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I just purchased a new Raptor SD 54' from the dealer today and it will be delivered sometime next week. I found this forum tonight and noticed several negative comments about the mower, the way it cuts and clutch issues. Are the issues fixed or should I move on to another mower? Looking for some honest feedback... Thanks!

I'm in the same situation as you i bought it a few weeks ago, they are delivering this week. I have been reading the same things, but i also have read about how hustler stands by their machines. So I'm not really worried. Worse case scenario my dealer picks it up and fixes it. as for the poor cutting people have been reporting, i haven't read that many reports about that. With the thousands they have sold, I chalk it up to a few people have dull blades, or they are really picky.

Nothing wrong with the cut on the Raptor and there is a simple fix for the clutch if yours is one that has not already been corrected before manufactured. If not then a simple fix for the dealer and more than likely has already been taken care of. Check with your dealer before he delivers.

I bought one last year and have been pleased with it. I have had a couple issues with it. Had a oil leak right out of the gate. There is a couple plugs for after market oil cooler. One was loose. Quick fix with Allen wrech. Starter stuck at 5-6 hrs. Replaced relay. No other issues. I did take it in this spring for a once over. They found a loose axle nut. Tighten it up and good to go. No charge to work on and or look over. I believe you will run into issues with any brand. Hustler had taken excellent care of me and I have no complaints. Also you have to consider it was a new model last year. They going to run into issues. As far as the cut I think it does a good job. The only issue I saw was deck plugged up quick but it was a real wet season last year. The grass never really dried out all year. I switched over to gator blades and that keep deck cleaner. At end of year when I was cutting dry leaves I never once had to clean deck after cuts. Each brand has pros and cons. I went with Buster because I have a dealer close and it's made in America.

Thousands of those were sold last year, they sold like crazy. A few people with an axe to grind make a hundred times more noise online than a thousand happy people. I've never had a complaint besides one guy who lets his extremely thick fescue grow 10-12" between cuts then expects one pass to knock it back to 2 1/2"! Versus the competition at that level, you made a good choice.

You've bought a rock solid mower that will outlive you if you take care of it. Cutting performance has so many variables to it....what works for one guy might not make guy #2 happy.

Keep the blades sharp, grease it often and change the oil after 5 hours then every 50 hours and enjoy!

Good point about reviews. Most people will only report negetives and a good portion will summit reviews when first get something. Like day one. I read somewhere that Craftsmen mowers have the most negative reviews. Which does not give you any accuracy. Let's be honest who here has never had or has never known someone who has had a Craftsman mower. So are Craftsman mowers bad because they have the most negative reviews?

I did a lot of research over the past few weeks and I came to the conclusion the RSD 54" was the best bang for your money. Also if you got the last round of Kawasaki engines then be happy. From what I was reading Kawasaki was suppose to be the exclusive engine provider for the Hustler Mowers, but can't keep up with demand. So Hustler has to add Kohler engines to the lineup. 3 year warranty for Residential use is also a plus.

I am excited to be getting my RSD delivered and for the mowing season to start.

I mow less than 2 acres a week. I wish the grass would grow quicker so I could mow more often. I would buy my Hustler Raptor SD 54" again, I really like it..

fan45acp said:

I mow less than 2 acres a week. I wish the grass would grow quicker so I could mow more often. I would buy my Hustler Raptor SD 54" again, I really like it..

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same here, I'm missing seat time on the beast.

Nashphill said:

I just purchased a new Raptor SD 54' from the dealer today and it will be delivered sometime next week. I found this forum tonight and noticed several negative comments about the mower, the way it cuts and clutch issues. Are the issues fixed or should I move on to another mower? Looking for some honest feedback... Thanks!

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It's been over a year on the recall, So unless you are getting some really old stock (that wasn't already fixed on the lot) you should be ok. I would not worry about clutch issues.

As for the the way it cuts, the only "complaint" I have is that now that I put on my mulcher kit, my *extremely happy* Georgia fescue does bind up in the deck to where i need to reach under and clean it out after a mow. I didn't have this "issue" last year with the discharge setup however didn't actually have the mower this early in the season and it's been really wet this year. I don't have enough experience with other mowers so I can't say that this is a Hustler issue or a wet grass/mulching issue. It takes less than 2 minutes to clean it out so I'm not too bothered with it. The time savings of the mower still makes it worth it.

I've got a little over 30 hours on mine and while it's not a perfect mower (I don't know if there is such a thing), it really is a nice mower. To echo the others, this forum is going to be mostly filled with the complaints higher as a percentage of input on the subject.

If I were to do it again at this price point, I still think that I would pick the hustler.

I can't speak for the the SD model but I bought the standard Raptor when it first came out and had ALOT of problems with it...took it back a month or so later and dealer refunded me my $$$ and I bought the Fastrak SD and never looked back...this thing is 3 times better than the Raptor..I absolutely love my HUSTLER!!!