Hustler Raptor XD 60" ztr at Lowes

[gregintenn]

Anybody here have one of these? If so, I'd love to hear your opinion on it.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hustler-RAPTOR-SD-26-HP-V-Twin-Dual-Hydrostatic-60-in-Zero-Turn-Lawn-Mower/999958369

...or if you're knowledgeable about mowers, pick it apart for me.

I understand a 12k commercial mower is better, but is it that much better? If so, why?

Edited March 27, 2017 by gregintenn

[KKing]

I bought a hustler raptor about 4 years ago now. From what I remember when I was doing research and looking to buy, you're better off buying from a different dealer. For some reason, the hustler mowers Lowe's carry feature the Kohler engine. The mowers carried at their dealers have Kawi engines, which from my research is superior.


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[gregintenn]

The only Hustler 60" I see with a Kawasaki engine is a Fastrack, and is over seven grand.

[KKing]

The only Hustler 60" I see with a Kawasaki engine is a Fastrack, and is over seven grand.

Wow, they have changed things around. It looks like now nearly everything they offer has the Kohler engine. I see the 54" is offered with the Kawi engine as well as of right now. Nevermind me!


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[Hozzie]

For a comparable mower, I would go bad boy. Heavier overall in that class of mower.

Yes, when you get into the next price range there is a difference, but at under 5k I believe the bad boy has more going for it.

I would go talk to an independent dealer. The Hustler dealer here (Franklin) also sells bad boy. When my dad as looking he said go with bad boy for the money. Ymmv.

[gregintenn]

45 minutes ago, Hozzie said:

For a comparable mower, I would go bad boy. Heavier overall in that class of mower.

Yes, when you get into the next price range there is a difference, but at under 5k I believe the bad boy has more going for it.

I would go talk to an independent dealer. The Hustler dealer here (Franklin) also sells bad boy. When my dad as looking he said go with bad boy for the money. Ymmv.

That's what I'm after....What is the difference? If there's enough difference, I'd buy a more expensive one. I just hate to buy a 10 or 12k mower if a 5k mower would serve the purpose just as well.

I'm mowing about 5 or 6 acres.

[Hozzie]

That's quite a bit. I can tell you without a doubt that i would want a commercial for that much. I have a John Deere z950m that I think is perfect. Got it for $9900 out the door. Well worth the extra 4K. Better built and you can mow much faster. If you aren't limited to 5k, I highly recommend going for the commercial series. John Deere or Exmark for me. JD will mow better if you ever mow damp or wet grass. The Exmarks are too tightly baffled for wet grass.

 

 

[jpx2rk]

I've got a Ferris 48" 21hp Kawi ZTR, bought new in 08 with the only problem to date was the time clock/meter for mowing time stopped working at 100 hrs.  The dealer replaced it w/o question (residential use only).  I do all of the maint on it myself.  My yard is only 1 acre but very rough and it's stood up well.  Still mows even, no adjustments ever needed on this one.

 I would at least look at Ferris and compare them to others of the same size deck and engine, etc.  I bought this since I did not plan on buying another riding mower in my lifetime.  

[gregintenn]

18 minutes ago, Hozzie said:

That's quite a bit. I can tell you without a doubt that i would want a commercial for that much. I have a John Deere z950m that I think is perfect. Got it for $9900 out the door. Well worth the extra 4K. Better built and you can mow much faster. If you aren't limited to 5k, I highly recommend going for the commercial series. John Deere or Exmark for me. JD will mow better if you ever mow damp or wet grass. The Exmarks are too tightly baffled for wet grass.

 

 

So what is the difference?

[Hozzie]

Ferris are good as long as you have a dealer close (that really goes for any of them). That's one good thing with JD, they are everywhere.

 

[Hozzie]

So what is the difference?

Heavier Frames, heavier decks, dual hydro motors which are heavier, and commercial grade engines. They are just better in every aspect. Go drive a John Deere residential and then drive a commercial. You will immediately know the difference.  

 

[Sidecarist]

I bought one of these 2 years ago. It's been a solid machine. I bought it from Lowes because I got a discount using their credit card. I gave it a good once over before using it and found a few loose bolts that shouldn't have been loose. Other than that it's been great.

I mow about 3 acres of flat smooth lawn and it's been great. If my lawn was rougher I'd consider a heavier duty machine. If you're doing your own maintenance etc and comfortable with checking it over its not bad. I did look at the bad boy as well but in the end it was a toss up then I got the 5% discount that sealed the deal.

The best part of it is that the wife loves it.

[Sam1]

If you are looking to buy soon, hit up the local shops and get a bad boy.  I just picked up a new, old stock 2016 60" bad boy ZT Elite for $4500.  They are clearing out their old stock for new, you may be able to get a better price than I did.

<edit> that thing only weighs 685 lbs, the bad boys are 850 lbs+ = less bouncing around.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Sam1

[gomer pyle]

If you are going to mow 5-6 acres weekly, that mower won't last long. I tried a badboy zt model a few years ago and didn't like it. It was my first zero turn and it absolutely turned me off of zero turns. After talking to a lot of yard people and a whole lot more research, I went and looked at Hustler and Toro at dealers. I felt like I could get the same quality of mower with less money thru Toro. I got the 2000 series which is the first step into their commercial series and I love it. 

