# New ridding mower choice?



## Gundog (Apr 17, 2013)

I have been looking at new riding mowers I am going to sell my zero turn and get a garden tractor type. I have been looking hard at the Cub Cadet X2- with the Kohler 7000 24 HP engine and 46" fab deck with bagger attachment. I have also looked at the Husqvarna 42" fab deck with 21 HP Kawasaki engine. I looked at the John Deer but they do not offer any traction control until you get to a price point double the others. Is there something else I should look at?

After running my zero turn for almost 5 years I really don't like it and my wife will not use it she likes to mow also. At this point my zero turn still has enough value to be sold and pay for the garden tractor replacement.

Bagging grass is a big deal to me so I want the one that bags the best and I do not want another power bagger.

I want to add I will only be mowing with this new tractor I have a 33HP Kubota with many attachments.

Thanks Mike


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Heard TORO offers nice rider.


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## willys55 (Oct 13, 2016)

My Toro Groundsmaster was a blast to operate, till the head gasket blew...hope to have it repaired by the end of the month


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## Gundog (Apr 17, 2013)

I decided to go with the Cub Cadet with Fab deck and 24 HP Kohler. I hope it is a good one.

Mike


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Enjoy your new investment Mike.


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## willys55 (Oct 13, 2016)

Enjoy, man


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## Gundog (Apr 17, 2013)

I thought I would report back with my experience. I used the new Cub Cadet yesterday the grass was still a little wet from our recent rain and very long I cut about 3" off. It bagged OK with more than a few plugs but they were easy to clear. In comparison to my Gravely ZT with power bagger it bagged better with a much higher flow to the bag at least that was my impression on the first use. It was much slower than the ZT which is a combination of the grass being long and overdue to cut due to the rain not letting up and if it wasn't Fathers Day I would have gave it another day to dry.

Things I like better about the Lawn Tractor the Kohler engine is easy to start and seems very powerful, it did not tear up the ground even when I felt the differential lock engage on at least 5 or 6 occasions. The bagger seemed to do a better job of getting the grass into the bag even though it was fairly wet. I liked the feel of the Kohler motor and the design of the air cleaner better than the Kawasaki. The Kawasaki allowed a lot of dirt & grass to gather in and around the air filter. The GT tracked much better going down a light slope and turning the same area with the ZT would not track and steer down the slope and miss the cut.

Things I did not like about the lawn tractor it is much lighter weight and the bagger seems a little cheezy and it only has 2 bags. The front end did not steer well it pushed a lot with the front tires skidding and going straight. I believe the steering may be able to be fixed by adding some counter weight to the front end. To be fair I am a big guy (6'-5" 280) so I add a lot of weight to the rear of the machine then when you add some wet grass to the bags that makes the front end light. Going up a slight incline and trying to turn was a no go you could make a slight turn but not take advantage of the tight turning radius of this machine so I did a lot of 3 point turns backing up and taking several stabs to get turned. Turning going down an incline was fine understand when I say incline this is not real steep. Even though it would have been nice to have 3 bags like my old ZT it would make the steering even worse. The ZT came with weights for the front end when adding the bagger I believe the garden tractor should have also came with weights to offset the added weight to the rear. I was also not as comfortable in the seat as I was with the ZT. The seat seems a little flimsy and it just sits atop some springs which helps with the bumps but doesn't give a real good feel when on a slight side slope.

All in all I have not made up my mind completely about whether or not I made the right decision selling the ZT for this GT. I am beginning to have some buyers remorse about my decision.

Things I really dislike about the ZT was when it plugged it was much more difficult to clear and if you did not clear it quick it would burn the belt off the power bagger. I did not like going from the bagger to deck chute that was a pain. I did not like the Kawasaki engine it was fairly hard to start and would flood easy if you did not know the machine well. The air cleaner cover broke right away and it would pack dirt and grass around the air cleaner. If I had kept it I would have added a Donaldson type remote air cleaner with a pre filter. Starting the Kawasaki when cold was put on the choke and full throttle it started fairly easy but when it warmed up it still needed to be choked turn the motor over until it sputtered then take choke off and it would start I did not have a problem doing that but if anyone else tried starting it they would leave it choked until it flooded.

I may add more to this if I think of more.

Mike


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Thanks for the update.


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## Rudedawg (Apr 23, 2016)

The fabricated deck is heavier duty and seams to clog a little more especially when cutting damp/wet grass but only the stamped deck will give that "Cub Cadet Signature Cut." The XT2 probably has the light weight K46 tranny so be cautious on tackling any steep inclines or pulling a lot of weight as it will overheat easily even so with bags full of wet grass.


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