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My Cub Cadet RZT 50 (ZT2200) trannies have failed. I want to upgrade to heavier transmission ZT3100. Will the ZT3100 fit?

I have a 2021 Cub ZT 1 and want to do the same thing. have you got any information.

Most will swap out IF THE AXEL SIZES ARE THE SAME
the bigger diameter axels usually have mounting points spaced further apart
And then there is the other bits in the number what comes after the - describes what types of controls are attached where

Thanks. You are the first person to give me an answer. I know in 2021 the Cub ZT 1 uses a EZT 2200, the ZT 2 uses a ZT 2800 and the ZT 3 uses a ZT 3100. All of those trans have a one inch axle and they all seem to connect to the lap bars the same way. They all use the same frame. I don't want to trade up since I have my ZT 1 the way I want it. I just want to up grade the trans because I'm working at the gross weight for the 2200's.I use this for a lot more than cutting grass,(grade a good size gravel drive, plow snow on the same drive and occasionally to finish grade top soil.
I didn't think Cub Cadet would have three different mounting points on the same frame. Any additional info would be appreciated.
Thanks again

As mention the problem is finding the right configuration.

Several different fan setups.

Some have internal brakes, disc brakes, or cog brakes. The cog brakes comes in several different setups. And they all have different ways of engaging/disengaging the brakes.

Some have control arm setups.

So the simple answer is not a simple answer as there are a lot variables and some will require other parts to be change out. If we had the actual model numbers then we can look up the differences.

Do you need the model numbers of the trans or the zero turns?

StarTech said:

As mention the problem is finding the right configuration.

Several different fan setups.

Some have internal brakes, disc brakes, or cog brakes. The cog brakes comes in several different setups. And they all have different ways of engaging/disengaging the brakes.

Some have control arm setups.

So the simple answer is not a simple answer as there are a lot variables and some will require other parts to be change out. If we had the actual model numbers then we can look up the differences.

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As Star mentioned we need the model number off the bar code decal on the transmission and you need the same thing unless you buy one through Cub Cadet or second hand off an old Cub .
The other way is to get the parts books for both models then check that everything which is attached to the transmission has the same CC part number .
Some may interchange & some may not
Chances are you can swap the two CC trannies but that assumes you are buying one speced to CC requirements
That being said. internally they will be the same so it might just come to your ability to fabricate bits .
Things that can be a disaster are bypass valves ( personal experience on this one ) that become unable to be reached .
Electronic to mechanical brake activation

MisterGus1 said:

Thanks. You are the first person to give me an answer. I know in 2021 the Cub ZT 1 uses a EZT 2200, the ZT 2 uses a ZT 2800 and the ZT 3 uses a ZT 3100. All of those trans have a one inch axle and they all seem to connect to the lap bars the same way. They all use the same frame. I don't want to trade up since I have my ZT 1 the way I want it. I just want to up grade the trans because I'm working at the gross weight for the 2200's.I use this for a lot more than cutting grass,(grade a good size gravel drive, plow snow on the same drive and occasionally to finish grade top soil.
I didn't think Cub Cadet would have three different mounting points on the same frame. Any additional info would be appreciated.
Thanks again

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If you go to a tractor supply store and look at the latest $7,000 Cub cadet I don't even know what it's called ZT3 maybe It has a 3100s already mounted to it It looks to me like those cases will drop right on the older rops rzt 40 thru at least 54 I have the same mower and them sourcing the transmissions right now It's the only real gripe with the whole mower I've ever had that transmissions have been week since the day the mower sat on the ground the first time was a terrible experience that's the only thing that keeps me from using this mower after 45 minutes it's hot enough and it just goes in circles It is a sad situation and anybody or anyone making mowers with cheap transmissions like this ought to be taken out to the wood pile and beat to near death absolutely horrible situation even hustler has done this this is why I don't buy any of these products bad boy all of them have succumbed to making cheap junk but yes you can get the ZT 31 even 3400s could easily fit I'm not sure about what everybody's talking about the fan configurations but they don't change very much All of them I see sit right about in the same place so unless I'm hitting the books and looking for real weird proprietary ZTEs made and built for certain companies I wouldn't think this would be a problem You look at things from the 5400 down to the 3000 series and the cases look almost identical The fans might be a slightly larger diameter possibly but not much think you're talking a few millimeters here at best which would still spin in the same space on the cub what are the Cub fans like 6 in maybe eight and there's room above them so if they were a few millimeters larger diameter they would still spin and pull air from the hole. Most all cubs in this series the brakes the levers and all that connect the same I don't really even care about permanent break I care about going forward and backwards without delaying problems stopping is the least of it.

