Cub Cadet 6 Fabricated Deck User Manual
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Note:
W
hen adding hydraulic oil, do so in
small quantities and recheck the oil level before 
adding more. It is important that you do not over-
fill the reservoir to allow for fluid expansion.
1.
Hoses: Check the hoses from the hydraulic oil 
tank to the oil filter to the hydraulic lines daily for 
leaks or abrasion and replace any damaged 
hoses. Make certain there are no kinks or twists 
in any hose.
2.
Hydraulic Oil Tank and Filter:
Note:
Change the hydraulic oil and the oil fil-
ter element after the first 50 hours of operation 
and every 500 hours thereafter.
To drain the hydraulic oil tank, place a 1 gallon drain pan 
under the drain plug on the bottom of the hydraulic oil 
tank. Remove the drain plug, drain the tank, then 
replace the plug. Remove the three screws from the top 
of the oil filter and take out the oil filter element You don’t 
have to drain the rest of the hydraulic system. Put the 
replacement filter element in the oil filter and lubricate 
the sealing surface. Install the three screws in the top of 
the oil filter to secure the oil filter element. (See photo 
below)
Note:
Always wipe off the hydraulic tank fill
cap and the area around it before removing the 
cap to prevent dirt from contaminating the oil.
Remove the fill cap and fill the tank with the same 15W-
40 oil selected for the filter until the oil level is a 1/4” 
below the oil tank fill neck. Leave this air space for 
expansion. Start the engine and let it run at idle for 
about five minutes. Check the filter for leaks. Idling the 
engine and the pumps in this way will purge any air from 
the system. Shut off the engine and recheck the oil level 
in the tank. Top-off if necessary until the oil level is a 1/4” 
below the oil tank fill neck.
Note:
After unit is up to operating tempera-
ture, turn off engine and re-check hydraulic oil. If 
oil appears foamy or contains excessive air bub-
bles, DO NOT OPERATE UNIT. Contact service 
technician.
3.
Hydrostatic Pumps and Motors: The pumps 
are the hardest-working components in the 
hydraulic system. They are in operation all the 
time the engine is running. Because of 
extremely close tolerances, wear is an important 
factor in their life. Contaminants in the hydraulic 
oil and cavitation does the greatest harm to the 
pumps. Cavitation is a blockage in the supply 
lines that produces a partial vacuum causing 
violent bubbling in the hydraulic oil in the pump. 
Check the two suction hoses (the hoses con-
nected to the filter) daily before starting the 
engine. Look for a flattened condition or any 
leaks and repair or replace as necessary. A flat-
tened or leakng suction hose will permit cavita-
tion to develop which can destroy the pumps in a 
short time.
Contaminants or foreign matter in the oil will also 
damage the pumps . To prevent this, use a filter 
that captures particles as small as 25 microns or 
25 millionths of a meter in diameter. You can 
help in the battle against dirt by being very care-
ful when you remove or repair a component in 
the hydraulic system. Thoroughly clean off any 
component before you work on it. Plug the ends 
of any hose or line you remove with a rubber or 
plastic plug. Use plastic caps to seal off the ends 
of hydraulic fittings. Place any component you 
remove in a clean plastic bag so it can’t pick up 
dust or dirt. Clean your hands frequently when 
working on the hydraulic components.
Note:
The pumps are not owner-repairable. If
a pump fails, contact your Cub Cadet Commer-
cial dealer. Do not disassemble the pump.
4.
Steering Lever Adjustments: The steering 
lever controls on this Zero Turn Mower (ZTM) 
incorporate a patented interlock mechanism that 
secures them in their Neutral position whenever 
the Park Brake lever is applied. Additionally, the 
lap bars can be opened in any position - Neutral, 
when traveling Forward, when traveling in 
Reverse, or when executing a zero-turn maneu-
var. The lap bars also incorporate a Return-To-
Neutral (RTN) feature with hydraulic dampers to 
provide smooth, non-jerkey, control motion while 
affording an automatic hydrostatic braking 
means. 
Whenever the Park Brake lever is moved rear-
ward to the Park Brake engaged position, a 
cable mechanism, connected to each drum 
brake on the hydrostatic wheel motors, applies 
force to each brake lever so that each wheel 
brake mechanism can prevent brake drum and 
wheel rotation. At the same time, a second cable 
and linkage mechanism is activated to secure 
both lap bars in their Neutral positions and to 
activate the Park Brake switch. Both lap bars 
must be in their Neutral positions for the neutral 
lock linkage to function - the spring-loaded link-
age will force rods in through aligning holes in 
Screw
Screw
