Too good to be true? Raptor 52"

[PVHIII]

I'd be willin to bet that most dealers stop carrying these mowers since the box stores are selling them...when I took mine back (wish we would have took my mom in law's back as well)..my dealer was not happy with these mowers and said he considering not selling them due to all the complaints/issues he was having with them...the Raptor is for small Residential yards only and won't hold up under rough mowing conditions... I had belts squeaking/coming off...edge of deck caught a tree stob that was hidden under leaves and bent the deck brackets.. My Troy-Built lawn tractor had stronger deck mounting brackets and wouldn't have bent that easily...I don't care if the deck is fabricated if it isn't mounted properly it's useless... If the deck isn't hanging on chains don't buy it...JMO ;-)

 

[PVHIII]

I will add that the SD model looks to be a much better built mower... Especially as far as the deck mounts are concerned.

 

[Kelvininin]

That's just one of the problems with this mower... I have a Fast Trak SD that I bought when I took my Raptor back for a refund.. I paid twice as much for this mower however it's more than twice the mower of the Raptor...I wouldn't own anything but a Hustler but a Raptor is a box store quality mower at best and Hustler is hurting their brand with this line of mowers... after seeing the 2015 models I'm not impressed with direction Hustler is moving towards at least with their Fast Trak models anyway... Glad I have 2014 model...I do wish you the best of luck with your mower.

It's unfortunate that you had issues with your raptor. I ended up with the Raptor basically because I couldn't afford anything else at the time. I nearly pulled the trigger on a Toro during toro days which would have put me on a zero turn for $2800. The Tore being a residential grade mower at best. The Raptor is a residential grade mower, so expecting to live up to what the commercial grade mowers are capable of is a little ridiculous. I came off of a 42" Husqvarna lawn tractor, it took all of three hours to mow my 1.3 acres. On the raptor it takes me less than one hour. I am as happy as a fat kid in a candy store, with the raptor. Looking at the build quality of the Raptor, it will last me a good long time. I have been researching zero turns for months. It seems the people having the most issues with the raptor are coming off of commercial grade mowers, or expecting the Raptor to live up to commercial style duty.

I had basically given up on the prospect of buying a zero turn, due to the cost, and was going to just stick to the 3 hours mowing commitment. Then lowes offered me $700 off of the Raptor I know own. That deal was just too good to pass up. Already had a neighbor offer me $2800 for the raptor. Typically cash isn't so tight for us, but we are unexpectedly expecting twins. MN is one of the most expensive states in the union for daycare.

Would I buy the raptor again? Absolutely. Will I ever consider upgrading to a commercial grade mower? For this lawn, probably not. But with the Kawi motor, and fabricated deck, I expect to get 20 years or more out of this mower.

 

[PVHIII]

It's unfortunate that you had issues with your raptor. I ended up with the Raptor basically because I couldn't afford anything else at the time. I nearly pulled the trigger on a Toro during toro days which would have put me on a zero turn for $2800. The Tore being a residential grade mower at best. The Raptor is a residential grade mower, so expecting to live up to what the commercial grade mowers are capable of is a little ridiculous. I came off of a 42" Husqvarna lawn tractor, it took all of three hours to mow my 1.3 acres. On the raptor it takes me less than one hour. I am as happy as a fat kid in a candy store, with the raptor. Looking at the build quality of the Raptor, it will last me a good long time. I have been researching zero turns for months. It seems the people having the most issues with the raptor are coming off of commercial grade mowers, or expecting the Raptor to live up to commercial style duty.

I had basically given up on the prospect of buying a zero turn, due to the cost, and was going to just stick to the 3 hours mowing commitment. Then lowes offered me $700 off of the Raptor I know own. That deal was just too good to pass up. Already had a neighbor offer me $2800 for the raptor. Typically cash isn't so tight for us, but we are unexpectedly expecting twins. MN is one of the most expensive states in the union for daycare.

