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here's a few of the things i've done to my raptor.
2015 model with around 90 hours



1. cut the deck opening bigger. got rid of the angled part. also removed belt guards so grass dont build up underneath. notice the oregon gator blades, they work the best in my opinion for taller or wet grass.



2. replace these pins with the newer design that has the clips. newer raptors come with this. have knocked my deck off a couple times hitting stumps. this should stop that.



3. drilled pin for a cotter pin. kept bouncing out.



4. engine guard. looks way better.




anything else you guys have done?

I have not done anything to my sd 60 yet. Last year when I read that you cut your deck I thought you were nuts. But it looks like it really helps. Overall I am very happy with my machine but my lawn is really littered with buckhorn plantain this year. I understand that even commercial mowers have trouble cutting this because they bend down when you drive over it and they do not want to suck back up. I am going to try gator g5's this week. Any other suggestions? Do you think cutting the deck helps airflow or just gets rid of a place for grass to get caught. I think a bigger discharge really can't hurt. Thanks for your posts.

jaredfink said:

I have not done anything to my sd 60 yet. Last year when I read that you cut your deck I thought you were nuts. But it looks like it really helps. Overall I am very happy with my machine but my lawn is really littered with buckhorn plantain this year. I understand that even commercial mowers have trouble cutting this because they bend down when you drive over it and they do not want to suck back up. I am going to try gator g5's this week. Any other suggestions? Do you think cutting the deck helps airflow or just gets rid of a place for grass to get caught. I think a bigger discharge really can't hurt. Thanks for your posts.

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Healing the deck will help with cutting the weeds that bend over.
Set the front of the deck a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch higher then the back.

One plus on the raptor SD... it is so simple to change deck adjustments. On the other hand it apparently can be knocked off when you hit stumps....yikes. ....turbo.... you definitely do not baby your Raptor! Lol.

Thanks for the reply. I put the g5's on today. I mowed a couple passes and it did not leave 1 stalk uncut. I couldn't mow the real bad part of my yard because I did not want to wake a sleeping baby. As far as the rake of the deck I'm going to try to order a gauge and check it. I have read on here the some run the front of the deck higher like you said but everywhere else people say they run with their deck tipped down about a 1/4 in the front. I might try both. Going to play with things 1 change at a time so I can see each change.

jaredfink said:

Thanks for the reply. I put the g5's on today. I mowed a couple passes and it did not leave 1 stalk uncut. I couldn't mow the real bad part of my yard because I did not want to wake a sleeping baby. As far as the rake of the deck I'm going to try to order a gauge and check it. I have read on here the some run the front of the deck higher like you said but everywhere else people say they run with their deck tipped down about a 1/4 in the front. I might try both. Going to play with things 1 change at a time so I can see each change.

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Very good idea. K.I.S.S.

You don't need any fancy gauges... all you need is a flat surface. The owners manual will show you where to measure on your deck and all you do is measured from the bottom of the deck to your flat surface.
I'm pretty sure that's a 3/8 inch fine thread bolt on the hanger. If it is it's 24 threads per inch. So once you have it level all you have to do is 6 full turns up or 6 full turns down to bring it up or drop it a quarter of an inch. My dealer sells a lot of these... when there are cutting complaints he also believes in raising the deck a quarter of an inch.... but like I said once it's level it's very easy to change upper down just count your turns.

Thanks kraky. Always have heard to check at the blade tips not the deck. But the deck would at least be a start.

The mower company tells you to set the deck lower in the front. Because it takes less power to cut the grass. The dealer tells you to because he does what the book says.
For the best looking cut you heal the deck. It takes a little more power to cut the grass but you will not notice it. Less grass will stick to the deck. Does a better job striping. You can mow faster without missing anything.

Thanks carscw. I'll give it a try soon. Didn't mean to hijack the thread but appreciate the input.

I always run with my decks slightly healed...just a better all around cut IMO.

TurboAWD: What specifically did you use to cut the notch out on the mower deck? I will be working on mine in the relatively near future.

Thanks ........... Rhett

If you have a Harbor Freight outlet near you I bet you can find a tool pretty reasonable. I think they offer a 4-inch hand-held grinder that you can put in a grinding stone on, cutting disc, or a floppy sanding disc for about 40 bucks. Floppy sanding disc on one of those would be Dynamite for sharpening really curvy lawn mower blades and mulching blades.

