Cub Cadet Ultima Series ZTX 60 Zero Turn Mower Review
As a major player in the industry Cub Cadet seemingly has a lawnmower to fit every niche need. This includes commercial lawnmower and zero-turn riding lawnmowers for lawn care professionals like the Cub Cadet ZTX 60.
It’s founded on a tubular steel frame for maximum durability, while also helping to keep the overall weight down. This shows up in the nimbleness and ability to handle rough terrain easily.
The Cub Cadet ZTX 60 is powered by an 852 cc Kawasaki FX801 V-Twin OHV gasoline engine. It’s rated to produce up to 25.5 horsepower. This engine has a long-standing reputation for being reliable, easy to start, and quiet. Kawasaki also engineered it for reduced vibration, which matters for lawn care professionals who might need to operate the Cub Cadet ZTX 60 for several hours at a time, over the course of a long workday.
The 852 cc Kawasaki FX801 V-Twin OHV gasoline engine is fed by a 5.5-gallon fuel tank. This makes for less frequent refueling stops. Depending on the terrain, you should be able to cut between 2 to 4 acres on a single tank of gas.
The Cub Cadet ZTX 60 also features a state-of-the-art Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 hydrostatic transmission. It’s set up to power the rear-wheel-drive system of this zero-turn riding lawnmower. It also gives the ZTX 60 an impressive maximum forward speed of 9 miles per hour and a reverse speed of 3.5 miles per hour.
The 60-inch cutting deck uses Cub Cadets AeroForce Max technology. This uses a series of three small cutting blades that work together to finely chop grass clippings. The harvested clippings are nearly mulched into tiny pieces for less cleanup and less risk of turning into dry thatch.
Cub Cadet also designed the ZTX 60 to be very comfortable. It has an adjustable 24-inch high back seat with advanced polymer seat isolators. This reduces the amount of vibration transferred from the machine to the operator. The arm wrests are also cushioned and the ergonomic controls are padded. Even the front casters have independent suspension for superior ride comfort and handling.
Key Features
- 852 cc Kawasaki FX801 V-Twin OHV gasoline engine
- 25.5 Horsepower
- A large 5.5-gallon fuel tank
- Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 hydrostatic transmission
- 60-inch cutting deck
- AeroMax 3-blade technology
- Tubular steel frame
- 9 MPH maximum forward speed
- 3.5 MPH maximum reverse speed
- 4 year or 500-hour warranty coverage
- 16 height settings for the cutting deck
- Operator’s position designed for comfort
Performance
The 852 cc Kawasaki FX801 V-Twin OHV gasoline engine with its 25.5 horsepower works in tandem with the Hydro-Gear ZT-3400 hydrostatic transmission to provide you with blistering speed for a riding lawnmower. With a maximum speed of up to 9 miles per hour, you can get the Cub Cadet ZTX 60 from one location on a site to another in no time flat. This is great for groundskeeping a large commercial property or taking care of a large golf course.
Ease of Use
As a commercial-grade zero-turn riding lawnmower the Cub Cadet ZTX 60 was designed to be very easy to use. It has a true zero-degree turning radius, so you can trust that it won’t be leaving any stray blades of grass behind.
Yet Cub Cadet also put a lot of effort into making the ZTX 60 comfortable. Especially for lawn care professionals who might need to spend a long workday operating it. The 24-inch high back seat is fully adjustable, which lets you customize it to how you like to sit, or to change positions throughout the course of the day.
It also has advanced polymer seat isolators to reduce the amount of vibration transferred to the operator. The ergonomic armrests are also cushioned and the controls are padded. The independent front suspension also makes for a smoother ride over rough terrain.
Cut Quality & Options
The 60-inch cutting deck on the Cub Cadet ZXT 60 has 15 height adjustment settings. This speaks to its commercial-grade functionality for times when a lawn care professional needs to precisely manicure an area to different lengths.
For example, if you were maintaining a golf course, the rough and the fairway both need to be cut to specific heights, while other areas need a degree of graduation from short to long. The Cub Cadet ZXT 60’s cutting deck can be adjusted to meet these needs at a moment’s notice.
Then when it comes time to mow the general area around the clubhouse, you can set the 60-inch cutting deck to one modest setting. You can trust that it will hold true with pass after pass.
The AeroForce Max with its three cutting blades does a good job of quickly harvesting grass clippings and reducing them into tiny pieces that very much resemble a mulching mower.
Maintenance
The Cub Cadet ZXT 60 was designed to be as easy to maintain as possible. The deck is easy to remove and all the standard maintenance areas are easy to access for things like oil changes, replacement filters, routine lubricating, and cutting blade replacement.
Safety Features
The Cub Cadet ZXT 60 has all the usual safety features you expect in a zero-turn riding lawnmower.
Special Features
The AeroForce Max 60-inch cutting deck is a relatively new innovation that Cub Cadet brought to the riding lawnmower market. It has three small cutting blades that work together, rather than a traditional one or two-blade cutting deck. This has the net effect of nearly mulching the grass clippings.
Cost-Effectiveness
The efficient zero turning radius of the Cub Cadet ZXT 60 makes for quick harvest pass after pass. At the same time, the 5.5-gallon fuel tank can support the mower for up to 4 acres. Though this is assuming smooth terrain. If you have to climb a lot of hills and work with rough turf, then the fuel consumption might only get you 2-2.5 acres on a single tank of gas.
