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Overview
The Hustler RAPTOR SD 60″ zero turn mower with the Kawasaki FR730V 24HP engine provides a great top-tier residential mower at a very affordable price. There are a few minor problems which I will address but overall I think this mower provides a great value to anyone with a lot of lawn to mow.
Riding Comfort
While the RAPTOR SD does provide a premium seat you will still have a bumpy ride if you have uneven or rough terrain. It has a max forward speed of 7.5mph and 4mph in reverse. Very respectable numbers.
There are a couple options to consider, one, you could upgrade the seat to more of a suspension style. This will eliminate a lot of the rough ride and will raise you up just a little bit but shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Secondly, you could consider the flex forks upgrade that is available on either the 54″ or 60″ model Raptor mowers.
These help absorb shock just as soon as your front wheels hit something. This will also help protect all the other components like the deck and frame from taking as much of a beating as well. They are a bit pricey but could be worth it.
Hustler Front End Caster Forks
I always recommend you try out the mower first and maybe the stock setup is more than acceptable to you. If not, at least you have a couple options to upgrade your comfort.
Engine
The Kawasaki FR730V 24HP 726cc motor is what powers this machine. This is simply a great engine as you would expect out of the Kawasaki brand. You cannot find much wrong with it if you search the internet outside of a few minor issues.
I would consider this a top tier engine for this price range. If you were to come across a RAPTOR SD with a Kohler 7000 series I think that would be quite comparable as well. I don’t think you’d be going wrong with either choice.
The engine comes with a 3 year warranty from Kawasaki.
One of the downsides to this mower, for me personally, is it only has a 3 gallon gas tank. I think a 5 gallon tank would have been great to see so you could mow longer without refilling. I know it is rated for a 2-3 acre yard, but that is going to be pushing the 3 gallon tank to the limit.
Another small negative for me would be the oil drain position. For whatever reason, it is tucked away behind the right rear of the driver’s seat on the engine. So you have to snake your hands down in there to put your drain tube on and then use a little stubby flat head to open the drain. If you have bigger hands, this might be a problem, just saying.
The air filter is under a hinged cover, it is connected via hose and clamp so a minor pain to remove and replace, but overall a pretty standard affair.
Click Here to read the Kawasaki Engine Warranty
Click here to read the full warranty on the Hustler RAPTOR SD 60″ Mower
Service Manual for Hustler Raptor SD
Mower Handling and Performance
WARNING: You should always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for mowing hills, usually that means don’t mow a slope over 15 degrees. Try to attack the slope in an up and down manner instead of side to side (if you have to lean halfway off the mower to feel stable you’re probably exceeding recommendations!)
Handling performance comes via way of a ZT-2800 transaxle spinning 20″ rear turf tires and 13″ caster wheels up front. At 671 lbs, this mower should provide plenty of traction but you could also add some water/glycol mix to the tires for a little more weight.
There are some complaints about having to make frequent adjustments to the levers to get the mower to drive straight and also some people don’t like the little slot the levers have to go in for the parking brake to engage. (Basically a tight fit that makes it difficult to get the levers into, but I imagine this will wear in after a short period of time.)
With the bigger rear tires and low center of gravity you should have good traction and handling on slopes and hills. Keep in mind that this is particularly true with the Raptor SD 60″ deck with 20″ tires. I’ve seen plenty of reports that when you get down to the 52″ deck that has 18″ tires the reports of slipping and sliding are much greater. Something to keep in mind.
Quality of Cut
For the most part, there is not any issue with the cut other than I’ve seen several reviews mention that it doesn’t do well in cutting tall grass, that you have to do some serious overlapping to get a nice cut.
Otherwise, in normal grass it seems to cut ok, but some stragglers have been reported my multiple users.
For those reasons I docked it a star.
As you’d expect in a 60″ deck you have 3 blades spinning at around 16,000 RPM (so not quite commercial speed) engaged through a PTO. The deck is fabricated in 11 gauge steel and reinforced so it should be plenty strong for residential use.
The Hustler Raptor SD 60″ mower has a foot pedal to raise and lower the deck from 1.5″ to 4.5″ in 1/4″ increments.