I have the grinder already. Was just wondering specifically what type of wheel he used. I do use it to sharpen blades but you have to be pretty careful to not heat up the blade to much. Otherwise it works great for all sort of needs.

RhettWS said:

I have the grinder already. Was just wondering specifically what type of wheel he used. I do use it to sharpen blades but you have to be pretty careful to not heat up the blade to much. Otherwise it works great for all sort of needs.

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Harbor Freight,Home Depot,or Lowes,,get yourself a 4" or 4-1/2" metal cut off wheel/disc depending on what size your angle grinder is..its much thinner than a grinding stone....Id say maybe 1/8" thick no more...use an angle grinder,you can get a decent one at HF for $15.

Also if you use a 40 grit Flap Wheel on the grinder you wont have the problem of heating up or bluing the metal on the blades any more,,they cut very cool and leave a much better finish on a blade IMO

RhettWS said:

TurboAWD: What specifically did you use to cut the notch out on the mower deck? I will be working on mine in the relatively near future.

Thanks ........... Rhett

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i thought about using a cutoff wheel, but was afraid the heat would burn the paint a little on the edges. so i ended up just using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade. it cut real easy.

turboawd said:

i thought about using a cutoff wheel, but was afraid the heat would burn the paint a little on the edges. so i ended up just using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade. it cut real easy.

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Yeah the cutoff wheel might and prolly will burn off the paint on the edge,,but Im not worried about that,paint is falling off my mower everyday..I gotta get some touch up...If Im going to cut the deck its going to be the whole opening,not just the little triangle.

Thanks for the insight from everyone. :thumbsup: I have a sawzall too. If it cuts that easy I will probably use that to make the cut. I'll probably take the corner out first. If that is not enough, I'll whittle on it some more.

As the saying goes, "Whats time to a hog?"

577jersey said:

Yeah the cutoff wheel might and prolly will burn off the paint on the edge,,but Im not worried about that,paint is falling off my mower everyday..I gotta get some touch up...If Im going to cut the deck its going to be the whole opening,not just the little triangle.

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I don't think there is enough support to cut out the whole opening. Usually mowers with full openings, have reinforcement around the top.

turboawd said:

I don't think there is enough support to cut out the whole opening. Usually mowers with full openings, have reinforcement around the top.

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Im sure he will find out the first time he hits something and folds the side of the deck in and it makes contact with a rotating blade.

Yeah Ill find out...thats why Im going to weld some round bar around the opening...hey we got a welder here and chop saw in the shop,,you bend it,break it,or krinkle it,,i can fix it

I was looking at the deck tonight,its got 1/2" stock on the leading edge,,you’ll rip the deck off the right front hanger before you bend it back to the blades.
And if you do bend it back you better be holding on cause your going for a wild ride....lol

That reminds me of my wild ride. I was mowing a field and running full out(about 10 mph) when a steal rod sticking out of the ground caught my left front anti scalp wheel bracket. Turned me left so hard I was almost throne off the mower. It was without a doubt the wild ride you are speaking about. I can laugh about it now but I almost had to change my britches that day.

BlazNT said:

That reminds me of my wild ride. I was mowing a field and running full out(about 10 mph) when a steal rod sticking out of the ground caught my left front anti scalp wheel bracket. Turned me left so hard I was almost throne off the mower. It was without a doubt the wild ride you are speaking about. I can laugh about it now but I almost had to change my britches that day.

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I had a couple wild rides,,one was on a walk behind that had a velke,,I hit a stump in 4th gear it was a belt obviously,,anyhow all I remember was my face kissing the Kawasaki FC 420V engine..while it was still running....hold on boys and girls!!!!
Be careful especially on new terrain.

I put the engine cover on, and added some LED 'headlights' to the front. Actually each of the pair has 6 LED lights in a black housing with a fairly clear cover. Used a couple of strong magnets with bosses threaded for screws and mounted them that way to keep from drilling into the mower and make them removable if ever needed. They throw off a decent amount of light and don't draw much of a load. Plus I had most everything as far as wiring and terminals at home, and picked up the rest at work as freebies.

Great idea,,but if im mowing past 8:30pm here something is dreadfully wrong with me...lol

577jersey said:

Great idea,,but if im mowing past 8:30pm here something is dreadfully wrong with me...lol

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I work 10 hrs a day and get off at 5pm and once a week I mow an apt complex, and usually wait until about 7 to start there so it's cooled off a little. Then it's getting dark as I'm finishing up. At home it doesn't take me long at all, maybe 45 mins, but there it's about 2-2.5 hours.