I don't know if you figured out your hydro problem. The HydroGear website has a lot of info. It would probably make sense to ask them. https://www.hydro-gear.com/

ddbtdd said:

I don't know if you figured out your hydro problem. The HydroGear website has a lot of info. It would probably make sense to ask them. https://www.hydro-gear.com/

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I don't think there's a lot of ass the ZT and XT 2200s are just throwaways well if you're smart they're throwaways and then you do something else like here where the next step would be to go out and buy $6,000 ZT28 to 3400 mower whatever it is there's a whole lot of ways to play the game I'm not really in the business so to speak the hydro gear website didn't really offer a lot in the hydrogear people are dead set against anything because of course they want you to buy a new mower with their transmissions on them but it's all good I think I'm pretty well got it squared away then you should see you can buy these hydro gear transmission sets reasonably and expensively too if you're careful

tombukt2 said:

I don't think there's a lot of ass the ZT and XT 2200s are just throwaways well if you're smart they're throwaways and then you do something else like here where the next step would be to go out and buy $6,000 ZT28 to 3400 mower whatever it is there's a whole lot of ways to play the game I'm not really in the business so to speak the hydro gear website didn't really offer a lot in the hydrogear people are dead set against anything because of course they want you to buy a new mower with their transmissions on them but it's all good I think I'm pretty well got it squared away then you should see you can buy these hydro gear transmission sets reasonably and expensively too if you're careful

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I meant Dad said against upfitting another mower with other than transmission supplied with that said mower and that's just bunk

tombukt2 said:

I don't think there's a lot of ass the ZT and XT 2200s are just throwaways well if you're smart they're throwaways and then you do something else like here where the next step would be to go out and buy $6,000 ZT28 to 3400 mower whatever it is there's a whole lot of ways to play the game I'm not really in the business so to speak the hydro gear website didn't really offer a lot in the hydrogear people are dead set against anything because of course they want you to buy a new mower with their transmissions on them but it's all good I think I'm pretty well got it squared away then you should see you can buy these hydro gear transmission sets reasonably and expensively too if you're careful

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3100 is the low end of Hydrogear's Commercial grade. Numbers lower than that and they are residential grade.
My Snapper Pro has 5400's, which I think are their top end. It is a beast but pretty much overbuilt.

To me it looks like the two and three series 2200 $2,800 which was a little more of a heavier duty throw away and then the 3000 which starts you into filters I don't know where you get into reservoirs and pumps external or otherwise I've seen an apex 60 Arians thingy over there at Lowe's It has reservoirs for the pumps how many of this fluid gets cooled off during use I have no idea The reservoir is not enough to really discuss about a cup of coffee size what I notice happening in my 2200 series is things get warm and then they don't turn and it's one side or the other usually and then you make us going in circles leave it off for an hour come back and you can load it on the trailer make a few more cuts before it gets too hot and leave with it but it is inconvenient I've played with different mixtures of 20w50 all kinds of nonsense blue hydraulic oil from driving etc none of it makes any difference none of it will keep the heat away on a 95° summer day and that's what seems to make the fastest of the slippage happening. Here in North Carolina there are ZT and XT or whatever 2200 series things broke down all over the place The whole mower works and runs perfectly It just goes in circles or goes nowhere $1,700 to straighten out You might as well spend that $1,700 on axles and transmissions that have a chance to be honest with you it looks like I could take 3400 systems and set them right under my Cub cadet RZTL and have a hell of a setup It looks like all of the connections to my controls are close enough to identical or the parts from my $2,200 will flop over to connect up to my helicopter handles or whatever you're calling these these days The funny thing on the flip side is is my Cub cadet LTX 1050 with a 54-in Fab deck You can't stop it It's a 2009 model and it looks brand new still today I use it year round to move carts of wood to my cabins from the wood pile so it's being used all winter and summer and never missed a beat but yet it's little cousin my 2011 RZT 54 6 months in and it was sitting in the carport forever It looks brand new with that mower I have an hour and a half to cut and then it sits an hour or so before I can load it on the trailer really sucks. Other than that I will cut with the skags and all of that seriously it's a good cutting mower and lightweight well you can pick up the front of this thing with one hand almost.

Hello, just saw this discussion and I'm wondering if anyone has had any success swapping the Hydro Gear ZT 2200 to something stronger or at least with a external filter that allows draining and changing fluid w/o removing transmission just to swap out some of the dirty oil? I like my Cub Cadet Z force S but this transmission service is crazy. Thanks, Mike

Well you would definite go slower. really depends if you DD axles or not.


only the ZJ goes a little faster than the DD axle version of the ZT2200. Now larger diameter wheel can offset this.

