Buying Advice Hustler zero turn mower

[davesl708]

Hi All,

Does anyone have knowledge of Hustler zero turn commercial grade mowers?
I have someone who wants to trade and cash deal for my BX and I don't know much about the mower.
I am waiting on the year and model info but it is a 72" 26hp. Looks to be in good shape from some pics.

I am trying to get a feel for if it is worth a long drive to see it and test drive it.

 

[Gator6x4]

Hi All,

Does anyone have knowledge of Hustler zero turn commercial grade mowers?
I have someone who wants to trade and cash deal for my BX and I don't know much about the mower.
I am waiting on the year and model info but it is a 72" 26hp. Looks to be in good shape from some pics.

I am trying to get a feel for if it is worth a long drive to see it and test drive it.

Hustler makes a good mower. They have three different quality levels, Residential, Commercial and Industrial.Hustler Turf ? Zero Turn Riding Mowers ? Commercial ? Super Z HD Hyperdrive - Mowers - Residential - Super Z HyperDrive I had a friend (deceased now - cancer) who owned a Industrial mower and he really liked the unit. He advised it was a tough mower, cut great.

His only complaint was the lack of being able to pull a trailer with it or other attachments.

 

[davesl708]

Gator6x4.

Thanks for the info and link. Pulling other attachments like tank sprayer or spreader would be an issue.
I will look at maybe a modification to add a hitch if the mower checks out.

 

[TSO]

I have a Super Z Diesel 66" and love it. Great quality. Nice cut. What specific questions can I help you with?

Original price was $12,500 - 14,000.... though I bought it very slightly used for a discounted price.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

A used mower with a 26hp motor (under prior ratings) would be somewhere around 23 - 24 hp under current ratings, and I'm not sure that's enough motor to power a 72" deck through anything somewhat challenging. So it would depend on your intended use, and I'd sure want to demo it for a while before making a deal.

 

[davesl708]

Thanks guys.

I am finally getting some info from the guy. He sent some pics. It is a Super Z with 60" deck and a 24hp Honda engine.
It looks clean enough from the pics. 268hrs. He did not state what year it is. He is the second owner.

My son is going to take a closer look for me this weekend and get the other info.

 

[davesl708]

I have a Super Z Diesel 66" and love it. Great quality. Nice cut. What specific questions can I help you with?

Original price was $12,500 - 14,000.... though I bought it very slightly used for a discounted price.

My concerns are the plastic I am seeing on parts around the engine. Also looks like you need a hoist or ramps to get to the blades. Are you having any issues with malfunction or parts wearing out.


This machine is a gasser. Wish it were diesel.

 

[TSO]

My concerns are the plastic I am seeing on parts around the engine. Also looks like you need a hoist or ramps to get to the blades. Are you having any issues with malfunction or parts wearing out.

This machine is a gasser. Wish it were diesel.

The diesel is nice ... But it does add weight, and potential higher costs down the road. However, I'm hoping for a lifetime mower with this unit.

I have not noticed any plastic parts near the engine that have been of concern.

Which mower deck will this one come with? I have the XR-7 deck, but I've heard that the newer VX-4 deck provides a better cut.

This unit has been excellent! The only thing I've had break is the mower clutch engagement bracket (my term). Basically it's a metal bracket that grabs part of the clutch off the engine (when you pull the PTO switch to engage the deck) ama it grabs the wheel to power the deck.

I think the dealer wanted $40 for a bracket, but I just made my own with $.50/cents of scrap metal. Very easy fix.
Dealer said (and the manual says this too) to engage & disengage the PTO at low RPM's. My fault, I hadn't been regarding that, and had been engaging the deck at high RPM, which is probably what snapped the bracket.

Oh wait, I did have another issue... Apparently I neglected to tighten one of the blades all the way after a sharpening, and on a job one day, the blade fell off, loosening the spindle, thus loosening the belt, and causing the belt to come off and get damaged. My fault, and that has never happened again as I am more conscious of tightening the blades properly.

Speaking of that, I don't think changing the blades is any more difficult than most mowers. What I do is back it up on ramps (back and front), lay on my back, and access the blade bolts. I use a block of wood, wedged between the blade and deck wall, as a stop when removing the bolts.

-----
I would value the unit you're looking at at around $5,000. I think new, it would've been around $6500-7250.

 

[davesl708]

The diesel is nice ... But it does add weight, and potential higher costs down the road. However, I'm hoping for a lifetime mower with this unit.

I have not noticed any plastic parts near the engine that have been of concern.

Which mower deck will this one come with? I have the XR-7 deck, but I've heard that the newer VX-4 deck provides a better cut.

