Hustler Musings and Observations

[specman]

Like a good many users on this forum I joined to gather information to make the best decision possible for purchase of a ZTR. Hustler is a name that I was remotely familiar because the local Hustler dealer recently won the annual Hancock County Small Business Award for exemplary Customer Service. All of a sudden I was very interested in Hustler. I have been pursuing this forum for the past few days and noticed that there have been some QC issues with rolling out the Raptor line. These things happen. I get the BBS deal because that痴 where the people are. Every time we pull into the BBS parking lot we are greeted by shiny green, red and yellow machine just begging us to buy or at least lust over them. The real test is, how has and will Hustler respond to these problems? This is an opportunity for Hustler to take this turkey off of the table by making these problems go away to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. Let痴 hope that they do.
One particular user takes this opportunity to cut Hustler down with one side of their mouth and say they make good stuff out of the other. I can find no evidence that he owns or has ever owned a Hustler Product. It痴 like voting, when you vote you earn the right to gripe. He appears to be very knowledgeable on all subjects as witnessed by his many posts. His posts are crafted in a condescending and 妬n your face way that turns me off. He is the reason that I will be buying a residential grade RSD 54 tomorrow. I am betting that Hustler and their dealer network will get their stuff together and work out any real and/or perceived QC issues.
Thanks,
Specman

 

[t9sti]

Right on! I bought a rsd 54 the other day...now just waiting for delivery. My question is, has hustler fixed the clutch belt issue on new mowers yet, or when I get it should I be sure to look closely for the extra washer?


Thanks!

 

[djdicetn]

Like a good many users on this forum I joined to gather information to make the best decision possible for purchase of a ZTR. Hustler is a name that I was remotely familiar because the local Hustler dealer recently won the annual Hancock County Small Business Award for exemplary Customer Service. All of a sudden I was very interested in Hustler. I have been pursuing this forum for the past few days and noticed that there have been some QC issues with rolling out the Raptor line. These things happen. I get the BBS deal because that痴 where the people are. Every time we pull into the BBS parking lot we are greeted by shiny green, red and yellow machine just begging us to buy or at least lust over them. The real test is, how has and will Hustler respond to these problems? This is an opportunity for Hustler to take this turkey off of the table by making these problems go away to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. Let痴 hope that they do.
One particular user takes this opportunity to cut Hustler down with one side of their mouth and say they make good stuff out of the other. I can find no evidence that he owns or has ever owned a Hustler Product. It痴 like voting, when you vote you earn the right to gripe. He appears to be very knowledgeable on all subjects as witnessed by his many posts. His posts are crafted in a condescending and 妬n your face way that turns me off. He is the reason that I will be buying a residential grade RSD 54 tomorrow. I am betting that Hustler and their dealer network will get their stuff together and work out any real and/or perceived QC issues.
Thanks,
Specman

I've never owned a Hustler ZTR, but I made an offer on a FasTrak Super Duty in 2012. The dealer wouldn't budge from MSRP plus taxes so I bought my Gravely(liked it better anyway). I regularly recommend Hustlers but I am one of the users that have been very critical of the QC problems(and timeliness of remedial action) with the Raptor line by Hustler. Ever since I began researching ZTR's in the Summer of 2012, the Raptor rollout is the first "widespread" defect that I have read reviews about and IMHO until(like you said) "Hustler takes this turkey off of the table by making these problems go away to the satisfaction of everyone concerned" I cannot recommend that ZTR with a clear conscience. Another brand(that I also looked at and made an offer on).....Bad Boy has had very "mixed" reviews in my research. Either the owners loved them or they hated them(usually related to cut quality) so you won't see me recommending them either(although I will comment how the Outlaw models are "built like a tank"). I try to be respectful of all other user's opinions so I hope that it is not me that you are depicting as condescending. I have no problem arguing a point with another user if I am 100% certain that I am right, but still try to remain civil. I believe Hustler has done great harm to their stellar reputation by (1)rolling out a second year Raptor lineup with the serious clutch/tension spring/belt drive problems that have filled this Hustler Forum with reported failures; (2)not being more aggressive in having all dealers check all Raptor inventory on hand to correct distributed machines before selling them, not shipping any Raptors to dealers unless the defect was corrected first(and modifying the assembly process to prevent any more coming off the line)and contacting all Raptor owners for immediate fixes....and(3)making the financial decision to allow BBS's to sell Raptors cheaper than their dealer network could sell them and make their profit margin(just not fair to their dealer network). That being said, I will continue to highly recommend Hustler FasTrak and above models but until I am convinced that all of the bugs are worked out of the Raptors I will continue to advise users that I consider them questionable purchases with many reported problems. On that subject.....check out this recent post by a Raptor SD owner with only 35 hours on his machine and ask him if you should take a chance on a Raptor:

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/hustler-forum/27144-raptor-sd-2014-bent-belt-spindle.html

 

[djdicetn]

Right on! I bought a rsd 54 the other day...now just waiting for delivery. My question is, has hustler fixed the clutch belt issue on new mowers yet, or when I get it should I be sure to look closely for the extra washer?


