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I'm new to this forum and about to buy a new 2020 Hustler SD. After reading about the many problems of throwing belts, breaking or bent bolts, transmission bracket breaking/slipping i've had some concerns.
So i visited a Hustler dealer and carefully looked over an SD. Every bolts was schedule 5 (3 hash marks), that was good to see. Transmission bracket was updated and very strong.Ease of oil change had plenty of room for access and easy to do.

Am I wrong or has Hustler made lots of improvements over the last few years,. The dealer (of course) said that they have made huge improvements.

Think I'll buy a 54' SD.

The original bolts were grade five. But then, you shouldn't have any problems with the grade five bolts as long as you keep them tight. Check them at least once a month and you'll be set for many years to come.

Yankeeredfisher said:

.........." very strong.Ease of oil change had plenty of room for access and easy to do."...............

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Could you be more specific on this?

Just what exactly did the dealer show or tell you about the "ease of oil change"?....exactly what improvements were done?

Thanks in advance for your explanation.

Yes the upgraded braces fixed flexing problem.

Are you going to add anything?
Engine guard, heat shield. I just added a seat suspension and my ride improved quite a bit.
About 185 hours on the machine.
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clubairth said:

I just added a seat suspension and my ride improved quite a bit.

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What suspension kit did you add? Seat or front strut? Link?

I got a recommendation from this list to use Seat Warehouse. It was a bit expensive at $180 but the seat is pretty good so replacing the seat was way more expensive.
Seat Suspension

I was surprised at how much it smoothed the ride too. Very happy with the addition.
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clubairth said:

I got a recommendation from this list to use Seat Warehouse. It was a bit expensive at $180 but the seat is pretty good so replacing the seat was way more expensive.
Seat Suspension

I was surprised at how much it smoothed the ride too. Very happy with the addition.
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How about a link to your specific seat?

If you click on the "Seat Suspension" in my reply that is the link.
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clubairth said:

If you click on the "Seat Suspension" in my reply that is the link.
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Thanks. I missed it at first.

Yankeeredfisher said:

I'm new to this forum and about to buy a new 2020 Hustler SD. After reading about the many problems of throwing belts, breaking or bent bolts, transmission bracket breaking/slipping i've had some concerns.
So i visited a Hustler dealer and carefully looked over an SD. Every bolts was schedule 5 (3 hash marks), that was good to see. Transmission bracket was updated and very strong.Ease of oil change had plenty of room for access and easy to do.

Am I wrong or has Hustler made lots of improvements over the last few years,. The dealer (of course) said that they have made huge improvements.

Think I'll buy a 54' SD.

Click to expand...

I have had my Raptor SD 54" deck for 4 seasons now, heading into season 5. Somewhat disappointed in the spindle bearing life. Paint was not put on over primer, but straight on raw metal so it is peeling like a Vegas stripper, just not as easy to look at. Had to remove the plastic pulley covers due to grass buildup and causing clogging issues. Generally a great cutting machine just some bugs that needed- and may be by now- worked out. Thinking of fabricating metal pulley guards that simply lift/flip up for cleaning. Deck may remove sandblast primer first then repaint. Us county boys like "shiney" ya know... Did find a great deal on a yr old Raptor SD 60" deck for half price, and bought it, still with some warranty remaining. I already know what to expect, accept the "quirks" and going on. Cuts fast, level and true. Cut my yard cutting time by 20 minutes easily over the old Murray 42" deck..

Yankeeredfisher said:

I'm new to this forum and about to buy a new 2020 Hustler SD. After reading about the many problems of throwing belts, breaking or bent bolts, transmission bracket breaking/slipping i've had some concerns.
So i visited a Hustler dealer and carefully looked over an SD. Every bolts was schedule 5 (3 hash marks), that was good to see. Transmission bracket was updated and very strong.Ease of oil change had plenty of room for access and easy to do.

Am I wrong or has Hustler made lots of improvements over the last few years,. The dealer (of course) said that they have made huge improvements.

Think I'll buy a 54' SD.

Click to expand...

My 2018 had grade 5 bolts also. Still have broken frame brackets and all bolts were tight when removed to replace them. Replacement brackets are exactly like what was removed so I question an upgrade to the quality of steel used. Someone had mentioned the SDX has a much heavier bracket set and I will look at an SDX when I drop the mower of for warranty work once again.