Obvious Missing Items

[lawnspecialties]

Why is it that almost all zero-turn mowers (including Hustler's) are missing two obvious things?

1: I can buy any rider from Lowe's or Home Depot and have fairly decent headlights. To get them on a zero-turn, it's an option and looks like some cheap add-on.

2: 99% of all commercial mowers generally are transported from job to job on some type of trailer or other vehicle. Yet there are basically no dedicated places on these machines to securely strap the machine down for transporting. Especially from the four corners.

I love my Hustler and wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm certainly not picking on Hustler because this is an industry wide problem. Seems almost rediculous a mower anywhere from $5000 - $13,000 doesn't come with these BASIC things. Thanks.

P.S. If Hustler decides to start doing these two things, I promise not to sue for stealing my idea.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[wushaw]

Grasshopper mowers are option also but are recessed into the machine and looks like they belong there just like headlights on a car.

[TLS]

Excellent points.

Headlights are great for working near roadsides as well. Improves your visibility to others during the day.

For me, I've always layed four 5' 2x4's across the deck of the trailer.....One in front of and behind each tire. Pull the mower on the trailer and the mower settles into the nooks. Then I simply throw a heavy rachet strap across where your feet are. Crank it down and they never move....can't really.

[Seeg]

I would think putting dedicated tow hooks would increse the liability on the Hustlers or any other builder. Imagine someone getting in an accidenting, tie down breaks off and the mower goes rolloing off into another car, or flipping over the side of the trailer. Big time lawsuit there. With no designated tie down spot, then it could easily be explained by the mower wasn't secured properly by the user.

Lights would be awesome, I sometimes get home from work right around dusk, and would like to get the mowing done then instead of wasting time on the weekend. Lights integrated into the front of the fuel tanks would be awesome, out tof the way yet effective. I agree that the light kit availible is kind of cheap looking, and they get in the way.

[lawnspecialties]

Pj, these are for you, my friend.

If Grasshopper makes them like wushaw says, why not Hustler? Why not all ztr manufacturers? I don't understand.

TLS appears to have a good system there. But why should we have to lay boards down to hold our $9000 mower? Once again, I don't understand.

By all means, this is not meant as a gripe session. I almost wish you could tell me a great reason these things haven't been the "norm" with ztr's that I just haven't thought of yet. Thanks for any input and I await your reply. :dizzy:

[mowerconsultant]

You all have some good points and our product manager and many other back at the factory read this forum daily, they are listening.

[Keith]

Is a light kit for the Super Z available :confused: On a Super Z with a 27hp Kohler, how many amps are there in reserve to play with for lights?

[Itsgottobegreen]

its call prolockers. Get a set and you will never go back to tie downs again.

[mowerconsultant]

Is a light kit for the Super Z available :confused: On a Super Z with a 27hp Kohler, how many amps are there in reserve to play with for lights?

We do not recommend the light kit on the Super Z due to the additional amp draw it would cause.
I am told (many times) that there is not enough amperage to run the light kit safely.

Pj

[Keith]

What type and wattage bulbs does the Hustler kit use? Would you happen to have any pictures?

Is there anything in reserve at all on a Super Z? Even if there is no room at all, I have another way to solve that ;)

[mowerconsultant]

What type and wattage bulbs does the Hustler kit use? Would you happen to have any pictures?

Is there anything in reserve at all on a Super Z? Even if there is no room at all, I have another way to solve that ;)

I don't know the wattage, I will see if I can find out.
I am told by the engineer that does our electrical design, do not install a light kit on a Super Z.
I do not have #'s on anything in regards to reserve, draw, etc...

[lawnspecialties]

I don't know the wattage, I will see if I can find out.
I am told by the engineer that does our electrical design, do not install a light kit on a Super Z.
I do not have #'s on anything in regards to reserve, draw, etc...

Very few people on this website are as big an advocate for Hustler SuperZ's as I am. But knowing you should not install a light kit on my $9500 mower is an embarassment to Hustler.

Again, this is by no means an attempt to give you a hard time. I think it's great you take the time to do this for your customers and potential customers.

Ask the "electrical design engineers" and everyone else a big "Why?".
-Functional lights that look like they belong there.
-Tie down anchor points.
-Digital hour meters/Tachometers

Cheap Home Depot mowers have these. Mine doesn't. Is it cost? Many people would gladly pay it if you needed to call them "options". After several conversations with my fellow lawncare providers, somebody out there is going to do these things. If Hustler doesn't, other brands will start to look a little more appealing.

