CC30E electric Cub Cadet

[timbmayb]

I couldn't find anyone else on this forum mentioning a Cub Cadet CC30E recharcheable electric mower. One user was asking advice about a CC30H, the gas powered version, but that was all. Anyway, I recently bought a CC30E and the yard hauler which hitches to the back and if anyone is curious about it I'm willing to share my experience.

 

[hhannabass]

Thanks for offering to share your impression of the CC30E. I am curious to learn what you think of the mower.

 

[timbmayb]

Overall, I like it. As with any product there are good and bad things about it, but for me the good outweigh the bad. I won't go on about electric vs gas, I think everyone is well versed in that already, but as a yard machine it works well for me so far.

We have a .7 acre suburban lot which is mostly flat and level. One border of the property is fenced and there are a dozen or so trees and other obstacles. This machine has a 30" cut, a pretty small wheelbase for a rider and a tight turning radius, so it is easier to to get closer to and around objects when mowing than it was with my previous John Deer (which had a larger cutting width). The cut is smooth and level so far and it cuts flat on turns, which the JD did not. It has plenty of power for my lawn and didn't suffer from any noticeable slowing when going up my few hills. It took an hour to mow my lawn and the fully charged battery dropped to 43% in that time. One problem I had with the JD was the front wheels cutting into and sliding on the grass sometimes on tight turns, leaving divots. This machine did not do that, probably because it is so much lighter than the JD so it changes direction much easier.

This machine is very quiet for a mower. The drive for the wheels is virtually silent, and when the mower blade is engaged it sounds like a big fan. I didn't feel the need to wear ear protection when using it.

There are a few places with a berm to mow and a few places where there are 'potholes' where old stumps have rotted away. These places are more problematic for this mower. A short wheelbase along with no suspension makes it easy to be on three wheels on uneven terrain or odd slopes, and sometimes when that happens a rear wheel loses traction and the mower stops moving. But the machine is so light that rocking my body back and forth usually gave me enough traction to recover. And if that doesn't work, just step off it and push it. It's that light. And speaking of light, I'm able to pick it up by the front bumper to get to the blade for removal and cleaning.

Also, I'm 6' tall and put the seat bottom position all of the way back to fit into it. My wife is 5' tall and with the seat positioned all of the way forward it is still a stretch for her to reach the stop and go pedals.
When I bought this machine I also bought the CC yard hauler. I used it to drive around the property and collect rocks for building a small garden wall. I estimate that I had about 200 lbs of rocks in the hauler and it had no trouble pulling them.

So, assets are tight turning radius, quiet operation, light weight, plenty of power, small in size (stores easily in the shed) and really easy to start up and use.
Detriments are rigid suspension, lack of traction control, not good for short people.

One comment about electric vs gas: The mower comes with a charger and good charging instructions, but the instructions for winter storage are not as detailed as I would like them to be. It seems to say that you should not let the battery go dead and should not let the battery freeze, but it doesn't come right out and say that you should leave the charger on the battery all winter. I don't have a garage to store it in, just a backyard shed with no electric outlet, and the battery does not look to be removable. So I think I am going to have to leave a heavy extension cord stretched across the yard to the shed all winter and leave it on charge between seasons. I will try to clear this up with CC before winter.

Attached picture is of the new machine with hauler attached, my wife decided to take a few stuffed animals for a ride.

 

[Jerald's.cub]

I've had mine for two seasons, bought in August 2019. worked great the cut/finish is also great. Low noise and best of all NO GAS in my shed. That being said at the end of July the drive was not engaging after turning it off & on several times I was able to get it to go. I dropped it off at the local Cub Cadet Authorized Service Center and it has been there for two weeks without even being looked at. CAUTION.
Jay from TX

 

[ILENGINE]

Jerald, most lawn mower repair shops are 2-8 weeks behind and no sign of slowing down.

 

[Jerald's.cub]

Thanks. The Cub service center told me they would check it out the following Monday, That's all I was saying. The next closest S.C. is 50 mi. away, so I'll just have to wait. Thanks again for your input.

 

[ModernMode]

My wife and I just bought the 2021 version at Home Depot. Not every Home Depot sells it. Supposed to be delivered Tuesday. The armrests are discontinued for 2021 but the seat still has the mounting holes. Also the owners manual says not to get the mower wet. The electronics are easily damaged by water. Also storing in very cold conditions can damage the battery. We'll be storing it in the basement so no problem. Battery must be taken to a dealer if it has to be replaced. After I start using it I'll come back and review. It's replacing a 20 year old Honda 1011 which was one hell of a good mower.

 

[ModernMode]

My wife hates this mower. We both mow the lawn. The seat adjuster is not intended to be used on a regular basis. So we leave it a little too far away for her and a little too close for me. The steering is very tight which makes it harder to use if you have a lot turns. The blade only has one speed, very fast. If you have taller clumps of grass it tends to blow them over before reaching the blade so they don't get cut. It's loud enough that I still feel the need for hearing protection. It's a shame that Honda no longer makes rear-engine riding mowers.