Jcook78 said:

I work 10 hrs a day and get off at 5pm and once a week I mow an apt complex, and usually wait until about 7 to start there so it's cooled off a little. Then it's getting dark as I'm finishing up. At home it doesn't take me long at all, maybe 45 mins, but there it's about 2-2.5 hours.

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Yeah if this is your part time gig then I would say its a great idea,,especially if you need to finish up after its dark.
How do you like the RSD so far,,how many hours you have on it?

577jersey said:

Yeah if this is your part time gig then I would say its a great idea,,especially if you need to finish up after its dark.
How do you like the RSD so far,,how many hours you have on it?

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I like it so far. At the beginning of spring I found the right hydrostatic motor had a leak, warranty fixed it. Other than that it has done great. Very sturdy frame and plenty of power. I have about 40 hours on it, maybe a hair less.

Jcook78 said:

I like it so far. At the beginning of spring I found the right hydrostatic motor had a leak, warranty fixed it. Other than that it has done great. Very sturdy frame and plenty of power. I have about 40 hours on it, maybe a hair less.

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Sweet,,mine had a small leak out the left side brake shaft seal,,after I changed the hydro oil to Mobile 1 it went away for some weird reason...lol..I have 65 hours on mine and only had a tension spring fail..at end of season Im going to bring it to the dealer and have them check that o-ring and or replace it on the left side hydro.

Yeah its a great mower,,but for less $$ I am going to get the Bobcat CRZ next time,,you cant beat that mower for the price,,thicker deck,better seat,Kawasaki FR,and same hydros...plus 5 year 500 hour warranty,, hands down you cant beat that!!!

I forgot my tensioner spring did pop off twice one day. Talk about a pain when all I had with me was a pair of pliers. Not fun.

577jersey said:

Sweet,,mine had a small leak out the left side brake shaft seal,,after I changed the hydro oil to Mobile 1 it went away for some weird reason...lol..I have 65 hours on mine and only had a tension spring fail..at end of season Im going to bring it to the dealer and have them check that o-ring and or replace it on the left side hydro. Yeah its a great mower,,but for less $$ I am going to get the Bobcat CRZ next time,,you cant beat that mower for the price,,thicker deck,better seat,Kawasaki FR,and same hydros...plus 5 year 500 hour warranty,, hands down you cant beat that!!!

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The bobcat is a good mower. All but the Kawasaki engine. The kohlor with 2 less hp has more usable power. And use almost half the gas per hour.

Carscw said:

The bobcat is a good mower. All but the Kawasaki engine. The kohlor with 2 less hp has more usable power. And use almost half the gas per hour.

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Yeah,the 7K series is slowly finding a spot to my heart,,but I always was and always will be a kawi guy...just love the way they sound...I really did like the older commands back in the 90s..had a few with the hydro lifters..little noisy at times but a good over all motor,,made me alot of $$.

My FR is pretty good on fuel,,I can cut 6 acres of well maintained grass on hilly terrain and use less than 3 gallons.
Ive been through really high wet stuff 15" plus and the FR never even bogs down,just powers through it man...sounds like a harley on roids.

Jcook78 said:

I forgot my tensioner spring did pop off twice one day. Talk about a pain when all I had with me was a pair of pliers. Not fun.

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Yeah mine snapped and the belt got cut up from the spindle mount bolts,,I luckily had a shorter spring in my tool box that I hooked an S hook to make it longer,,then used a pair of vise grips to pull it across and hook it up...I slipped a time or two and cut my finger pretty bad,it worked to get the job done,,I since then made a nice spring hook tool out of an old BIG flathead driver,I ground it to a point then heated it up and bent a tight half loop in the end,,I wont be slipping anymore...it was a bad day,,we have those once in a while.

577jersey said:

Yeah mine snapped and the belt got cut up from the spindle mount bolts,,I luckily had a shorter spring in my tool box that I hooked an S hook to make it longer,,then used a pair of vise grips to pull it across and hook it up...I slipped a time or two and cut my finger pretty bad,it worked to get the job done,,I since then made a nice spring hook tool out of an old BIG flathead driver,I ground it to a point then heated it up and bent a tight half loop in the end,,I wont be slipping anymore...it was a bad day,,we have those once in a while.

