Raptor or Raptor SD ?

Good 1 Brian said:

New here , looking at getting a zero turn mower for under $4,000 , I have about 1 acre mostly flat looking at the 42" Raptor and Raptor SD
I will not be putting a lot of hours on the mower , the upgrade on the Raptor SD that stand out to me

1) Motor : Kohler 7000 vs Kohler Pro Performance 7000
2) Transmission : HydroGear EZT vs HydroGear 2800 this one needs to be service filter and fluid change is it worth the extra maintenance ? The HrdroGear EZT is a sealed unit no extra maintenance
3) Deck height : 4.1" vs 4.5
4) Blade Speed 16,700 fpm vs 18,600 fpm
5) Seat : SD has better seat with arm rest

Price different between the two $2.800 vs $3,800 is it worth $1,000 for the SD :confused3:

The other one that I also looked at Toro 42" MX4250 $3,600
Any opinions on the three or suggestion on a different make/model in this price range :anyone:

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Good 1 Brian said:

New here , looking at getting a zero turn mower for under $4,000 , I have about 1 acre mostly flat looking at the 42" Raptor and Raptor SD
I will not be putting a lot of hours on the mower , the upgrade on the Raptor SD that stand out to me

1) Motor : Kohler 7000 vs Kohler Pro Performance 7000
2) Transmission : HydroGear EZT vs HydroGear 2800 this one needs to be service filter and fluid change is it worth the extra maintenance ? The HrdroGear EZT is a sealed unit no extra maintenance
3) Deck height : 4.1" vs 4.5
4) Blade Speed 16,700 fpm vs 18,600 fpm
5) Seat : SD has better seat with arm rest

Price different between the two $2.800 vs $3,800 is it worth $1,000 for the SD :confused3:


The other one that I also looked at Toro 42" MX4250 $3,600

Any opinions on the three or suggestion on a different make/model in this price range :anyone:

Click to expand...

Ric said:

The SD will be a little better mower. The drives are Hydro gears largest residential drives and are more suited to larger property's than the EZT and are worth the extra cost. The ezt drives are 10cc pumps and motor while the 2800 is 10 cc pump and 16cc motor. your spindles are all sealed on the sd so you don't have to worry about maintenance on them and your spindle reinforcement/ top plates are 7ga. not the light 14ga which makes the SD a little more heavy duty.. The faster blade speed is also a plus. Personally with $4000 to spend you may want to consider looking on criaglist for a low hour commercial mower. You could end up with twice the mower for the same money.

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Rob45679 said:

I had the same decision last April. Ended up going with the 42". Have a little under an acre. Fairly flat and a little bumpy. Took me 2 hrs to push mow and trim. Now I can get it done in or under an hour. Was going to buy the armrest kit. Quickly decided I didn't need them with the size of my lawn. Only thing I added was the mulch kit. Put 32 hours on it. From April to October. Very happy with the decision. Glad I saved the extra grand.

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RhettWS said:

Welcome to the forum,

I purchased the SD a little over a month ago and I like it just fine. I did not look at the standard raptor because I wanted hydros that I could service. There are some other differences as you pointed out but that was the big one for me so I did not consider any unit that had the EZT hydros although I suspect they will last a long time.

Good luck .......... Rhett

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Good 1 Brian said:

Thanks Ric for your help on the drives
Agree about craigslist what I find used on craigslist for what I'm willing to spent mowers that are overkill for my needs plus I'm 66 and this should be my last mower and having a 3 year warranty with a good local dealer that I trust reason for me to buy new

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Good 1 Brian said:

Thanks Rob45679 for you reply , also looking at the 42" and adding the mulch kit
Do you have any issues with the mulch kit clogging , need to drive at a slower speed after adding the mulch kit and before using the mulch kit could you cut the grass if it was somewhat wet like in the morning with a lite dew on it ?

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Good 1 Brian said:

Thanks Rob45679 for you reply , also looking at the 42" and adding the mulch kit
Do you have any issues with the mulch kit clogging , need to drive at a slower speed after adding the mulch kit and before using the mulch kit could you cut the grass if it was somewhat wet like in the morning with a lite dew on it ?

Click to expand...