ZT1 50 issues
 

I know this is my first post, however, I’m having issues with the quality of the cut of my ZT1 50. I purchased this mower early July or Late June of this year (2020). Mower now has 13 hours on it. My issue isn’t really how the mower mows, but rather the huge windrow that the mower leaves. I’m attaching photos of my last time cutting. This was 6 days from the previous cut. I also cut the entire yard twice and the worst of it 3 and 4 times.

I purchased this mower from a local dealer. Not a big box store. I’ve spoken with the dealer multiple times whom states they have never had an issue. The first time, they gave me new blades to try on the mower which did not help. The second time, I left the mower with them. They stated they couldn’t find anything wrong, though they suggested I try a mulching kit. Well... the reviews on the mulching kit from Cub Cadet are dismal. I went ahead and let them order it, though I haven’t received it in 3 weeks. This might help, though I doubt it. It also appears as though it takes tools to remove which isn’t good as I also have a 1/2 acre field that I mow once a month.

I can’t be the only one with issues. Please give me suggestions.

It may just be the pictures, but that grass looks thick and wet. Wet grass doesn't spread to well. I looked at some pictures of ZT150's and it looks like the deflector is pretty low. I would try blocking it up a little to make it easier for the mower to fling the clippings over a larger area. Be careful if you do this because it will also fling anything you hit farther and could hurt somebody or something.

Just curious.... What was like before you got the ZT1? And what were you using?

This particular time, the grass wasn’t completely dry. We had a light rain 2 days before. I live in a humid area which means the grass is seldom completely dry. I mow in the late afternoon and evening trying to allow the sun to dry the dew as much as possible. I’ve been getting identical results every week for the past two months.

I don’t know. I bought the ZT1 a few days after buying the house. However, I’m watching my neighbors whom are using zero turns and 1 lawn tractor mow. There are only 4 houses all with the same builder and I believe all of us have the same yard. I’m not seeing the same results.

1. Uses a JD zero turn weekly. Yard looks great.
2. Hires a lawn service. They use 1 JD zero turn and 1 JD lawn tractor. They mow it every 2 weeks. Yard looks much better than mine with no windrow.
3. Uses a JD lawn tractor weekly. Yard looks fine.
4. This guy lives about 1/2 mile off our road, but mows an easement which is his driveway with a Ferris mower about every 3 weeks. I’ll admit it looks kind of crappy, but I think it is because he doesn’t mow often enough.
5. Me and my ZT1 50.

My previous zero turn mowers that were used in similar environments were a Gravely and a Bad Boy. I didn’t have issues with windrows with either of these mowers.

I would suggest stopping by the neighbors and comparing the discharge on the JD to yours. I think your deflector is causing a tight spot in the discharge causing the grass to clump instead of being thrown evenly. If that's the case then you can decide if you want to modify it to work better. Your decision. Good luck.

How low are you cutting? Too low may be an issue. I'm running older Cadets and I will admit I have worse residue management issues than my neighbors running real Deere's (not the box store kind). By the way, the last month we have had to go to mowing about every 5 days. Pretty humid here lately.

I typically cut at 2.5 inches. I’ve tried higher and lower.

are you cutting grass with the throttle in "fast" position? the Manual states to mow wide open throttle. I have a few mowers with formed decks and few with fabricated decks. My experience is fabricated decks need to be cleaned more often in order to not discharge in clumps. I also experience very poor discharge performance with the chute up or down once the grass is built up under the deck

Yes, full throttle. The deck has been cleaned 3 times. Once at 5 hours. I changed the oil and replaced blades. Second time, the dealer cleaned the deck when trying to find an issue. Third time was last week when installing the mulching kit. By the way, who makes a mulching kit out of plastic for a fabricated deck?