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My wife and I are getting ready to close on a farm house that sits on 4.32 acres. Minus the house, barn, trees, & outbuildings I imagine I am looking around 3.5-4 acres to mow. Some of the terrain is a little rough (an old grass paster) but I plan on leveling the roughness out over the coming season(s).

I really like Hustler, Exmark, and Scag but keep coming back to Hustler for whatever reason. I have went to a dealer to see about their demo models and talk to them about the Fastraks. Of course at the dealer they immediately stated how the Fastrak isn't enough mower, the Fastrak SD would be a better choice, but if I was smart I would go with a X-One or bigger. Then he began comparing numbers, options, etc... but conveniently had no models on site I could get my hands on and look at. Then he tried getting me to buy his demo Super Z for right around $8k. I already know I want a 60" deck and 25hp at minimum.

My question is being strictly a personal use mower and mowing twice a week during PEEk season and barely at all during july and august what would I be smart to go with? Is a Fastrak not enough mower in your experience for what I am going to mow? Should I consider the Fastrak SD or even bigger? Any advice would be helpful and much welcomed.

With close to 4 acres to mow you are Not going to get too much Mower...
Get the Super Duty, you will never have to get another mower...:smile:KennyV

Check out the Kubota before you buy. They are tough and they will getter done.

I wound up buying the Super Duty when all the time I was looking at buying the Fastrak. The features of the SD compared to the Fastrak made my mind up on buying it and I also got it for a great price. I bought the 60" model and cut my lawn in just over an hour. With only 8 hours on the mower I'm very happy with my purchase. It'll cut ANYTHING that I'd put my mower into.

You can't go wrong with either sport trak or the sport trak super duty. I have the SD kaw 22 HP w/ 48 inch deck. I mow 3 acres every two weeks.

Both are a residential mowers but can be used for commercial use. Personally, I think the SD is what you need for all those acres you will be cutting. It will last forever!

Hustler are the way. Good luck in your purchase.

crpepple said:

My wife and I are getting ready to close on a farm house that sits on 4.32 acres. Minus the house, barn, trees, & outbuildings I imagine I am looking around 3.5-4 acres to mow. Some of the terrain is a little rough (an old grass paster) but I plan on leveling the roughness out over the coming season(s).

I really like Hustler, Exmark, and Scag but keep coming back to Hustler for whatever reason. I have went to a dealer to see about their demo models and talk to them about the Fastraks. Of course at the dealer they immediately stated how the Fastrak isn't enough mower, the Fastrak SD would be a better choice, but if I was smart I would go with a X-One or bigger. Then he began comparing numbers, options, etc... but conveniently had no models on site I could get my hands on and look at. Then he tried getting me to buy his demo Super Z for right around $8k. I already know I want a 60" deck and 25hp at minimum.

My question is being strictly a personal use mower and mowing twice a week during PEEk season and barely at all during july and august what would I be smart to go with? Is a Fastrak not enough mower in your experience for what I am going to mow? Should I consider the Fastrak SD or even bigger? Any advice would be helpful and much welcomed.

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That Super Z for $8K would be a good deal depending on how many hours are on it and I agree that you need to stick with the Super Duty if you go with the residential FasTrak. If you are OK with spending $8K, you may want to take a look at the 60" Gravely Pro Turn XDZ 100 commercial that has a $7799 MSRP and compare it's specs with the others you are looking at. Lifetime deck warranty, 2 Year Commercial/1,000 hour warranty, etc. it's a worthy comparison to the Hustlers, Exmarks and Scags. Here's a link to the tech specs if you're interested:

http://www.gravely.com/en-us/SeriesDownloads/SellSheet_ProTurn100.pdf

I just bought the 2014 super duty. I think it has the best engine, ride, quality construction, features and size. I have 2 acres and I is amazing on how fast you can cut your lawn. I did research for two months and test drove the Scag, Gravely, Exmark and the Hustler. The 2014 model has wider wheels in the front and drives very well. I put the accelerator bagger on it to save money over the blower/bagger. I recommend this set up highly. It's nice when it all comes together after all that research. It's worth the time and effort. Good luck on your search!

