CC - Sorry, Cub Cadet.A brand otherwise known for quality, I think, except for the gearboxes on certain year models of the electric Zero Turn mowers.
I think parts WERE available, even internal gearcase gears and shafts (broken splines, on mine), previously, for some years.
They are separately broken out in the parts diagrams, and listed individually on parts list, but 'No Longer available' or 'Discontinued by MFR', when I click to buy on parts seller websites. Over 10 years old, might be reason.
SPARES: EU and USA: How many years are spares required to be made ? Given expected (by me) lifespan of garden tractors, & riding mowers, I would hope for more than 10 years.
Comparison ZT to Elec-Trak:Cub Cadet electric Zero Turn mower service manual is excellent [photos, process, wiring harness. NO schematics of Control panel (CC custom design) or motor controllers (third party)]. NO repair to electronics component level.
Elec-trak: Good Service manuals, INCLUDING circuit board schematics. POSSIBLE repair to component level. Even relay contacts internally replaceable. (I have even opened the sealed can contactors & fixed those).
One other ZT comparison detail that results in favor of front mower Elec-Trak: CLEANING:
* ZT: Lift the mower as high as possible on ZT, to wash. Not good. Use their included water hose quick connect. Sorta good. Verification challenging (border patrol style underbody inspection mirror maybe ?). Mower deck really traps debris around motors, top side. contributes to motor heating. Use compressed air to clean (best for motors). or water hose (REALLY BAD: one of my ZT motors failed due to water getting inside, trapped in bottom at lower bearing !). [Solution: Buy tractor / ATV lift, & improve access]
* Elec-Trak: flip up whole deck, see dirt, use brush, scraper, compressed air, water hose to clean. confirm clean. Air dry. = EXCELLENT. EASY. (on one of my decks, previous owner welded hand grip lift handle - GREAT !)
BATTERIES: I have considered Lithium batteries of some type (sealed & high energy density, but many chemistries require balance chargers) and heard that discharge curve is better, but that they have issues in very cold weather (maybe article described Teslas or similar, where charger refused to charge a very cold pack ?), and also the wet Nickel batteries that some here are using (love the life span & single cell swap, but still have battery compartment corrosion issues). I have read about people using parts of electric car battery packs. Not sure what they due for battery management / balancing.
PWM: Curtis 1204 gives similar (to your Alltrax) 'crawl' mode of move by the centimeter. Love that, like when backing to couple a 3000 lb trailer. Or trying to get it moving. Where 1204 weak is higher speeds. I assume your Alltrax improves on GE OEM from 0 to max speed.
(NOTE: Need a backup camera for coupling, because I can't actually see the hitch ball, due to custom weight box/hitch adapter in rear, full of 16" long (vertical) solid concrete blocks, blocking view. Without the weight, the rear tires just spin ...). Maybe upgrade weight box via solid steel slabs: 1/3 space for same weight. Or wheel weights. Blocks are cheap though.
On 12/28/25 11:15, David Roden wrote:
On 28 Dec 2025 at 9:36, john wrote:TERRIBLE part on the 2012 and broken / NON-repairable 2015 model I have is gear boxes on each side (separate is OK, good actually): WEAK design. one broke. no parts available.That would be pretty close to a deal-breaker for me. If the vendor won't supply spare parts and you have to keep parts machines in the shed, it might as well be a relatively cheap, ancient, long-discontinued machine ... like certain other electric tractors we know. BTW, in most if not all of the EU, that would be illegal. Spares *have* to be made available for machinery in that price class.OTHER CC ZT (2012/15 model,I don't know what CC is. Brand?newer Li-Ion might have improved design, but cost $5000)Convert to generic Chinese LiFePO4? I dunno; I haven't looked at prices and availability lately. Maybe that's no longer an affordable option in the US with the tariffs y'all have now. I will say that the Alltrax PWM controller turned my E15 into a civilized machine. I could move it by the centimeter in D1. It also banished forever the reversing relay hassles. But like yours, neither E15 nor the R36 rider was able to negotiate mowing the bank in front of my house sideways. I had to do that part with a push mower. David Roden - 25 Years with ETs = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to the "etpost" address will not reach me. To send me a private message, please use the address shown at the bottom of this page : http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =