am well qualified to write this review given that I have repaired just about every part of this machine other than the engine itself. The size and maneuverability are the features that sold me and the “Reinforced Deck” which as it turns out is one of my biggest complaints.

Sticking just to that topic, the reinforcement steel that is bolted to the bottom of the deck is not designed well and if you hit any obstacles like stumps or roots you will bend the shielding pushing it up into the blades and making the mower unusable.

After tearing the deck off myself several times to replace the piece, I finally just started using a sledgehammer to bend it back into shape each time which is usually 2-3 times each season. Trust me, taking the whole mower deck off is not a simple or easy task for the average homeowner.

To date now I have replaced all 4 pulleys, spindle assemblies, blades, main belt (3 times), shields (twice), and both front swivel wheels replacing them with solid no-flat tires. I do have 3 acres of land that is partially wooded so yes I do have more than just “grass” on my property, but this is why I chose Husqvarna in the first place.

They really should use my machine as a test case to see how these things hold up. the answer isn’t as well as they thought. I would include pictures here but this website says the pictures are too large.

I have lots of documentation.

IšverstiShow in original languageI mowed 2 acres the past 18 years with a 42″ deck lawn tractor. This 50″ deck zero turn significantly reduces my mowing time. This was my first time operating a zero turn, but after the first mow I felt competent with it and now after 5 weeks it is very comfortable to use; I would not go back.

It feels more stable running along the highway on the ditch slope than my old lawn tractor did. The only thing I’m still struggling with is turning on hills without drifting a bit out of place. This deck cuts amazing even at full ground speed (my old lawn tractor would sometimes fold over tall grass without cutting).

I added a direct fit aftermarket hour meter right away; disappointed it wasn’t included but pleased it was so easy. Break in oil change was similarly messy as with my old lawn tractor—the Toro provided drain plug hose works okay, but the filter makes a mess during removal.

Took about 4 weeks for the deck maintenance jack mount bracket to arrive; I installed it this week but still need to purchase the jack. Looking to purchase an Operator-Controlled Discharge Chute; then this mower will do everything I wish of it.

IšverstiShow in original languageMy wife and ai had our toro For about 4 months now. Several mows with it and can say my wife and I absolutely love this mower! It’s consistent cut is accurate in depth and lawn looks level throughout.

We joke who gets too mow because the feel for mowing is unmatched. The controls are tight now jerking or unintended movement throughout the mow is gone! Our cub cadet bounced like a basket ball and my joints hurt after a mow.

The neighbors on each side have said commented how nice our lawn looks! Our terrain is wavy on our 3/4 acre lot. This mower has made it look great. Out old mower would bounce and make a choppy appearance in spots.

Not our toro. It’s smooth the co trails are tight and respond smoothly when we operate the zero turn. It has a solid feel yet comfortable sitting and the position feel is secure like a solid machine.

We had a Cub Cadets for last 15 years the thing both shook like crazy and just never it smooth. We love this TORO it’s for us the only downside not buying our TORO sooner! We now have a smooth running machine now and it’s cut is unmatched! We purchased ours direct from Toro it was delivered to our dealer of choice nearby and they performed a white glove delivery.

Was nice they prepped our machine at their store then delivered it to us a showed us how it operates and it’s features. Was awesome. We recommend this machine!.

Even though the current world situation resulted in a VERY late delivery date (ordered in March in northern Minnesota – plenty of time before we get grass), we got it in late July. Now with the drought, I have only mowed twice, but have PRACTICED a lot.

It is a new experince driving it, but after a few cone bumps (yeah, recommend using a small cone to work around – logs and other solid things you run over are a bit scary at first – and obviously WITHOUT the mower running!), it is an amazing agile machine for cutting around the trees and bird feeders.

One thing to watch for on the 42″ is the fact that the rear wheels will bump over things if you get too good at cutting corners. Don’t know if the wider mower platforms do that too. We went with 42″ to get between some of the obstacles, and it works perfectly.

