Cub Cadet CC30E ELECTRIC MINI RIDING MOWER Review
Mow up to one acre, or 1 hour, on a single charge without power fade. Recharges in about 4 hours
No need for oil changes, filters to change, spark plugs to change, no more buying gas
30-inch, single-blade deck with side discharge
3-year limited residential / 4-year limited battery warranty
The lithium-ion battery revolution might grab a lot of headlines in the automotive and power tool industries, but it is certainly finding a good home in electric riding lawn mowers like the Cub Cadet CC30E mini electric riding mower. As the name implies the size is ideal for small residential lawns, but certainly has the features and material build quality for professional purposes or to maintain a commercial property.
The Cub Cadet CC30E is powered by a state-of-the-art 30Ah, 1500Wh lithium-ion battery bank. It powers both the foot-pedal controlled drive system to give it a maximum forward speed of up to 4 miles per hour and a maximum reverse speed of up to 2 miles per hour. It holds enough charge to mow up to one acre of lawn or roughly a 1-hour run time.
As a statement of quality in engineering the Cub Cadet CC30E can be recharged by plugging it into a standard 110 Volt electric outlet. You don’t have to worry about any fancy power ports or charging stations as you do with many electric vehicles.
The lithium-ion battery bank also powers the 56 Volt MAX brushless electric motor with more than enough velocity to chew through even the thickest blades of grass. The brushless electric motor is also astonishingly quiet, which is great for residential properties and suburban settings.
The 30-inch diameter cutting deck on the Cub Cadet CC30E is just the right size to efficiently chew through 30-inch swaths of wide-open lawn. Yet it is still tidy enough to be able to cut very cleanly around trees and landscaping features. You can adjust the height of the cutting deck through 5 different positions. This allows you to lower it down to 1.5-inches or as high as 4-inches.
Key Features
- 56 Volt MAX brushless electric motor
- 30Ah, 1500Wh lithium-ion battery bank
- Recharged via a standard 110-Volt outlet
- 1 acre, or 1 hour runtime on a single charge
- Recharges in roughly 4 hours
- Maximum forward speed or 4 MPH
- Maximum reverse speed of 2 MPH
- 30-inch cutting deck
- 5 height settings
- Cutting height range of 1.5 to 4-inches
- Single-blade with side discharge
- 3-year limited residential & 4-year limited battery warranty
Performance
The 30Ah, 1500Wh lithium-ion battery bank of the Cub Cadet CC30E does a good job of powering both the foot pedal-controlled drive train as well as the single blade of the 30-inch cutting deck. If you were to compare it to a lot of commercial-grade electric riding lawn mowers, the top speed of 4 miles per hour might seem a little slow. Though in the real world, you don’t need more than this to make short work of even a large residential lawn.
Ease Of Use
As an electric riding lawn mower the Cub Cadet CC30E was designed with ease of use in mind. Since it has an electric drive train the responsiveness when you press down the pedal is immediate, and even superior to a lot of high-end hydrostatic transmission systems.
The operator station is comfortable, and the Cub Cadet CC30E even makes very tight turns for a riding lawn mower that isn’t technically classified as having a “Zero Turning Radius.”
Special Features
The brushless electric motor that drives the single blade under the 30-inch diameter cutting deck is impressively silent and also generates very little heat. This is great for cutting suburban lawns with neighbors nearby, while also helping to extend the overall life of the electric motor in the long term.
The fact that the Cub Cadet CC30E can be recharged by simply plugging it into a standard electric outlet might not jump off the screen as being all that “Special.” Though you would be frustrated if it needed a special power port like a lot of other vehicles with electric drive trains.
Cut Quality & Options
The five different heights of the 30-inch diameter cutting deck let you customize it to the needs of your turf and the speed at which your grass is growing. In peak season when your sprinklers and the sun are combining for vigorous growth, you can set the cutting deck down as low as 1.5-inches to stay ahead of the grass.
Should the weather turn dry for a long stretch, you can just as easily adjust the cutting deck up to as high as 4-inches to leave the grass long. This will help shade the underlying turf to help preserve ambient moisture levels and prevent premature dormancy.
If there is a knock against the Cub Cadet CC30E it’s that the bagger attachment is a separate purchase, and it is slightly high in price. While this is not a major complaint, it does feel a little bit like a missed opportunity to put a feather in this electric riding lawn mower’s cap.
Maintenance
As a battery-powered electric riding lawn mower, the Cub Cadet CC30E is as close to zero maintenance as possible. You don’t have to mess with filter, oil changes, fuel, spark plug problems, carburetor cleaning or any of the other woes that befall gasoline riding lawn mowers of the same size.
You just need to keep it properly charge, replace or sharpen the cutting blade as needed, and lubricate the moving parts. Then just follow the owner’s manual directions when it comes to proper winter storage.
Safety Features
The Cub Cadet CC30E comes with all the same driver’s station safety features you expect to see in a riding lawn mower. The blades disengage when pressure comes off the seat. It’s then easy to start again with the press of a button.
Cost-Effectiveness
The Cub Cadet CC30E is every cost-efficient compared to a gasoline riding lawnmower of a similar size. There is no need for oil changes, filters to change, spark plugs to change, no more buying gas. You will also appreciate the prolonged lifespan of the relatively cool-running brushless electric motor.
The only minor complaint against the Cub Cadet CC30E is that the compatible bagger is not included in any iteration of this model. It is only available as a secondary accessory purchase, with an arguably higher than average price tag.
