New Kubota Mower Achieves Fast Turnarounds

To meet an increasing market demand for zero turn mowers, Kubota Australia has released a new compact zero turn mower with integrated catcher. Kubota boast that the GZD15 is the complete mowing package. Grass can be quickly cut, collected and disposed of, utilising diesel power and the zero turn concept.
Powered by a 15 horsepower, Kubota 2-cylinder diesel engine, the GZD15 has a 1066mm (42 inch) cutting deck and utilises twin hydrostatic transmissions with gear reduction drive to achieve a zero radius turn. Steering is via two lever control handles.

The deep cutting deck handles thick grass and the two specially-designed glide cut blades not only cut grass, but also channel clippings directly into the 400 litre capacity catcher thereby avoiding the need for a side-mounted turbine. The advantages of utilising blade tip velocity to fill the catcher include fuel savings (as there is no turbine to drive) and extra manoeuvrability as the overall width is reduced.

Power is transmitted to the deck via shaft drive and for durability, the GZD15 has a hydraulic wet multi disc PTO clutch and PTO brake. A single hexagonal belt drives both mower blades. Operators only need to depress a foot pedal to hydraulically raise the deck. With the deck in the raised position clearance exceeding 127mm is achieved, allowing the machine to negotiate curbs and other obstacles.

Cutting height can be adjusted without the operator having to leave the seat as a simple dial is within easy reach. A pivoting front axle allows the deck to follow ground contours so unsightly scalping is avoided. An ordinary garden hose can be plugged into an inbuilt cleaning port so the underside of the deck can be thoroughly cleaned. No tools are required to remove the deck as it is simply a matter of removing two pins and the drive shaft connection. For versatility the catcher can be raised to a height of 1.8 m – high enough to dump clippings in the centre of a small truck. This feature makes the GZD15 ideally suited to semi-commercial operations where clippings need to be collected and disposed. Adjustments can be made to lower the raising height if dumping is required under trees.

Maximum travel speed of 13.5 km/h ensures the GZD15 can quickly travel between work areas and the 20 litre fuel tank means re fuelling stops are kept to a minimum. A lockable one-piece hood allows access to the engine for routine maintenance and servicing.