This is TN Tom saying Hello every one
- Thread starter thmsb
- Start date
Tom,
I've been mostly happy with my RZT-50. I bought it new in 2006 and have put it through hell. I have a little over 350 hours on it as I mow 5+ acres at my house and another 2+ at some rental property we own. Much of what I mow is like a washboard (rough ground) so most of the problems I have had with it have been self inflicted. Did I mention I have Locust trees here (some thorns are 6+ inches long!). I installed tubes in the front tires because I could never get them to bead once they went flat. This is probably my only complaint.
I did not buy from Home Depot but it's the same mower. They have made some improvements in the design since I bought mine. One of them would really benefit me considering the rough ground I mow. They replaced the wire hangers used to support the rear of the deck with a thick metal support. I have broken and replaced three of the wire hangers (actually brake cables on some other mowers) and now keep a new spare hanger on hand for the next time. I'm thinking of modifying mine to have a support similar to the newer ones.
Another problem I had was loss of left rear wheel power. I guess the factory had overtightened the idler pulley arm into a position which caused the transmission belt to slip on the left side. Once I corrected that it's been fine there ever since. It's weird that problem did not really show up until the second year. Maybe the belt itself lost some tension, I don't know.
The mower has saved me countless hours over using a 6' finish mower I used at my house and a 48" rider I used at the rental properties. The cutting pattern looks so much better as well as the quality of the cut itself.
This season I started experiencing a new problem which I haven't resolved yet. I am a "do it your selfer" and normally try to fix everything myself but I may have to give up and take it in for repairs. It may be one or both coils or it may be a carburetor issue but I will be posting about my problem here on the forum either later today or tomorrow. Still, I got four years out of it without any major problems which is not bad considering the abuse I have bestowed upon it.
Craig
I've been mostly happy with my RZT-50. I bought it new in 2006 and have put it through hell. I have a little over 350 hours on it as I mow 5+ acres at my house and another 2+ at some rental property we own. Much of what I mow is like a washboard (rough ground) so most of the problems I have had with it have been self inflicted. Did I mention I have Locust trees here (some thorns are 6+ inches long!). I installed tubes in the front tires because I could never get them to bead once they went flat. This is probably my only complaint.
I did not buy from Home Depot but it's the same mower. They have made some improvements in the design since I bought mine. One of them would really benefit me considering the rough ground I mow. They replaced the wire hangers used to support the rear of the deck with a thick metal support. I have broken and replaced three of the wire hangers (actually brake cables on some other mowers) and now keep a new spare hanger on hand for the next time. I'm thinking of modifying mine to have a support similar to the newer ones.
Another problem I had was loss of left rear wheel power. I guess the factory had overtightened the idler pulley arm into a position which caused the transmission belt to slip on the left side. Once I corrected that it's been fine there ever since. It's weird that problem did not really show up until the second year. Maybe the belt itself lost some tension, I don't know.
The mower has saved me countless hours over using a 6' finish mower I used at my house and a 48" rider I used at the rental properties. The cutting pattern looks so much better as well as the quality of the cut itself.
This season I started experiencing a new problem which I haven't resolved yet. I am a "do it your selfer" and normally try to fix everything myself but I may have to give up and take it in for repairs. It may be one or both coils or it may be a carburetor issue but I will be posting about my problem here on the forum either later today or tomorrow. Still, I got four years out of it without any major problems which is not bad considering the abuse I have bestowed upon it.
Craig
Okay, so better late than never with my post on my RZT-50 problem. My mower kept dying after about 30 minutes of use but choking it seemed to alleviate it for another half hour or so (with varying degrees of choke). The problem grew progressively worse with shorter time periods of successful operation. I smugly replaced the spark plugs thinking four years without a change had to be it. Nope!
I then realized that the air filter was a little over due for replacement from the last time changed. That didn't solve anything either. I bought a gas filter but when I saw gas in the carburetor and was able to start her up with no problem after a few minutes of cool down time I figured it was a carburetor problem and took the gas filter back without changing it. I'd read that the carburetor solenoid on these puppies frequently goes bad so I had been trying to find a way to remove it to try the temporary bolt fill-in test method. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a tool to fit into the tight space to remove the solenoid (most ignition wrench sets did not go up to the 1/2" I measured that was needed and I wasn't about to pay what most places wanted for a special order). By the way, I received a new BBQ grill for father's day which came with... you guessed it... one of those cheap little wrenches that happened to be the right size.
Anyway, my last ditch effort at diagnosis was to buy an inline spark tester. I was getting desperate as my backup mowers can barely handle the load. I decided that if the spark tester did not indicate a problem then I would bite the bullet and take the mower in for repair (something I have only done twice in my 56 years on this planet). Before I tried the spark tester I bought another gas filter to try a quick and easy solution (even though previous diagnosis indicated otherwise) and I'll be damned if that wasn't the problem all along! I've never ever had to change a gas filter in a riding mower before (not even in a Murray that I owned for 10 years).
Anyway, this mower has been a champ for me since the day I bought it. I have not experienced the hydraulic issues that many owners have had and the majority of the problems I have had have been self inflicted. I, for one, recommend the Cub Cadet RZT-50 to anyone looking for a low cost zero turn of this size.
I then realized that the air filter was a little over due for replacement from the last time changed. That didn't solve anything either. I bought a gas filter but when I saw gas in the carburetor and was able to start her up with no problem after a few minutes of cool down time I figured it was a carburetor problem and took the gas filter back without changing it. I'd read that the carburetor solenoid on these puppies frequently goes bad so I had been trying to find a way to remove it to try the temporary bolt fill-in test method. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a tool to fit into the tight space to remove the solenoid (most ignition wrench sets did not go up to the 1/2" I measured that was needed and I wasn't about to pay what most places wanted for a special order). By the way, I received a new BBQ grill for father's day which came with... you guessed it... one of those cheap little wrenches that happened to be the right size.
Anyway, my last ditch effort at diagnosis was to buy an inline spark tester. I was getting desperate as my backup mowers can barely handle the load. I decided that if the spark tester did not indicate a problem then I would bite the bullet and take the mower in for repair (something I have only done twice in my 56 years on this planet). Before I tried the spark tester I bought another gas filter to try a quick and easy solution (even though previous diagnosis indicated otherwise) and I'll be damned if that wasn't the problem all along! I've never ever had to change a gas filter in a riding mower before (not even in a Murray that I owned for 10 years).
Anyway, this mower has been a champ for me since the day I bought it. I have not experienced the hydraulic issues that many owners have had and the majority of the problems I have had have been self inflicted. I, for one, recommend the Cub Cadet RZT-50 to anyone looking for a low cost zero turn of this size.
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