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Hustler Raptor

May 18, 2013#1

Fireman 123

Is there any new Raptor owners here? Looking at a 52" with the 23hp Kaw. I mow 4 yards as of now, just a side job, and thought about upgrading mowers. I think the Raptor is the best buy in its category. 1K less than the ex mark quest, and a bigger deck.

May 18, 2013#2

RatRacer

You won't be disappointed in it, if you go with it. I test rode one, and trialed/ owned the Big Dog version of it for a couple weeks before having them take it back due to a $$ screw up on their part. They are built like a brick outhouse for years of service.

Jun 22, 2013#3

T

txtrigger

Fireman 123 said:
Is there any new Raptor owners here? Looking at a 52" with the 23hp Kaw. I mow 4 yards as of now, just a side job, and thought about upgrading mowers. I think the Raptor is the best buy in its category. 1K less than the ex mark quest, and a bigger deck.

Just bought the 52" after much research. Have a local dealer in town. Had lots of mowing to catch up on, as we had been without after the old Husky broke a couple weeks ago. Already have put about 5-6 hours on it.

Need to take it back over next week. They arms have different tension on them, and one adjusted a bit different. Instead of doing it myself, they can adjust it to my preferences while I sit in it.

It has what sounds sort of like a whine when I pull one handle for zero turn that I want them to listen to also. May be normal, but this is my first zero turn.

So far, I love it. I picked up the technique on driving it really fast, and have not crashed in to anything...yet

Jul 10, 2013#4

G

gabowman

txtrigger said:
...I picked up the technique on driving it really fast, and have not crashed in to anything...yet

:laughing::laughing:Now that's funny!! Good luck with your new mower.

Jul 10, 2013#5

T

txtrigger

After about 5 hours on mower (had a lot of mowing to catch up on) I took it back in because the hydro system seemed to make more noise when turning to the right. They checked it out, did not find anything wrong, talked to factory. I was told it sounded OK. I had nothing to compare it too. But, they reminded me of the warranty...

I also told them that the handles were not perfectly even. When I am going straight on flat ground, and push both handles all the way FWD, it will make an easy slow turn. It still does it, so I need to see if this is an adjustment I can do, or normal.

But it has already been a little work horse, and has saved me so much time than what the old lawn tractor could do

Jul 10, 2013#6

RatRacer

At full on forward speed, ZTR's will not turn in their tracks, they will do a more casual, arcing turn. Their benefits are at slower speeds.

Jul 10, 2013#7

T

txtrigger

RatRacer said:
At full on forward speed, ZTR's will not turn in their tracks, they will do a more casual, arcing turn. Their benefits are at slower speeds.

OK, so if both are pushed FWD to the "stops", they will all slowly turn? To track perfectly straight, one handle will be ever so slightly ahead of the other

Jul 11, 2013#8

RatRacer

txtrigger said:
OK, so if both are pushed FWD to the "stops", they will all slowly turn? To track perfectly straight, one handle will be ever so slightly ahead of the other

The problem is that they're are two separate units. Keeping both exactly in sync is near impossible, as each will wear in differently, and always needing a tweak to stay close. My 52 does it too. Terrain can be a factor, wheel spin from a bump hop.

