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Advanced Steering and Slope Stability

4:29
21:40
142.1K views

At 4:29 in

Mower test & Review of the Cub cadet Pro z 972 sd (aka the Billy Goat)

What happens here

The presenter explains the advantages of the mower's cast iron pivoting front axle, which improves ride quality, cut quality, and hillside stability by allowing the front wheels to articulate over uneven terrain. An internal isolator limits the pivot travel to prevent the deck from scraping curbs, providing a balance between articulation and deck protection. The dual front wheels (duallies) further enhance stability, especially on slopes. The steering wheel control system offers superior control, allowing the operator to steer the front wheels actively, unlike traditional lap-bar zero-turn mowers where front wheels freely pivot. This steering control enables the mower to handle steeper slopes (up to 20 degrees) compared to typical lap-bar mowers (15 degrees) by allowing the operator to steer directly up the slope.

Goal: Understand how the steering system and front axle design enhance stability and control on slopes.

Tools and materials

  • Cub Cadet Pro Z 972 SD Mower Cub Cadet — Demonstrating steering and axle articulation
  • Smartphone with Level App Apple — Measuring slope angles for demonstration

What they say

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better ride quality, better hillside stability, and better cut quality cuz that front end is going to articulate over the ground. This is/ in steel and a very wide surface area, so you've got a lot of weight. 72in mower. This is a 72in deck on here. Yep. Okay. And the reason I say that is because I've ran a number of 72in mowers, and that is probably the beefiest front that I've seen. And this this wheel weight that's built into this this front wheel. I didn't even notice that is only for the dual wheel unit which which you're going to be running. This unit, if I understand you correctly, you can do a steering wheel or sticks. That is correct. Not with the dualies. The doulies are only a steering wheel. That is correct. Because with a steering wheel, it allows you to go to a steeper slope. Our stick driven machine, just like everyone else's, is rated for a 15° slope. That's what they're rated for in the owner's manual. Just by going to the steering wheel alone and still being the exact same unit, you go up to a 20° slope. So just by putting a steering wheel on this machine without adding the dualies, you gain an extra 5% incline. Correct. Why? That is because with a stick machine, your front wheels, you have no control of them. You know, a lot of people call them crazy wheels cuz they just bounce around and do whatever they want with them, right? You have no control over them. So we all know this. When you ride on a slope, those front wheels are just doing whatever gravity wants to do with them. Okay. Now, with the steering wheel, have the key turned on because this has electronic power steering. This allows you to have control of these front wheels. Okay. So, now when you're on that slope, not only are you going to be steering the unit with the transmission, you're going to be steering it up the slope. You're going to be steering able to steer it up the slope. Oh, brilliant. When you get into a bad situation with a stick driven machine, a lap bar machine, you we all know this. We've all been in this situation. I've been in it. You've been in it. Everyone that cut grass has been in it. And you're on a slope that that is pushing the limit. You'll start to slide. And once that machine goes into a slide, we all know we're just along for the ride and we hope for the best, right? Yes. Okay. You can get in a very bad spot where the machine could possibly tip over. The the front wheels are tied to the transmission. Okay. So, what's going to happen is if this…

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