Cub Cadet Reviews

Ultima Series Z1 42S 42-in. 547cc Zero-Turn Lawn Mower With IntelliPOWER is cheap junk. I wanted zero turn with steering because they are suppose to be good on hills. Which they are. 42 inch was the biggest I could go with. I have less than 1/2 acre to mow & it worked great for 3 mowings. This engine is a joke! They make it sound as if it gets more power out of nowhere. But they have you run it some where around 3/4 throttle. The computer senses if you need more power and gives it more gas. It's super sensitive on a dirty air filter. I mean, just a little dirt! It won't start or just runs for a very short time.

Purchased a new 42” XT1 rider from Tractor Supply on 5/31/2026. After using only one month the mower stopped running. We had lots of rain so husband thought maybe something in the gas. Emptied tank, added new gas, started right up. We then moved all of cans off the trailer and in to our shed. One month later after only having a 1/2 of tank added gas the mower did the same thing. Stopped running.

I purchased a Cub Cadet LT 42 Lawn tractor in 2023. I did not purchase an extended warrantee for after 3 years. Didn't think I needed one. The hydrostatic transmission quit working after 74 hours of operation. I contacted Cub Cadet customer service and to no avail nothing to say about the issues why this tractor coasting 2400 dollars does not work and why. They do not want to answer any questions or rectify the situation on an item they know has a problem. The LT 42 and the LT 46 both have the hydrostatic transmission but no repair or fix.

Cub Cadet 42in zero turn mower purchased Mar 2026 from The Home Depot. The worst experience of my life. Didn’t get 1 season until the tension spring broke. Cub cadet, Home Depot or Home Depot’s protection plan (405.00) will homer the warranty. Do not buy Cub Cadet or anything from Home Depot.

Bought Cub Cadet push mower 3 weeks ago. Went to clean under deck with garden hose paint came off. Dealer told me Cub won't fix it. Just use Rust-Oleum paint.

Only reason it's getting 3 stars I have had a Cub Cadet lawnmower for years. Have gotten good service out of it. While dealing with the dealer I purchased the lawnmower from the experience was great. Have tried ordering parts myself through cub cadet to save a few dollars. That has been a challenge. To say the least. Wait for month. The part doesn't come. Customer service is less than helpful. I will not be dealing straight with cub cadet again.

I’m on my second Cub Cadet zero turn lawnmower and previously I was a fan. However, I bought a new one in 2026 and have had a total of three transmission fluid leaks since that time. Disappointed in the quality and apparent design value of their transmission system. The first failure was just after the warranty expired but thought it was just a gasket failure but now with two more serious leaks with fluid all over the garage floor I will never buy the brand again and cannot recommend to others.

Deck failed (splits in several spots) on CC ZT1 46. Dealer at Atmore, Ala. argued the wording of the warranty. CC created case # ** and the dealer replaced the deck. The current deck is a 42 inch and when I protested, CC now wants a fee for asking a question and thereafter, those I communicated are robots. The human element is not existent. I see a court case ahead. The machine is poorly built, one year old (cutting years, bought 2024) with major deck failure, a choke cable that has never worked, and a gas tank attached with tie raps, something the mechanics at the dealer may have done.

One year old & while cleaning deck found it was almost rusted through in places! 5k down the drain!

Had I known 1 1/2 years ago what I have learned now I definitely would not have purchased a another Cub Cadet mower. My current mower was purchased to replace a previous Cub that was 25+ years old and beginning to need a major overhaul, which would have been a much better investment in the end (about 2/3 of the cost of the new machine), and so having had good luck and service with that one decided to purchase another Cub Cadet.

BEWARE of Cub Cadet! They say they inspect products but they do not! I bought a defective riding mower and they will not help rectify this situation after many costly repairs!