Freightlinerman said:

I just bought the 2014 super duty. I think it has the best engine, ride, quality construction, features and size. I have 2 acres and I is amazing on how fast you can cut your lawn. I did research for two months and test drove the Scag, Gravely, Exmark and the Hustler. The 2014 model has wider wheels in the front and drives very well. I put the accelerator bagger on it to save money over the blower/bagger. I recommend this set up highly. It's nice when it all comes together after all that research. It's worth the time and effort. Good luck on your search!

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That is a great mower & you will Love it for decades.... :smile:KennyV

I own a brand new Fastrak for that much acreage you need to mow , get the Super Duty. Surely the FT will mow it just fine they are basically the same mowers one uses the FX series engines and donaldson air cleaner and has a slightly longer warranty. I thought the SD was overkill for my use 1-1/2 acres. http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/hustler-forum/18147-whats-difference.html

Yeah , SD is plenty of mower.

I love mine ...they make mowing fun , seriously. Mines a 48" deck which is perfect for me.

crpepple said:

My wife and I are getting ready to close on a farm house that sits on 4.32 acres. Minus the house, barn, trees, & outbuildings I imagine I am looking around 3.5-4 acres to mow. Some of the terrain is a little rough (an old grass paster) but I plan on leveling the roughness out over the coming season(s).

I really like Hustler, Exmark, and Scag but keep coming back to Hustler for whatever reason. I have went to a dealer to see about their demo models and talk to them about the Fastraks. Of course at the dealer they immediately stated how the Fastrak isn't enough mower, the Fastrak SD would be a better choice, but if I was smart I would go with a X-One or bigger. Then he began comparing numbers, options, etc... but conveniently had no models on site I could get my hands on and look at. Then he tried getting me to buy his demo Super Z for right around $8k. I already know I want a 60" deck and 25hp at minimum.

My question is being strictly a personal use mower and mowing twice a week during PEEk season and barely at all during july and august what would I be smart to go with? Is a Fastrak not enough mower in your experience for what I am going to mow? Should I consider the Fastrak SD or even bigger? Any advice would be helpful and much welcomed.

Click to expand...

Buy the Fastrak Super duty...the main reason is the commercial grade engine...seems like they're ALOT stronger.I had a Raptor with a 23.5 Kaw FS (non commercial) and took it back and Bought the Fastrak SD 48 inch with a 24 HP FX series Kaw and seems like I've doubled in HP...commercial engines are ALOT stouter than their counterparts the FS series engines.I didn't realize that until I got my. New mower...I thought HP was HP

QUOTE=PVHIII;127413]Buy the Fastrak Super duty...the main reason is the commercial grade engine...seems like they're ALOT stronger.I had a Raptor with a 23.5 Kaw FS (non commercial) and took it back and Bought the Fastrak SD 48 inch with a 24 HP FX series Kaw and seems like I've doubled in HP...commercial engines are ALOT stouter than their counterparts the FS series engines.I didn't realize that until I got my. New mower...I thought HP was HP[/QUOTE]

First, the FS is a commercial grade engine. Secondly , the Raptor has the FR engines. Which are NOT. I spoke to a big dealer for small engines and if you took a few minutes to sort through the dyno test for each engine the FS and FX are identical. The biggest difference is the donaldson air cleaner setup , also the MAIN reason why the price is higher.

I've already posted dyno sheets for them in another thread. I was told by the dealer they are slightly different but he had no clue what was different so I looked it up.

They are both used on their residential mowers from Hustler. SD is residential according to Hustler same as the FT. Also if you use facts the FS691 makes more HP/TQ. I believe because of the air cleaner setup...or engine discrepancies.

I drove both and mowed with both FX691 and the FS691 , small differences again , except the the air cleaner for commercial use.
The price difference is 200.00 which is almost exactly the cost of the donaldson setup -



FS691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products


FX691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products

Tom59 said:

QUOTE=PVHIII;127413]Buy the Fastrak Super duty...the main reason is the commercial grade engine...seems like they're ALOT stronger.I had a Raptor with a 23.5 Kaw FS (non commercial) and took it back and Bought the Fastrak SD 48 inch with a 24 HP FX series Kaw and seems like I've doubled in HP...commercial engines are ALOT stouter than their counterparts the FS series engines.I didn't realize that until I got my. New mower...I thought HP was HP

Click to expand...