 

[OzarksKid]

I just bought a cc30e (in August) because my 15 yr old MTD 38" decided to throw tantrums involving the rear drive belt. Fought it for a season (2017), then just parked it and paid to have mowing done. This year I decided I wasn't going to find a mowing person to suit me and ended up getting a mower with no belt problems possible. Figured I could deal with anything else. Bought it thru Home Depot, freight line delivered it in 7 days. Fully assembled. Ready to get charged and used (once I got it out of the box and off the pallet).
Been using it about a month now. Still getting used to the differences, but it seems to do what it's supposed to do. Although Timbmayb says it's lightweight, the manual says it weighs 360 lbs and with my 165 lbs I now have over 500 lbs pressing those little wheels down into the grass. Might just be me but it seems like the wheelbase is shorter and narrower than the MTD. In any case, it rides HARD and feels like it could tip over while mowing lengthwise down the ditchs along the road.

If the yard is smooth, it rides okay. But watch out for mole hills and tunnels! I've been bucked off more horses when I was younger than I care to admit to and even a brahma or two, but while doing my first mowing of the back yard I dang near got bucked off a riding mower! I bounced so high the seat safety switch kicked in and killed the motor. I let the excess air pressure out of the tires (down to 9 lbs front and 10 lbs rear) called for in the manual, but it didn't seem to help much, if any. Just have to slow down on the rough places and also get out the mole traps. It sure needs some kind of a suspension system. As it is and as hard as the ground is right now, if one wheel goes into a hole (stump settling or other) the wheel on the opposite corner can come off the ground.

I have a medium size yard (85' x 217') with a small house and garage, so it doesn't take long to mow. When done I still have about 25% battery showing on the meter.
Overall it's okay, but as a fail-safe, I've sent my old MTD to the repair shop with instuctions to fix it, no matter what the problem is. I sure don't want to go back to paying someone again to do a half*** job of mowing and as noted by others, the good repair shops are booked solid.

 

[FARMABIT]

Overall, I like it. As with any product there are good and bad things about it, but for me the good outweigh the bad. I won't go on about electric vs gas, I think everyone is well versed in that already, but as a yard machine it works well for me so far.

We have a .7 acre suburban lot which is mostly flat and level. One border of the property is fenced and there are a dozen or so trees and other obstacles. This machine has a 30" cut, a pretty small wheelbase for a rider and a tight turning radius, so it is easier to to get closer to and around objects when mowing than it was with my previous John Deer (which had a larger cutting width). The cut is smooth and level so far and it cuts flat on turns, which the JD did not. It has plenty of power for my lawn and didn't suffer from any noticeable slowing when going up my few hills. It took an hour to mow my lawn and the fully charged battery dropped to 43% in that time. One problem I had with the JD was the front wheels cutting into and sliding on the grass sometimes on tight turns, leaving divots. This machine did not do that, probably because it is so much lighter than the JD so it changes direction much easier.

This machine is very quiet for a mower. The drive for the wheels is virtually silent, and when the mower blade is engaged it sounds like a big fan. I didn't feel the need to wear ear protection when using it.

There are a few places with a berm to mow and a few places where there are 'potholes' where old stumps have rotted away. These places are more problematic for this mower. A short wheelbase along with no suspension makes it easy to be on three wheels on uneven terrain or odd slopes, and sometimes when that happens a rear wheel loses traction and the mower stops moving. But the machine is so light that rocking my body back and forth usually gave me enough traction to recover. And if that doesn't work, just step off it and push it. It's that light. And speaking of light, I'm able to pick it up by the front bumper to get to the blade for removal and cleaning.

Also, I'm 6' tall and put the seat bottom position all of the way back to fit into it. My wife is 5' tall and with the seat positioned all of the way forward it is still a stretch for her to reach the stop and go pedals.
When I bought this machine I also bought the CC yard hauler. I used it to drive around the property and collect rocks for building a small garden wall. I estimate that I had about 200 lbs of rocks in the hauler and it had no trouble pulling them.

So, assets are tight turning radius, quiet operation, light weight, plenty of power, small in size (stores easily in the shed) and really easy to start up and use.
Detriments are rigid suspension, lack of traction control, not good for short people.

One comment about electric vs gas: The mower comes with a charger and good charging instructions, but the instructions for winter storage are not as detailed as I would like them to be. It seems to say that you should not let the battery go dead and should not let the battery freeze, but it doesn't come right out and say that you should leave the charger on the battery all winter. I don't have a garage to store it in, just a backyard shed with no electric outlet, and the battery does not look to be removable. So I think I am going to have to leave a heavy extension cord stretched across the yard to the shed all winter and leave it on charge between seasons. I will try to clear this up with CC before winter.

Attached picture is of the new machine with hauler attached, my wife decided to take a few stuffed animals for a ride.

Is there a free wheel setting on the CC30E? How do you push around?