New here , looking at getting a zero turn mower for under $4,000 , I have about 1 acre mostly flat looking at the 42" Raptor and Raptor SD
I will not be putting a lot of hours on the mower , the upgrade on the Raptor SD that stand out to me
1) Motor : Kohler 7000 vs Kohler Pro Performance 7000
2) Transmission : HydroGear EZT vs HydroGear 2800 this one needs to be service filter and fluid change is it worth the extra maintenance ? The HrdroGear EZT is a sealed unit no extra maintenance
3) Deck height : 4.1" vs 4.5
4) Blade Speed 16,700 fpm vs 18,600 fpm
5) Seat : SD has better seat with arm rest
Price different between the two $2.800 vs $3,800 is it worth $1,000 for the SD :confused3:
The other one that I also looked at Toro 42" MX4250 $3,600
Any opinions on the three or suggestion on a different make/model in this price range :anyone:
New here , looking at getting a zero turn mower for under $4,000 , I have about 1 acre mostly flat looking at the 42" Raptor and Raptor SD
I will not be putting a lot of hours on the mower , the upgrade on the Raptor SD that stand out to me
1) Motor : Kohler 7000 vs Kohler Pro Performance 7000
2) Transmission : HydroGear EZT vs HydroGear 2800 this one needs to be service filter and fluid change is it worth the extra maintenance ? The HrdroGear EZT is a sealed unit no extra maintenance
3) Deck height : 4.1" vs 4.5
4) Blade Speed 16,700 fpm vs 18,600 fpm
5) Seat : SD has better seat with arm rest
Price different between the two $2.800 vs $3,800 is it worth $1,000 for the SD :confused3:
The other one that I also looked at Toro 42" MX4250 $3,600
Any opinions on the three or suggestion on a different make/model in this price range :anyone:
The SD will be a little better mower. The drives are Hydro gears largest residential drives and are more suited to larger property's than the EZT and are worth the extra cost. The ezt drives are 10cc pumps and motor while the 2800 is 10 cc pump and 16cc motor. your spindles are all sealed on the sd so you don't have to worry about maintenance on them and your spindle reinforcement/ top plates are 7ga. not the light 14ga which makes the SD a little more heavy duty.. The faster blade speed is also a plus. Personally with $4000 to spend you may want to consider looking on criaglist for a low hour commercial mower. You could end up with twice the mower for the same money.
I had the same decision last April. Ended up going with the 42". Have a little under an acre. Fairly flat and a little bumpy. Took me 2 hrs to push mow and trim. Now I can get it done in or under an hour. Was going to buy the armrest kit. Quickly decided I didn't need them with the size of my lawn. Only thing I added was the mulch kit. Put 32 hours on it. From April to October. Very happy with the decision. Glad I saved the extra grand.
Welcome to the forum,
I purchased the SD a little over a month ago and I like it just fine. I did not look at the standard raptor because I wanted hydros that I could service. There are some other differences as you pointed out but that was the big one for me so I did not consider any unit that had the EZT hydros although I suspect they will last a long time.
Good luck .......... Rhett
Thanks Ric for your help on the drives
Agree about craigslist what I find used on craigslist for what I'm willing to spent mowers that are overkill for my needs plus I'm 66 and this should be my last mower and having a 3 year warranty with a good local dealer that I trust reason for me to buy new
Clippings do get built up under the deck a lot faster with the mulch kit when the lawn is wet. Never changed my driving style. Last spring I mowed 4 times before I put the mulch kit on. There was a fair amount of clippings to clean out before the mulch kit. My lawn also has a good amount of clover that helps contribute to the build up. The harbor freight mower lift helped with that chore.Thanks Rob45679 for you reply , also looking at the 42" and adding the mulch kit
Do you have any issues with the mulch kit clogging , need to drive at a slower speed after adding the mulch kit and before using the mulch kit could you cut the grass if it was somewhat wet like in the morning with a lite dew on it ?
Thanks Rob45679 for you reply , also looking at the 42" and adding the mulch kit
Do you have any issues with the mulch kit clogging , need to drive at a slower speed after adding the mulch kit and before using the mulch kit could you cut the grass if it was somewhat wet like in the morning with a lite dew on it ?
I'd forget the mulch kit and just pick up a set of G3 Gator blades. That will decrease the amount of clipping you'll have and there a bit better when cutting wet grass. Besides that there probably cheaper than a mulch kit.
Hope you are intending to live well past 69 :wink:
One or two of my 90+ year old customers might argue you on the last mower point as well.
Ric I seen an old post from you and you said about the blade speed should be ( 18000 to 19,000 BTS ) the Raptor 42" SD is listed at 18,400fpm also the deck is 4 1/2" so the G3 Gator blades should work
I read that someone posted there mower had the wrong size belt pulley on from the factory causing the blades to run slower
to the point he traded the mower in but found out later about the pulley being wrong it was also a Hustler Raptor mower :mur:
:anyone: know how they check the blade speed and something a dealer should be able to check ??