Again PJ, I appreciate all you do here. You're an asset to your company. And this is in no way a "threat" to Hustler. We just want to see the company we've entrusted to help us provide for our families keep up with the needs of their customers. Thanks a lot.

[specialtylc]

Most all of the aircooled engines are only putting out 15 amps. I am glad they dont put lights on my mowers, when its dark its time to go home. I dont need to work more than 12 hours a day.:sleeping:

[mowerconsultant]

Heres the way it was disrobed to me today.....
The clutch and the cooling fan for the hydros both pull about 7 or 8 amps each, this is on a 15 amp charging system.
That does not leave any room for lights that draw another 7 or 8 amps.
Eventually your charging system is going to be overloaded, you will get a low charge to your battery also, resulting in a dead battery.
Not to forget..... if you are robbing amps from somewhere, it is going to affect the clutch, if it cant "grab" enough because there is not enough amps, it will wear the clutch out.

Pj

[mowerconsultant]

Ask the "electrical design engineers" and everyone else a big "Why?".
-Functional lights that look like they belong there.
-Tie down anchor points.
-Digital hour meters/Tachometers

Lights are not a "needed" item, that is why we offer them as an option, truth be told, it is very hazardous to mow at night or in conditions where you can not completely see everything.
One of the reasons we do not install them is cost, add that cost to 30,000 plus units a year? that gets expensive, especially when only a very minimal amount of mower ever get them installed.
Tie down anchor points, you got me there, I don't know why we don't, I will ask.
Digital hour meters are now standard on Hustler mowers, although they are not tachs.

Cheap Home Depot mowers have these. Mine doesn't.

Cheap is the key word.....
They are inferior in every aspect of the mower.
They add bells and whistles to them to appeal to the average consumer that doesn't know any better or is simply shopping there due to convenience.
This is the same reason you see cheaper / higher hp engines on these mowers, pure selling affect.
We feel we build the best product for the best $, and we leave the options open for people to add what options / attachments they feel they need to make the unit suitable for there needs.

I don't mean to sound like I am on a rant here, just explaining this as easily as I can.

Pj

[Keith]

Thanks for looking into the power issue. I would still like to see some pics of the light kit and get an idea of what type bulbs they are. I have a solution for the no reserve capacity problem :D

I understand that it is not good practice to be mowing after dark, but in Florida during the summer with afternoon thunderstorms, finishing after dark on occasion can not be avoided.

[lawnspecialties]

Hey PJ, I see PW the head man has been browsing around the forums. Very impressive. Next time ya'll come to Raleigh, give me a call, we'll fire up the grill, and go ahead and have a little design session on the SuperZ's for 2008.:laugh:

[mowerconsultant]

Hey PJ, I see PW the head man has been browsing around the forums. Very impressive. Next time ya'll come to Raleigh, give me a call, we'll fire up the grill, and go ahead and have a little design session on the SuperZ's for 2008.:laugh:

Paul is on here almost as much as I am....lol...lol....
Tell him theres some good bbq, and he may show up...lol...lol...

Pj

[lawnspecialties]

Paul is on here almost as much as I am....lol...lol....
Tell him theres some good bbq, and he may show up...lol...lol...

Pj

We'll meet at Right-of-Way Equip. and make Dan pay.:laugh:

[jcltyson]

You won't find any better BBQ than eastern NC style !!

[mowerconsultant]

You won't find any better BBQ than eastern NC style !!

I know that... I used to live in Charlotte, and travel east a lot.... needless to say I had my share of eastern NC bbq......
Just had some recently when I was down there doing a sales and service school in Level Cross.... yummy!!

[rob7233]

Thanks for looking into the power issue. I would still like to see some pics of the light kit and get an idea of what type bulbs they are. I have a solution for the no reserve capacity problem :D

I understand that it is not good practice to be mowing after dark, but in Florida during the summer with afternoon thunderstorms, finishing after dark on occasion can not be avoided.

I have a solution for the no reserve capacity problem

Wer'e the same boat (FL) and I"m listening. Tell me HOW ??!!

[Keith]

Well, my solution will not fit everyone's needs and some will balk at the idea all together. My system will use a rechargeable NiMH battery pack, and I will likely run two 12v halogen bulbs at 14.4v. The downside of running it at 14.4v is shorter bulb life, the upside is that it will put out a whiter light. The halogen bulbs I will use are cheap enough, so that really isn't an issue either.