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I took a nice chunk of skin off a finger too. Bled like a stuck hog. Now I carry the spring puller tool that came with my daughters trampoline with me. I figure it might just work pretty good if ever needed again. I've thought about crimping that spring down a bit on the loop that it attaches to and on the pulley bracket too.

Jcook78 said:

I took a nice chunk of skin off a finger too. Bled like a stuck hog. Now I carry the spring puller tool that came with my daughters trampoline with me. I figure it might just work pretty good if ever needed again. I've thought about crimping that spring down a bit on the loop that it attaches to and on the pulley bracket too.

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Yeah Im surprised yours just fell off the anchor points,,the tensioner must have really been rockin and rollin for that too happen...I dont like the anchor points on the RSD either,,they are kinda thin,,if they ever break I will just weld a nice heavy hook to the deck and tensioner plate.I dont like the tensioner design on the mower,funny how the tensioner slide rides on plastic or teflon,,I guess It will hold up ok cause its a straight pull..thats one thing I would have changed if I was the designer,,would be better off with a single greasable brass bushing with idler on a pivot with a spring,like Bobcat has.They last forever!!

Hey,,you do know that trampoline springs will work for a replacement..I forget the actual length,,think its like 6 or 7" for the spring.I have a Hustler spring on there now and don’t trust it as far as I can throw it lol.

577jersey,

And I thought I was reading an echo there for a minute. LOL
Tom

There we got her all straightened out now...my error I guess...lol

577jersey said:

Yeah,the 7K series is slowly finding a spot to my heart,,but I always was and always will be a kawi guy...just love the way they sound...I really did like the older commands back in the 90s..had a few with the hydro lifters..little noisy at times but a good over all motor,,made me alot of $$. My FR is pretty good on fuel,,I can cut 6 acres of well maintained grass on hilly terrain and use less than 3 gallons. Ive been through really high wet stuff 15" plus and the FR never even bogs down,just powers through it man...sounds like a harley on roids.

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I love my kohlor's with the hydro lifters.

Are the flex forks really worth the investment? I cut a little bit of uneven terrain and one steep ditch, a good 45* or better in places. I usually mow up and down that ditch, but even going long ways I don't tend to slide. It holds its own pretty straight. Is the ride that much better? I think mine rides fairly well with the stock forks but am always looking to improve things.

I thought about them too but thats alot of $$ for a tad better ride if thats the case...I would also worry about the deck scalping more because of the flex..not sure exactly how they work.
I run my fronts at 6psi and cant ask for a better ride really.

I dropped my anti scalping wheels down to the lowest hole. Keeps he deck up just a bit higher. Sometimes I can see the deck rising up because the wheels are following the ground. Mine rides comfortable so I don't want to throw unnecessary money at it just because.

Jcook78 said:

Are the flex forks really worth the investment? I cut a little bit of uneven terrain and one steep ditch, a good 45* or better in places. I usually mow up and down that ditch, but even going long ways I don't tend to slide. It holds its own pretty straight. Is the ride that much better? I think mine rides fairly well with the stock forks but am always looking to improve things.

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You have a death wish? I've flipped a 52" going up a 30 degree and a SD 54 at 40 degrees. First one broke a couple of ribs. Traded that one in for the SD 54. Night and day between the two on handling,ride,traction.
I did install the spring forks on the 54". As for ride quality, ya, slight better. Biggest improvement was loading and loading from a trailer, going from different elevations and the jarring out of the twists. I also run about 8 lbs in the tires.

BEYTILL said:

You have a death wish? I've flipped a 52" going up a 30 degree and a SD 54 at 40 degrees. First one broke a couple of ribs. Traded that one in for the SD 54. Night and day between the two on handling,ride,traction.
I did install the spring forks on the 54". As for ride quality, ya, slight better. Biggest improvement was loading and loading from a trailer, going from different elevations and the jarring out of the twists. I also run about 8 lbs in the tires.

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Ahh,,you just have to be careful to keep a close watch on the front wheels while going up steep banks,I lean forward a bit too...and if you are sideways on a slope the 54 will slide before it flips from what I have seen...be careful and smart out there guys.

Jcook78 said:

I dropped my anti scalping wheels down to the lowest hole. Keeps he deck up just a bit higher. Sometimes I can see the deck rising up because the wheels are following the ground. Mine rides comfortable so I don't want to throw unnecessary money at it just because.

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YEah I did the same thing I think they are still too high,,I keep my foot on the deck lift pedal alot and you can always feel when they are working,,I like to float the deck quite a bit over high spots,roots,and obstacles..works great!!