This unit has been excellent! The only thing I've had break is the mower clutch engagement bracket (my term). Basically it's a metal bracket that grabs part of the clutch off the engine (when you pull the PTO switch to engage the deck) ama it grabs the wheel to power the deck.

I think the dealer wanted $40 for a bracket, but I just made my own with $.50/cents of scrap metal. Very easy fix.
Dealer said (and the manual says this too) to engage & disengage the PTO at low RPM's. My fault, I hadn't been regarding that, and had been engaging the deck at high RPM, which is probably what snapped the bracket.

Oh wait, I did have another issue... Apparently I neglected to tighten one of the blades all the way after a sharpening, and on a job one day, the blade fell off, loosening the spindle, thus loosening the belt, and causing the belt to come off and get damaged. My fault, and that has never happened again as I am more conscious of tightening the blades properly.

Speaking of that, I don't think changing the blades is any more difficult than most mowers. What I do is back it up on ramps (back and front), lay on my back, and access the blade bolts. I use a block of wood, wedged between the blade and deck wall, as a stop when removing the bolts.

-----
I would value the unit you're looking at at around $5,000. I think new, it would've been around $6500-7250.

Thanks TSO this machine has the ZR 7 deck. The guy doesn't seem to know to much about his machine. His wife operates it.
I was thinking about allowing $5,000 for the mower and $3,000 cash for trade for my BX and attachments.

After I get my son's initial assessment I may make the drive to test it for myself.

 

[FISHN1]

I have a 60 inch commercial Hustler, bought apprx 9 years ago. I have not had any problems with mower and it cuts apprx 6 acres a week in season. Great machine

 

[davesl708]

I have a 60 inch commercial Hustler, bought apprx 9 years ago. I have not had any problems with mower and it cuts apprx 6 acres a week in season. Great machine

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Thanks TSO this machine has the ZR 7 deck. The guy doesn't seem to know to much about his machine. His wife operates it.
I was thinking about allowing $5,000 for the mower and $3,000 cash for trade for my BX and attachments.

After I get my son's initial assessment I may make the drive to test it for myself.

Dont short yourself . What sounds funny to me is its a second owner machine with mid 200 hours . That sounds low for 2 owners , Look in to this deal a bit harder.

 

[davesl708]

Dont short yourself . What sounds funny to me is its a second owner machine with mid 200 hours . That sounds low for 2 owners , Look in to this deal a bit harder.

That thought has entered my mind. The guy bought this unit last year and only put about 12 hrs on it this year. He mows about a 1/4 acre with it.
I guess when I find out what year it was made will determine if the hours are low. He bought the unit through his brother who works for a dealer. Story is it was traded for a larger machine.

I will have to take a long hard look at it. It comes with a Bac Vac but I don't have much need for that.

 

[DK35vince]

I have a 2013 Hustler Super Z with a 72" VX4 deck and a 35 HP Kawasaki.
Bought it new 2 years ago, so I only have around 135 hours on the machine.
No problem at all so far. Really like it.
Think I paid around $11,000 for it. Not cheap but a very well built mower, should last me 20 years.
I had a Hustler FasTrak 54" for 4 years before I upsized to the Super Z.
Never had a single issue with it.

 

[Code54]

I had their commercial walk behind and overall it was pretty nice mower. I did have the drive pull snap off at about 50 hrs (If I recall correctly - I know it was very low hrs) but they replaced it with a new designed one that worked fine without any other problems. I sold it to buy my BX several years later and it held its value extremely well and I never had any other issues with it.

 

[big bubba]

Code54[/B];4250024] I had their commercial walk behind and overall it was pretty nice mower. I did have the drive pull snap off at about 50 hrs (If I recall correctly - I know it was very low hrs) but they replaced it with a new designed one that worked fine without any other problems. I sold it to buy my BX several years later and it held its value extremely well and I never had any other issues with it.[/hydQUOTE]

code54 was machine hydro or belt driven?

 

[Code54]

Hydro sir

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Dave, did you get to take a look at the machine? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[davesl708]

Dave, did you get to take a look at the machine? Inquiring minds want to know.

Yes I did. Good solid machine. The plastic I saw in the pics is a polycarbonate. Should be fine for what it is used for.

I will pass on the machine. He paid a little to much for it used and wants to recoup that. He also does not want to pay anything for a SCUT with attachments.
I advised him to do a little research on SCUT's and CUT's to see what the market is for them.
He told me he was a little shocked at the cost of tractors and would have to get something 20-30 years old to get the price he wants to pay.

 

[davesl708]

One thing I did notice about Hustler. The mower deck has seven idler sheaves on it for the three blades. That seems like a lot considering my three blade BX has only one and my JD D130 had two if I remember correctly.