Bad news on that front. Every year ride ons get cheaper & cheaper. Thus the profit margins get smaller & smaller So the quality and longevity goes down and down and down again. They don't build them like that anymore is true in more ways than one. Domestic ride on mowers have a design service life of 500 hours. About 1/3 of the design life of your old Yardman.
The life span of a lawnmower depends on a lot of different factors. Like How it's run and if it's used properly or not. How often it's run and how well it's maintained. In many cases and ways mowers today are built far better than than they used to be.
The life span of a lawnmower depends on a lot of different factors. Like How it's run and if it's used properly or not. How often it's run and how well it's maintained. In many cases and ways mowers today are built far better than than they used to be.
Are you taking too many meds or something ?
Built better
First want to thank everyone for there reply on this thread also to this site Lawn World :thumbsup:
This whole thing on getting a zero turn mower started a few weeks ago when I was at Home Depot looking at the Toro zero turn mower , not wanting to by from a box store I looked for a local Toro dealer just happen he also sold the Hustler brand. I knew nothing about zero turn mower manufacturers so I started my research , again this site was a big help !
Well I found out there's a lot of good manufacturers !
Today I place my order for a 42" Hustler Raptor SD
My reasoning for selecting the 42" Raptor SD are - first and very important to me a good local dealer , 42" ideal size for my property lay out , upgrade transmission and motor over the standard Raptor , the blade speed 18,600
The one thing different about the 2016 Raptor SD the Kawasaki engine was replaced by the Kohler 7000 Pro Performance engine
is that a :thumbsup: or :thumbdown: or not that big of deal :confused2:?
Kohler makes a good engine. The 7000 series is their newer engine and if it's a big deal or not really would depend on the individual buying the mower and if there a Kawasaki fan or not. If I'm not mistaken they were running the FR Kawasaki to start with and it was the bottom end motor for Kawasaki so I would think the Pro series Kohler would be IMO a better engine.
I ran the two Professional series Kohler Courage engines on the cub cadet Z force mower for years on essentially the same set up as your buying and never had any issues at all with the engines and they were ran six days a week when we started the business. I now run the Toro mowers and use the Kawasaki FS and FX engines and they also have been great engines. Change the oil according to the manual and use what it says and you'll never have any issues.
As a matter of fact I think I do take to many meds. The Doctor has got me on Simvastatin, Metoprolol, Lisinopril, Aspirin, Vitamin D and a few others which I wont put down and it's a bummer. and Yes I do believe In many cases and ways mowers today are built far better than than they used to be. I think we discussed this thing about you responding with a complete book instead of a post before. If I want to read a post that long I'll get a book off amazon and read one and BTW Richard Engel has a good book out it's called And Then All Hell Broke Loose. It's about two decades in the middle east, it's a good read you should get a copy.
SHughes, my name is Hughes as well. My post isn't meant as inflammatory. lol
I have a HustlerZ 60", so when my sis needed a mower I suggested a smaller Hustler. With my help she got the Raptor. Knew right away should have got the SD. You had to un-bolt the seat to adjust. Deck jumps up 2" when enguaged. Rides rough but it's residental when mine is commercial, huge difference. Dealer said to try the gatorblades and deck block for mulching. Not good for leaves, need also the metal under the deck seperating the blade compartments.
Purchase Lowe's 3 year extended warranty. Our local dealer swore up and down there is no extended warranty from Hustler, however, after I purchased the unit and had it a couple of months, I found out Hustler does offer the warranty, however, you have to purchase it at the time of purchase of the unit. No exceptions was what Hustler told me, no matter what their dealers tells you.
I was told the factory warranty is three years on the mower but only two years on the motor , what is covered on the extended warranty ?
If you disliked the Raptor that much I doubt the SD model will be different enough from the base model to make you happy.I was reading the Raptor vs Raptor SD topic and I really enjoyed your comment. I went to Lowes last year and was "undersold" (I didn't realize it at the time) a base Raptor, and other than the Kawasaki engine (that ran perfect), I hated the mower. Rough ride, lousy seat, noisy (thin) vibrating deck and spindles. I tried everything I could to live with it (suspension seat bracket, flex forks - they don't tell you they don't flex on the Raptor because the mower is too light - at least in my case, they never moved at all), but Hustler eventually got sick of my questions/complaints and told me to take it back through Lowes (I had it less than a year and probably didn't put 40 hours on it total. I didn't expect the offer of a return, but was thrilled, and now I am about to take delivery of the SD 60" (the best Hustler that Lowe's sells, because I'd even like to get the Fastrak model), but now I have two issues - 2015 vs 2016 models (it seems the 2015 had a better engine, but I like the 2016 seat better), and Hustler itself (I am wondering if they are not going to honor the new warranty on the SD since they helped me so much by taking back the other Raptor, and they said they didn't want me to get another Raptor, but in my experience the SD is so much better). What do you think of the 2015 vs 2016 thing? It seems unprofessional that their customer service won't respond to any of my messages since they took the Raptor back, but does anyone else out there have feedback on Hustler customer service? Do you think I can get fair treatment with them on the SD, or should I move to another brand?
If you disliked the Raptor that much I doubt the SD model will be different enough from the base model to make you happy.
Look elsewhere IMO.