Looking at a Raptor 42"..

Been mowing a tad over a 1/2 acre for 13 years with a lawn tractor and am really thinking about a small ZT. My grass is thick & needs cut every 3 days. My ancient Murray & Cub Cadet have served me well, but watching the neighbor mow with his ZT in half the time has me a bit envious. My tractors are slow and sometimes bog down. I don't really like the Husky's JDs & Toros @ the home stores. I realize that the Raptor is now available there as well, but it "seems" a bit nicer with the Kawasaki engine and fabricated deck. I can get 10% off with a military ID, but I am still willing to buy from a local dealer.
My question - Is the Raptor going to serve me better than the stamped decked ZTs at the big stores? I am trying to stay under 3k so my choices are limited. I WANT the 4pt deck & better trans, but can't justify it with such small property. Unbiased reviews on the Raptor are sort of scarce. One person bitched about no hour meter, but seems like $45 can take care of that.

Thoughts?

I have the Raptor 52" and so far so good for me (10-15 hours). This was my first zero-turn (or any rider for that matter) so I don't have anything to compare it against. I have 1 acre and it's pretty hilly. My yard would be better served by the SD as it's a rough ride in some areas, however much like you, I wanted to stay at $3000 (9.25% sales tax here adds nearly $300). Who knows how well it'll survive in the longterm, however I have no major complaints so far. The right-side on mine does seem to be faster (will make a decently hard turn left if both arms pushed forward on my flag concrete driveway) so I'm looking into that now. I've had all 4 tires go flat on me (again, rough terrain) so could be as simple as tire pressure. Hopefully I can work it out myself - if not, the Hustler Service is known to be great!

Good luck with whatever you end up with. Other's may have other suggestions for you, however from my experience, the Raptor is a solid machine. A lot of people will point out its "flaws" (EZTs, blade tip speed, non-chain deck, etc.) but for $3000, I found it's the best you can get. There isn't a lot of wiggle room with the price as it's "entry-level," however your dealer may match (or split the difference) on the coupon.

RetiredGuns said:

Been mowing a tad over a 1/2 acre for 13 years with a lawn tractor and am really thinking about a small ZT. My grass is thick & needs cut every 3 days. My ancient Murray & Cub Cadet have served me well, but watching the neighbor mow with his ZT in half the time has me a bit envious. My tractors are slow and sometimes bog down. I don't really like the Husky's JDs & Toros @ the home stores. I realize that the Raptor is now available there as well, but it "seems" a bit nicer with the Kawasaki engine and fabricated deck. I can get 10% off with a military ID, but I am still willing to buy from a local dealer.
My question - Is the Raptor going to serve me better than the stamped decked ZTs at the big stores? I am trying to stay under 3k so my choices are limited. I WANT the 4pt deck & better trans, but can't justify it with such small property. Unbiased reviews on the Raptor are sort of scarce. One person bitched about no hour meter, but seems like $45 can take care of that.

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

I had the 52" Raptor that I bought last May and sold it a few weeks ago. I hated the small tires and mainly how the deck was hung. I was constantly leveling the deck. The right side of the deck is not adjustable so you have a cam that you adjust on the left side only. Very poor design in my opinion. I bought a 54" Raptor sd and I'm much happier with it. The deck has adjustments at four corners. Plus big tires, thicker deck, serviceable hydrogears. I know it's extra $1000 but it's worth it.

Thanks for the info. Wish they made a 42" SD. I have a few places where anything bigger will be a problem.