My husband & I bought a Cub Cadet "The Tank" zero turn radius mower (commercial grade) 48" cut in April, 2007. Brand new. We do lawns commercially. Any time my husband mows with it he can't get more than 10 hours to a set of blades which cost between $50.00 & $60.00 for a set. Usually he gets less than 10 hours. The mower doesn't seem to discharge the grass out from under the deck so it gets guilt up & wears the blades out. We wash under the deck but when you are mowing a yard that takes 4 to 6 hours to mow you can't stop & wash the deck every hour. This cuts into your time and money. I am wondering if anyone else has this problem with the same machine? We have asked the dealer & he says he hasn't had any other complaints.
I have a 2009 M54. The only thing I have done is replaced battery and one deck belt. Mowe 3 acres one to 2 times a week. Pull roller and trailer and have pulled trees out of ground. Have two sets of blades. One set for spring and one for summer when it is dry enough to mulch. Use high left for spring. I am 80 years old and this is the by far the best mower ever made. Never failed to start.