The Cub Cadet® Ultima Series ZTS1 42 42-in. 22 HP* Zero-Turn Lawn Mower with AeroForce™ Fabricated Deck and Synchro-Steer™ Technology is designed to deliver a premium cut with few clumps and stragglers, fine clippings and evenness. Synchro-Steer offers 4-wheel control designed to help provide stability for straight line mowing on hillsides and slopes up to 20-degrees. Dual hydrostatic transmissions engineered for quick ground speeds that leave your yard with a professional-quality finish.
- Synchro-Steer™ technology offers 4-wheel control and provides unrivaled stability for straight-line mowing on hillsides and slopes up to 20-degrees
- A 22 HP*/747cc Kohler 7000 series V-twin OHV engine delivers high-performance power and exceptionally smooth, quiet operation
- Dual hydrostatic transmissions allow for quick and effortless 7 MPH forward (3.5 MPH reverse) ground speeds that quickly leaves your lawn with a professional-quality finish
- 42-in. AeroForce fabricated deck that delivers a signature cut with fewer clumps and stragglers, finer clippings and increased evenness
- Zero-Turn Mower
21 reviews for ZTS1 42
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Great Zero Turn mower for my hilly acre lawn with lots of garden beds to swirl around! Lots of power! Also easy to do maintenance tasks for oil changes, lube, deck cleaning and blade switch-outs. Great service through company website for parts & accessories too!
Bought this mower today actually, I had a 2018 RZT 42 SX And really like it. I wanted to upgrade to the Ultima just because of the sturdier frame and more modern look. The fabricated deck also on the 42 inch was awesome and you can definitely tell the difference between the two mowers. The only thing that I would change is that the hourmeter should come standard on this mower. The Ultima just seems to be sturdier built and the ride is much nicer. I bought it from a local dealer and the set up and pick up of the mower was flawless. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a yard with some slopes or just wants to cut their lawn super fast and make all the neighbors jealous .
I have a pretty big grassy area at a lot I own that I have to keep maintained in addition to the lawn at my house so I’m very well versed on zero turn mowers. Now I have to state upfront I am a Cub Cadet fan and have been for many years so getting the Ultima ZTS1 42” zero turn mower didn’t even require a second thought, that said lets cut to the chase and get into this mower.
Shipping packing/de-crating – The ZTS1 comes fully plastic wrapped strapped to a custom built wooden protective frame. This shipping frame is quite large as it must contain the full mower, keep note of that should you intend to pickup and transport it yourself, in my case the unit was delivered by a trucking company. The frame did it’s job well as the unit had zero defects that I could find after de-crating. To de-crate you will need a nut driver and drill as well as a straight claw hammer or, as I used, a crowbar. First I removed the lag bolts on both ends of the craft and then crow-barred off the sides. Once down to a bare frame I cut the three straps holding the unit to the crate bottom (the crate in my case sits on top of an additional pallet) and WITH HELP (the unit weighs approximately 600lbs) lift and push the unit off the crate bottom. NOTE do not try and drive the unit off the crate, it’s easy to tell this won’t work but I am sure that someone will try, trust me, get a couple of people and work it off.
Assembly – Assembly was a breeze as the unit came 99% assembled. Once off the crate I located the manuals and parts bag then got to work with the couple of items that needed to be installed before use. Note that the key is zip tied to the discharge chute deflector and includes a small quick ref card which was a nice touch. I checked the oil level as well as the tire pressure, note that the tires were at various inflation levels but all above the level indicated on the tire, make sure to deflate to the appropriate PSI. I then hooked up the battery and filled the fuel tank. Note that you need to use regular gasoline or, a maximum of ethanol 10 either at 87 octane, I am calling this out as ethanol 15 is common in some areas.
Use – The ZTS1 fired up almost immediately with the choke on and quickly came to a nice even idle. I don’t know if it is me or just that my old zero turn is louder but the Ultima ZTS1 seems at least a little quieter than my 7 yr old Cub. The controls should be familiar to anyone that has used a zero turn mower except the steering wheel, I know everyone is used to the directional control levers but the steering wheel is just as responsive, even if it takes a few laps to get used to. I think it took maybe four passes to quickly get some dexterity using the steering wheel but it quickly became second nature. Now as for the features lets dive in (note I will probably leave some off as it’s these that come to mind after my first use), I love the LED headlights, they really light the way in low light well. The steering wheel tilt is very nice and has a great range BUT the lever leaves something to be desired. The deck height knob is nice and it’s easy to select the desired height, and in my opinion, is much nicer to use than the lever type I have on my old Cub. The deck height range is more than sufficient from 1.0” to 4.25”. The transmission is super responsive to all inputs and lends to very precise maneuvering. All in all I am in love with the ZTS1 and am ready after the first use to retire my old Cub to my dad.
