Are ZTs typically delivered with over-inflated tires?
 

I just took delivery of a ZT1 50" from Home Depot. They did a good job of assembling the mower in accordance with the manual. But when I checked the rear tire pressure, each was over-inflated to 25 PSI. Is that typical???

Background since I'm new here:
After renting apartments and houses with small yards for the past 30 years due to constant moving around with the military, this past fall, I purchased my final "settling down" house. It has a lawn which needs a riding mower, for which a ZT is the most appropriate machine for the job. While the ZT1 42" is perfectly suitable, I went with the ZT1 50" for its Fab deck, higher HP engine, and wider tires. Also, I purchased from Home Depot only for my military discount. (And yes, I'm aware of the benefits of purchasing from a dealer. Perhaps I'll start another thread on that topic).


Back to the topic (sorry, this turned out to be a narrative):

Honestly, I never checked the tire pressure before test-driving it. The only place that tire pressure is mentioned in either of the manual's Safety, Setup, or Operations chapters is in the "Setting Deck Wheels" step. And that's the only step I skipped while ensuring that Home Depot setup the mower correctly! I skipped it as I want to level the deck first, after which I'll check the height of the deck wheels. Plus, I didn't plan to lower the deck while driving it in the driveway.

So, I skipped that one step. As such, I overlooked checking the tire pressure. Also, the tires just "felt and looked" right for how a tire should feel to me. And yeah, there was a bit of an assumption that since HD got everything else correct with the setup, then the tires ought to be good, also. Though that wasn't an active thought, it's my excuse for why I didn't check the pressure before "taking her out" for the first time.

(By the way, the mower ran and drove like a dream (though the YouTube videos are correct about how loud it is). The ZT steering/maneuvering of course will have its learning curve, but all is exactly what I expected).

Anyway, the next day, before taking it out again around the driveway (I have a good-sized driveway), it occurred to me to check the tire pressure, "just to see how close it was to the requirement".

The first thing I read on the tire's sidewall was a warning to not exceed 35 PSI. "Okay, I said to myself, that seems right".
As such, I was expecting the requirement to be around 30 PSI, or something like that... especially given that's how the tires felt.

But when I found the "Max Inflate to" specification, I had to go get my reading glasses to make sure I was reading it correctly.

"Huh?"
"Ten PSI???? Really"
"Only ten???"

That was my reaction. It was especially so when my pressure gauge showed they were at 25 PSI!!!

So, a quick Google search of proper tire pressure for CC ZT1s (plus almost all zero turns), is that the rear tires are indeed supposed to be at 10 PSI!

Learn sumthin' new everyday.

So then, why did Home Depot deliver the tires at 25 PSI. Is that typical?

Thanks you for your service to us in the military.

Yep, pretty typical. You are ready know how we feel about buying from HD and not a dealer so I will not give you a hard time about that. :biggrin2:

Pretty much, some one at the store put that mower together and was just looking to get it done and done fast. I would question everything and make sure it is done properly. The 25 PSI would have not hurt it any I think. Would have made it ride rough. 10 Psi would make it ride better but you will still feel bumps in my experience with ZTR's.

Yes, they are overinflated before they are loaded into a shipping crate. The Problem is, at least with Cub Cadet, the box store does the set-Up. With John Deere at a box store, a Local dealer does the set-up on a Deere's sold at a box store.

In the 21 years I was In the Army, I was moving a John Deere Garden tractor and an Ingersoll Garden tractor with Tiller, snow thrower and front Blade for the Last 14 years I was In, But we usually rented off Post. In my final Move Back to Illinois, I had to ship 3 Garden tractors, Including Two with Front end Loaders. :ThumbsUp:

Yes, that was my expectation as well, which is why I thoroughly examined the final assembly. Putting aside the tire pressure matter, they did a good job.

Thanks for that opinion. Given how much it was over-inflated, I was worried that the little bit of operating I did with it on the driveway may've increased the potential of a problem with the tire/wheel assembly later on.

Though, the more I think about it, the more I conclude that when on the driveway, an over-inflated tire is exactly what I want to help preserve the transmission. And when on the grass, keeping the tires at the proper PSI will help preserve the grass!

Good to know.
Thanks!

And that's very interesting to know! Still, even with that knowledge, I would've still stuck with the cub, given all the research I've done and my budget.

Those were good years, I bet! (I enjoyed mine, anyway). I spent almost all my years either living on base (small yards, little room to keep such equipment), or renting houses (didn't purchase such equipment due to uncertainly of next assignment), or living in apartments. So, this is my first foray into a riding mowers and other large equipment which a homeowner buys!

I thought of making a separate thread out of this matter, but I'm sure it would be a pretty quick conversation. So, might as well discuss it here for now...