Accessories
The Hustler Raptor SD does have a spot on the back of the mower that accepts standard tractor attachments like a spreader, trailer, etc. However, it is just a hole in sheet metal so you’d probably want to drill a couple holes and attach a hitch plate bracket like this one or it will probably rip the hole out of the one that is there.
You can also get a bagging attachment for this machine, if that so interests you.
Conclusion
This mower has a lot of positives, the 60″ fabricated deck is great to get a lot of grass cut fast. The engine on the Hustler Raptor SD is top tier. It has a beefy enough transaxle to handle most anything a residential user could throw at it.
On the downside a lot of users complain about paint chipping off the deck and loose fastener issues. (The latter can be easily corrected by checking the machine over thoroughly. It is hard to pin this issue on the mower itself since you have to figure it was the person at the store/dealer’s fault that assembled the mower.) Some people also have issues with the quality of cut, however, most people are generally favorable in regards to the cut and mower itself.
Overall, a few issues to consider but I think the Hustler Raptor SD 60″ provides near commercial specs for at least $1000 less than you’d pay for anything even entry level commercial.
Affiliate Disclaimer – if you decide to purchase a mower based on my review, I do get a small piece of the sale at no additional cost to you. It helps to keep the lights on around here. If I wouldn’t buy it myself, I wouldn’t recommend it to you either.
Dennis - April 30, 2019 @ 00:36
I’m on my fourth year of having an SD. It’s been through six deck spindles, three drive belts, three deck tension springs and four deck belts. It has 60 hrs on it. The rear wheel motor support broke and I had to pay for it since I found out it actually had a one year warranty instead of a three year like I was told at purchase. I would not recommend these mowers to anyone.
I’m on my fourth year of having an SD. It’s been through six deck spindles, three drive belts, three deck tension springs and four deck belts. It has 60 hrs on it. The rear wheel motor support broke and I had to pay for it since I found o
Dave D - May 28, 2019 @ 10:20
Possibly your worst choice in a ztr mower. Uncomfortable to operate, difficult to perform maintenance on, and very poor cutting performance add up to a substandard machine. Add in the fact that there have been numerous breakdowns and recalls and the mower isn’t worth half of what it costs. The mower deck clogs with grass under even optimal conditions, another poorly engineered design flaw. Paint has peeled from the mower deck after only 2 seasons of use. There are much better choices when looking for a “commercial” mower.
Possibly your worst choice in a ztr mower. Uncomfortable to operate, difficult to perform maintenance on, and very poor cutting performance add up to a substandard machine. Add in the fact that there have been numerous breakdowns and recalls and the
DJ Dixon - September 13, 2019 @ 19:43
I bought this Hustler 60″ Raptor, 25HP Briggs and Stratton Engine, ZTR Mower last mowing season (2018) and have not completed mowing my grass one season yet!! I finished mowing my yard last year with a rented mower (@ $64.00 a day) and started mowing this year with that same rental mower…… Fortunately, I bought the extended warranty offered when I bought this piece of junk because we at this moment have had all of the deck brackets replaced 3 times and drive belt replaced 4 times AND it is sitting in my back yard as I type this, waiting to be taken back to (Rural King), where I purchased this mower to be repaired yet another time with the (SAME PROBLEM!!)… The mower has 78 hours on it (and several payments left to be made) and it has been in the service department for a total of 5 weeks due to parts being on back order, service scheduling, etc… All the while my grass keeps growing… I would not, definitely would NOT Recommend this mower to my worst enemy and wish I knew what to do to get my money back and buy a real mower!!! Hustler has acknowledged that this has been a problem in the past, but can offer NO solutions, other than renting a trailer and taking it back in for yet ANOTHER service call… Very Poor Mower with some serious design flaws…
I bought this Hustler 60″ Raptor, 25HP Briggs and Stratton Engine, ZTR Mower last mowing season (2018) and have not completed mowing my grass one season yet!! I finished mowing my yard last year with a rented mower (@ $64.00 a day) and started
Michael - September 18, 2020 @ 22:33
Deck lift pedal?rod has broken twice. Cheap grade 2 bolts that connect the rear frame to the transmissions sheared. Transmissions have leaked since new. Right side transmission bracket broke. That’s the one that got me. “yeah, we’ve had problems with those. Take it to your dealer to get fixed. Doesn’t matter that I can’t load it on the trailer because the belt falls off with the bracket broken. Finally get it to the dealer & they can’t get Hustler to call them back. Owned for less than 3 years. Just use to mow my 2.5 acre yard.
