Help! Need to make a decision!

[jjhu00]

Hello,

I am a newbi to zero turn and riding mowers in general. I just purchased some property with about 2 acres of mowing, and need a rider. I am presently mowing with my trusty Honda self-propelled walk behind. It takes me about 4 hours to get everything mowed with the Honda. I went to my local Hustler dealer and he offered me a Mini Fastrak 16/42 for ($3599) and a Fastrak 16/44 for ($3969) are these good prices? I would like to know if the Fastrak 16/44 is really worth the extra money for residential use. I understand the hydro's are better in the Fastrak and the frame is bigger. But for mowing 2 acres does it really make a noticeable difference in realiablity and logeivity over the Mini Fastrak?

Thanks.

[mowerconsultant]

2 acres once a week..... you may be better off with the better hydro's in the FasTrak.
Do you have any hills?
The FasTrak will hold more fuel, obviously has a bit larger deck, it has the better hydro's and the larger frame and rear width will work better for any slopes you may be cutting.

Pj

[jjhu00]

Pj

Yes I do have a long steep hill/slope that I mow with my walker currenlty. I think it maybe too steep to use a rider on the steepest part of the hill so I would use my self-propelled on that part of it. Do you think a Fastrak 18/52 would work better than a 16/44 on steep hills? Because I talked to my local dealer and he just so happens to have a demo 18/52 with 2 hours on it and is willing to let it go for $4500. Is a 18/52 too much mower for my application?

Thanks in adavance.

[nmurph]

i shopped the prices on a 17/42 mini-fasttrak. your price is about
$400-$500 higher than the best prices i found. it did take some haggling to get the prices to $3100, and prices depend on the area market.
the 17/42 should do your lawn in about 1.5 hrs depending on landscaping. i think the hydros are rated for 700-800 hrs. you have to do the math and decide what is the best value for you.
the bottom line is that any Hustler will make you happy

[mowerconsultant]

The 18/52 wouldn't be to much overkill, shoot, I use a 60" mower to mow my 1/8th of a acre....lol...lol....
The wider track of the 52" unit will help you more on slopes.

Pj

[nz7lxg]

I purchased a 16/36 Mini FasTrack last year to mow my 1/2 acre. It work great even with a side bagger. The mini would probably do the job, however like the comments above, I would go with a bigger FasTrack if I were you.