Would I buy the raptor again? Absolutely. Will I ever consider upgrading to a commercial grade mower? For this lawn, probably not. But with the Kawi motor, and fabricated deck, I expect to get 20 years or more out of this mower.

I can definitely understand having to shop on a budget...if it wasn't for Hustler's 48 month 0% interest financing I wouldn't own my Fast Trak SD...payment on the Raptor was about $78 a month and on my Fast Trak SD is $121 a month..to me it was well worth it...The dealer knew I was wanting a mower that would hold up because my Troy-built tractor style mower wasn't under rough mowing conditions and should have up-sold me on the Fast Trak SD which he could have easily done by pointing out how much more mower I would be gettin for a small difference in payment.

 

[PVHIII]

It's unfortunate that you had issues with your raptor. I ended up with the Raptor basically because I couldn't afford anything else at the time. I nearly pulled the trigger on a Toro during toro days which would have put me on a zero turn for $2800. The Tore being a residential grade mower at best. The Raptor is a residential grade mower, so expecting to live up to what the commercial grade mowers are capable of is a little ridiculous. I came off of a 42" Husqvarna lawn tractor, it took all of three hours to mow my 1.3 acres. On the raptor it takes me less than one hour. I am as happy as a fat kid in a candy store, with the raptor. Looking at the build quality of the Raptor, it will last me a good long time. I have been researching zero turns for months. It seems the people having the most issues with the raptor are coming off of commercial grade mowers, or expecting the Raptor to live up to commercial style duty.

I had basically given up on the prospect of buying a zero turn, due to the cost, and was going to just stick to the 3 hours mowing commitment. Then lowes offered me $700 off of the Raptor I know own. That deal was just too good to pass up. Already had a neighbor offer me $2800 for the raptor. Typically cash isn't so tight for us, but we are unexpectedly expecting twins. MN is one of the most expensive states in the union for daycare.

Would I buy the raptor again? Absolutely. Will I ever consider upgrading to a commercial grade mower? For this lawn, probably not. But with the Kawi motor, and fabricated deck, I expect to get 20 years or more out of this mower.

How big is your yard and how rough is it?...If you don't mind me asking...that was hell of a deal on that mower I might add.

 

[Kelvininin]

I can definitely understand having to shop on a budget...if it wasn't for Hustler's 48 month 0% interest financing I wouldn't own my Fast Trak SD...payment on the Raptor was about $78 a month and on my Fast Trak SD is $121 a month..to me it was well worth it...The dealer knew I was wanting a mower that would hold up because my Troy-built tractor style mower wasn't under rough mowing conditions and should have up-sold me on the Fast Trak SD which he could have easily done by pointing out how much more mower I would be gettin for a small difference in payment.

Oh thats the other thing, I paid cash for the Raptor. Daycare is going to run us $600/week with all three kids. Taking on debt right now simply isn't an option and we still need to buy a minivan. My lawn is fairly flat, where it is graded is pretty gradual, but I do have about 20 mature trees and another 4 growing. The zero turns maneuverability is a big factor is cutting down my mowing time. I'm happy you found a mower that works for you.

This time of the year I have to mow twice a week. Its takes me 2 hours total with the raptor, where I use to spend 6 hours. More time for me with the family and fixing the rest of the stuff that breaks at this old house.

 

[Kelvininin]

How big is your yard and how rough is it?...If you don't mind me asking...that was hell of a deal on that mower I might add.

Thanks! I have 1.3 acres, with about 20 mature trees, some landscaping. There is open space in the back yard that was once a volleyball court, its a little rough and I have to slow down on. Otherwise I can mow most of the law and full speed. My lawn has a lot of gradual grades, but only one spot where the grade gets a little scary with the raptor, but it takes one pass to mow that spot.

If I have a much bigger rougher yard, I can see where a heavier mower would come it to play. My brother has 10 acres and mowes with a 60" John Dear he paid more for than my first three cars combined.