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ok so new to posting in this forum but i have read a ton of info on this site. I am about to buy a residential ztr to get me started. Will be mowing my lawn and around 5 others right now all under 1 acre.

So i have been looking at two different mowers right now the toro timecutter ss4235 and the hustler raptor 42". I think the raptor is clearly the better mower of the two with the Kawasaki engine and the fabricated deck but here are my current pricing situations and you guys decide for me which one and where to buy thanks!

toro ss4235

box store - $2694.92 out the door

dealer - $2644.92 out the door - have bought stihl products here and they are a good dealer.

no brainer on the toro to buy at dealer but then i ran across this deal on the hustler!

hustler raptor 42" kawasaki engine and fabricated deck

dealer - $3323.16 out the door and wouldnt budge on the price even after i told him the box store quote

box store - $2799.00 with 10% off offer and with tax $2695.94 out the door!! Even the dealer told me at that price he may even buy some from box store for his store because it was lower than what he was paying at cost.

So what do you guys think? I feel like i have to buy the raptor from the box store for the price. I would love to buy from a dealer but the raptor wins all day long i think against the toro at the same price and i just cant justify paying $627.22 more to buy at a dealer.

You did not say what engine in the Toro. Borrow the $600. The dealer with the Kaw knows his is better. You can nurse along a different engine. IMO. Good luck

motoman said:

You did not say what engine in the Toro. Borrow the $600. The dealer with the Kaw knows his is better. You can nurse along a different engine. IMO. Good luck

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the toro has the kohler engine and a stamped deck. the raptor has kaw engine with fabricated deck. Both have 3 year unlimited hour warranties.

so your saying you would pay $600 more to buy the same mower from a dealer over the box store??

Everybody has there own situation. As for myself I would be looking at price, but also I take care of my own repair service. You buy it from the dealer you own it but if you buy it from the big box store and don't like the mower after you got it home you can bring it back to them. I do see advantages from buying from the large stores myself. I think a lot of people like the service from the dealers which you won't get from the big box store. Also buying from the large stores the sales person knows nothing about the mower but the price, that is if you can find one to talk to. You are the person that has to decide where you want to buy your mower from not some stranger on a forum.

reynoldston said:

Everybody has there own situation. As for myself I would be looking at price, but also I take care of my own repair service. You buy it from the dealer you own it but if you buy it from the big box store and don't like the mower after you got it home you can bring it back to them. I do see advantages from buying from the large stores myself. I think a lot of people like the service from the dealers which you won't get from the big box store. Also buying from the large stores the sales person knows nothing about the mower but the price, that is if you can find one to talk to. You are the person that has to decide where you want to buy your mower from not some stranger on a forum.

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My main question here is would you guys pay $627.00 more for the same mower to get it from a dealer over the big box store?

bturner032002 said:

My main question here is would you guys pay $627.00 more for the same mower to get it from a dealer over the big box store?

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No. I would not buy the same mower from a dealer over the box store for 627.00 more.
The dealer has overhead, insurance, payroll, profit, maintenance, advertising, laundry, uniforms, office supplies,
Coffee, utilities, phone, internet and other things I'm sure. The box store gets volume discount on products.
The dealer close to me won't work on box store brands if he also sells them.
The box sends the warranty work out of state a few miles to Tn for repair.
Hell, a lot of us went out of state for our machines. Saved tax and got 1000.00 off msrp and saved money. Lots of money.
We also do not do commercial work and won't get a loner if our machine goes down on us.
But with 627.00 I could rent one if I needed to and still have money leftover. Lot's of money.

bturner032002 said:

the toro has the kohler engine and a stamped deck. the raptor has kaw engine with fabricated deck. Both have 3 year unlimited hour warranties.

so your saying you would pay $600 more to buy the same mower from a dealer over the box store??

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bturner032002 said:

My main question here is would you guys pay $627.00 more for the same mower to get it from a dealer over the big box store?