Deck lift pedal?rod has broken twice. Cheap grade 2 bolts that connect the rear frame to the transmissions sheared. Transmissions have leaked since new. Right side transmission bracket broke. That’s the one that got me. “yeah, we’ve
Michael Gooden - September 22, 2020 @ 21:51
I bought this unit in June 2019 after owning a few Walkers and a Hustler Fastrack SD 60″ over the last 30 years for cutting various of my own residential properties, and the occasional free community mowing job for the local school. I previously owned a garden equipment dealership for 25 years and so I am familiar with how machines work, having started the business by servicing clients machines myself..
Well, I sold my last Walker and bought the Raptor SD 54″, and never have I been so disappointed with what I was expecting to be a sensible decision to go with what I thought was a ‘quality’ brand! From day one I noticed the trouble that it had discharging cuttings if the grass was more than 100mm long, or even very slightly moist. I tried various blades with higher lift to no avail. The cuttings clog up under the deck until it sounds like a helicopter and it needs the blades disengaged and stopped to dump it out, leaving a huge mess on the lawn or driveway. There is a fundamental design flaw with the deck that Hustler need to address. Either it needs holes in the top of the deck for more airflow, or a very high lift blade, or a closer clearance of the blade to the top of the deck, so cuttings don’t build up. They obviously tried a cheap ‘fix’ by cutting back around the discharge opening of the deck to try and help the cuttings clear out, but have exposed the blade, which is downright dangerous and a liability, not to mention a good ‘ringbarking’ tool for trees and fenceposts!!! They should call in some airflow engineers, to sort their issues with this area, before it bites them.
I am sure that this problem contributes to the high fuel usage and low power complaints on a lot of reviews, as the cuttings are circulating around under the deck, or rubbing on the blades, and then they come out as mini hay bales and leave an unsightly mess! Not a pretty sight for someone who likes a tidy lawn.
The other major design fault is the ‘balance’ of the unit. The drive wheels cannot get enough traction to turn the mower efficiently, even when I let the tyre pressure down very low. When doing a right angle or 180 degree turn the drive wheels turn in opposite directions to each other and the mower continues in a straight line! Either the castor angle needs to be greater to allow them to swivel easier, or the drive wheels need to be further forward to put more weight on them.
There are other little things missing that you would expect on a ‘quality’ mower, like a simple cable on the deck height pin to save losing it, and height adjustment bolts in the armrests (there is a hole there already).
I had only done 12 hours on it and a deck pulley separated from its boss, which the dealer fixed ‘out of his own pocket’ as he didn’t think Hustler would cover it.
I emailed Hustler USA regarding these issues and received no response, so I emailed the AU dealer, and they forwarded my email to Hustler USA again, still no response.
Overall very disappointed with the fundamental design and lack of interest from Hustler USA and their Aussie Agent to address these issues.
Only done 80 hours on it, but will be trading it soon on a better mower if there is no fix for the discharge and traction issues..
I bought this unit in June 2019 after owning a few Walkers and a Hustler Fastrack SD 60″ over the last 30 years for cutting various of my own residential properties, and the occasional free community mowing job for the local school. I previousl
Steven P - November 10, 2020 @ 22:54
I feel for the radio ads. Probably the worst mower I’ve every purchased. Cut is uneven and the customer service sucks. I’ve had issues with the front tire not holding air since I’ve had it abs the rubber shoot off the mower deck snapped off because it’s cheap rubber. I contacted the company 3 times. Third time they told me where I can go to “BUY” new pieces. They don’t stand behind their POS mower
I feel for the radio ads. Probably the worst mower I’ve every purchased. Cut is uneven and the customer service sucks. I’ve had issues with the front tire not holding air since I’ve had it abs the rubber shoot off the mower deck snapped off