3 yo Cub Cadet RZT 54" - opinions

[masraum]

Many of you know that we are buying a house in a rural setting with nearly 6 acres of land (only about 2 are "lawn" that gets mowed).

The current owners have a 3 year old Cub Cadet Zero turn mower that they were going to keep, but they've decided not to (no place to put it, apparently). They offered it to us for $1500. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, but since the biggest mower I've ever had was a 22" push mower that probably cost $150-250, I don't really know for sure.

This seems like just the thing for the new property and a good deal. It had an "hour meter." Unfortunately, I didn't note what it said. I think it was double digits, maybe 50.1, but I can't remember for sure. It looks like trying to get a comparable Cub Cadet these days would be >$3k. I got it started no problem which is impressive since it was 45º.

This is what I found online for specs.

Cub Cadet RZT L54 FAB (54") 24HP Kohler Zero Turn Mower w/ Fab Deck

24HP/725cc Kohler 7000 Series V-Twin 4-Cycle OHV Engine
Full-pressure lubrication system with full flow filter
Easy-access oil check and fill

Dual Hydro-Gear™ EZT 2200 Hydrostatic Drive System
10cc pumps and wheel motors on each drive wheel

54-Inch, 3-Blade Floating Fabricated Mower Deck
11-gauge, fabricated (welded) steel design
8-position, spring-assisted deck lift (lever operated)
2 adjustable, greaseable gauge wheels
Patented SmartJet™ high-pressure deck wash out system

This is what it looks like (but dirtier)

[john walker's workshop]

Takes some getting used to, but saves time over a regular tractor style. My Hustler Raptor works well.

[mattdavis11]

Ariens or Ferris. Offer $500. Trade it in if you buy it.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

Ariens or Ferris. Offer $500. Trade it in if you buy it.

?? Why would I trade it in?

If I paid $1500, then I decided to buy a new one that was normally $3100, and then they took $500 off of that for one that I'd just paid $1500 for, that seems a bit crazy. It'd be cheaper to just pay for a new one.

[dad911]

I'd buy it. No direct experience, but the price seems right. Low hours, and it will steer like a skid steer, cut down on mowing time.

As I look at it, $1500 would be cheaper than a season of having 6 acres done by a service.......

Next step up IMHO would be a small tractor with a bucket or plow, and cost quite a bit more.

[MBAtarga]

I think you should buy it. I'm not a big fan of zero turns - I've got Zoysia in the front yard that is well manicured so I bought a regular 4 wheel JD from my local dealer. I've got about 2 acres to mow myself.

At worst -you use it one season and you can sell it for $1500 next fall and buy something different if you end up not liking it. I'm told the zero-turns do take some getting used to - otherwise the rear wheels will dig in.

[Scott Douglas]

I'd look at it like this.
It's already on the property, it runs and isn't that old either.
You don't have to go out looking for a mower for at least a season.
Like everyone says, if you don't like it, sell it next year or whenever, but in the mean time you'll be able to mow your yard with very little effort.

[cabmandone]

My take. I'd look for a Hustler Raptor. It's the "residential" line for Hustler and the things are built like a tank. I run an old Hustler Super Z which is the commercial line.

The cubs aren't a bad mower though. My neighbor has one he absolutely stomps the snot out of and it seems to keep running.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by dad911

I'd buy it. No direct experience, but the price seems right. Low hours, and it will steer like a skid steer, cut down on mowing time.

As I look at it, $1500 would be cheaper than a season of having 6 acres done by a service.......

Next step up IMHO would be a small tractor with a bucket or plow, and cost quite a bit more.

My parents had a small JD tractor that looked like a riding mower but had a PTO. When my mom's dad passed away, my parents inherited his JD 770 tractor that had a bunch of attachments. THe current owners have a bigger tractor that including several attachments, auger, shredder, etc.... I don't (yet) see the need for anything like that.

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

I think you should buy it. I'm not a big fan of zero turns - I've got Zoysia in the front yard that is well manicured so I bought a regular 4 wheel JD from my local dealer. I've got about 2 acres to mow myself.

At worst -you use it one season and you can sell it for $1500 next fall and buy something different if you end up not liking it. I'm told the zero-turns do take some getting used to - otherwise the rear wheels will dig in.

Good to know. It'll be fun getting used to it, I think. I like new driving experiences. The "yard" is, I think about 2 acres, but then there's another 1.5-2.5 acres that probably shouldn't be allowed to go wild. So I could at times end up mowing 4-ish acres.