Easy start and speed control really great allowing full throttle with slower speeds to begin learning. I can control the deck height easily with just the hand control, but my wife is definitely challenged with the weight.

The throttle handles go to a stop position from reverse, but in forward, if you just let go, they maintain speed and heading, so learn to pull back if you get in trouble and throw them into the outward neutral position to stop completely.

Might be nice if you could let go in forward to get out of trouble. If it gets real ugly, stand up. The kill switches work great. One thing that did help was a quote from one of the videos, “Think of it like pushing a shopping cart.

Push on the left side to go right, and push on the right side to go left”. That did help with the learning process.

I purchased my Toro Timecutter 42″ zero turn my ride March 15, 2021. I spent an extensive amount of time researching which mower would get me the most bang for my buck. Trust me when I tell you this mower has exceeded my needs in every category.

The MyRide suspension is no joke, it truly is like your in a floating chair while mowing. The Kohler powered engine provides excellent power. The seat is very comfortable. The controls are simply and easy to use.

I have added the available mulch kit and between the blade tip speed and the two chambers created by the baffles this mower has no problem chewing through even my thick spring grass. The control arms are very responsive and easy to use too.

The speed control lever is great because it doesn’t affect the speed of the engine or the blades. If your a hands on type of person oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, and fuel filter are all easy to access and will make routine maintenance a snap.

Even the grease fittings on the front wheels are easy to access too. Bottom line after comparing this Toro Timecutter to just about every other ZTR in this category out there on the market Toro takes cake.

In my opinion there is no better residential 42″ ZTR out there. I am completely happy with my purchase and look forward to getting many years out of this mower.

I bought my first Timecutter (used) from a friend. Great mower but getting old. I then purchased a new Timecutter 2 years ago as I would not have anything but a Toro! Because these are such great mowers, I believed it would be the last one I ever needed at my 64 years age.

Well. I had my hip and spine replaced so I traded in my 2 year old and got the My Ride! It has been like mowing from a recliner! With the iron forged deck and Kohler motor on my new “recliner”, this old man is the envy of my neighborhood! I strongly recommend the My Ride or any Toro Timecutter! They are the best and the regular maintenance is a breeze!.

I’ve had my RZT SX42 for just over three years and it’s been great for my hilly ½ acre. Very stable and controllable on my steep slopes. There is a lot to like about this mower. However, It is has been at my local Cub dealer for the last month.

It just stopped running and they had to come and get it. Turns out the ignition coils need replaced! That’s rather unusual for any fuel injected engine especially in 3 short years of summer mowing in NW Penna.

To make matters worse, they can’t get the parts for another 5 weeks at best because Cub Cadet can’t supply any! So here I sit with my pricy mower in the shop waiting for pricy parts while I hand cut ½ acre weekly for the rest of the season.

Not happy This type of reliability and support might make you think twice before buying Cub Cadet.

I bought this mower and bagger to not only pick up grass but leaves in the fall as well since we have a lot of trees. My previous 2 Craftsman mowers did a great job with both. Getting a lot of age and in need of several repairs help make my decision to buy a new mower.

The Cub Cadet did an good job in the summer with grass but is near worthless to pick up leaves. So I spent the several hundred dollars to fix the Craftsman so now I have a summer mower and a fall mower to store and maintain.

I you need to pick up leaves too you don’t need to spend over $4000. 00 for this mower.

I just purchased this awesome mower two months ago; along with other fantastic Cub Cadet products. I have used this powerful mower every week; and enjoy it more every time. It is well built with a solid frame deck.

Mine has three mulching blades that do a wonderful job on any lawn. The 0 turn feature, on this easy to operate machine, cuts mowing time, greatly. The adjustable driver’s seat is very comfortable, with armrests, and a beverage holder.

I have also noticed that this mower is very good on gas. I can see many years of satisfaction and enjoyment with this, and all of my other Cub Cadet products.