I think I understand the benefits of purchasing from a dealer. And if it wasn't for my military discount at HD, I would have. But it seems to me that many people put a much higher value on those benefits than I would.

Let's see what I think those benefits are:
"When you buy a mower from us, we'll make sure it's assembled correctly and we’ll take care of you when you bring it in for servicing".

Am I missing any other benefit which a dealer provides? (Seriously). If not, then:

Since HD also assembled it correctly (aside from the tire pressure), that particular benefit is a wash.

Thus, the primary benefit of purchasing from a dealer is the "We'll take care of you" benefit. Still, as this is a highly intangible and uncertain benefit, it's really hard to put a monetary value on it.

So, what does it really mean for a dealer to take care of their customers?
- Preferential priority when bringing-in a mower for servicing? Yes.
- Discounts on parts? Perhaps.
- Servicing packages which only come with a purchase from them? Perhaps.

I may be overlooking another benefit. If I am, please let me know as I've never purchased a mower from a dealer. So, if I’m correct above, here's what I’m thinking:

- The warranty on my Cub Cadet is a manufacturer’s warranty, is it not? Thus, if I have an issue during the warranty period, then I should be able to bring the mower (that I purchased from Home Depot) to a local dealer for the warranty work. Or am I sorely mistaken?

I get that the dealer will frown upon it being a HD purchase, and as such, my mower will likely get put at the end of the line. They may prioritize taking time off for a shop picnic over servicing my mower. And they may order any needed parts on a low priority basis, etc, etc. I get all that. But still, the warranty work WILL get done, correct?

With my 10% discount on the $3,599 price, and factoring-in a 9.5% sales tax, I saved $395 by purchasing from Home Depot. For that savings, I can accept having my repair work by the local dealer pushed to the back of their priority list. Especially since I intend on doing all the regular maintenance myself.

The point of this post is to share how I see things, so that I can tap on your experience to help me understand what I may be overlooking! I mean, it’s not like a dealer will purposely do shoddy work just because it’s a Home Depot purchase, right? At least I hope not. :bigthink:

My Army Career by Post: Fort Bragg, Fort Drum, Fort Bragg, Fort Devens, Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Bragg, Fort Drum, Fort Bragg, Fort Drum retired My whole Career was Light Infantry in one form or another. I only Left the US for Operations Urgent Fury , Just Cause, Restore Hope, Uphold Democracy Enduring freedom and was In the Sinai as well I then worked as a Civilian Military advisor for Uncle Sam for another 12 years on and off

The Wife made me put in for retirement when I got selected for Sergeant Major, as She didn't want to move again. She was tired of being a camp follower.:ThumbsUp:

Good points, pretty much covered everything. I agree, most shops will not do a bad job if you did not buy it there. The problem in my experience is if there is a problem, with a covered warranty issue. The hassle factor. No servicing dealers in my area for Cubs anymore so I would probably never buy a new one. I would just buy another old one and work on it. :biggrin2:


An example of what my son just went though with a Whirlpool dryer from Lowes. New dryer delivered November last year. Broke the first week. 2 weeks later the dryer was fixed. Broke again the next day. They said, 3-6 weeks before we can come back. They went to a local appliance dealer in our hometown. Mom and Pop type place. Bought a new dryer and they were talking about the old one. They offered to pick it up and see what was wrong. Picked it up when they brought out the new dryer. Fixed the old Lowes dryer and covered the cost under warranty and took it back to their house. Better chance of getting good service with a local shop/dealer than a big box store.

You are correct On warranty work and your possible Position in Line for service. Some dealers will do that, and some won't put You at the end of the Line. My Local Cub dealer Puts You In Line that he got the Call. But I did buy a Cub Zero turn from him in 2022. This Fall through spring, so far he has worked On 3 Cub Cadets of Mine that he did not sell to me. But I am in no hurry on their repairs.
As I have so Many Machines

I do as Much as I can Myself when You Have as Many machines as I do

Cub Cadet Original

Cub Cadet 60

Cub Cadet 70

Cub Cadet 106

Cub Cadet 1450

Cub Cadet 2182

Cub Cadet 3208

Cub Cadet XT3 GSX

Cub Cadet Z-Force SX54

Ingersoll 3016PS

John Deere 110RF

John Deere 112SF

John Deere 140H3

John Deere GX335

John Deere X748

John Deere Sabre 1542 HS

Simplicity Wonder-Boy

Wheel Horse 416H

White GT2055

John Deere 2025R TLB

My Local Cub dealer I have Know since Before I retired from the Army as they worked on stuff for My parents

The Deere dealer I use, I Know Many that work there Personally Because My Younger Brother worked for them after He got off of the Army. So I cart My John Deere's 60 Miles so only they work On my Deere Machines.

