John Deere Z545R ZTrak Mower with 54-in. Deck

Comfortable ride delivered by an operator station with premium controls and ComfortGlide™ suspension

The operator station is designed to provide superior operator comfort for many different operators:

• Large, comfortable foot platform
  • Plenty of legroom for comfortable operation
  • Isolated with thick rubber spacers to minimize vibration
  • Standard rubber floor mat for extra foot comfort
  • Standard rubber toe board mat to stretch your legs in comfort
  • Standard foot pegs allow various comfortable positions for your feet
• Adjustable seat position, armrests, and spring suspension to suit each operator
  • Control panel conveniently located to the right of the seat
• Adjustable premium motion-control levers
  • Premium motion control levers have extra bends and material for greater operator comfort
  • Upper and lower positioning combined with forward and rearward tilt offers more legroom and hand positions

COMFORTABLE SEAT

he comfortable seat has two suspension springs, fore-aft seat adjustment and ComfortGlide suspension:

• A high-back, 22.5-in. (57.1-cm) seat with thick foam padding for good support and comfort
• Armrests for extra support
• 3-in. (7.6-cm) no-tools, fore-aft adjustment

FOOT PEGS (STANDARD ON R SERIES, OPTIONAL ON E AND M SERIES)

Foot pegs (standard on the Z530R and Z545R and available as an extra-cost kit on the Z515E and Z530M) provide you with different foot placement options.

Foot pegs are secured to the toe board in the horizontal position to provide more variability for foot placement. The pegs also act as handles to remove and replace the foot platform.

NOTE: Toe-board mat shown in photo is standard equipment on the Z530R and Z545R and can be ordered through Parts for the Z515E and Z530M.

CUP HOLDER AND STORAGE COMPARTMENT

The dual beverage holder on the left fender and storage compartment on the right fender add convenience for the operator:

• Room for two drink containers of various sizes for longer mowing jobs
• Storage compartment provides a safe and convenient location to store tools and supplies

NOTE: A storage compartment cover is standard on the Z530R and Z545R.

CONTROL CONSOLE INCLUDES AN EASY-TO-READ FUEL GAUGE

The control console is located to the right of the operator station and includes the following:

• Ignition switch
• Power take-off (PTO) control (yellow)
• Light switch
• Space for an additional electric control switch
• Engine speed controls (orange)     

• The Z545R engine is equipped with electronic fuel injection (EFI) and electronic throttle control (ETC) that permit simplified electronic control of engine speed and power for optimum performance in varying conditions:

• MAX – full power and performance for the toughest mowing conditions, such as longer, thicker grass
• ECO – fuel saving setting for easier mowing conditions, such as shorter or dryer grass
• MIN – engine idle speed for transport, loading/unloading, etc.

The advanced instrument display has the look and feel of a modern automobile with a power-up sequence that cycles lights and gauges to indicate they are working:

• Display features a dark cockpit design to minimize operator distractions.
• Display is backlit for night visibility.
• Hour meter makes it easy to tell when oil changes and other maintenance should be performed.
• Electronic fuel gauge provides real-time fuel level information.
• A tachometer graphically displays engine speed.
  • Target-zone graphics inform the operator of the engine speed range to use for best cut quality.
• An indicator tells the operator when the PTO is operating.
• Bright caution and stop lights capture the operator's attention when important information is on the instrument cluster.
  • Damage can be prevented and repair costs can be reduced by addressing problems early.
• Operators are advised of what the problem is if they attempt to operate the mower with unsatisfied PTO, seat, or park brake interlocks.
  • The indicators are also useful to identify the reasons the PTO or engine may have shut off when an interlock is unsatisfied.
• Operators are advised if battery voltage is low, normal, or excessive.
• The service indicator light illuminates to indicate a diagnostic error code is stored.
  • On-board diagnostics provides trouble codes for use by trained technicians.
    • For example, a technician can test switch functionality and circuit continuity without tools.

FUEL SIGHT WIDOW AND FILL CAP

A conveniently located fuel-sight window allows the operator to view the fuel level when approaching the vehicle from the front:

• Semi-clear material makes seeing how much fuel is in the tank quick and easy.
• Large, 3-in. (7.6-cm) diameter fuel-fill opening reduces the chance of spilling when adding fuel.
  • Fuel-fill opening is low and angled to make adding fuel easy.
• Cap is tethered to the fuel tank.
  • Less chance of fuel cap getting lost

PARK BRAK

The park brake is conveniently located:

• Large lever is easy to use.
• Park brake effectively holds the machine in the parked position.
• Park brake must be engaged (in the upper position) to start the engine. 
• Once the engine is started, the park brake must be disengaged before operating the motion-control levers.

Brake-and-go logic:

• Park brake must be engaged for the engine to crank.
• Motion-control levers must be in the outward position for the engine to crank.
• Park brake must be disengaged before operating the motion-control levers or the engine will stall.

