New SD 60" Left in Driveway

[Bamacat]

Hi, Bought a new Raptor SD60" Wed.night at local BBS after my nearest dealer told me he was no longer a Hustler dealer. Said he could not compete with the BBS. This bothered me because I had a good relationship and bought other things from him over the years. I waited too long to buy my first ZTR from him !
So I specified an after 12 delivery Fri. and was called at 10am by the BBS delivery guy. My mower was delivered! Got home and there it was with price tag still on it,no gas and low on hyd. system oil [20w50], forklift tracks all over, books and 1 key under seat.It gets better?key barely fits in slot,43.7 hours are showing on meter, but machine paint still is perfect. Ok.. machine sat at big store and somebody used screwdriver/pocket knife and maybe got switch turned to ON ?Starting is kinda iffy. Called BBS driver..did machine run alright. "Yeah,man! My Bossman had it going ,ran grrrreat! Problem? Uh, call 1-800 number on tag under the seat,Man!!
Well. sorry this is long. But Hustler Co. in Hesston ,Ks does indeed answer their phone and help is on the way from a BiG Dog dealer! in another town ..on Monday.. This may work out and its too wet to mow anyway.. Stay tuned.

 

[turboawd]

Hi, Bought a new Raptor SD60" Wed.night at local BBS after my nearest dealer told me he was no longer a Hustler dealer. Said he could not compete with the BBS. This bothered me because I had a good relationship and bought other things from him over the years. I waited too long to buy my first ZTR from him !
So I specified an after 12 delivery Fri. and was called at 10am by the BBS delivery guy. My mower was delivered! Got home and there it was with price tag still on it,no gas and low on hyd. system oil [20w50], forklift tracks all over, books and 1 key under seat.It gets better?key barely fits in slot,43.7 hours are showing on meter, but machine paint still is perfect. Ok.. machine sat at big store and somebody used screwdriver/pocket knife and maybe got switch turned to ON ?Starting is kinda iffy. Called BBS driver..did machine run alright. "Yeah,man! My Bossman had it going ,ran grrrreat! Problem? Uh, call 1-800 number on tag under the seat,Man!!
Well. sorry this is long. But Hustler Co. in Hesston ,Ks does indeed answer their phone and help is on the way from a BiG Dog dealer! in another town ..on Monday.. This may work out and its too wet to mow anyway.. Stay tuned.

i wonder if leaving the key in the on position keeps the timer going. someone forgot key on? you could replace the timer with a zero hour one perhaps.
so you bought it from lowes?
the hydraulic resorvoir has a cold line on the side. its at the bottom. most of the resorvoir will be empty to allow the oil to expand.

did you run the machine?

as for starting, it will start without pulling the choke lever out, but will take longer cranking. what i do is pull choke out and hold it. crank engine, it starts, then i push choke back in.

 

[gundog]

i wonder if leaving the key in the on position keeps the timer going. someone forgot key on? you could replace the timer with a zero hour one perhaps.
so you bought it from lowes?
the hydraulic resorvoir has a cold line on the side. its at the bottom. most of the resorvoir will be empty to allow the oil to expand.

did you run the machine?

as for starting, it will start without pulling the choke lever out, but will take longer cranking. what i do is pull choke out and hold it. crank engine, it starts, then i push choke back in.

The key left on will cause the hour meter to run on the newer Hustlers. Also the key not fitting as well as one would expect is normal. I just leave the key in mine and it is ready to go whenever needed. As for starting and everything else I say diito on the above. With that particular Kawasaki engine they start with just a bit of choke and better just it off immediately after starting. Very easy to apply to much choke. I would give it at least half throttle when starting at least that is my experience. Also if you look close you will see the cold fill line almost to the very bottom of the reservoir. When you check it when warm you will see it has risen significantly.

