We mow 1.25 acres of grass, weeds, prairie type grass in colorado. We have hills, side-hills very odd, strange angles and contours to follow as our lot is part of the starting set of hills for the front range.
For 11 years we mowed this property hanging off a John Deere 165 tractor. I mean "hanging" literally to keep it in balance. After each mowing we came in feeling beat up. That think bounced over every small indentation in the land.
Since our entire neighborhood is a certified natural area most keep to a fairly rough look. IE we have few if any finely trimmed lawns.
When the John Deere had gone through about 11 repairs (one per year) I finally said "enough". We were going to replace it with a Husqvarna 48" tractor and put money down but then I began to read some bad reviews, belt issues, problems with the B&S engines and I found out the model we almost bought was a brand new engine for 2014.
Our local small power equipment dealer is a good honest guy. We've had our chainsaw, power washer and other small products fixed by his company and they've done good work. So we asked him outright and told him about our land, the shape, the hills, the prairie grass and he came back and said, "Well I'd love to sell you the Husky as I want to get it off the lot. Our flooring plan is up soon. But I know I'd see you back with small problems and issues and hearing what you are mowing you really should consider a Zero Turn."
He continued to say we should have one of the models slightly up, like the FastTrak but it was a little more than we were willing to pay at the time. So he said, he'd then recommend the raptor. Considering what we have to mow we thought a 48 was going to be a tight squeeze. We could get the raptor in a 42.
So we took the plunge. Before we did I talked to several different owners Hustlers sold by this company. He gave us names and phone numbers to call. Everyone I talked to had rave reviews. One guy had some transmission issues but Hustler simply replaced it and it was fine ever since. Sure the "references" could have been cherry picked but this guy mainly looks for commercial ZT business and he seems to have quite a few residential references.
Only one had a raptor and was mowing 5+ acres on it, pretty much dead flat land. That lady told me she actually looks forward to mowing because of the raptor. She has the 54 deck and just loves the speed.
So we did it. We went 42inch raptor, it was much more than we had planned to drop for the Husky. I have the good feeling of knowing I bought from a dealer I know, meaning he's fixed much of my other equipment and I feel he will stand by this piece.
It was delivered yesterday. Granted our lawn is not really out of dormancy but like anyone with a new toy we had to mow the lawn.
First off I've driven bobcats, other lever based vehicles so the concept is familiar however this mower will spin much tighter than anything else I've driven. But it took me perhaps 15 minutes to get a feel. After that I was zipping back and forth making mower width stripes across the back side hill. It was a kick!
I then took on some of our ditches and this will take some getting used to. I had spent 11 years leaning off the side of the John Deere to keep it balanced. It is a little hard to lean when you are encased in the seat by the control levers. But I gently took it on our ditch side hill and was very quickly impressed. When I got to the point where I typically had to back the JD up then turn down hill I gently spun the Hustler and headed back the other direction. Quite a difference!
So I'm impressed. I love the Kawasaki engine. Plenty of power for my yard and needs. I cut the entire lawn (well, not much real grass) in about 2/3 of the normal time on the old JD. I have a lot of learning todo but I believe like any piece of machinery if you treat it right and care for it, it should last.
I can't speak to the reliability as I've only had it a day. I can say it was a pleasure to drive, much smoother, the cut quality on the "weeds" was far superior. Maneuverability was certain way better than any lawn tractor, perhaps even the articulating type which we did preview and consider. What turned me away from those by Husqvarna is the serviceability. It looked very complex to work on.
The raptor on the other hand looks pretty darned simple. I mean its easy to get to things. Of course there are the sealed transmissions. One of those goes well you just have to get a new one.
So I think we made a good choice. Time will tell on reliability but if the reports of the other owners are anything to go by I don't think I'll be calling my dealer for much other than air filters, perhaps new blades and some belts at some point.
I'd recommend the raptor if you want to save a little money and get what so far seems to be a great little machine.