First, the FS is a commercial grade engine. Secondly , the Raptor has the FR engines. Which are NOT. I spoke to a big dealer for small engines and if you took a few minutes to sort through the dyno test for each engine the FS and FX are identical. The biggest difference is the donaldson air cleaner setup , also the MAIN reason why the price is higher.

I've already posted dyno sheets for them in another thread. I was told by the dealer they are slightly different but he had no clue what was different so I looked it up.

They are both used on their residential mowers from Hustler. SD is residential according to Hustler same as the FT. Also if you use facts the FS691 makes more HP/TQ. I believe because of the air cleaner setup...or engine discrepancies.

I drove both and mowed with both FX691 and the FS691 , small differences again , except the the air cleaner for commercial use.
The price difference is 200.00 which is almost exactly the cost of the donaldson setup -



FS691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products


FX691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products[/QUOTE]

I stand corrected lol

jekjr said:

Check out the Kubota before you buy. They are tough and they will getter done.

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Test drove and mowed with a Bota before I bought my Hustler... steering was a lot smoother on the Hustler and I just don't care for Kohler engines which is what the Bota had...just thought the Hustler was a better buy with a better warranty as well

PVHIII said:

Test drove and mowed with a Bota before I bought my Hustler... steering was a lot smoother on the Hustler and I just don't care for Kohler engines which is what the Bota had...just thought the Hustler was a better buy with a better warranty as well

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I did the same thing also the Kubota deck isn't free floating. They also had recalls on gas tanks or something related. I also test drove both my other choice honestly was the Scag Freedom Z at the very end. Gravely too until the dealer shot himself in the foot twice.

I drove a bunch of them all very similar...The scags are always left out but they are formidable mowers. Kubota when I started looking was my first choice. Then the Kohler or Briggs only thing was a no go. I wanted a kawi , period. Kubota's are the best looking mower though.

So many ztr's in this class it comes down almost to what color you prefer. Dealers mattered too.

PVHIII said:

First, the FS is a commercial grade engine. Secondly , the Raptor has the FR engines. Which are NOT. I spoke to a big dealer for small engines and if you took a few minutes to sort through the dyno test for each engine the FS and FX are identical. The biggest difference is the donaldson air cleaner setup , also the MAIN reason why the price is higher.

I've already posted dyno sheets for them in another thread. I was told by the dealer they are slightly different but he had no clue what was different so I looked it up.

They are both used on their residential mowers from Hustler. SD is residential according to Hustler same as the FT. Also if you use facts the FS691 makes more HP/TQ. I believe because of the air cleaner setup...or engine discrepancies.

I drove both and mowed with both FX691 and the FS691 , small differences again , except the the air cleaner for commercial use.
The price difference is 200.00 which is almost exactly the cost of the donaldson setup -



FS691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products


FX691V | Kawasaki - Engines, Replacement Parts, and Power Products

Click to expand...

I stand corrected lol[/QUOTE]

:drink:

Tom59 said:

I did the same thing also the Kubota deck isn't free floating. They also had recalls on gas tanks or something related. I also test drove both my other choice honestly was the Scag Freedom Z at the very end. Gravely too until the dealer shot himself in the foot twice.

I drove a bunch of them all very similar...The scags are always left out but they are formidable mowers. Kubota when I started looking was my first choice. Then the Kohler or Briggs only thing was a no go. I wanted a kawi , period. Kubota's are the best looking mower though.

So many ztr's in this class it comes down almost to what color you prefer. Dealers mattered too.

Click to expand...

Yeah....I made the mistake one time of buying a ZT without a CHAIN HUNG DECK...never again..as far as I'm concerned any ZT without it is garbage

PVHIII said:

Yeah....I made the mistake one time of buying a ZT without a CHAIN HUNG DECK...never again..as far as I'm concerned any ZT without it is garbage

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And I agree the Kubota's are the best looking and Skag makes an excellent mower as well but I went with Hustler for the warranty andtbeir reputation for excellent customer support