Jul 31, 2013#9

T

tnorris7

Just bought the 52" Raptor. It is an upgrade from 10 years of residential tractors. My last mower was a used Deere L100 I bought off a neighbor that hurt his back after buying and quit mowing. It was in storage for years. Got a great deal and it was barely used. Thought I was in heaven using it over old Craftsmans that I had prior. My dad is no longer able to mow, so I have picked up his yard and widow's next door. Bought the Hustler after lots of research and because of the 48mo SAC. I can't believe I didn't sell everything I needed to so that I could buy one of these years ago. The mower runs great, cuts great and is very sturdy so far. I am slowly learning not to turn too quickly in certain spots after knocking over my birdbath and clipping some trees. I have wired a DC socket into one of the rear pockets to use for a small foglight so that I can mow after sunset. Also charges my iphone for long cuts. I am well past the breakin period and have already done the initial oil change. Only issue there is clearance for my big hand to remove the filter and the awkward feeding of the oil drain hose. I have also replaced the seat with one from Tractor Supply that is adjustable and has armrests. It was much cheaper than Hustler's upgrade seat. Overall I think this is the best mower for the money, and I hope to get many years out of it. I find myself mowing too soon just to get outside and drive it around. The large muffler controls the noise and the Kawasaki just purrs as I cut.
Future upgrades will be a 3 way hitch and maybe some bedliner on the platform for traction and scuff control.
Only real complaint so far is that the deck choked on me while cutting wet. I solved the problem by mowing with the ejection guard up half way. I have rigged a piece of rope from it to the right throttle handle allowing me to lift it as i go through tight squeezes and before I store it.
I would like to hear any other Redneck mods that others have made.

Aug 1, 2013#10

djdicetn

RatRacer said:
The problem is that they're are two separate units. Keeping both exactly in sync is near impossible, as each will wear in differently, and always needing a tweak to stay close. My 52 does it too. Terrain can be a factor, wheel spin from a bump hop.

Yep, RatRacer is spot on...even my Gravely Commercial ZTR if I push both levers wide-open won't track exactly straight, but that is not the designed benefit of the separate bar speed controls on a ZTR(and even your car isn't designed to push the gas pedal to the floor to obtain maximum forward speed:0)

Aug 1, 2013#11

djdicetn

tnorris7 said:
Just bought the 52" Raptor. It is an upgrade from 10 years of residential tractors. My last mower was a used Deere L100 I bought off a neighbor that hurt his back after buying and quit mowing. It was in storage for years. Got a great deal and it was barely used. Thought I was in heaven using it over old Craftsmans that I had prior. My dad is no longer able to mow, so I have picked up his yard and widow's next door. Bought the Hustler after lots of research and because of the 48mo SAC. I can't believe I didn't sell everything I needed to so that I could buy one of these years ago. The mower runs great, cuts great and is very sturdy so far. I am slowly learning not to turn too quickly in certain spots after knocking over my birdbath and clipping some trees. I have wired a DC socket into one of the rear pockets to use for a small foglight so that I can mow after sunset. Also charges my iphone for long cuts. I am well past the breakin period and have already done the initial oil change. Only issue there is clearance for my big hand to remove the filter and the awkward feeding of the oil drain hose. I have also replaced the seat with one from Tractor Supply that is adjustable and has armrests. It was much cheaper than Hustler's upgrade seat. Overall I think this is the best mower for the money, and I hope to get many years out of it. I find myself mowing too soon just to get outside and drive it around. The large muffler controls the noise and the Kawasaki just purrs as I cut.
Future upgrades will be a 3 way hitch and maybe some bedliner on the platform for traction and scuff control.
Only real complaint so far is that the deck choked on me while cutting wet. I solved the problem by mowing with the ejection guard up half way. I have rigged a piece of rope from it to the right throttle handle allowing me to lift it as i go through tight squeezes and before I store it.
I would like to hear any other Redneck mods that others have made.

tnmorris,
Here ya go...get rid of that foglight and do it right!!! Here's a link to my redneck mod that'll make mowing in the dark a breeze:0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html

Aug 3, 2013#12

T

tnorris7

djdicetn said:
tnmorris,
Here ya go...get rid of that foglight and do it right!!! Here's a link to my redneck mod that'll make mowing in the dark a breeze:0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html

Your setup looks great and I looked it over before doing my setup. I considered doing a similar thing but with the lights out front to avoid the heavy shadows as seen in your picture. I realized that I would often be concerned about clearance under bushes and other obstacles. I opted instead for the magnet mount out on the footrest because I don't think I will cut in the dark very often, I can use the light for other purposes, and I can get it out of my way when mowing in daylight. See pics of the setup for anyone interested.

As you can see, it tucks neatly under my feet, but sits way out front when in use. The night photos don't do justice to how much area is covered which is almost 180 degrees and 40 feet out.

