I decided to buy a zero turn mower and purchased a Kubota ZD1011. 54" cut with 3 cylinder diesel. I haven't seen much about mowers here. I was wondering if anyone was running the zero turn diesels. I have not received the mower yet. I read a bit online and found some negative comments on the Kubota mowers. I'm hoping my experience will be good, but I won't know until I use the mower. I was hoping to get anyone else's experience with them.
Anyone running Kubota zero turn diesels?
- Thread starter Nicfin36
- Start date
I have a 2010 ZD326-60P since new. Do your maintenance and it will probably run forever!
Around my neck of the woods all the commercial guys use Kubota ZTRs.
My likes:
1. built like a tank
2. Good fuel economy
3. Crazy fast
4. Lots of power
My only complaints are
1. the scalp wheels use plastic bearings which wear out way too fast
2. OEM mechanical suspension seat - I replaced mine with a Grammar air suspension base
3. Duel tanks but only 1 gauge and 1 low fuel level indicator. Come on Kubota for what you charge for these things install two fuel gauges.
4. turf tires - I finally replaced mine with bar tires and happy I did.
5. Some sharp metal edges under the seat when trying to grease the PTO shaft
Around my neck of the woods all the commercial guys use Kubota ZTRs.
My likes:
1. built like a tank
2. Good fuel economy
3. Crazy fast
4. Lots of power
My only complaints are
1. the scalp wheels use plastic bearings which wear out way too fast
2. OEM mechanical suspension seat - I replaced mine with a Grammar air suspension base
3. Duel tanks but only 1 gauge and 1 low fuel level indicator. Come on Kubota for what you charge for these things install two fuel gauges.
4. turf tires - I finally replaced mine with bar tires and happy I did.
5. Some sharp metal edges under the seat when trying to grease the PTO shaft
That's good to hear. I look forward to trying mine. I am hoping it greatly reduces my mowing time.
Interesting about the bar tires. I won't be mowing on many serious lopes, except for along the dreaded ditch by the main road.
Thanks.
Interesting about the bar tires. I won't be mowing on many serious lopes, except for along the dreaded ditch by the main road.
Thanks.
Digger Dager
Member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
M59 TLB, B3200 w/front snow blower, 3 @ ZD326 62" rear discharge mowers
Nicfin36
I work for a 30+ acre traditional cemetery in northeast Indiana (that means thousands of monuments and markers that sit above ground). We now have 3 Kubota ZD326RP-60R mowers for our mowing needs. The last R in the model number stands for rear discharge.
Bought the first one in June 2011, and is now pushing 2,400 hrs. As Mikester mentioned, do the maintenance according to the schedule, and you should be good for many years of trouble free operation.
We test drove the Bad Boy, Grasshopper and Dixie Chopper before settling on the Kubota. The front axle on the Bad Boy and Dixie Chopper doesn't move or pivot, causing a rear drive wheel to loose traction, or come completely off the ground. The Grasshopper was 4" to long to make the turns at the end of the dead-end rows (no pun intended) of stones.
Given the chance to buy any ZTR on the market, I would buy another Kubota ZD mower, probably a ZD 1200 series, so we don't have to deal with the Tier 4 emissions. We will keep watch on the new designs to see how they compare.
Good luck to you on your new purchase, and let us know how the unit works for you.
Digger
I work for a 30+ acre traditional cemetery in northeast Indiana (that means thousands of monuments and markers that sit above ground). We now have 3 Kubota ZD326RP-60R mowers for our mowing needs. The last R in the model number stands for rear discharge.
Bought the first one in June 2011, and is now pushing 2,400 hrs. As Mikester mentioned, do the maintenance according to the schedule, and you should be good for many years of trouble free operation.
We test drove the Bad Boy, Grasshopper and Dixie Chopper before settling on the Kubota. The front axle on the Bad Boy and Dixie Chopper doesn't move or pivot, causing a rear drive wheel to loose traction, or come completely off the ground. The Grasshopper was 4" to long to make the turns at the end of the dead-end rows (no pun intended) of stones.
Given the chance to buy any ZTR on the market, I would buy another Kubota ZD mower, probably a ZD 1200 series, so we don't have to deal with the Tier 4 emissions. We will keep watch on the new designs to see how they compare.
Good luck to you on your new purchase, and let us know how the unit works for you.
Digger
freewheel3
Active member
Equipment
MX5000DT LA852, BX1800D, B6000DT, B6200HSTD, B7100HSTD, L185, T1700HX, ZD1211
Don't the dual fuel tanks have an equalizing line connecting them together? My ZD1211 does, so only need one fuel gauge.
Good to hear the positive experiences with the diesels. I was becoming a bit apprehensive on the purchase as I have read some people upset with issues like overheating. I know there are many variables that cause people to view their experiences differently.
I am the mechanic for a county parks and recreation dept. We have a zd331 72”, 2 F3680 72” and 2 F2690 72”. All have been very reliable. Even with a different operator almost daily. Change fluids once a year and keep blades sharp, should serve you well.
We have a ZD 1211 and are very impressed will it's ruggedness. I do wish they make rear tires with bars for added traction. We have some steep hills around here.
We do appreciate the pivoting front axle and the 3 cylinder engine is "bullet proof".
My wife loves the 1211 so much she has been mowing our lawn twice a week now!
We do appreciate the pivoting front axle and the 3 cylinder engine is "bullet proof".
My wife loves the 1211 so much she has been mowing our lawn twice a week now!
I put some photos on my blog you can check out the bar tires I used.
