Love the mower BUT after first use got a flat back tire. For the price should have better thicker tires OR offer no-flat tires. I can’t find any that size or a replacement offer.

Needs an hour meter and gas gauge.

Excellent mower

The Pros - So far, so good. I purchased the ZT1-54, and it came with the 24 horsepower Kohler motor. I use this to mow the grasses on my property (4 acres) It is hilly, and the mower navigates it well. The oil drain tube is a nice addition, easy to change the oil without making a huge mess and dripping all over the mower. Kudos to who included this! Engine maintenance is easy, with very good access. Changing blades is easier too, and if you decide to drop the deck, it’s a snap. I purchased a lift for the previous mower, but if I didn’t have that, removing the deck and replacing it would be fast and easy. Going from a rider to a zero turn took a little getting used to, but I’d never go back to the rider. Much more comfortable sitting position. The controls are almost infinitely adjustable, so shorter or longer arms will have no issues. This flexibility of adjustment was not available on the other mowers I looked at. I also like the square tube around the motor at the rear for protection. I have a lot of oak treees at the rear of my property, and to mow everything down for fire control, I have to back up frequently. It does give peace of mind to not have to worry about damaging the motor if I accidentally backed into a tree. This tube also allows you to fabricate or purchase a cover to keep the sun off of your head while mowing. I also purchased the mulching kit. If you’re doing what I’m doing with your mower, and mowing grasses and weeds for fire control, it really helped keep the discharge from blowing dust and debris back into the air around me while mowing. It was easy to install, so I’d recommend it. The cons - you would think for the price, they would have included an hour meter. You can purchase one for a bit above $40 from the dealer or Cub Cadet, but seriously? It’s not difficult, but the hardest part is replacing the decal with the cutout for the hour meter. This should be a factory included item. The ride is a bit rough if you’re not mowing a smooth lawn. You can purchase aftermarket springs to replace those hard plastic spacers under the seat, which improved the ride substantially. Or you can spend the big $ and get a complete under seat system which really smooths things out. I used the springs. There are videos on YouTube about this. Parts are available on the internet. Another negative for me is the size of the fuel tank - I wish it was larger. It holds a bit over 3 gallons. I I understand this is due to space constraints, but when I’m mowing, I don’t like to stop and refuel. The last “con” is with the blade spindles. Depending on when they assembled the deck, and what they had on hand, there are two types of spindles used. One has the six point “star” pattern, and the other has an “S” shaped pattern for the blade cutout. I could be wrong, but in my opinion, the Star pattern would be the stronger of the two to hold on the blade. Mine came with the “S” shaped pattern. I purchased a spare set of mulching blades, as I rotate blades during the mowing season. For my mower is shows the 6 point star pattern as the correct replacement. When I went to change blades, I was not happy to learn mine was the “S” shaped pattern. That caused me to make a return trip to Tractor Supply to return them - and they did not have the others in stock, requiring a stop to wait for the others to arrive after buying on the internet. This I felt was a negative. Use ONE pattern, not two. The only way you’ll know which you have, is to remove the blade to see. Did the “S” shaped pattern blades work, without slipping? Yes. But finding that out when you are in the middle of changing blades is a fail on Cub Cadet’s part in my book. All that said, I like the mower, and do not regret buying in it. To get a better “zero turn” mower, you’d have to step up to the commercial version, at three times the price. The reason I gave it only four stars, is I think it should have an hour meter as standard, and they could do better than those plastic bushings under the seat. I almost dropped it another star for the different pattern of spindles, but that was a one time annoyance. Now that I know which I have, I know which one to buy in the future.