Thanks!

My question is that with the recall being almost two months old.......why should you even be concerned about your dealer getting a RSD from Hustler now that doesn't have ALL deck problems corrected??? Surely, you mentioned something about the recall when you purchased the ZTR from your dealer.....right? The fact that you are concerned tells me you have read some owner reviews for "recent purchases" where the recall was not addressed. Or you have read about so many failures that you are a little concerned. I sincerely hope that the Raptor SD you receive is free from any of the clutch/spring/belt problems that have plagued this lineup!!!!

 

[RetiredGuns]

I'm sure enjoying my bottom feeder Raptor 42". As far as I can tell it may not be plagued with the clutch ordeal as the SD models? There is no 2nd washer, but it looks different than the SD pics people have posted. There is no rattles or vibrations. My dealer also tweaked the machine before it was delivered and driven up my driveway. Deck was perfectly level, tire pressure good, everything tight and 1/2 tank of fuel. As far as pricing goes, he is exactly the same as what you see @ Lowes & HD online. Not sure that the BBS are going to sell them a dime cheaper. One thing is for sure, if you sit on a Hustler and simply work the levers and take a peek at construction compared to the usual BBS offerings, it is night and day! I'm very happy with the cut as well and here in the Midwest this year that means mowing 8" grass in between rains. Coming from a lawn tractor it is actually pleasant to mow again.

Unless Hustler plans on "cheapening" the units, the mowers bought through BBS should be fine however I am a HUGE supporter of local dealers and all my equipment has come that way for years. I like the personal interaction, service and intimacy of the shops. I think sometimes we forget that people with problems seek out these forums and are looking to vent, get help or advice. The other 99.9% aren't popping in to just let to let us know that all is well. Personally I found the forum while researching brands other than residential JDs, Toros, Huskies, Troybilt, etc.. With 1/2 acre, I could not in good conscience spend my family's money on a mower north of $5k. Heck I have neighbors that push their 1/2 acre and think I'm nuts! I decided to buy the best unit I could afford and at $2519 (military discount) could not have done better. Even used commercial mowers with 1000hrs are still pricey and I like a clean slate on my stuff.

We all tend to be loyal to our decisions and can get carried away in letting people know. It's assuring and human nature. Yep, can be annoying too, but in the end we are all just shortening grass! :smile:

 

[specman]

I'm sure enjoying my bottom feeder Raptor 42". As far as I can tell it may not be plagued with the clutch ordeal as the SD models? There is no 2nd washer, but it looks different than the SD pics people have posted. There is no rattles or vibrations. My dealer also tweaked the machine before it was delivered and driven up my driveway. Deck was perfectly level, tire pressure good, everything tight and 1/2 tank of fuel. As far as pricing goes, he is exactly the same as what you see @ Lowes & HD online. Not sure that the BBS are going to sell them a dime cheaper. One thing is for sure, if you sit on a Hustler and simply work the levers and take a peek at construction compared to the usual BBS offerings, it is night and day! I'm very happy with the cut as well and here in the Midwest this year that means mowing 8" grass in between rains. Coming from a lawn tractor it is actually pleasant to mow again.

Unless Hustler plans on "cheapening" the units, the mowers bought through BBS should be fine however I am a HUGE supporter of local dealers and all my equipment has come that way for years. I like the personal interaction, service and intimacy of the shops. I think sometimes we forget that people with problems seek out these forums and are looking to vent, get help or advice. The other 99.9% aren't popping in to just let to let us know that all is well. Personally I found the forum while researching brands other than residential JDs, Toros, Huskies, Troybilt, etc.. With 1/2 acre, I could not in good conscience spend my family's money on a mower north of $5k. Heck I have neighbors that push their 1/2 acre and think I'm nuts! I decided to buy the best unit I could afford and at $2519 (military discount) could not have done better. Even used commercial mowers with 1000hrs are still pricey and I like a clean slate on my stuff.

We all tend to be loyal to our decisions and can get carried away in letting people know. It's assuring and human nature. Yep, can be annoying too, but in the end we are all just shortening grass! :smile:

Amen Brother!!!

 

[chemingthroughtheleather]

:thumbsup:It ain't rocket science!

 

[MRCo.]

Right on! I bought a rsd 54 the other day...now just waiting for delivery. My question is, has hustler fixed the clutch belt issue on new mowers yet, or when I get it should I be sure to look closely for the extra washer?


Thanks!

All new units are shipped with the fixed clutch set up, but note that the new factory news do not have the two washers, that was just to correct the previously released set up. Despite what some people insinuate, this has been a non-issue for two months.

 

[MRCo.]

Amen Brother!!!

Seconded.

 

[DSepe]

I feel bad for my local Hustler because people just go to the BBS and don't research the local dealer. He has seen a decline in his residential model sells because people just go to Lowe's. He's out in the country and people are so lazy/uninformed they use BBS because that is all they've ever known...most don't even bother using the dealer lookup. He has the same price as Lowe's.