My Final thoughts on the Cub Cadet ZTS1 42” is that, as I have come to expect from Cub Cadet, it is a cut above and them some from the competition. Everything from the intuitive control locations and layout to the precision of the steering, the ZTS1 brought the enjoyment back into mowing that I felt with my first zero turn, and as I have learned with Cub Cadet the ZTS1 will be mowing with me for many years to come!
Is it wrong to be in love with your lawn mower! If loving this ZTS1 is wrong, then I don't want to be right, lol. In all seriousness though, this is an amazing mower. What uses to take me 3 hours to do, now only takes about 20 minutes. I love the regular steering wheel instead of the levers. I was weary on the zero turn performance with the regular steering wheel, but it is flawless. Everything you need is all right there with you. The cutting deck is very easy to adjust and goes all the way from 1 to 4.25, so you can get exactly the cut you prefer. The ride is very smooth and powerful. The steering column is adjustable, and the seat is comfortable. You have a cup holder and an extra space for glasses, phone, etc. It came fully assembled in a very large wooden crate on a palett. I checked the oil, added gas and connected the battery, and we were ready to mow. I take great pride in my yard, and the cut I get from this is supreme. Starts right up and is so easy to drive. When you want to stop, you just let off of the gas. There is also a reverse. If you get off of the mower while it is running, it will turn off. I was already super comfortable after 5 minutes of usage. This is manufactured by a great and reputable company, and I can tell is a very high quality mower. I expect this to last me for many years, and I will be nothing more than happy and excited every time I get to use it!!
First off I have to say how amazed and excited I am that I was actually able to get this because from what I have heard, riding lawnmowers are very hard to get right now and this one specifically shows out of stock everywhere I’ve looked atleast locally to me.
I will start by saying this is my first riding lawnmower (Incase I get any of the terminology wrong or leave something out of this review that the pros think should have been included) and I wish I didn’t wait so long to get one because with the added speed and maneuverability of this mower I have reduced my cutting time significantly. It has blown my mind how fast I can get my yard done now and the results are amazing, even my neighbors agree!
I do not have any experience with the lap-bar zero turn mowers so I cannot compare this to those ones but I can tell you that this works just as good if not better than what I’ve seen in videos of that type of mower and actually better because it’s much easier using a steering wheel.
The ride on this ZTS1 is so smooth and comfortable to ride I can’t believe it. I always just assumed that most riding lawnmowers were uncomfortable and had a lot of shaking and rattling going on but I get none of that with this. It feels to me that everything on this mower is made of high quality materials and just feels really solid when I am riding it. It also responds well to doing anything I try to do meaning when I want to go faster I push the pedal down and it goes, when I want to stop I let off the pedal and it stops, when I want to back up I stop and use the reverse pedal and it backs up. I know you are thinking that it’s just doing what it’s supposed to do I’m just saying that it’s very responsive and quick to react to the things you want it to do.
When I sit down in the seat it just feels great! All the controls are positioned perfectly and are easy to use like the steering wheel adjuster, the speed control adjuster that moves from choke to turtle and rabbit speeds, the parking brake and the deck height adjuster.
I also no longer have to ask my kids to go out and cut the grass, they volunteer to do it now!
The only thing I am missing that I wish I had is a bagger for it!
Great purchase. Easy to operate and cuts great. This is my first ZT mower.
I have found that this mower fits all of my residential needs. I have a ~1.5 acre mowing area and this has reduced my cutting time significantly. The Kohler 22 HP engine has plenty of get up and go. My old mower, a standard lawn tractor of the same deck width & 3 less HP, would cut both my front and back lawns in about 56 minutes. This z-turn with the added speed and agility cuts both sections in about 33 minutes total. It was absolutely mind blowing how fast and clean the cuts with this machine are. I have read and watched many reviews of the Cub Cadet mowers and many people have complained about the deck rattling too much. I have not found this to be noticeable at all. Others have assumed that the open style frame with the uncovered tires could leave you with damp arms from over spray if cutting in the rain. This was not my experience during a rainy cut. It has run flawlessly. The only hesitation worth mentioning is the seat suspension. My yard is a little bumpy and I find myself slowing down quite a bit so as not to shake my back up. My recommendation is that if you have a bumpy lawn, look into seat suspension kits. While my lawn is bumpy, it is not necessarily hilly. My understanding is that for properties with steep sloping embankments, you are best off with this steering wheel style of z-turn as opposed to the more common lap-bar steering. The controllability is more akin to a traditional lawn tractor, whereas a lap-bar style of steering struggles in this environment. If you are considering one of the new Cub Cadet zero turn mowers, I can say that my experience has been very positive and I highly recommend it.