Hustler Raptor

[djdicetn]

Just bought the 52" Raptor. It is an upgrade from 10 years of residential tractors. My last mower was a used Deere L100 I bought off a neighbor that hurt his back after buying and quit mowing. It was in storage for years. Got a great deal and it was barely used. Thought I was in heaven using it over old Craftsmans that I had prior. My dad is no longer able to mow, so I have picked up his yard and widow's next door. Bought the Hustler after lots of research and because of the 48mo SAC. I can't believe I didn't sell everything I needed to so that I could buy one of these years ago. The mower runs great, cuts great and is very sturdy so far. I am slowly learning not to turn too quickly in certain spots after knocking over my birdbath and clipping some trees. I have wired a DC socket into one of the rear pockets to use for a small foglight so that I can mow after sunset. Also charges my iphone for long cuts. I am well past the breakin period and have already done the initial oil change. Only issue there is clearance for my big hand to remove the filter and the awkward feeding of the oil drain hose. I have also replaced the seat with one from Tractor Supply that is adjustable and has armrests. It was much cheaper than Hustler's upgrade seat. Overall I think this is the best mower for the money, and I hope to get many years out of it. I find myself mowing too soon just to get outside and drive it around. The large muffler controls the noise and the Kawasaki just purrs as I cut.
Future upgrades will be a 3 way hitch and maybe some bedliner on the platform for traction and scuff control.
Only real complaint so far is that the deck choked on me while cutting wet. I solved the problem by mowing with the ejection guard up half way. I have rigged a piece of rope from it to the right throttle handle allowing me to lift it as i go through tight squeezes and before I store it.
I would like to hear any other Redneck mods that others have made.

tnmorris,
Here ya go...get rid of that foglight and do it right!!! Here's a link to my redneck mod that'll make mowing in the dark a breeze:0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html

 

[tnorris7]

tnmorris,
Here ya go...get rid of that foglight and do it right!!! Here's a link to my redneck mod that'll make mowing in the dark a breeze:0)

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/build-yourself/18564-ztr-light-kit.html

Your setup looks great and I looked it over before doing my setup. I considered doing a similar thing but with the lights out front to avoid the heavy shadows as seen in your picture. I realized that I would often be concerned about clearance under bushes and other obstacles. I opted instead for the magnet mount out on the footrest because I don't think I will cut in the dark very often, I can use the light for other purposes, and I can get it out of my way when mowing in daylight. See pics of the setup for anyone interested.

As you can see, it tucks neatly under my feet, but sits way out front when in use. The night photos don't do justice to how much area is covered which is almost 180 degrees and 40 feet out.

 

[Tom59]

Terrain causes them to jump or move because the front wheels swivel if they were fixed wheels it would track straight. It sure would handle funky and make a mess of turf if the front wheel were set to go straight only. :laughing:

 

[djdicetn]

Your setup looks great and I looked it over before doing my setup. I considered doing a similar thing but with the lights out front to avoid the heavy shadows as seen in your picture. I realized that I would often be concerned about clearance under bushes and other obstacles. I opted instead for the magnet mount out on the footrest because I don't think I will cut in the dark very often, I can use the light for other purposes, and I can get it out of my way when mowing in daylight. See pics of the setup for anyone interested.
View attachment 16202View attachment 16203View attachment 16204View attachment 16205View attachment 16206
As you can see, it tucks neatly under my feet, but sits way out front when in use. The night photos don't do justice to how much area is covered which is almost 180 degrees and 40 feet out.

That's a very good use of ingenuity for that setup!! It seems to light up the area in front of the ZTR very well. The only thing about doing that on my Gravely is it looks like the footrest on your Hustler is flat on top to accomodate attaching the foglight where my footrest comes to a point(like a triangle) which wouldn't let me mount it like that for driving. The other thing I like about mounting the driving lights on my gas tanks is that they are behind the deck and I can see the grass well on both sides of the whole deck where yours is mounted at the front edge of the deck. The "shadows" in my pictures are "my fault" as I had the discharge chute in it's "storage position" on top of the deck rather than in the mowing position where it doesn't "block the light". There is some minor shadowing directly at the front due to the foot rest blocking the light, but it's only about 6-8" in front of the mower so it doesn't impede seeing the lawn ahead of me. Both light systems, though, IMHO would be easier and less expensive than the manufacturer kits and would make occaisonal nightime mowing easy!!

 

[pwooten]

i love mine i have had it about 3 month first zero turn have had murry and craftsman tractors in the past will never go back

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

i love mine i have had it about 3 month first zero turn have had murry and craftsman tractors in the past will never go back

Glad you like it! It seems very nice in the pic! (http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/general-mower-discussion/69-ok-lets-see-your-mower-46.html#post125156)

 

[PVHIII]

Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

Thanks for informing us about the issues!

 

[PVHIII]

Thanks for informing us about the issues!

No problem glad I can help

 

[djdicetn]

Bought a Raptor 52" 23.5 HP...about 3 months ago and had nothing but problems. I had it in the Shop 3 times...barely hit a small stump and bent the deck components... front tires wouldn't hold air..and the other day I was mowing grass that was a little high and a little wet but nothing my old Troybuilt tractor couldn't have handled and the deck started squeaking and frayed the belt.Needless to say I was fed up and feeling that I had thrown away $3,100 so I took it back to my dealer and received a full refund minus $100.My dealer treated me very well.I then purchased a Fastrak Super duty and WOW what a difference but for twice the price $5900.Also...the deck on the raptor is too shallow and can't tolerate even slightly wet grass blade speed creates a vacuum and holds the grass to the top of the deck when shut down the blades the grass would drop to the ground with no scraping.This was my first ZT and I was very disappointed.Hustler builds fantastic machines unfortunately this ain't one of'm.My dealer informed me he was no longer gonna carry this model because he only wants to sell quality mowers and I wasn't the only customer very unhappy with the Raptor for the same reasons.Hustler needs to recall this model and work the kinks out or the Raptor will hurt their reputation for building quality mowers. Trust me...STAY AWAY FROM THE RAPTOR... but most certainly.... STAY WITH A HUSTLER!... love my Fastrak SD it's' one hell of a mower.Standard rule of thumb...if the deck isn't chain hung... don't buy it.

Yep, when it comes to an easy spot for a quality cut ZTR....the chain-hung deck says it all. Some of the high-end residential units that use a cheaper deck hang system won't ever match the cut quality(close.....but no cigar). BTW, I almost pulled the string on a FasTrak SD myself, but the dealer wouldn't budge off the MSRP and the Gravely dealer would:0)