Hustler purchasing question

[djdicetn]

I don't know much about the standard Raptor, but I can personally tell you the 54" SD will handle 3.25 acres weekly with ease. Takes me 1.8 hours to knock out my yard.

OK...not trying to sound like a "Mr. Know It All".....if you were relying on that Raptor SD to say mow 10 yards/week commercially for income and had 10 customers depending on you would you do that, or would you have considered stepping up the Hustler line a few steps?? I know you love your Hustler with good reason, but would you rely on it for income?

 

[RaptorSD]

OK...not trying to sound like a "Mr. Know It All".....if you were relying on that Raptor SD to say mow 10 yards/week commercially for income and had 10 customers depending on you would you do that, or would you have considered stepping up the Hustler line a few steps?? I know you love your Hustler with good reason, but would you rely on it for income?

To get going why not? What do you expect will fail in cutting 3acres+ that wont on your Gravely? I have 33hrs on my SD54, already changed the hydro oil I've run it so hard..oil came out clean. Put flex forks on it and it might outlast that mower and be a much smoother ride at that. If you sold that Gravely for a new RSD or FT we wont judge you :laughing:

 

[Shughes717]

Hi,
I am thinking about purchasing the 52" Raptor for $2,999.
I have heard nothing but great reviews and you can't beat the price with any of the competitors.
I will be mowing between 2 to 3 acres and possibly some more in the future.
Some have suggested the SD or Fast Track, but it is an over $1,000 jump in price.
Money is a huge concern for me and even though it may only make a difference of $25 in my monthly payments, it is significant to me.
Are the differences really that significant? Speed really doesn't matter all that much to me.
Thanks for your help!
Andy

To try to help you with your decision. The raptor comes with ezt wheel motors and a residential deck with blade tip speed between 16000 and 17000 feet per minute. The raptor sd comes with zt2800 wheel motors ( larger and more reliable than ezt) and the heavier deck with a blade tip speed between 18000 and 19000 feet per minute. The sd will cut a little better and the deck will hold up better. I don't want to presume too much about how much more than 2 to 3 acres you are going to mow. If you are on mainly flat ground with no steep slopes either will work. Though, I would prefer the raptor sd because you are getting more for your money. If money is an issue then you shouldn't over extend yourself with a mower you can't afford.

 

[Carscw]

People think bigger is better. And they believe the hype the manufacturers tell them.

I race with the man that owns Carrollton hydraulics. His feelings are people waste their money buying a mower just because of the hydro set up.

The residential ZTRs with the sealed hydro drives like the raptor or timecutter will handle a lot more then some of you think.

I would buy the raptor for my work mower and I abuse mowers more then any if you could ever think of doing.

People said the timecutter would never last cutting more then 1 acre a week.
Buddy of mine got a 42 inch in 2006 he is well over 300 pounds. Has been cutting foreclosed homes with it for 8 years. Let's say 20 hours a week. Aside from routine maintenance he has replaced 5 deck spindles. And last week blew a head gasket. Not bad for a $2000 mower. With hydro drives that people say will not last 200 hours.

At the same time I see guys that have to replace pumps and motors on their $1200 mower.

I cut over 2000 yards last year with a cub cadet ltx1040 that cost me $1200 new and sold it a few months ago for $750. Hour meter stopped working at 999 hours.
I only replaced 4 deck spindles at $22 each.

 

[MPW1216]

People think bigger is better. And they believe the hype the manufacturers tell them.

I race with the man that owns Carrollton hydraulics. His feelings are people waste their money buying a mower just because of the hydro set up.

The residential ZTRs with the sealed hydro drives like the raptor or timecutter will handle a lot more then some of you think.

I would buy the raptor for my work mower and I abuse mowers more then any if you could ever think of doing.

People said the timecutter would never last cutting more then 1 acre a week.
Buddy of mine got a 42 inch in 2006 he is well over 300 pounds. Has been cutting foreclosed homes with it for 8 years. Let's say 20 hours a week. Aside from routine maintenance he has replaced 5 deck spindles. And last week blew a head gasket. Not bad for a $2000 mower. With hydro drives that people say will not last 200 hours.

At the same time I see guys that have to replace pumps and motors on their $1200 mower.

I cut over 2000 yards last year with a cub cadet ltx1040 that cost me $1200 new and sold it a few months ago for $750. Hour meter stopped working at 999 hours.
I only replaced 4 deck spindles at $22 each.

Amen! Alot of truth to those statements! Often we spend significantly more money and often rarely realize the benefits of said additional investment. (i.e. turning over said investment to quickly, not enough use, etc.) I often tell people to do the math between spending extra for the next step up or extra option against the POSSIBLE maintenance costs of sticking with the lesser option. In the long run, the math seldom tilts in the favor of spending more. Kind of like buying a car for it's reliability then trading it in 3 years later with 40000 miles! :laughing: Waste of money! Having said all of that, there is also solice in spending extra on things and if you have the financial inclination, spend away!

 

[djdicetn]

To get going why not? What do you expect will fail in cutting 3acres+ that wont on your Gravely? I have 33hrs on my SD54, already changed the hydro oil I've run it so hard..oil came out clean. Put flex forks on it and it might outlast that mower and be a much smoother ride at that. If you sold that Gravely for a new RSD or FT we wont judge you :laughing:

Many guys think they can start a lawn service on a $3k ZTR and I agree...it may get them through one or two seasons so they can make enough money to upgrade. But they can also shoot themselves in the foot by underbuying, getting a good customer base and then having a component failure problem where they miss many of their customers(who will immediately abandon them for another service when their lawn needs cutting and you aren't available. My Gravely is a fully Commercial ZTR and I would not hesitate to mow 10-20 yards a week with it. If you want to chance mowing 10-20 yards a week on that SD54 go for it. Changed hydro oil at < 33 hours????? Most mfr's recommend first change at 75 hours. What made you think that you run yours so much harder that it required a hydro service so early??? BTW, I wouldn't trade my Gravely for two Raptor SD54's....at an even trade!!!