Cub Cadet z1 biggest pile of shit I have ever bought. 15 hours turn any direction, mower shuts off, won't start back up. In for warranty 3 different times. Now 2 years old with 30 hours, battery dies, I have to pay for the upgrade kit to put a normal battery in it. They know there are problems but won't pay even though it's still under warranty for another year

4 month old Cub Cadet Z2 50 and the right side blade snapped in half while mowing soft grass on th middle of the yard with no debris around and then it vibrated the deck so hard that the chute broke off and part of the metal deck Frame broke off the deck. I called Cub cadet customer service and they claimed it's not their problem and then hung up on me. Most worthless and costly piece of junk ever

I bought a brand new 60 in Cub Cadet from HOME DEPOT. The steering on the right didn’t work properly almost turn me over on a hill and is extremely slow. It makes a funny noise when engaged. I used it long enough to realize it wasn’t safe and not what I need for 5 acres. I have a smaller one at my second home and it is only 50 in. Works and runs great. HOME DEPOT refused to take it back with 1.8 hours. Only had it 6 days and tried it once.

I am a Cub Cadet zero turn customer and I love my mower. I was raised on Cub Cadets and think they are damn good mowers. They are a comfortable ride satisfaction guaranteed from customer service and getting parts and reasonably priced.

We bought a zt1 54 Cub cadet mower not even two years ago and all three idler pulleys have thrown their bearings. The first pulleys failure happened a year after purchase and last week the other two failed. I do not recommend buying a cub cadet because of this. Ive talked to my coworkers with different brands of mowers and they have never lost a single pulley or spindle on their mowers. Of course our could be a lemon but the failure rate on these pulleys has been documented. If you're looking to buy a new zero turn do not buy the cub cadet, it will leave you not mowing your lawn and repairing the mower.

I purchased a Cub Cadet riding lawn mower model: 13AQA1TNA10 a year ago and have only used it less than seven times. The rod that supports the front of the mowing deck easily broke in tension. It is a $20 part. The dealer refused to consider warranty replacement without my bringing the riding lawn mower in for inspection. I offered a live video call so they could make the inspection. The dealer insisted that I need to bring the whole riding lawn mower in. The owner of the dealership suggested that I call Cub Cadet directly to get a case number. I had already called Cub Cadet and they directed me back to the dealer for customer service. The bottom line here is do not count on any customer service. The Cub Cadet three years parts warranty is practically worthless because of the ridiculous conditions that must be met. This riding lawn mower also arrived with missing and loose hardware and an incorrectly installed battery.

Purchased an XT2 in March and already the agm battery is dead. This appears to be a known issue and there is even a conversion kit offered to convert back to a lead/acid. If the AGM batteries are not lasting even a full season, why would they still be OEM? I have to go though the warranty route... Bring it in to be tested... Wait for the warranty to be approved... Bring it back to get another. Given what I know, this should be handled as a recall not on a case/case basis. I expected better when selecting the dealer route and a top tier model vrs the less expensive Home Depot version. I like the mower well enough otherwise even though I had to add an hour meter at extra cost. Now I'll have to buy a conversion kit and a new battery if I want reliability.

Bought a Cub cadet ZT1 at Tractor supply (do not buy shit there) and used it maybe 17 times since I bought it and now it seem that cub cadet knew there was a defect in the mowers pto and it burnt the socket and plug and welded the clutch in full time engagement and now it won't start. Burned a fuse. Replaced that but like I said the pto is stuck in full engagement and customer service is a joke. Most of the people at customer service are not in this country or they speak shit English....and are worthless.

After owning a riding mower 42 inch xt1 for 3 years the crankshaft broke and the weld holding the deck on broke off. Under 200 hours on the thing and not covered according to cub cadet. Hands down the worst warranty coverage I have ever seen from a company.

XT1 48 inch cut works very well and makes great turns. Have had it for over five years and it still works like new.