Brkdrvr said:

Hello, just saw this discussion and I'm wondering if anyone has had any success swapping the Hydro Gear ZT 2200 to something stronger or at least with a external filter that allows draining and changing fluid w/o removing transmission just to swap out some of the dirty oil? I like my Cub Cadet Z force S but this transmission service is crazy. Thanks, Mike

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By sitting in the parking lot and measuring on the latest $7,000 Cub cadet I don't know what it's called It's a yellow thing with the rollover bar 24 and horsepower Kohler engine ZT3100s a 60-in deck etc by measuring It looks like if I got the whole rack out of the back with the rods that go between the transmissions all of it I could roll that out and roll it under my RZT54 and I believe the mounts and everything will line up I'm not sure about the connections to the handles and the brakes I don't know what DD axles are I know that on the mower I'm looking at at tractor supply it has five lug wheels and tires mine is four lug there are four lug axle slide over thingies or whatever you call them that have the four lug on them that you can get from hydro gear The ZT 22 00s are thicker side to side then the 31 34s or any of those so when you hang these from the top mounts looks like the fans and everything will line up but the bar is going across between the transmissions will be longer The one on mine between the 2200s I think is 14 in and you'll need 16 between the 3100s and probably the same for the 3400s other than that I don't know how the handles and the brakes will connect but it looks like they're very similar I don't know all the terminology but I have the pictures and it looks like if I could find a damaged in transit this model that I'm looking at at tractor supply ZT1 or something like that it's called looks like it could work I hate to go back to the 2200 it's impossible to change the fluid and do any work on the things it's just ridiculous like taking the engine out of the car to replace a spark plug

Try having to remove an engine on a JD 652R just so you can adjust the valves. I got in the shop now you have to pull the engine so can the muffler off to get the rocker covers off. NO wonder they were never adjusted so one the push rods came off destroying the head.

Your best bet is to talk to the experts, Mulligans .
I have found them to be very honest and very helpful
They will tell you what units are drop in replacements which they usually sell at the best prices I have seen on the web
They will also sell you rebuild kits
and on a good day they will tell you how to modify or repair your transmission .
Most transmissions have common mounting holes according to their category
Low end ones have the bolts on a smaller base circle and high end ones have them on a larger base circle
You can fit any transmission into any mower it just depends how much fitting you are capable of doing .
The other thing to be weary of is the power drain , hydros gobble up power so you can end up in the situation where the hydro is fine but the engine can not produce enough power to run both the drives and the blades

Brkdrvr said:

Hello, just saw this discussion and I'm wondering if anyone has had any success swapping the Hydro Gear ZT 2200 to something stronger or at least with a external filter that allows draining and changing fluid w/o removing transmission just to swap out some of the dirty oil? I like my Cub Cadet Z force S but this transmission service is crazy. Thanks, Mike

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By sitting in the parking lot and measuring on the latest $7,000 Cub cadet I don't know what it's called It's a yellow thing with the rollover bar 24 and horsepower Kohler engine ZT3100s a 60-in deck etc by measuring It looks like if I got the whole rack out of the back with the rods that go between the transmissions all of it I could roll that out and roll it under my RZT54 and I believe the mounts and everything will line up I'm not sure about the connections to the handles and the brakes I don't know what DD axles are I know that on the mower I'm looking at at tractor supply it has five lug wheels and tires mine is four lug there are four lug axle slide over thingies or whatever you call them that have the four lug on them that you can get from hydro gear The ZT 22 00s are thicker side to side then the 31 34s or any of those so when you hang these from the top mounts looks like the fans and everything will line up but the bar is going across between the transmissions will be longer The one on mine between the 2200s I think is 14 in and you'll need 16 between the 3100s and probably the same for the 3400s other than that I don't know how the handles and the brakes will connect but it looks like they're very similar I don't know all the terminology but I have the pictures and it looks like if I could find a damaged in transit

bertsmobile1 said:

Your best bet is to talk to the experts, Mulligans .
I have found them to be very honest and very helpful
They will tell you what units are drop in replacements which they usually sell at the best prices I have seen on the web
They will also sell you rebuild kits
and on a good day they will tell you how to modify or repair your transmission .
Most transmissions have common mounting holes according to their category
Low end ones have the bolts on a smaller base circle and high end ones have them on a larger base circle
You can fit any transmission into any mower it just depends how much fitting you are capable of doing .
The other thing to be weary of is the power drain , hydros gobble up power so you can end up in the situation where the hydro is fine but the engine can not produce enough power to run both the drives and the blades