As far as maintenance goes I get a lot of grass clippings build up on the mower deck under the safety covers and it compacts around the pulleys and belt. I clean the top of my deck with a shop vac after every refuel (about 10-12 hours operation) and grease everything. If you cut your grass regularly ie. weekly and avoid cutting wet grass you get less build up under the deck. If you keep your underside deck clean and blades sharp you can cut at full tilt no problem. When I start getting stripes of uncut grass I know it's time to scrape the deck.
Some of the older pre 2008 models had issues with overheating and HST. (aka avoid the ZD321)
As far as I know all I have is one lever that I can select either LH, RH or OFF...a fourth mode would have been nice! The tanks are independent on my machine. I run the indicated tank empty, flip the lever, then rely on the gauge.
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Mikester,
The bar tires on your machine look like a good option down the road. I am hoping I do not need them as there are few slopes on my property. Good to hear it was older models that had the overheating problems.
The salesman called me today and said he would bring it to me Monday evening. (Today being Saturday) Hopefully, all will go well. I opted to purchase the lift kit, which does not come standard on the ZD1011. He is waiting on the lift kit to arrive and is going to go ahead and deliver the mower. Hopefully, I can install it later with little problem.
The bar tires on your machine look like a good option down the road. I am hoping I do not need them as there are few slopes on my property. Good to hear it was older models that had the overheating problems.
This was a topic I was going to ask about and you beat me to it. On my current mower, I removed the protective covers years ago due to the amount of material packing around the pulleys. Assuming my ZD1011 deck design and layout is similar to your machine, would there be any functionality issues on running without the safety covers? With my old mower, there is a chance for one pulley to hit the mower floor plate if the deck is pushed up hard enough. I would not want that to happen on this mower.
The salesman called me today and said he would bring it to me Monday evening. (Today being Saturday) Hopefully, all will go well. I opted to purchase the lift kit, which does not come standard on the ZD1011. He is waiting on the lift kit to arrive and is going to go ahead and deliver the mower. Hopefully, I can install it later with little problem.
I wouldn’t recommend running the mower without the safety covers. There is no way the pullies will hit the mower frame. Another problem running with the safety covers off is getting stuff like branches, feet and arms into your pulley system...bad news because it operates at high speed.
I‘ve been tempted to cut the side chute back to let me get closer to obstacles on the RHS but I find the chute blows the swarf away better. Without the chute you tend to eat more grass clippings.
I’d simply recommend that every time you fill the tank, get out the shop vac and clean off the deck in around the pullies And your radiator screens, then grease everything. Don’t be tempted to use a pressure washer as it will turn the dust and clippings into cement.
Happy mowing!
OK, I will leave them on. I use an air compressor to keep the mower I use now clean. I do it every time I finish cutting. It really gets packed around the deck, just after one mowing session.
Thanks.
Thanks.
The mower was dropped off yesterday evening. I had a little time to mow with it. I was rather disappointed as the cut quality was just awful. Each row was uneven. The front was set to articulate and I set it to the locked position. The cut did not change. It was almost dark and I parked it. But, before then, I was thinking it might help to move the wheel rollers down. And when I parked it, I thought about the tire pressures.
So, today I moved the rollers all the way down. The tires pressures were checked. Back is supposed to be 12 psi and the front 24.9 psi. One back was 29 psi, the other 9 psi. Both fronts were about 8 psi. I got that all sorted out.
Mikester, I decided to take off the covers. I just hate those things. I even mentioned it to my salesman, who dropped it off for me. He said people do it all the time on those mowers. So, I took those off, to discover grease everywhere under the covers. I guess the spindles were overly greased. I had to clean that up. After that, I got to mowing. I was pleased. The cut was excellent.
I can cut so fast. It is a shame my yard is not smooth, but I probably can cut in half the time now. I even cut some very thick grass in my back field I normally brush cut. I heard the engine changed tone just a time or two cutting in the field and it was blowing out a bunch of grass because I had the mower on level 1.5.
So now, I am happy with the mower. I hope it will continue to be a good mower.
So, today I moved the rollers all the way down. The tires pressures were checked. Back is supposed to be 12 psi and the front 24.9 psi. One back was 29 psi, the other 9 psi. Both fronts were about 8 psi. I got that all sorted out.
Mikester, I decided to take off the covers. I just hate those things. I even mentioned it to my salesman, who dropped it off for me. He said people do it all the time on those mowers. So, I took those off, to discover grease everywhere under the covers. I guess the spindles were overly greased. I had to clean that up. After that, I got to mowing. I was pleased. The cut was excellent.
I can cut so fast. It is a shame my yard is not smooth, but I probably can cut in half the time now. I even cut some very thick grass in my back field I normally brush cut. I heard the engine changed tone just a time or two cutting in the field and it was blowing out a bunch of grass because I had the mower on level 1.5.
So now, I am happy with the mower. I hope it will continue to be a good mower.
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Your signature says you have an L2501 with FEL and backhoe. Surely the point of having a tractor is to modify the environment around you to suit yourself. Why is your yard still bumpy?
Your signature says you have an L2501 with FEL and backhoe. Surely the point of having a tractor is to modify the environment around you to suit yourself. Why is your yard still bumpy?
Oh yeah, I have been doing a little bit here and there, and fixing drainage. All in due time.
I guess what I should have said is........., "It is a shame my yard is not smooth now."
Out of curiosity, at what throttle are you guys engaging the blades on your mowers? Unless I missed it, the manual doesn't seem to say. The dealer said it really did not matter if it was full throttle due to the way the hydraulics work. However, I have been engaging the blades at roughly half throttle, then going full throttle after.
I know with electric/magnetic PTOs it is good to engage lower throttle if possible to avoid barking the belts. This machine is a different animal though.
I know with electric/magnetic PTOs it is good to engage lower throttle if possible to avoid barking the belts. This machine is a different animal though.