I have a good feeling this mower is going to be around for awhile

If you like to ride your lift pedal that's another big plus for the fastrak.... first off you have more leg room which makes it a lot easier.... then you have that wonderful lift assist spring which I have cranked up pretty good. Part of my lawn has a lot of moisture and it looks great cut way down to 2.5 inches.... but there are a couple of areas where this is "scalpy" and I tend to just have a ride the pedal a little bit and get a little lift going over those spots and don't even bother changing the height pin.
To visually look at a fast-track vs. SD you just wont see the extra $2,000..... if you run 1 for a half hour
You'll come away totally understanding the value

kraky said:

If you like to ride your lift pedal that's another big plus for the fastrak.... first off you have more leg room which makes it a lot easier.... then you have that wonderful lift assist spring which I have cranked up pretty good. Part of my lawn has a lot of moisture and it looks great cut way down to 2.5 inches.... but there are a couple of areas where this is "scalpy" and I tend to just have a ride the pedal a little bit and get a little lift going over those spots and don't even bother changing the height pin.
To visually look at a fast-track vs. SD you just wont see the extra $2,000..... if you run 1 for a half hour
You'll come away totally understanding the value

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Yeah,,I love my lift pedal...the fastrak is just that,,FAST..lol..its got taller tires,,plus the better hydros..I bet it goes close to 12 MPH no?
And the deck Im sure is alot better too?
I never really looked close at one.

The fastrak is The Next Step Up from the SD. Visually it doesn't look a whole lot different but it is ....it weighs another 210 pounds. It runs the 3100 hydros.... has nice size rubber on it but it only goes 8 miles an hour. Deck discharge is a lot more open and it stripes much better....also quieter running.

I assume its a heavier gauge deck and frame,better pulleys,better spindles,better hydros,plus the seat,tires and wheels.

The CRZ is alot quieter than the SD also,I think that has to do with a heavier deck and better pulleys and tensioner set-up.The SD is a noisy bugger thats a fact..lol

577jersey said:

I assume its a heavier gauge deck and frame,better pulleys,better spindles,better hydros,plus the seat,tires and wheels. The CRZ is alot quieter than the SD also,I think that has to do with a heavier deck and better pulleys and tensioner set-up.The SD is a noisy bugger thats a fact..lol

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Stopped by my dealer to get toro blades.
He had a crz out front. Have walked passed it a 100 times. Looked at it today. Going to get one this winter. The tech said they are very good mowers and a class above the SD and the toro.
My dealer sells toro,exmark ,husqvarna and bobcat.

Carscw said:

Stopped by my dealer to get toro blades.
He had a crz out front. Have walked passed it a 100 times. Looked at it today. Going to get one this winter. The tech said they are very good mowers and a class above the SD and the toro.
My dealer sells toro,exmark ,husqvarna and bobcat.

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Thats awesome bro!! Congrats!!!
Yeah,,I don’t know how Bobcat does it but i hope they still have the CRZ when Im ready to sell this SD...the SD is working really good for me so far..70 hours.
I could sell the SD for around $3200 and get the CRZ for about 3800 out the door here in Jersey,,Im friends with that guy on you tube and he said he can get me a killer deal..maybe even less than 3800,,that really kinda makes me mad,,cause I spent 4200 and change on the sd..at least its paid for.

577jersey said:

Thats awesome bro!! Congrats!!! Yeah,,I don’t know how Bobcat does it but i hope they still have the CRZ when Im ready to sell this SD...the SD is working really good for me so far..70 hours. I could sell the SD for around $3200 and get the CRZ for about 3800 out the door here in Jersey,,Im friends with that guy on you tube and he said he can get me a killer deal..maybe even less than 3800,,that really kinda makes me mad,,cause I spent 4200 and change on the sd..at least its paid for.

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It's $1200 more then the Toro's I use. So just getting one. If I like it after 200 hours then I will buy 3 more and sell the 4 Toro's.
Was going to go with bad boy this year.

Carscw said:

It's $1200 more then the Toro's I use. So just getting one. If I like it after 200 hours then I will buy 3 more and sell the 4 Toro's.
Was going to go with bad boy this year.

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Yeah thats cool..the badboy looks pretty solid to me but reminds me of an Ariens for some reason.

Give that CRZ a try,I will be looking forward to hearing how it treated you guys down there.

Tom