I am still trying to find a balance of price vs. runtime in building a battery pack. I can build a 4000mAh pack for about 50 bucks. You would get about two hours at 20w, but only about an hour at 40w. And actually I still do not know what wattage bulbs will strike a good balance there either. Right now I am thinking two high quality 20W narrow flood halogens will do the trick, though one strategically placed will throw a good amount of light, and draw half as much power. I think the answer will be a three-position switch so you can run either one or two.

A 10,000mAh pack would give you pretty close to 3 hours at 40w, but at a cost. A 14.4v 10,000mAh pack is gonna cost over a hundred bucks just to build. I figure on the average week, 3 hours is about how much I would need it. If you need it much more than that, rechargeable batteries may not be cost effective. You still need a good smart charger, a battery pack housing, wiring, switches, and the housing for the lights. I am going to work on it though :) I'll keep you updated.

[PaulJ]

how About just one light? I had put two basic utility lights on my super WB and they worked well but they way I had them mounted they would get caught on branches and finally one of the brackets broke. I realized then that one light is enough. I don't have to see a mile down the road just a few yards in front of my. and there are usually some street lights in the area to help. JUst a thought.

[Keith]

Another thing I didn't really get into was luminous intensity. This far better describes how bright something is. Watts are not a measure of light intensity. Certain sizes of 10w halogens will put out as much perceived light as a 20w of a smaller size. Two different sizes of 10w bulbs will have the same current draw, but the larger one might be rated at twice the lumens. For instance, a 10W MR11 halogen might be rated 20 lumens per watt. An MR16 would likely be rated at 40 lumens per watt. Over-volt it to 14.4V and it will be closer to 60 lumens per watt. An over-volted 10w MR16 will probably put out as much light as a 30w MR11 running at 12 volts.

[Piedmont Lawn]

Keith,

Just a suggestion to toss around but have you looked into an inexpensive 12V SLA, yes it will be larger and heavier than a NiMH pack but the mower will be carrying the weight and not you so cost vs weight and size is a winner in this application..

You can pick up an 18Ah Haze-British SLA at www.batterystation.com/gelcell.htm for $27.00 plus postage, size 7.09 x 2.99 x 5.57, weight 13.78. Look around you may be able to find a better price, I just used BatteryStation as an example but they do have good prices and service for my past experience.

I haven’t looked a Hustler over lately with the intentions of adding a second battery but surely there must be a place on it somewhere to mount a small SLA out of harms way. Then just throw a charger on it after use, one other advantage I just thought of is SLA’s have a lower self discharge rate than NiMh cells they will set around for a few months and still retain their charge were as NiMH cells need to be topped off every few weeks for best performance.

You will have voltage sag with either set up, the NiMH cells may be a little brighter at the start depending on their current capabilities but the larger SLA will give you a longer run time.......And then there is HID for the ultimate lawn mower lighting system :drinkup:


Later
Kelly

[Keith]

Kelly, you make a valid point. The idea of a SLA had crossed my mind, but I have not messed with them before with this kind of stuff. And 13 lbs ain't gonna make a bit of difference on a mower. 18Ah is a far cry better than spending big bucks on 12 D-cell 1.2V NiMH's. Maybe run a halogen lamp with a higher temp (whiter) instead of over-volting.

HID's had crossed my mind too, but they are kind of pricey :dizzy: But who knows, I might give those a shot at some point.

[lawnspecialties]

I might just get a coal miner's helmet.:laugh:

[XMT&RCV]

One of the reasons we do not install them is cost, add that cost to 30,000 plus units a year? that gets expensive, especially when only a very minimal amount of mower ever get them installed.

Cheap is the key word.....
They are inferior in every aspect of the mower.
They add bells and whistles to them to appeal to the average consumer that doesn't know any better or is simply shopping there due to convenience.This is the same reason you see cheaper / higher hp engines on these mowers, pure selling affect.
We feel we build the best product for the best $, and we leave the options open for people to add what options / attachments they feel they need to make the unit suitable for there needs.

I don't mean to sound like I am on a rant here, just explaining this as easily as I can.

Pj


Please see bold... just a thought... don't mean to sound like I am on a rant here, just expressing our feelings... if I am the only one then say so and I'll repent...lol

[Ty Webb]

What about LED lights? They are bright, last a long time, can be switched out, and require very little power to run. They would not be much of a drain on anything. Police cars are using them more and more over strobe lights to keep from drawing power and also their long life.

Hustler could be the first to make an LED kit or include them in the stanard package.

Ty