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I'd look at it like this.
It's already on the property, it runs and isn't that old either.
You don't have to go out looking for a mower for at least a season.
Like everyone says, if you don't like it, sell it next year or whenever, but in the mean time you'll be able to mow your yard with very little effort.

Exactly. Our Outback has a tow capacity of 2700#. We'll have a hitch on it after Tue. But I don't want to have to buy a trailer yet if I don't have to, and I'll need to be able to mow, maybe not right away, but certainly in a few months. We'll have enough other stuff to worry about between now and then to not have to worry about that.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by cabmando

My take. I'd look for a Hustler Raptor. It's the "residential" line for Hustler and the things are built like a tank. I run an old Hustler Super Z which is the commercial line.

The cubs aren't a bad mower though. My neighbor has one he absolutely stomps the snot out of and it seems to keep running.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

[RWebb]

[wdfifteen]

Hard to believe any under-100 hour ZTR wouldn't be worth $1500 even an MTD - er, Cub Cadet. The one in the picture has a front mount deck which is desirable but costs more and is more useful than a mid-mount.

[greglepore]

Good deal. The motor is pretty strong if you change oil and filter regularly. For average residential use, its very nice. I have a jd 425 with similar hp and a 48 in deck that i got as the last bargain in our negotiations for the house I'm in, and its been great.

[masraum]

Thanks all. If it does the trick for me for a year or a few, that'll be great. Then I can make a decision on what to do next. I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be $1500 for a mower worth $1000. I took the fact that it started right up today as a good sign too.

[wdfifteen]

I sold this Grasshopper front mount ZTR for $800 in April 2019 with 1500 hrs on it and a bad starter. The guy never heard it run. You'll do fine.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I sold this Grasshopper front mount ZTR for $800 in April 2019 with 1500 hrs on it and a bad starter. The guy never heard it run. You'll do fine.

Wow!

[KFC911]

That sounds perfect for you and it's there. Not a fan of new CCs, but the Kohler and welded deck are pluses. You might find it suits your needs indefinitely or you get a better one (commercial grade) later on if needed .... err ... because you can

I really don't like CC and I'd buy it, use it, sell it

[masraum]

Originally Posted by KC911

That sounds perfect for you and it's there. Not a fan of new CCs, but the Kohler and welded deck are pluses. You might find it suits your needs indefinitely or you get a better one (commercial grade) later on if needed .... err ... because you can

I really don't like CC and I'd buy it, use it, sell it

Nice. I could see getting a small tractor that would enable me to do other things with attachments and a PTO. My mom was thinking "tractor" or old fashioned riding mower and thought I'd be able to tow a small trailer and thought that would be super useful. I know they used to have something like that for their old JD.

The lower and middle left is the yard. The upper and middle-ish left is relatively flat field that could be more yard-like. Now it's mostly where the current owners let their horses roam. Most of the right side is less clear and more contoured due to the ravine drainage.

I could see mowing most of the left side (just >600ft). There are several fences (mostly barbed wire partitioning the property. I suspect we'll eventually be removing at least some of those. There's an area just to the right of the garage that used to be a barn (now a pile of boards) and includes a chute for cattle. I assume we'll be burning most of that. I don't know that it's in good enough shape to be "reclaimed".

[unclebilly]

We have an RST which is your but with a steering wheel. It’s OK. The biggest complaint is the cheapish blade drives on the spindles.

Then again, the only reason we have this issue is when my 10 year old hits rocks with it...

In all, it’s great and faster than our big Kubota with a flail mower for cutting the grass.

[wdfifteen]

Looks great Steve. It' a bit like our new 5 acre place.
When I got it I was planning to put a portion of the two acre pasture that you can see here in orchard and vegetable garden and mow the rest. For the first year I had a 72 finish mower behind by Kubota tractor. I have gradually filled the area with vegetable gardens and wild flower gardens and got rid of the 6 foot mower. I have a 54 inch Grasshopper that does everything I need to do - especially that MrsWD loves driving the mower.



The 2 - 2 1/2 acres of our place was a barren pasture. Brutal to mow. I drug a 6 foor finish mower over it for a year before I blew that off.



We have about a quarter acre of vegetable plots with patches of wildflower gardens dispersed around the pasture. Takes less time to mow and looks a lot better.