I added a seat suspension kit to my 52" Hustler Raptor

oldsaff said:
Did you ever locate the seat connector extensions?? I want to order the seat
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Make your own with standard Quick-Disconnect Terminals, You can get them at any hardware or auto parts store.
By the way I had to use 3/4 spacers between the suspension and the hinged seat plate, ( 7/8-14 nuts work great)
 
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RhettWS said:
I know this thread is old but I wondered if you ever decided to add the extensions or not and how they worked.

Thanks ... Rhett
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Rhett,

I am getting a new Raptor (the SD this time) but I added a suspension bracket on my last Raptor, and am very familiar with the extra parts I had to design myself (the spacers, the seat switch extension), and was not totally happy with it. This time I found the whole kit that even has brackets (instead of those unstable spacers) that allows the seat to slide forward/backward in addition to the suspension, and has pre-made extensions for the seat switch that gives it more of a factory look. I am getting my new mower in a week or two (ordered) and this kit (ordered). To me it is worth the extra 50 bucks to have a movable seat and all the parts ready to go. I am excited to have a new mower and a seat suspension kit that will be ready to go, quickly/immediately. I found the complete kit at seat warehouse, from Brad. On my Raptor the seat suspension is the only thing that gives you any real relief from the extremely bumpy ride - the tires are so small it is hard to run them at a low pressure, and the flex forks and flex seat bracket that Hustler sell are both unimpressive - the Raptor is a very light machine, and the flex forks (for me) never moved a bit, no matter what bumps I ran over.
 
Shane,

I like my Raptor SD. I got the flex forks from the get go and I really can't complain about the ride so far. The bulk of my yard is fairly smooth in relative terms where I can run it wide open if I want without bouncing too much. I keep all tires at 10 PSI. I do see the flex forks moving a bit but I'd admit it is hard to tell if they do much (nothing to compare with). In the really bumpy section of my yard there are too many obstacles to run very fast, so again, happy so far. I may spring for a seat suspension down the road but for now I am OK.

I only have one minor gripe and that is with the discharge opening. I anguished over it before I purchased but decided for the amount I need to cut the extra bucks were not worth it. The majority of the time (98%) there is no issue. On the occasional heavy salad cut it starts to clog a bit in that back corner. I've been thinking about taking a torch to it to open it a little more. Time will tell. Keep us posted on your new unit.

Thanks .......... Rhett
 
RhettWS said:
Shane,

I like my Raptor SD. I got the flex forks from the get go and I really can't complain about the ride so far. The bulk of my yard is fairly smooth in relative terms where I can run it wide open if I want without bouncing too much. I keep all tires at 10 PSI. I do see the flex forks moving a bit but I'd admit it is hard to tell if they do much (nothing to compare with). In the really bumpy section of my yard there are too many obstacles to run very fast, so again, happy so far. I may spring for a seat suspension down the road but for now I am OK.

I only have one minor gripe and that is with the discharge opening. I anguished over it before I purchased but decided for the amount I need to cut the extra bucks were not worth it. The majority of the time (98%) there is no issue. On the occasional heavy salad cut it starts to clog a bit in that back corner. I've been thinking about taking a torch to it to open it a little more. Time will tell. Keep us posted on your new unit.

Thanks .......... Rhett
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Thanks for the information - good to hear! I was not thrilled with the Raptor but I think I am going to like the SD. My yard is not very smooth (I was going to try 8 psi on the tires). I did get the forks for the Raptor, but it is lighter, and they never moved at all no matter how long I watched them. I am wondering if I got a defective pair (rubber bushings do go bad through time, and the package had a 4 year old date on them). I complained to Hustler Corporate, then 3 different people said they'd exchange them, then I paid a lot to ship them back.... short story, now they are not standing by them. I have to have something extra (the seat suspension), because my back is terrible.

I also had discharge problems with the (base) Raptor. There is a small gap in the front of the deck, and after every cut, I had to get under the deck, with a stick, and dig all of this discharge out of it (always took a while). I didn't want the deck to rust out, so I felt like I had to. If you can open it, that would be great (I was thinking of filling the gap in mine, with something, but I never really figured out what would be best)!

Well, thanks for the feedback, and soon we will all be on our Raptor's on a regular basis! Happy cutting!
 
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