I just think it's better to establish a relationship with a dealer, and the Best way is sometimes to Purchase from said dealer instead of a box store. I know when My Cub or Deere dealer sees me, they probably roll their eyes Because they are Probably saying, What did he bring us now to work on? But they Know I pay my bills with them. And they do go the extra Mile and fix the Old stuff. Find parts that are No Longer available that may be from a boneyard. They don't go; it's No Longer Made, say we can't fix it. :ThumbsUp:

I'd bet most lawn tractors & ztrs out there are running around with over inflated tires.

That's a lot of repeat assignments! If you had known, you could've bought a house in the Fayetteville area and had permanent housing for each assignment. Funny... I was in the Air Force, and Pope was one of the few CONUS bases I never stepped foot on.

The Air Force has a few specialty codes or jobs that require coming "home" to a primary base several times during a career. But for most of us, our jobs take us wherever the mission calls for that specialty. Among my eleven assignments, I had only one repeat: Guam. But that doesn't include four trips to the desert, lasting between four months to a year for each.

Well, that's the age-old conundrum we all encounter throughout life... save a bit of money at the expense of poor service or pay more now for better service. A lot of the decision involves several factors, including one's own capability for self-service, and as you mentioned, whether or not a service shop is within a suitable distance.

I've never really considered any of the big box stores to be a service provider, despite the huge signs as you walk into their stores advertising to the contrary. So, I guess what I'm saying is that if you buy an appliance at Lowes or HD, the month-long wait for repair is the cost for saving the money upfront. Some people decide to purchase knowing that. But I have no desire to ever wait a month, or to repair my own appliance (other than replacing the heating element in my Samsung dryer four times in the past seven years). As such, I would go for the higher-priced appliance just for that added service.

But when it comes to a mower, given that there is a Cub Cadet dealer shop about 15 miles away, and given my inclination to do most of my own maintenance, and given the purchase cost discount, I opted for the big box route.

BUT, the above decision was made based on my assumption that instead of calling Home Depot for any warranty work, I could call the local dealer and schedule the warranty work with them.

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for, and I don't expect to be in a hurry, either. I'm not running as business. And if I ever need my grass cut while the mower is in the shop, I have plenty of neighbors who'll cut my lawn for a six pack.

And you're 100% correct that it's always best to establish a relationship with the local dealer! That's why, should I ever have to, when I bring my mower in, I'll be carrying a case of beer and a dart board with the Home Depot logo on it! :)

BTW, that's a $h!tload of mowers you've got! Is that list over the years, or your current inventory? [/QUOTE]

I bought a House In Elburn, Illinois, In 1983 On 5 acre and it was paid for in 15 years. 4 years before I retired The Last Bragg assignment, I wasn't there very Long I decided to go back to the conventional Army and not stay In special forces any Longer and finish out my career, not that I knew it was going to be over in 4 years at that time.

Once You went to the 10th Mountain Division, you would always return. But I also requested it, I was actually Only In the 82 Airborne at the Beginning of My Career. My follow-on assignments at Bragg were usually for schooling at the JFK Special Warfare Center or Other Units. I didn't want to retire to the Fayetteville area. A 17 acre place we rented several Times In the Fort Drum area was Originally going to be are retirement Home and I was going to sell the Illinois Home and Buy that Place. But my wife By then was a Nurse, she had been a Teacher Prior Had secured a Job as the Nursing administrator for a Psychiatric Unit back around where we live now. I think really she just wanted to be Far away from Family She is Canadian, and Her family lived outside of Ottawa, Canada. less that 2 Hours from Fort Drum:ThumbsUp:

Given that acreage of yours, now I understand your lawn mower fleet!

Yeah, my wife was also in charge when I retired. After dragging her around for 27 years, it was her time to choose where we settled down. Of course, in the geographic center of where all the grandkids live! :)

We Moved In 2016 15 Miles closer to Chicago to the Horse Town of Wayne, IL (barley in Kane County). The Back 1.7 acres of My Property are In the Next county, and I now only have 3.9 acres, But Our Horse Barn is the Tractor Barn I hate it to a Point. We were In Unincorporated Elburn (Kane County) Before. Now I am In an HOA. Though, the HOA is Very Liberal with its rules. It's Just the Principle that it is an HOA. I am actually On the HOA Board. But basically, if the Town is OK with it, the HOA is OK with it. So if You want a House In Purple with Pink Polka dots You can have it.

My Daughter has moved around the Area Now, She was Living In the Boston suburbs as she and her Husband both Taught at Harvard Medical School (but Harvard is a bit too UN-American in their Values for Her and Her Husband) But Now they Both teach at Northwestern Medical School. And Both have established practices around here.

My oldest son Can't stand the East Coast either anymore. But being a federal Judge He can't Just move Jobs, Wants to Get appointed out here, But Indiana is the closest He could get if the POTUS would appoint Him there. But the Current POTUS, I think, likes him where he is at. :ThumbsUp: