The Z Force series is not the bottom level mower from Cub. The bottom level is the RZT series. The Z Force is probably as good as, or better than the JD you mentioned. Neither are real "quality" mowers. As a Cub dealer, I see a lot of older Z Force mowers come in that are pretty junky. However, Cub made some quality improvements to them this past year and the current Z Force machines we have sold to homeowners have been performing well. At least Cub gives the buyer a 3 year warranty, so most problems can be resolved before the warranty runs out.
All in all, at the price range you have mentioned, the Z Force is probably one of your better choices, and should be a good mower for what you plan to use it on.
