At this year’s GIE+EXPO, Cub Cadet took a different booth approach by only showcasing its professional products.
“One big thing that we’ve done at GIE this year is (showcasing) only professional products,” Aaron Griffith, professional development manager with Cub Cadet, said at the tradeshow. “Cub Cadet wants to show that we are serious about the commercial business, so at the industry-leading show, we wanted to bring all of our commercial products to showcase that.”
With the introduction of the newest addition to their Pro Z Series, Cub Cadet says the Pro Z 972 SD is capable of operating on slopes up to 25 degrees.
“We launched our Pro Z Series a couple of years ago, and we’ve had great success with them,” Griffith said. “One of the areas we’ve grown a lot in is with municipalities. We have synchro-steer technology that’s much easier to drive, and when you have high turnover, anyone can drive it. It’s a steering wheel. If you can drive a car, you can drive our Z 972.”
The company says with the ability to confidently and accurately mow across hills horizontally, landscapers and municipalities can improve their efficiency while at the same time producing a quality cut.
“The Pro Z 972 SD gives the operator the speed and cut quality of a commercial zero turn mower on slopes a lap-bar zero-turn mower can’t handle” said Josh Sooy, director of commercial products, Cub Cadet. “Now operators can save time and money, and tackle jobs that previously proved challenging.”
Cub Cadet says the Pro Z 972 SD features dual rear wheels and a four-wheel steering system, which is what they say gives landscapers the opportunity to take on 25-degree slopes.
“Once we got it dialed in, we did what we do with all of our products,” Griffith said. “It has to go through our professional test drive. Once we’ve developed it in-house before we launch it, it spends a season with operators and users outside of our facility.”
Griffith said the company sent the machine out to municipalities all over the country and received good results. Griffith added that the Pro Z 972 SD retails for $15,999 and is backed by a five-year warranty.
“They can literally go from mowing their steepest, most extreme terrain to striping their baseball diamonds, soccer fields or whatever they have that’s high profile,” Griffith said.
The Pro Z 972 SD will be available for purchase in January 2019.
Cub Cadet also named Zimmer Tractor as their 2018 National Retailer of the Year. The company says this honor is presented each year to one of Cub Cadet’s 1,500 dealers nationwide, and it encompasses overall sales, customer service, customer support and loyalty, dealership growth and commitment to Cub Cadet.
Owned and operated by two generations of Zimmers, Cub Cadet says Zimmer Tractor has been serving its community since 1948. Zimmer Tractor is the largest tractor dealership in the Cincinnati tri-state area, serving four locations and over 25,000 customers.
“The team at Zimmer Tractor works tirelessly to support their employees and provide quality products and services to their community,” says Tom Rossman, senior director of sales, Cub Cadet. “Their dedication to conducting good business with customers has brought them to the top of their game. We congratulate Daniel and Daryl Zimmer and all of their employees, and we look forward to their future success.”
Along with presenting the National Retailer of the Year, Cub Cadet also named its Regional Dealers of the Year. These include:
- Western Maryland Outdoor Power, Inc.
- Rigg’s Outdoor Power Equipment
- Perryville Outdoor Products
- Zimmer Power Equipment
- Rowe’s Tractor, LLC.