Hello from New Zealand

[zamilp]

Hi there,
My name is Phil. I have a 3.5 acre lifestyle property with house and lawn as well as about 2.5 acres of paddocks. I mow the lawns with my Husqvarna CTH160 in mulch mode. I rarely use the catcher.
There are a few sheep grazing the paddocks but not enough to keep the grass in good condition. Occasionally I mow those parts of the paddocks that aren't too steep with the Husky but it struggles and usually burns out the blade belt.
I am looking at buying a Hustler zero turn mower to do both the lawns and the paddocks. I would be interested to hear what you guys think of the Hustler mowers or if you think I should look at another brand.
Just for your interest, here in New Zealand we pay more than twice as much for ride-on mowers as what you guys pay so we can't afford to be making mistakes.
Looking forward to reading your responses. Many thanks in advance
Phil Miller

 

[066]

g'day mate, what part of the country are you in?, it's pretty dry all over .

 

[zamilp]

I live about 30 mins drive south-west of Auckland near Waiuku. It certainly is dry, hasn't rained for about 10 weeks but some due this Friday. Great summer for most of us but farmers are struggling.

 

[reynoldston]

paddocks Just learned a new word, looks like a exercise pen for horses?

 

[wjjones]

Welcome to the Forum!..Phil..

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Hi there,
My name is Phil. I have a 3.5 acre lifestyle property with house and lawn as well as about 2.5 acres of paddocks. I mow the lawns with my Husqvarna CTH160 in mulch mode. I rarely use the catcher.
There are a few sheep grazing the paddocks but not enough to keep the grass in good condition. Occasionally I mow those parts of the paddocks that aren't too steep with the Husky but it struggles and usually burns out the blade belt.
I am looking at buying a Hustler zero turn mower to do both the lawns and the paddocks. I would be interested to hear what you guys think of the Hustler mowers or if you think I should look at another brand.
Just for your interest, here in New Zealand we pay more than twice as much for ride-on mowers as what you guys pay so we can't afford to be making mistakes.
Looking forward to reading your responses. Many thanks in advance
Phil Miller

Welcome to LawnMowerForum! Hustler mowers have great reviews; I think it would be a good mower for you. For your information, Hustler came out with a new residential mower this year, the Hustler Raptor, but it is the lowest model, so you might not want that one. Also, Excel Industries is the manufacturer that makes both Hustler and Big Dog, so maybe you want to look into that brand, too, if you have a dealer close by. But personally I would just get a Hustler. Hustler Turf - Zero Turn Mower, Lawn Tractor, Riding Mower

 

[zamilp]

paddocks Just learned a new word, looks like a exercise pen for horses?

Not quite; it's what we call a fenced area covered with grass where farm animals such as cows or sheep are grazed.

 

[zamilp]

Welcome to the Forum!..Phil..

Many thanks.

 

[zamilp]

Welcome to LawnMowerForum! Hustler mowers have great reviews; I think it would be a good mower for you. For your information, Hustler came out with a new residential mower this year, the Hustler Raptor, but it is the lowest model, so you might not want that one. Also, Excel Industries is the manufacturer that makes both Hustler and Big Dog, so maybe you want to look into that brand, too, if you have a dealer close by. But personally I would just get a Hustler. Hustler Turf - Zero Turn Mower, Lawn Tractor, Riding Mower

Thanks. Yes, I have seen the Raptor. Here in NZ it comes with a 42" or 52" deck. The 42" is probably big enough for me but it only has an 18hp motor. My feeling is that it probably needs about 22hp. What do you think?
By the way, I see you can buy a 42" Raptor for around US$3,050 including tax (= about NZ$3,800). Here have to pay NZ$7,500!!! Imagine what the bigger models cost!

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Thanks. Yes, I have seen the Raptor. Here in NZ it comes with a 42" or 52" deck. The 42" is probably big enough for me but it only has an 18hp motor. My feeling is that it probably needs about 22hp. What do you think?
By the way, I see you can buy a 42" Raptor for around US$3,050 including tax (= about NZ$3,800). Here have to pay NZ$7,500!!! Imagine what the bigger models cost!

I don't know if the 18hp engine is underpowered or not, I will let someone else answer that question, but I will tell you that paying $7,500 for an entry-level ZTR is absurd!