The Chicago Athenaeum Museum recently presented Cub Cadet with a Good Design award for its new XZ5 Ultima Series zero-turns - for 'innovative and cutting-edge industrial product design' in the tools category.

The organisers of the awards, which have been presented for 70 years, say they recognise “design of the highest form, function and aesthetic . . . a standard beyond ordinary.”

Phil Noble, divisional ,manager, Lawn and Garden, E.P. Barrus in the UK says, “These new XZ5 Ultima machines have been on sale in America which leads the market on zero-turns and have smashed all sales records. The sales have been so successful that they have not only increased the line-up of Ultima machines but have also had to increase the production lines to keep up with demand.

"Cub Cadet has been at the forefront of the zero-turn market in the UK because our tractors have enabled customers to have zero-turn performance but with traditional steering wheel controls. However, in the UK, lap bar tractors are becoming more and more popular, so we are excited to add these machines to our range.

"We showcased these machines at the end of last year and our dealers have really got behind them, our sales have already increased dramatically.”

Cub Cadet say the full journey of the XZ5 Ultima took six months, including input from 1,300 customers and more than 63,000 hours of engineering and testing. 

“We knew we had something very special [on] our hands based on how the project came together," said Dennis Fowler, industrial design lead for MTD Products Inc. “We’ve already expanded the line up to reach new audiences for 2020, and we look forward to continuing our quest for innovation within this product line.”