Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"?

   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #21  
I don't have any experience with the Raptor, but if it has a 3 year residential warranty, I don't see how you can lose. Any problems should show up in that time. In my experience, you are mowing so much faster that you just don't accumulate that many hours per year.

It never ceases to amaze me how people say you have to have a 5k-6k commercial machine to mow a few acres. That is like saying you need an 18 wheeler to haul your boat. The 1/2 tons just aren't up to the task.
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #22  
The area that I will be mowing is 2.5 acres, and that is grass. So is it safe to assume that the Raptor will easily do the job? I went and looked at the machine over the weekend, looks like to me it is a dandy mower.

That machine looks just as good or better than the Toro I have. Better deck and better engine. Looks like a great deal if the warranty and dealer are good.
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #23  
That machine looks just as good or better than the Toro I have. Better deck and better engine. Looks like a great deal if the warranty and dealer are good.

I agree Sid, I believe this mower will be a little work horse for me, and do a great job, besides, the Hustler is made a mere 40 miles from me here in Kansas, and feel that I have to put the Raptor at the very top of my list.
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #24  
The area that I will be mowing is 2.5 acres, and that is grass. So is it safe to assume that the Raptor will easily do the job? I went and looked at the machine over the weekend, looks like to me it is a dandy mower.
I won't argue with user sld, but doubt that mowing 3.5 acres of semi-rough terrain would equate to 50 hours/season. I still maintain the opinion that $3K ZTR's are designed for 1 acre or less lawns and 35-50 hours/season light duty residential usage, but if you simply can't spend more then the Raptor(or a Gravely ZT 42" at $2699 MSRP) would be a good choice. If it were me I would move up to the Gravely ZT HD for 2.5 acres(at $4,899 for a 42" or $4,999 for a 48") but that is a lot more money. If you maintain the Raptor or Gravely ZT you may be as lucky as user sld and do well(indeed these two entry level residential ZTR's are a step up from a big box retailer ZTR).
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #25  
I won't argue with user sld, but doubt that mowing 3.5 acres of semi-rough terrain would equate to 50 hours/season. I still maintain the opinion that $3K ZTR's are designed for 1 acre or less lawns and 35-50 hours/season light duty residential usage, but if you simply can't spend more then the Raptor(or a Gravely ZT 42" at $2699 MSRP) would be a good choice. If it were me I would move up to the Gravely ZT HD for 2.5 acres(at $4,899 for a 42" or $4,999 for a 48") but that is a lot more money. If you maintain the Raptor or Gravely ZT you may be as lucky as user sld and do well(indeed these two entry level residential ZTR's are a step up from a big box retailer ZTR).

I appreciate the civility DJ. The grass I mow is simply whatever will grow. There is some fescue but a lot of weeds, bermuda, etc...In wet years it is green and grows pretty fast. In dry years I may not even have to mow for 3-4 weeks at a time.

I can mow the whole place in 3 hours if doing a normal cut. It may take 4 hours if it's tall and I'm slowing down. Depending on rain, I may mow 12-18 times per year. I bought the machine in Sept of 2008 and still don't have quite 200 hours on it.

After doing this for several years I just don't see how a 50" residential mower is only good for 1 acre or less. This mower would be over kill for that I would think. I don't know...this is the only experience I have with ZTR's. Same lawn with a craftsman rider took around 6 hours!:laughing:
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #26  
I won't argue with user sld, but doubt that mowing 3.5 acres of semi-rough terrain would equate to 50 hours/season. I still maintain the opinion that $3K ZTR's are designed for 1 acre or less lawns and 35-50 hours/season light duty residential usage, but if you simply can't spend more then the Raptor(or a Gravely ZT 42" at $2699 MSRP) would be a good choice. If it were me I would move up to the Gravely ZT HD for 2.5 acres(at $4,899 for a 42" or $4,999 for a 48") but that is a lot more money. If you maintain the Raptor or Gravely ZT you may be as lucky as user sld and do well(indeed these two entry level residential ZTR's are a step up from a big box retailer ZTR).

I appreciate the civility DJ. The grass I mow is simply whatever will grow. There is some fescue but a lot of weeds, bermuda, etc...In wet years it is green and grows pretty fast. In dry years I may not even have to mow for 3-4 weeks at a time.

I can mow the whole place in 3 hours if doing a normal cut. It may take 4 hours if it's tall and I'm slowing down. Depending on rain, I may mow 12-18 times per year. I bought the machine in Sept of 2008 and still don't have quite 200 hours on it.