 

[Ric]

Hi, Bought a new Raptor SD60" Wed.night at local BBS after my nearest dealer told me he was no longer a Hustler dealer. Said he could not compete with the BBS. This bothered me because I had a good relationship and bought other things from him over the years. I waited too long to buy my first ZTR from him !
So I specified an after 12 delivery Fri. and was called at 10am by the BBS delivery guy. My mower was delivered! Got home and there it was with price tag still on it,no gas and low on hyd. system oil [20w50], forklift tracks all over, books and 1 key under seat.It gets better?key barely fits in slot,43.7 hours are showing on meter, but machine paint still is perfect. Ok.. machine sat at big store and somebody used screwdriver/pocket knife and maybe got switch turned to ON ?Starting is kinda iffy. Called BBS driver..did machine run alright. "Yeah,man! My Bossman had it going ,ran grrrreat! Problem? Uh, call 1-800 number on tag under the seat,Man!!
Well. sorry this is long. But Hustler Co. in Hesston ,Ks does indeed answer their phone and help is on the way from a BiG Dog dealer! in another town ..on Monday.. This may work out and its too wet to mow anyway.. Stay tuned.

If it were me I'd call your BBS and tell them to come get the mower and explain that you purchased a new mower and not a used with 43.7 hrs. The problem I would have accepting a mower like that and finding the problems you've found already, I would have to wonder what else down the road are going to happen. I'd also wonder if you were the first owner or maybe the second. If you haven't mowed with the mower look under the deck and check it and the condition of the blades and find out if they have been used or not.

 

[possum]

I am with Ric. Call the store and tell them to return the mower. Go to the Big Dog dealer you spoke of and buy a mower from them. Or another dealer with a different brand.

 

[Bamacat]

Thanks Guys for all replies.
Machine is brand new all over but hour meter reading. Not a mark on the blades or underside. Engine,etc has that smell you get from all new equipment . Similar to new car smell.
Maybe I'm taking a risk on poor or nonexistent dealer prep,but it was delivered to my place for under four thousand ($3989.04] . Veterans discount included . Thats why my farm equipment guy does not sell them any more I'm pretty sure.
I appreciate the advice on starting procedures.
I am going over the entire machine with my torque wrench and data from the on-line manuals before it cuts one blade of grass. I will report back my findings and on the BIG DOG dealer relationship .
[ Wow, the steering controls are butter smooth,quick and quiet, especially compared to the skid steers I've owned.]

 

[RaptorSDer]

[ Wow, the steering controls are butter smooth,quick and quiet, especially compared to the skid steers I've owned.]

They really are great aren't they?! I would most certainly send it back or have them install a new hour meter. That shouldn't be your responsibility. It might not sound like a big deal but down the road when you're ready to sell it those extra 40+ hours will affect the resale value. Not by much but you shouldn't be financially responsible for a mistake on their end.

 

[Ric]

I am with Ric. Call the store and tell them to return the mower. Go to the Big Dog dealer you spoke of and buy a mower from them. Or another dealer with a different brand.

The guy specified an after 12 delivery Fri. and they delivered the thing at 10 am when he isn't home, I wonder why. The whole thing sounds pretty hokey to me. That thing would definitely go back.

 

[turboawd]

I am with Ric. Call the store and tell them to return the mower. Go to the Big Dog dealer you spoke of and buy a mower from them. Or another dealer with a different brand.

The guy specified an after 12 delivery Fri. and they delivered the thing at 10 am when he isn't home, I wonder why. The whole thing sounds pretty hokey to me. That thing would definitely go back.

well it obviously sounds like he bought from lowes, so i dont know what you guys expect out of them. lol
at least he saved money. and besides the key being left on, it doesnt seem like there is a need to jump the gun and return the mower.

 

[reynoldston]

well it obviously sounds like he bought from lowes, so i dont know what you guys expect out of them. lol
at least he saved money. and besides the key being left on, it doesnt seem like there is a need to jump the gun and return the mower.

I have to agree here and it looks like he saved 1000 dollars on top of it all.