2025 XT1 purchased Oct-2025. Within the first use, the headlights went out. Upon examination, the cabling was just dangling and not connected to any part of the frame. I had to zip tie it. The hood never shuts properly without the need to force it into place. With less than 35 hours, the drive belt broke. It appears to have significant wear on it. It looks more like a ten year old drive belt. My last Cub, the drive belt lasted the entirety of its 18 year life cycle. At an MSRP of $3K and unusable within the first 35 hours-unacceptable and shameful- I am (was) a Cub loyalist. The quality of the new models is abysmal. I can not recommend this brand anymore.

Well I can't give them 0 starts so 1 will have to do. HORRIBLE DO NOT BUY. The mower I have not even gotten yet but customer service center is horrible NO help. Took ordering the mower 4 times and on the phone 10 days in a row to get it fixed. Then on top of it I have to pay the dealer money to finally bring it to me. NEVER again. If it breaks down I'll create a follow up review.

Worst customer service ever in my career dealing with companies. 4 x now trying to get a live person and get cutoff on phone using their phone prompts. Great machine. I have with them the zero turn but good luck trouble shooting or getting parts. Their manual is terrible for help fixing an issue.

I’ve owned my Cub Cadet zero‑turn mower for only three months, and the PTO belt has already come off twice. What should be a straightforward fix has turned into an unnecessary ordeal because Cub Cadet provides almost no usable technical documentation for owners. The belt routing schematic in the operator’s manual is roughly an inch and a half square — far too small and lacking the detail needed to identify critical points like where the tension spring attaches to the chassis.

Purchased a CC30 at the end of April. Dies after 5 minutes of use and cuts unevenly. We would have to rent a trailer and transport over an hour away just to have it diagnosed. Mower is horrible and mfgr expects us to spend time and more money to get the problem resolved.

I purchased a 2026 Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 from Howard Brothers in Duluth, and it has been the worst equipment purchase I’ve ever made. In less than a year and a half and with only 93 hours of use, I had to take the mower back to the dealership 11 different times. The first nine visits were because the mower was built with the wrong belt spring installed from the factory, causing repeated belt drive issues. Instead of permanently resolving the problem, I was eventually offered an extended warranty for all the time my machine spent in the shop being repaired.

It should be a -5. These people are dishonest company and the employees are done.

I ordered an XT1 LT42 Intellipower on June 11, 2026, and was notified to pick it up on the 27th of that same month; the price was $2,299.00. I stopped by the local Home Depot in Flowery Branch, Georgia, and to my surprise, I saw they had the same lawn mower for $1,999.00. As of July 22, 2026, the Cub Cadet price is $2,399.00. It is inexplicable that the manufacturer's dealer sells the products at such a much higher price; it makes one feel ripped off. I also ordered an Xtreme mulching kit on June 15, 2026. Three weeks went by without me receiving the order; I called numerous times but received no clear explanation regarding the status of the order. The last thing I was told was that they would issue a credit to my card and that it could take between 30 and 60 days for it to show up in my account. You definitely cannot use this company. (Order # **)

Ordered on the 10th of the month and they finally shipped it on the 20th. Who does that? I could of got the parts off the shelf at Home Depot the same day and $10 cheaper! I tried to cancel, but no way would they allow that! So the parts will be returned two weeks after ordering them. I bought them at Home Depot the end of last week... cheaper too!

Worst purchase I've ever made in my life. Absolutely not worth half of it's value. I bought my zt1 42 deck brand new from Home Depot. Cut my grass less than 7 times before the motor locked up. It took Cub Cadet 7-8 months to approve the warranty replacement motor. They then used all the old motor parts that was left sitting in old gas back on the new motor. It ran and cut grass 2 more times. Died on the second time, take it back to their vendors and am being told it needs a new carb battery and spark plug and fuel filter due to water in the fuel. I assume from being left outside while at their vendor and cub cadet refusing to make things right by covering the cost of repair. I am now on week 2 of trying to talk to a supervisor. Run far away from cub cadet even for the smallest of jobs.