After doing this for several years I just don't see how a 50" residential mower is only good for 1 acre or less. This mower would be over kill for that I would think. I don't know...this is the only experience I have with ZTR's. Same lawn with a craftsman rider took around 6 hours!:laughing:
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #27  
I appreciate the civility DJ. The grass I mow is simply whatever will grow. There is some fescue but a lot of weeds, bermuda, etc...In wet years it is green and grows pretty fast. In dry years I may not even have to mow for 3-4 weeks at a time.

I can mow the whole place in 3 hours if doing a normal cut. It may take 4 hours if it's tall and I'm slowing down. Depending on rain, I may mow 12-18 times per year. I bought the machine in Sept of 2008 and still don't have quite 200 hours on it.

After doing this for several years I just don't see how a 50" residential mower is only good for 1 acre or less. This mower would be over kill for that I would think. I don't know...this is the only experience I have with ZTR's. Same lawn with a craftsman rider took around 6 hours!:laughing:

Yeah, Toro makes a fine machine and if maintained it will serve you well. And I totally agree that most homeowners really don't need to spend $5k-$6K for a ZTR for personal use. Anytime I sense that a user will be asking what could be considered "heavy duty" service from a ZTR, I lean towards recommending machines closer to a $4k-$5k range specifically because one of the main components prone to failure is the trannies. For instance, the OP could get into the Toro Timecutter SS4235 for $2799, but it has the non-serviceable EZT trannies. If he upgraded to the Timecutter MX4260 @ $3799 he would get the heavier duty/serviceable ZT-2200 trannies. Of course for $1k more there are additional upgrades from the Timecutter SS like the bull-nose anti-scalp wheel, foot-assisted deck height adjustment, an hour meter, a 726cc Kawa versus the 603cc, better seat, etc. Now, $1k sounds like a lot more money, but if you weigh out the upgrades and if you mowed 2.5 acres with both machines the ride and cut would most likely be easily discernible between the two. There is even another model in between these two(the SS4260 @ $3199) that has "some upgrades" from the SS4235 but not as many as the MX4260. It's all about what is important to each individual and of course whether certain upgrades are worth the extra money. Maybe user Markbet should take a look at some of these Toro's if there is a Toro dealer nearby before pulling the trigger on the Hustler Raptor. I came pretty close to getting a Toro myself last fall and all of these(the Hustler, the Toros and of course my favorite...the Gravelys) are worthy of consideration. There are so many good ZTR's on the market now that choosing one over the other is a difficult task!!
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #28  
What do you base this on? I have cut 3.5 semi-rough acres with a 50" Toro Timecutter for the last 5 years. The only thing I've had to replace was the fuel solenoid....besides filters / oil / etc... You make a pretty bold statement, can you back it up with data or experience?

There is no disputing that commercial grade mowers can be better quality. But if you are only putting 50 hours or so per year on the machine, don't overlook the "$3k" mowers.

I'm the guy who I think he's referring to...I actually owned the Raptor for about 2/12 months and yes I had alot of problems with it and yes I took it back to my dealer and traded it for my Fastrak SD and now I'm totally satisfied with my purchase and my dealer.
As for the Raptor...front tires wouldn't hold air,barely hit a small stump with the edge of the deck and bent the components that holdthe deck up,and then was mowing some tall grass with it and developed a squeal and smoke from the deck frayed the belt.my Troy Bilt tractor was more reliable.I did my research and I am a die hard hustler fan and wouldn't consider owning any other zero turn but a hustler I've always dreamed of owning one and needless to say I was very disappointed in this mower.the deck on this moweris built super tough but the components that hold it up ain't.my best advice to anyone who is in the market for a zero turn lawn mower is never buy one without a chain held mowing deck.in my opinion hustler makes the very best zero turns with the best warranty and customer support there is.my hustler FasTrak Super Duty is a tank of a lawn mower and I love it!!! IMG_20130818_160806_491.jpg
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #29  
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.
 
   / Does anyone know about the Huster Raptor 42"? #30  
mrcolorado, I agree with you totally on the Raptor. I ended up buying the 52" cut for my 2.5 acres, and I actually got about 3 hours on the machine from mowing last fall. I have to say, it is almost a pleasure to cut grass! I did not think I would EVER say that, but I can get my entire lot cut in 1 1/2 hours! It would take three hours on my old John Deere tractor. I know the "ditch" mowing event also, I had to lean over to one side with the JD tractor, but not the Raptor. I am very glad I spent a little extra on the Hustler mower, just for the good quality and reputation of the company, I have, and probably never will look back after buying my Raptor. Happy mowing!
 
 
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