Aug 5, 2013#13

T

Tom59

Terrain causes them to jump or move because the front wheels swivel if they were fixed wheels it would track straight. It sure would handle funky and make a mess of turf if the front wheel were set to go straight only. :laughing:

Aug 7, 2013#14

djdicetn

tnorris7 said:
Your setup looks great and I looked it over before doing my setup. I considered doing a similar thing but with the lights out front to avoid the heavy shadows as seen in your picture. I realized that I would often be concerned about clearance under bushes and other obstacles. I opted instead for the magnet mount out on the footrest because I don't think I will cut in the dark very often, I can use the light for other purposes, and I can get it out of my way when mowing in daylight. See pics of the setup for anyone interested.
View attachment 16202 View attachment 16203 View attachment 16204 View attachment 16205 View attachment 16206
As you can see, it tucks neatly under my feet, but sits way out front when in use. The night photos don't do justice to how much area is covered which is almost 180 degrees and 40 feet out.

That's a very good use of ingenuity for that setup!! It seems to light up the area in front of the ZTR very well. The only thing about doing that on my Gravely is it looks like the footrest on your Hustler is flat on top to accomodate attaching the foglight where my footrest comes to a point(like a triangle) which wouldn't let me mount it like that for driving. The other thing I like about mounting the driving lights on my gas tanks is that they are behind the deck and I can see the grass well on both sides of the whole deck where yours is mounted at the front edge of the deck. The "shadows" in my pictures are "my fault" as I had the discharge chute in it's "storage position" on top of the deck rather than in the mowing position where it doesn't "block the light". There is some minor shadowing directly at the front due to the foot rest blocking the light, but it's only about 6-8" in front of the mower so it doesn't impede seeing the lawn ahead of me. Both light systems, though, IMHO would be easier and less expensive than the manufacturer kits and would make occaisonal nightime mowing easy!!

Aug 20, 2013#15

P

pwooten

i love mine i have had it about 3 month first zero turn have had murry and craftsman tractors in the past will never go back

Aug 20, 2013#16

lawn mower fanatic

pwooten said:
i love mine i have had it about 3 month first zero turn have had murry and craftsman tractors in the past will never go back

Glad you like it! It seems very nice in the pic! (http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/general-mower-discussion/69-ok-lets-see-your-mower-46.html#post125156)

Aug 21, 2013#17

PVHIII

Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

Aug 21, 2013#18

lawn mower fanatic

PVHIII said:
Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

Thanks for informing us about the issues!

Aug 22, 2013#19

PVHIII

lawn mower fanatic said:
Thanks for informing us about the issues!

No problem glad I can help

Aug 22, 2013#20

djdicetn

PVHIII said:
Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

Yep, when it comes to an easy spot for a quality cut ZTR....the chain-hung deck says it all. Some of the high-end residential units that use a cheaper deck hang system won't ever match the cut quality(close.....but no cigar). BTW, I almost pulled the string on a FasTrak SD myself, but the dealer wouldn't budge off the MSRP and the Gravely dealer would:0)

Aug 22, 2013#21

G

gabowman

djdicetn said:
Yep, when it comes to an easy spot for a quality cut ZTR....the chain-hung deck says it all. Some of the high-end residential units that use a cheaper deck hang system won't ever match the cut quality(close.....but no cigar). BTW, I almost pulled the string on a FasTrak SD myself, but the dealer wouldn't budge off the MSRP and the Gravely dealer would:0)

You dealt with the wrong company. I bought the SD when the salesman (well, sales manager) met me at 2 Grand below MSRP. I also bought out-of-state so that meant no sales tax.

Aug 23, 2013#22

PVHIII

djdicetn said:
Yep, when it comes to an easy spot for a quality cut ZTR....the chain-hung deck says it all. Some of the high-end residential units that use a cheaper deck hang system won't ever match the cut quality(close.....but no cigar). BTW, I almost pulled the string on a FasTrak SD myself, but the dealer wouldn't budge off the MSRP and the Gravely dealer would:0)

How much was the msrp and what size deck and engine?

