Buying Advice Ultima ZT2 - anyone have one? Thoughts?

[ljms]

Just an update...I've had this machine for about a year now, I'm at 24 hours and I love it. I changed the oil after the first couple of hours and I blow the deck off after each cut. My battery was dead when I went to start it a few weeks ago but that was because my cheap Harbor Freight trickle charger fried and drained the battery. I bought the mulch kit and now when I get done cutting the grass there is nothing left behind. I'm very satisfied with this purchase.

My son has a ZT series, not sure if it's a 1 or 2, but it's a 54". He just got it last summer (2019) and I used it a lot. It has the triple bag grass catcher and I really liked that. Seems to have plenty of power, maneuverability, and a comfortable ride. The only thing that I found I didn't like was the stiffness of the frame. When he first brought it home and looking at it, seemed to be very heavily constructed. And it is, but it also does not work well on uneven ground. I find that it doesn't float enough and follow the ground contour, so if your ground is not very evenly landscaped, you may not be entirely pleased with the finish cut. That being said, since 1995 I have used a John Deere F710 front mounted mower and it leaves a much nicer looking cut on my lawn. It is getting pretty well beat up. My F710's deck is getting pretty rough and I haven't been able to find a replacement, so change is definetly in our future.My wife really likes the John Deere and it's steering wheel along with the front mounted deck. She hasn't warmed up to the CUb Cadet ZT yet. All of this is my opinion and you may feel different.
LaVern

 

[mikec35]

I haven't noticed any quality of cut issues, although my yard is relatively flat. I can see high speed cutting on uneven ground could cause a possible uneven cut. Tire pressure as well. I did notice that my mower came with some seriously over inflated tires. For my use this machine is awesome.

 

[ljms]

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a great mower with great features. It's just my yard and mowing conditions aren't real flat. I have several drainage swells and that's where the stiffness of the frame and lack of ability to follow the contour really shows up. I don't know if there are any ZTs now that don't have the very stiff, rigid frame. And really when I first saw the mower the frame was something that I really liked because it looks so durable. I also really like the foot operated deck height adjustment. I would probably buy one for myself.
LaVern

 

[FatBoy club cadet ZT2]

I'm thinking of getting a ZT2 for my 1.5 acre yard. I have a lot of trees and obstacles plus some roots on top of the ground (one of them took out my Husqvarna RZ4219 deck with no front rollers.) I also have a ton of leaves that fall late in the year and watching a few videos online it looks like these mowers do a good job of cutting up the leaves. The models seem like heavy duty home owners units. I like the Kawasaki engine, high lift deck, serviceable 2800 trans pumps, larger tires, seat with arm rests, tow hitch, lights... all at about $3600-$3800 depending on whether you get the 50" or 54" deck. Does anyone know of a better deal for the money? Any reasons to steer clear from this model? Any advice appreciated. Thanks

Hi mike I had my new ZT2 54” delivered
Yesterday and after reading all the factory booklets I took it for a quick mow. My last mower was a huskie tractor. Ant the club cuts so much quicker. I have 2.4 acres with about 200 trees it zipped in and out really well the only fault was that I nearly took out the wife’s car getting use to zero turn controls I’m in Australia I paid $8200

 

[bkeller500]

Very interesting thread. I recently went to a local dealer to look at the Cub ZT's and the sales rep quickly steered me over to the Simplicity ZT's that were in the next isle over. He seemed to have more faith in the Simplicity brand. I asked him about the Husqvarna models sitting in the 3rd row and he openly admitted I would not be as pleased with one as a Simplicity. I did get an opportunity to look over the Cub ZT's for a moment while he helped another customer. I was taken back by the use of plastics and light weight build of the CUB's and the decks looked lighter duty. He quickly pulled me back over to the Simplicity line and we narrowed it down to the Simplicity Courier's but I didn't like the way the decks were supported to the frames. It's nice to see a couple positive views on the Cub's here on this thread as I have seen some Negatives views elsewhere. Now we are at the end of the season and the selections are getting thin. I probably should wait until Spring and start my shopping all over again. Unless I stumbled on a great end of season deal. hmmm.