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Your telling us that The Toro has a Kohler and the the Raptor has the Kawasaki but which model engine could make a difference in the price with the various models available plus there's more to look at than just the engines, What about drives? how about Blades tip speed one vs the other. The warranty, service and time the mower could be tied up for repairs on the one from the dealer could be worth the 627$ extra that you're not going to get from a BBS.
IMO the Raptor with kaw engine with fabricated deck is the better of the two mowers. The thing is buying from the dealer you may pay his price for the mower but generally speaking you can get some of it back through discounts later on things like Blades, oil filters, air filters, Gas filters etc. something you wont get from a BBS and something you have no chance at getting if you don't buy the mower from the dealer. A lot of different thing to research before buying.

If I was in your situation I would make sure you have a place to do warranty work and repairs BEFORE going the BBS route.I did this in reverse order but did find someone to help me.I also recommend getting the Raptor SD as the hydromatic drives are repairable and are more heavy duty.If you were only cutting your yard going with the basic Raptor would be fine in my opinion.

bturner032002 said:

My main question here is would you guys pay $627.00 more for the same mower to get it from a dealer over the big box store?

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Short answer... no. A dealer isn't going to do you 600 dollars worth of "favors" down the line somewhere under any circumstances.

Absolutely not. I agree with warranty work the dealer will put you on the back burner. But a quality shop will still do the work. Plus if you properly maintain and take care of it you won't need to take it to a shop

thanks guys to everyone who replied. Looks like i will order the raptor from the big box. As far as the regular maintenance i should be fine to do it myself as i have a lot tools already from working on cars as a hobby.

chemingthroughtheleather said:

If I was in your situation I would make sure you have a place to do warranty work and repairs BEFORE going the BBS route.I did this in reverse order but did find someone to help me.I also recommend getting the Raptor SD as the hydromatic drives are repairable and are more heavy duty.If you were only cutting your yard going with the basic Raptor would be fine in my opinion.

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i would love to have the SD but i already set a budget before i started looking. I'm sure if i raised my budget to get the SD then I would probably want to raise it again to get the fastrak instead etc etc

bturner032002 said:

thanks guys to everyone who replied. Looks like i will order the raptor from the big box. As far as the regular maintenance i should be fine to do it myself as i have a lot tools already from working on cars as a hobby.

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I had read in another thread discussing the Hustler RSD and it was mentioned that Lowes would be selling them(and was that a good thing or a bad thing). This tends to justify my earlier remark that I considered it a bad thing. I just looked at Lowes.com and the 60" RSD is advertised at $4,499(with the kawa engine). Now if a Hustler dealer down the street from that Lowes cannot match that price(and still make a profit) I see it as a bad rap for their dealer network(on profits from what is a hot-selling new model). I know a lot of other makes(like Toro, Husqvarna, etc.) sell same models at a dealer or BBS but I would guess most of those dealers can compete fairly with the BBS chains and match a BBS price and still make a "little" money(apparently Lowes does at their cost, or they wouldn't be selling them). I would tell that dealer to complain to Hustler about what "he" is paying for the RSD from them vs. what Lowes is paying!!!!

bturner032002 said:

My main question here is would you guys pay $627.00 more for the same mower to get it from a dealer over the big box store?

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Didn't I say as for myself I would be looking at price? My answer is no.

Update

Was scanning craigslist and came across this mower couldnt pass this up. Its a 2010 cub cadet rzt 50" with 24hp kawasaki motor. It has 95 hours on the meter but the guy said he left the key on so the meter ran. He thinks it has about 25 hours. Got it for $1950.

Looks good dude let us know how u like it...
For the money looks like a great deal.

That's a great looking mower and a good price. I think I believe the key left on story. I think you did good :thumbsup:

serelaw said:

Looks good dude let us know how u like it...
For the money looks like a great deal.

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Loving it so far the 24hp kaw is nice!