SAFETY INTERLOCK SYSTEM

Safety interlocks help prevent operating in an unsafe way:

• The parking brake must be engaged for the engine to crank.
  • Parking brake is set when motion-control levers are in the outward position.
• The operator presence system requires the operator to be in the seat to operate the PTO.
• The key switch interlock prevents bypass starting.
• If the operator leaves the seat when the PTO is engaged, the controls are in the operating position, or the parking brake is not set, the engine will shut down.
• The seat interlock switch disengages the mower when the operator leaves the seat.
• The engine will stall if the operator leaves the seat without the motion-control levers in the outward position and the parking brake set.

MULCHCONTROL LIMITATIONS

While in the side-discharge mode, MulchControl will still mulch about one-third of the material. Therefore, the side-discharge mode is essentially a partial mulch mode. This can be an advantage when side discharging or bagging, as it helps reduce the amount of material being discharged. Other times this could work as a disadvantage:

• When cutting strong southern grasses, such as Zoysia and Bermuda
• When cutting in wet, high-growth conditions, such as those found in the Pacific Northwest United States
• When optimum bagging and lawn cleanup is desired

OPTIONAL MULCHCONTROL™ ATTACHMENT

The MulchControl attachment makes mulching more practical for many mowing situations because it not only does an excellent job of mulching but it also allows the mower to be easily converted for times when it is more desirable to side discharge or collect the lawn material. Advantages of mulching grass clippings include:

• A beautiful looking lawn
• Grass clippings not blown onto the operator, driveways, or flower beds
• Less fertilizer required
• Elimination of the effort needed to dispose of clippings

MulchControl is an innovative, simple design that is easy to use and maintain:

• The MulchControl attachment includes baffles to control the flow of material under the deck.
• Mulching blades to give a more complete mulching job are included.
• The left mower blade area is completely enclosed and optimized for mulching and will mulch even when the mower is in the side-discharge mode.
• Baffles around the center and right blades are optimized for mulching when the discharge baffle is closed.
• A MulchControl kit is not available for 48HC mower decks.

OPTIONAL 6.5-BU (229-L) ZTRAK Z500 SERIES MATERIAL COLLECTION SYSTEM (MCS) (NOT AVAILABLE FOR 60-IN. [152-CM] HIGH CAPACITY MOWER DECK)

The 6.5-bu (230-L) rear bagger efficiently collects material from a 48- or 54-in. (122- or 137-cm) Mower Deck:

• Hopper and included attachment bar/bumper, Power Flow blower, and chute components are ordered separately to make a complete MCS.
• A weight bracket is included for installation on the front of the vehicle to help counterbalance the weight of the hopper. For proper ballast with complete MCS:
  • Four weights are required on a ZTrak Z500 Series equipped with a 48-in. (122-cm) Mower Deck.
  • Three weights are required on a ZTrak Z500 Series equipped with a 54-in. (137-cm) Mower Deck.

The hopper design provides efficient bagging performance, clean operation, and easy-to-empty bags:

• Two durable bags give a generous, 6.5-bu (230-L) capacity.
• The bags lift out for easy emptying.
• An efficient chute provides a smooth flow of material to reduce the chance of plugging.
  • The chute and Power Flow blower must be ordered separately.
• Standard mower blades are used for bagging.
• The air exhaust duct directs air from the hopper back and toward the ground for clean operation.
• Convenient latch makes opening and closing the hopper easy.

NOTE: Appropriate hopper with included attachment bar, Power Flow blower, chute and weights are required and ordered separately.

No choke control is needed:

• A servo motor controls the intake air butterfly valve and the air stream.
• For cold starts, the actuator will close the valve, making starting the engine easier. No choke lever is needed.
• Starts are quick and easy, even for inexperienced operators.

Since the Z545R engine is equipped with EFI and ETC, simplified electronic control of engine speed and power for optimum performance in varying conditions is advantageous:

• MAX – full power and performance for the toughest mowing conditions, such as longer, thicker grass
• ECO – fuel saving setting for easier mowing conditions, such as shorter or dryer grass
• MIN – engine idle speed for transport

REAR HITCH

Strong frame is designed to accommodate a rear hitch that can be used to pull a variety of lawn equipment:

• Can support up to 100 lb (45.4 kg) of tongue weight
• Can pull equipment weighing up to 250 lb (113.4 kg)

NOTE: The rear hitch is standard on the Z530R and Z545R and optional on the Z515E and Z530M.

LARGE REAR TIRES

Rear tires have high-quality tread and optimum size for superior traction and smooth ride:

• Tire size is 23x10.5-12.
• Tread pattern is optimized for excellent traction and minimum turf damage.
• Special wheel design gives an enhanced appearance to the machine.