 

[djdicetn]

People think bigger is better. And they believe the hype the manufacturers tell them.

I race with the man that owns Carrollton hydraulics. His feelings are people waste their money buying a mower just because of the hydro set up.

The residential ZTRs with the sealed hydro drives like the raptor or timecutter will handle a lot more then some of you think.

I would buy the raptor for my work mower and I abuse mowers more then any if you could ever think of doing.

People said the timecutter would never last cutting more then 1 acre a week.
Buddy of mine got a 42 inch in 2006 he is well over 300 pounds. Has been cutting foreclosed homes with it for 8 years. Let's say 20 hours a week. Aside from routine maintenance he has replaced 5 deck spindles. And last week blew a head gasket. Not bad for a $2000 mower. With hydro drives that people say will not last 200 hours.

At the same time I see guys that have to replace pumps and motors on their $1200 mower.

I cut over 2000 yards last year with a cub cadet ltx1040 that cost me $1200 new and sold it a few months ago for $750. Hour meter stopped working at 999 hours.
I only replaced 4 deck spindles at $22 each.

The reason you are so successful without investing in brand new Commercial ZTR's is that you are a savvy businessman who knows the value of backup equipment. You have so many mowers that if one breaks down you take it in your stride and use another mower until you can repair the one that broke(a quality that not everyone possesses....the repairing). But would you really recommend that someone start a lawn business with "one" Hustler Raptor and no backup equipment???? IMHO, I could buy 2 Raptor SD's and start a lawn service or my Gravely Commercial and a base Raptor for backup and start a lawn service. As much as I like my Gravely, it would not be wise to start a business with only one mower regardless of how good it is.

 

[Carscw]

Many guys think they can start a lawn service on a $3k ZTR and I agree...it may get them through one or two seasons so they can make enough money to upgrade. But they can also shoot themselves in the foot by underbuying, getting a good customer base and then having a component failure problem where they miss many of their customers(who will immediately abandon them for another service when their lawn needs cutting and you aren't available. My Gravely is a fully Commercial ZTR and I would not hesitate to mow 10-20 yards a week with it. If you want to chance mowing 10-20 yards a week on that SD54 go for it. Changed hydro oil at < 33 hours????? Most mfr's recommend first change at 75 hours. What made you think that you run yours so much harder that it required a hydro service so early??? BTW, I wouldn't trade my Gravely for two Raptor SD54's....at an even trade!!!

Only thing I am going to add is if you was going to cut 20 yards a week then the smart move would be to trade your one mower for two new raptors.
Now before you go off the deep end I will tell you why.

If you are doing lawn care for a living it would be better to have the two cheaper raptors then your high dollar gravely.

This is how it plays out you are cutting a yard and feeling proud with the big mower then BANG hydro goes out. Takes the dealer that you brag about that takes good care of you 3 weeks to fix it. And his loaner mower is being used by some other guy that does not have two mowers. Now you have no yards to cut.

The guy with the two cheaper mowers BANG a hydro goes out. Uses the other one to put the broke one on the trailer and keeps cutting his yards.

Best to have two cheap mowers then one high dollar mower.

For anyone to get into lawn care and not have more then one of everything makes him a fool.

If all he can afford is one raptor then he
needs to buy a used rider as a back up.

This is not fact but just my opinion

 

[Carscw]

Only thing I am going to add is if you was going to cut 20 yards a week then the smart move would be to trade your one mower for two new raptors. Now before you go off the deep end I will tell you why. If you are doing lawn care for a living it would be better to have the two cheaper raptors then your high dollar gravely. This is how it plays out you are cutting a yard and feeling proud with the big mower then BANG hydro goes out. Takes the dealer that you brag about that takes good care of you 3 weeks to fix it. And his loaner mower is being used by some other guy that does not have two mowers. Now you have no yards to cut. The guy with the two cheaper mowers BANG a hydro goes out. Uses the other one to put the broke one on the trailer and keeps cutting his yards. Best to have two cheap mowers then one high dollar mower. For anyone to get into lawn care and not have more then one of everything makes him a fool. If all he can afford is one raptor then he needs to buy a used rider as a back up. This is not fact but just my opinion

Wrote all this before I saw your last comment

 

[Carscw]

The reason you are so successful without investing in brand new Commercial ZTR's is that you are a savvy businessman who knows the value of backup equipment. You have so many mowers that if one breaks down you take it in your stride and use another mower until you can repair the one that broke(a quality that not everyone possesses....the repairing). But would you really recommend that someone start a lawn business with "one" Hustler Raptor and no backup equipment???? IMHO, I could buy 2 Raptor SD's and start a lawn service or my Gravely Commercial and a base Raptor for backup and start a lawn service. As much as I like my Gravely, it would not be wise to start a business with only one mower regardless of how good it is.

I agree with everything you said.

I buy all my hand held equipment new and pay the extra for more warranty when it is offered. When the warranty is up I give them away to some teenager that is starting out and buy new ones.

My wife loved the cheap ryobi trimmers. The coils would go out after about 6 months I wrote ryobi and they send me a case of coils. She is starting to like the echo srm230