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The Cub cadets I am working on also came in versions called a tank which is essentially my short wheelbase frame with 24-in tires up to 27 horsepower engines and either the BDP type transmission or I think these were in the ZT 2800 range at the time so all the mount points and whatnot are pretty much there It seems like by my pictures of units that I've photographed and it's all MTD stuff so should be pretty easily doable without too much hoo-ha

Well lots of good info. I have emails Hydro Gear and Mulligans, hoping for a simple solution. I like my current Cub Cadet but its sounding like I really need to start looking for a decent used heavier duty newer model. I really like the steering wheel as it works great on our long swale, and the fabricated deck has held up under my abuse and the frame and from caster set up seems very sturdy. It sounds like heavier grade transmissions will draw more power and potentially run slower. I planned to upgrade motor a few HP when a repower is eventually needed but that's way off. Really sounding like a bit heavier duty machine with a steering wheel, 23 -27 HP motor, 50" - 60' fabricated deck and serviceable transmissions might be cheaper and easier. I like my current machine but the idea of being any slower or not having enough power at the PTO is concerning. Thanks for the input. I will keep looking for a trans upgrade but keep my out on facebook for options.

Brkdrvr said:

Well lots of good info. I have emails Hydro Gear and Mulligans, hoping for a simple solution. I like my current Cub Cadet but its sounding like I really need to start looking for a decent used heavier duty newer model. I really like the steering wheel as it works great on our long swale, and the fabricated deck has held up under my abuse and the frame and from caster set up seems very sturdy. It sounds like heavier grade transmissions will draw more power and potentially run slower. I planned to upgrade motor a few HP when a repower is eventually needed but that's way off. Really sounding like a bit heavier duty machine with a steering wheel, 23 -27 HP motor, 50" - 60' fabricated deck and serviceable transmissions might be cheaper and easier. I like my current machine but the idea of being any slower or not having enough power at the PTO is concerning. Thanks for the input. I will keep looking for a trans upgrade but keep my out on facebook for options.

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My Cub already has kw 23 HP astounding engine my RZTL 09 has the good frame and casters fab deck similar to ariens apex just with shiet hydros . Cub makes what I want and mostly own . I just need the real transmission. I like the idea of my 395 lb mower The minute I look at the next step up It's a thousand pounds 995 975 I don't relish having to haul around a thousand pound lawn mower to cut freaking grass That's just beyond my understanding I don't care how heavy duty it is I'm not earth moving I don't have a bucket I'm just cutting the grass and I mean grass not even weeds so to imagine that I need to go to it something with ZT5400s a thousand plus pounds 60 in deck etc no I don't want to go over 54 I wanted to fit on my existing trailer That's all set up for my stuff not looking to buy a new trailer to haul a double the weight mower around because that's what everybody else has that's their problem

tombukt2 said:

My Cub already has kw 23 HP astounding engine my RZTL 09 has the good frame and casters fab deck similar to ariens apex just with shiet hydros . Cub makes what I want and mostly own . I just need the real transmission. I like the idea of my 395 lb mower The minute I look at the next step up It's a thousand pounds 995 975 I don't relish having to haul around a thousand pound lawn mower to cut freaking grass That's just beyond my understanding I don't care how heavy duty it is I'm not earth moving I don't have a bucket I'm just cutting the grass and I mean grass not even weeds so to imagine that I need to go to it something with ZT5400s a thousand plus pounds 60 in deck etc no I don't want to go over 54 I wanted to fit on my existing trailer That's all set up for my stuff not looking to buy a new trailer to haul a double the weight mower around because that's what everybody else has that's their problem

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7 years ago got my Z force S 48" w/Kohler 22 used in great condition w/low hours and really like it. Over the years I've felt it's a little underpowered and tad slower than I'd like but does great on the >2 acres I cut now. I notice with fresh tune and blades cutting at full throttle it's a tad slow and boggs and or leaves grass uneven if it's a little overgrown. I'm selling and moving down the street to next home with just under 3 acres. i don't really need 60" deck but would like something a little bigger and 1or 2mph faster with a little more power. 54" - 60" fabricated deck with 25-27 HP sounds really good. The trailering size & weight is no issue I have trailers capable & I've never trailered my current mower since I got it home. The weight is another story I would prefer under 500 -700 but I like the fabricated deck & I'm really interested in serviceable transmission and a bit more HP if the price is right. I was just hoping the the transmissions would be an easy upgrade (maybe even salvaging used units) and thought I could swap transmissions and then source a bigger engine in a few years I am ok with a bigger Kohler but would like a Kawasaki or Honda. As I look at the steering?drive linkages and all to safety switches I am more and more inclined to upgrade machines, Ive done my share of fabrication and worked on/repaired my share of franken machines and sometimes its nice to just use the factory service manuals and order stock parts I guess I'm getting old.