Sep 6, 2013#23

PVHIII

RatRacer said:
You won't be disappointed in it, if you go with it. I test rode one, and trialed/ owned the Big Dog version of it for a couple weeks before having them take it back due to a $$ screw up on their part. They are built like a brick outhouse for years of service.

Very weak deck components on a very strong fabricated deck..makes no sense...trust me I learned this the hard way.I myself was very didisappointed with this machine... to the point I returned it for a real Hustler...Fastrak Super Duty and if there's a such thing as being in love with a lawn mower I certainly am lol...Hustler fan through and through!!!

Sep 6, 2013#24

djdicetn

PVHIII said:
How much was the msrp and what size deck and engine?

Best I can remember, it was the 54" FasTrak SD and he wanted $7,000 plus taxes. I got my Gravely Pro-Turn 152 for $6,800 out-the-door. I've never looked back:0)

Sep 6, 2013#25

PVHIII

djdicetn said:
Best I can remember, it was the 54" FasTrak SD and he wanted $7,000 plus taxes. I got my Gravely Pro-Turn 152 for $6,800 out-the-door. I've never looked back:0)

Wow...I gave $5900 for my Fastrak SD...out the door..don't blame you..you ended up with a good mower..Gravely makes a fantastic ZT as well...I looked at the same mower you have and I liked several things about it some better than my SD but after my experience with the Raptor...I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ZT WITHOUT A CHAIN HUNG DECK...However the deck components on your Gravely look plenty strong and beefy...especially when comparing them to the Raptor

Sep 6, 2013#26

PVHIII

PVHIII said:
Wow...I gave $5900 for my Fastrak SD...out the door..don't blame you..you ended up with a good mower..Gravely makes a fantastic ZT as well...I looked at the same mower you have and I liked several things about it some better than my SD but after my experience with the Raptor...I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ZT WITHOUT A CHAIN HUNG DECK

However the deck components on your Gravely look very strong and beefy...especially compared to the Raptor

Nov 26, 2013#27

jay stortini

Looking at the raptor:/ says the blade tip speed is 16700, seems slow compared to most.
What's the cut like?

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Dec 4, 2013#28

Ganall

I bought a 2013 hustler raptor 52" kawasaki 23.5 engine. I love it!!

Dec 21, 2013#29

jay stortini

Ganall said:
I bought a 2013 hustler raptor 52" kawasaki 23.5 engine. I love it!!

You like the cut?

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Dec 21, 2013#30

jay stortini

Ganall said:
I bought a 2013 hustler raptor 52" kawasaki 23.5 engine. I love it!!

What are you favourite things about this machine
And what don't you like about it?

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

Dec 21, 2013#31

Ganall

The greatest things about my mower is the size of the deck, the hp of the motor. And i have nothing bad about it at all

Mar 18, 2014#32

J

Jim's Handyman Service

Fireman 123 said:
Is there any new Raptor owners here? Looking at a 52" with the 23hp Kaw. I mow 4 yards as of now, just a side job, and thought about upgrading mowers. I think the Raptor is the best buy in its category. 1K less than the ex mark quest, and a bigger deck.

Hi, I just bought my Raptor SD 54" I've been looking around now for about 2 weeks at different mowers comparing them apples to apples. The Raptor SD 54 is by far the best bang for the buck. I love to haggle the price of something new. I asked my local dealer if there was any wiggle room on the price i let him know that there was a dealer about 40 minutes away was offering a 20% off on there tractor if i bought the commercial unit. He said there was no discounts but he gave me a 189.00 mulching kit for the tractor for free and my first oil change too. I came home took it off the trailer let the kids play around and test drive it then surprisingly i was able to mow my 1/3 acre lot front and back yard in about 20 minutes. For the first time using it wow that was awesome. When you start getting more lawns and start seeing how much time it takes you to cut trim edge and blow you will save alot of time using this mower means more money per hour. Overall Great mower.

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