Pulled the Trigger This Morning: Raptor SD 54

Greetings,

Pulled the trigger this morning on a Raptor SD, 54 with the Kaw motor. The dealer is adding the flex forks and engine guard and I should be able to pick it up Monday. I've posted a few time and agonized for about 3 months on what to purchase. I have about 4.5 acres but only mow about .5 acre although that might expand a bit over time. The rest is woods.

I wasn't too stuck on a specific price range and I wanted to purchase something that would last. I considered more expensive Hustlers as well as a Ferris IS700. In the end the weight of the more commercial units was a problem (at least in my mind). The fastrak units were about 200 lbs heavier and the ferris weighted slightly over 1000 lbs.

We get lots of rain here and my yard is wet a good bit of the time. While the property drains it is not perfect and the soil has a lot of clay so it holds water. I've seen my neighbors stuck with heavier units. Granted I can stick this RSD but I think it will rut less and hopefully will float a bit more than heavier units.

This forum has been really helpful in making my choice and I'll keep you posted how things go. :thumbsup:

Rhett

Good post Rhett.

Picked it up today!!!:biggrin: First zero turn for me and I can tell there will be a learning curve. Yard is wet but I ran a couple of runs down the sides of the driveway with no issues and most importantly no ruts. Didn't smash the ground despite it being very wet and soggy. Steering this thing is a little crazy to say the least. I was driving like a drunk man darting slightly to the left and right. Hopefully I will get smoother with it as time goes on.

I'll have to start looking for gas with either no ethanol or no more than 10% per the manual. I drive a diesel truck so I've paid little attention to this issue.

I'll try to wait a bit for it to dry out more, possibly this weekend. Grass is not too bad now and only a few residual leaves so not much to worry about. I'll post as I go.

Rhett