Do not buy this. I bought this mower on June 9th. I used it 4 times. The belt busted off And it's july 20th. I only used it 4 times. My yard isn't that big either. The warranty is only for 30 Days. Please run elsewhere. Cub Cadet sucks.

Communication and customer service is awful! Prices are also WAY too high! My dad needed a part for his Zero turn Cub Cadet mower. I put in the order online and was told 5-8 business days. Then 8 days later I looked at tracking and didn't see anything so I reached out via their chat function. Was then told it was back ordered and would be to them by July 8th. Today I got an email saying the $267 charge was again applied to my credit card so I figured it was in and wanted to check the tracking again. Then I found out it's been backed up again to "sometime late July". I had to dig to find out this information.

Just bought 46 in xt1 lt46 very late March. First of April used 5 times and the deck belt broke. Called Cub cadet and lady told me, "Warranty won't cover it and you got to replace after 30 days belt pulleys and blades." What a piece of junk. Had a John deere for years. Never had that issue. Never will buy cub cadet again. Waste of money.

I have been mowing the same lawn for 20+ years and this Cub Cadet with no change in mowing pattern. Decide to dive the left blade into the ground and bent the blade, bent the spindle and smoked my drive belt. It was going to cost me at minimum of $300 to verify my broken Cub Cadet for warranty. $140 for pick up and delivery, $80/week to hire someone to mow the lawn because the service department they sent me to said it would be a minimum of 2-3 weeks until they could process my warranty claim. I bought the parts and fixed it myself. I just want reimbursed for a set of new blades: $75.25, New Spindle: $43.45 and new drive belt: $28.79 for a total of $147.49. Case # **.

I have the ZTS 2, 60 inch as I have 5 acres. The seat is the most under engineered seat suspension I have ever seen. I'm a mechanical engineer and to pay this much for undersized shock/seat springs and and plastic cushion breakers is pathetic. It's engineering 101. This is my second one as I have a 42 inch that lasted for 14 years and never once gave me a problem. I've been bragging on Cub Cadet's Zero Turn for years, but right now I tell my neighbors to stay away from them until they get their engineering that makes it worth what I paid. After mowing you almost need a stretcher to walk to the house it has such a negative effect on your back. The seat should optimize operator comfort and active suspension, ergonomic body-contouring, and designed to reduce. The seat is more to the liking of riding a go cart through gopher holes. Whoever designed this flunked Engineering 101.

Ordered 5/26, no confirmation email received. Spoke with Cub Cadet customer service May 29th, no part number, no email received after requested again, no tracking information, on the Cub Cadet account no information updated either. Charged to bank posted 6/2, still no part 6/16. 6/16 They are blaming the USPS service. Got them to "manually" send an email to me of the purchase and a tracking number, the address sent to was the first 4 numbers of our address and our city, so it could not be delivered, blamed us. USPS processed a return to sender 6/4. Cub Cadet claims they do not have the part and have not refunded us, disputing through bank.

Do not buy a Cub Cadet lawn tractor. That's the worst lawn mower I've ever owned. Will not buy another one. The deck belt always comes off. It came most ** without ** up the battery. Always dies. It's a piece of **. Don't buy a Cub Cadet.

I bought a used tractor. I wanted to buy the side pick up for my yard clipping. I ordered online and used their credit card. They called to tell me that I had to unload the parcel. I said I could not so they said they would find another way. They never did and list my package. The credit card company still charged me. I told them that I keep saying I never got it they implied I did. I told the credit card company I want it reversed that I was not paying for something I did not get. I keep calling Cub to get them to find it and reverse the payment. They said if they found it did I still want it. The trust and season was gone. They found it and reversed the charges but hurt my credit score.

They have no customer service, they do not have reliable dealers. They have discontinued the batteries. The machine was 2 years old. They told us it was out of stock. At the beginning of the season this year they said that they will bring out a new battery, that will not fit the machine. It needs a conversion kit which we would have to buy and pay for install. That good for a new machine.