Whichever brand you go with, I suggest finding an actual dealer and going thru them. They will take better care of you when/if you have a warranty issue. Lowe's subs all there warranty work out and you can sometimes wait a couple of weeks to get it back.

[Dane]

I second the bad boy.  I sold them for 5 years and rarely saw anything go wrong.  Add the power plus from TSC and you can get 4 years of service plus a 30% rebate on consumable items such as oil, filters, belts, and blades.  

For $5999 you can get the commercial version but may have to order it if your local TSC doesn't carry it.  

 

[Sam1]

Another thing that hasn't been brought up, is that above the $3k mark, you need to consider having serviceable transmissions if you plan on keeping it for a while.  The cub cadet I had was not serviceable, which means if something small broke, the entire unit had to be replaced.  Not sure if Hustler's come with sealed units or not.

[NextExit]

On 3/27/2017 at 5:21 PM, Hozzie said:

That's quite a bit. I can tell you without a doubt that i would want a commercial for that much. I have a John Deere z950m that I think is perfect. Got it for $9900 out the door. Well worth the extra 4K. Better built and you can mow much faster. If you aren't limited to 5k, I highly recommend going for the commercial series. John Deere or Exmark for me. JD will mow better if you ever mow damp or wet grass. The Exmarks are too tightly baffled for wet grass.

 

 

IMHO, for $9900, I'll just hire some Mexicans to cut my lawn until I'm old enough to move into a retirement home.  

[Hozzie]

IMHO, for $9900, I'll just hire some Mexicans to cut my lawn until I'm old enough to move into a retirement home.  

I grew up mowing and just like to do it. I like machines of all sorts and mowing is relaxing to me. You are looking at probably $250-400 per mow to do 5-6 acres depending where you are. That pays back quicker than most realize.

If you have 1/4 acre, ok, but at that point you might as well buy a condo with no lawn.

[NextExit]

1 hour ago, Hozzie said:

 

I grew up mowing and just like to do it. I like machines of all sorts and mowing is relaxing to me. You are looking at probably $250-400 per mow to do 5-6 acres depending where you are. That pays back quicker than most realize.

If you have 1/4 acre, ok, but at that point you might as well buy a condo with no lawn.

 

I understand what you're saying.  I know some people love their machines.  I know people that buy a $10k Polaris just to cruise around their property.  Too each their own.... my 8 year old Bolens rider is still going and is perfect for my acre.  And if I had a lawn care service, I'd probably buy a Bad Boy or similar mower.  Years ago in Illinois I had a New Holland mower with a hydrostatic transmission.  Was nice until the transmission died and it was gonna cost $2k to fix it.

[gregintenn]

12 hours ago, NextExit said:

IMHO, for $9900, I'll just hire some Mexicans to cut my lawn until I'm old enough to move into a retirement home.  

Country life is different from city life.

[Sidecarist]

While my Hustler raptor may not be a pro machine, it's already paid for its self twice. When the time comes I may buy a nicer replacement, but then again maybe not. I'll guess that it will last 5 or more years at my current usage. If the pay back is one year or less considering the cost of paying for mowing. It's a steal.

I've had good luck with mine so far. YMMV

[Grunt67]

I bought a Hustler Raptor Limited 52" last summer. No complaints thus far. I'm only mowing 1.34 ac. tho. If I was mowing as much as you, Greg, i think I'd opt for something upscale.

 Bought mine @ CIRRUS in Lebanon.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Grunt67
additional info

[gregintenn]

I got a DT McCall and Son flyer today full of mowers, and my wife stopped by Hobdy, Dye, and Reid in Scottsville, Ky., and got some info and prices.

Looks like 9-10k for something that'll last.

Wow! That's a lot of cabbage for a mower. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet, or stick with my slow old tractor.

As my tractor is a Kubota, and has given great service, I'm sort of leaning toward a Kubota mower right now.

Brother in law mows commercially, and swears by John Deere.

My father has a Dixie Chopper, and it is a good mower. He said someone told him the new ones aren't as good as the ones like he has. I don't know if there's any truth to that.

I can't seem to find a consensus on any particular brand, and there's a LOT of em. I wish I knew more about them.

I appreciate everyone's input on this.

[Sam1]

if you have a tractor already, why not just get a deck? You could fill in the little stuff with a push mower for a couple hundred $  6 acres is a lot of grass to chop on a regular basis.

 

You're looking at $1500+/- for a 6' deck compared to $5000+/- for a mower, and I can assure you that your tractor will still be running long after the mower has come and gone

Edited March 31, 2017 by Sam1

[jpx2rk]

Try and notice what all the local lawn services use, the machines are good or they get good service when one breaks down.  Lawnmowers are like guns, everyone likes what they have for the most part since it's such a high $$ purchase.  I really debated about my Ferris ZTR as I didn't want to spend that kind of $$ on a mower first of all, but knew I wanted/needed a quality unit to justify the purchase, knowing it was going to be my "last" mower I purchased.  

Every brand can have a lemon.  GL in your quest.