peteL

Member
I was at the local lawn mower shop for parts. They deal with numerous lines. I mentioned that my lawn was over an acre in size and used to be a hay field. They recommended either the Exmark Quest or the Hustler Raptor SD. Any opinions on either of these machines? The other lines they carry are Scag and Cub Cadet. I'm currently running a JD 160 built in 1986 with a 1996 MTD Kmart mower as backup.
 
What is wrong with your Deere? One acre of lawn does not justify buying a ZTR. Aside from cutting grass, what else do you do with your Deere and MTD?
 
The only thing wrong with the JD is no brakes. I drive
4.5 hours to mow the lawn and would like something a little faster.
 
If it takes you more than 4.5 hours to mow your acre plus lawn, then I can only conclude that it is very rough ground. If I am correct, then buying a ZTR is not the answer. Most ZTR's have wheels smaller than those on your Deere 160. ZTR's are noted for their high ground speed to cut down seat time. Try mowing your grass at 6 MPH with a ZTR and you will be in the hospital the next day with severe back problems. But don't take my word for it. Get one of those dealers to loan you a ZTR... new or used..... and then cut your lawn with it and see how long it takes you. Let us know the results of that experience.
 
It doesn't take me 4.5 hours to mow the lawn. The lawn is located at my retirement property. It takes me 4.5 hours to drive from my current residence to the other residence. Usually it takes me almost 3 hours to mow the lawn. I just wanted to know the opinions on the two ZT mowers. They have local dealer support.
 
I think you are missing the point. The issue here is whether a ZTR will actually save you time IF......the area being mowed is extremely rough. The 2nd issue is whether or not you are willing to fork out more than 12 grand to buy a ZTR with suspension ...IF the area being mowed is extremely rough. I am trying to understand WHY it takes you almost 3 hours to mow a little more than 1 acre of grass. Do you have a lot of trees and other obstacles to mow around that require you to stop, back up, turn the steering wheel before going forward again? Instead of trying to determine if a ZTR is the right type of mower for your property, you seem to want to decide which one of the two ZTR'a is better. Nothing in any of your posts indicates that a ZTR is the answer to your problems because you have not mentioned any problems other than how much time you currently spend mowing with your Deere 160.
 
The JD 160 is a 38 inch cut mower. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. I generally mow in third gear when the grass is not too tall. I sometimes have a limited window to mow the lawn. I just investigating my options. I'm not going to spend 12k on a high end ZT.
 
If 12K is not within your budget, then what is? The lowest priced Hustler Raptor is around 3K with a 52 inch deck. My personal preference would be the Hustler Raptor Flip Up with the 54 inch deck. This feature makes it super easy to blow the deck clean using compressed air after each use as well as making the removal of the blades for sharpening very simple. I prefer the out-front mower deck because it lets you get into spots that the centre mount decks cannot reach, Trimming is also easier. If you want to mulch, then the powered flip up deck makes it easy to install or remove the mulching kit. The Exmark does not impress me and in my opinion it has no advantages over the Hustler. I have not owned or operated either brand. My opinion are based on what I see on the respective websites. This is probably a long-term purchase for you and the convenience of the Flip Up Hustler far outweighs the cheaper price of the low end Raptor mower. As we get older, we do not bend like we did in our 20's. And as you mentioned, you have a local dealer to support this purchase. The warranty on this machine is pretty good for a residential quality unit. Three years and 300 hours means you are worry free for the entire 3 years.

This machine should mow your grass in about one hour tops which means you could mow your grass 100 times per year for the next 3 years and not void the warranty.
Caldwell
 
I bought a Hustler Raptor 60" last year, cut my mowing time in half verses the Cub i1046 we were using. The Cup i1046 is a ZT 4 wheel lawn tractor and better at working around obstacles than the average lawn mower. I mow about two acres of a combination of lawn and reclaimed pasture. I added the spring front forks which makes it tolerable but still a little rough.

So far so good, no regrets in buying the Hustler.
 

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