Exmark vs. Hustler

[CatholicLawnie]

Why did you guys choose Exmark over Hustler? I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I was just wondering. I'm torn between these two and I wanted some professional advice!

[John Gamba]

Why did you guys choose Exmark over Hustler? I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I was just wondering. I'm torn between these two and I wanted some professional advice!


Demo Demo Demo

[green acres lawns]

I demoed a 60" hustler super z and the cut wasn't near as nice as my 60" lazer. It was fast, but what good is that if the finished job looks crappy.

[blackandgold]

Then don't drive so fast, use the speed for transport.

Don't you work according to the conditions ??

No matter what brands top speed, deck depth, or blade tip speed, sometimes common sense works best.

[John Gamba]

I demoed a 60" hustler super z and the cut wasn't near as nice as my 60" lazer. It was fast, but what good is that if the finished job looks crappy.


Typical hustler

[lawnstriper23]

I demo'ed the Phazer and the Hustler Mini Fastrack and found the Hustler was the clear choice over the Phazer hands down. Things I considered during the demo were speed, cut, accressories, ease of operation, price, dealer (the Exmark dealer I went to were a bunch of hilljacks that only wanted to deal with commercial customers) etc. Sorry to burst your bubble Exmark, but Hustler wins this one in my book......

[John Gamba]

I demo'ed the Phazer and the Hustler Mini Fastrack and found the Hustler was the clear choice over the Phazer hands down. Things I considered during the demo were speed, cut, accressories, ease of operation, price, dealer (the Exmark dealer I went to were a bunch of hilljacks that only wanted to deal with commercial customers) etc. Sorry to burst your bubble Exmark, but Hustler wins this one in my book......


There are somethings i like on the hustler. i wish you could just order the mowers you want.

[stumpslawncare]

I had a friend who is also in the lawn business who was running exmark, they are great mowing mowers. I never tried the hustler out but have to say I bought an exmark walk behind and it mowed great right out of the box. It has a professional cut and does a great job stripping even without a stripping kit. Also very dependable mowers.

[TLS]

A Hustler SuperZ and an eXmark Lazer are two ZTR's that couldn't be more different.

I owned both.

Both are built and designed very well. They are both at the top of their class.

The XR-7 deck needs some tweaking to cut northern grasses above 3.5" HOC. If your cutting at 3-3.25" its just fine, and WILL cut at full speed in many conditions.

The Triton deck is what caused me to switch from eXmark. I just couldn't get it to cut well on several day long demo's on several different size decks. Now that they updated it, I will have to try it. That and slow speed is what caused me to leave eXmark.


That being said, you have narrowed it down to 2 of the best ZTR's out there. I would let dealer service determine your final decision. You won't go wrong with either.

[John Gamba]

The XR-7 deck needs some tweaking to cut northern grasses above 3.5" HOC. If your cutting at 3-3.25" its just fine, and WILL cut at full speed in many conditions.



.


This is how the ultracut deck would cut. It would be a pain in dry conditions to.

I hope the new Triton will cut good at any hight.

[TLS]

This is how the ultracut deck would cut. It would be a pain in dry conditions to.

I hope the new Triton will cut good at any hight.

ULtra Cut was a great all around deck. I hope the new Tritons fix the problems.

[John Gamba]

ULtra Cut was a great all around deck. I hope the new Tritons fix the problems.

Where i am it was terrible on weeds or the thin grass. It was excellent in the lush stuff. All exmark needed to do was make the ultra .5" deeper and make the blades a veritable blade speed.

[TLS]

Yes, on dandilions, wild onion and buckhorn the UC was terrible.

As terrible as the UC was on these tall weeds, the XR-7 is excellent.

[John Gamba]

Yes, on dandilions, wild onion and buckhorn the UC was terrible.

As terrible as the UC was on these tall weeds, the XR-7 is excellent.


Nothing worse then the dandelions

[TLS]

Nothing worse then the dandelions

You need an XR-7 Johnny! ;)

[John Gamba]

You need an XR-7 Johnny! ;)



I'm looking. Maybe we can have a parade??

[lawnman_scott]

I demo'ed the Phazer and the Hustler Mini Fastrack and found the Hustler was the clear choice over the Phazer hands down. Things I considered during the demo were speed, cut, accressories, ease of operation, price, dealer (the Exmark dealer I went to were a bunch of hilljacks that only wanted to deal with commercial customers) etc. Sorry to burst your bubble Exmark, but Hustler wins this one in my book......The fastrack is a homeowner mower isnt it? And saying exmark just wants to deal with commercial customers is a good thing in my book. Every toro dealer you go into has a lineup of homeowners looking for a spark plug for their mower that you have to wait for. Thats the main reason I will never have another toro, time is money. And with a homeowner mower being a better price, well thats for good reason. You have to compare apples to apples.

[John Gamba]

The fastrack is a homeowner mower isnt it? And saying exmark just wants to deal with commercial customers is a good thing in my book. Every toro dealer you go into has a lineup of homeowners looking for a spark plug for their mower that you have to wait for. Thats the main reason I will never have another toro, time is money. And with a homeowner mower being a better price, well thats for good reason. You have to compare apples to apples.



Exmark is starting to kiss homeowner but to

[lawnstriper23]

The fastrack is a homeowner mower isnt it? And saying exmark just wants to deal with commercial customers is a good thing in my book. Every toro dealer you go into has a lineup of homeowners looking for a spark plug for their mower that you have to wait for. Thats the main reason I will never have another toro, time is money. And with a homeowner mower being a better price, well thats for good reason. You have to compare apples to apples.

Not sure why we are talking about the Fastrack when I was comparing the Phazer and the Mini Fastrack, but anyways I do beleive the Fastrack is considered a commercial unit. So if you look at the two units I demoed, they are both considered homeowner units so it is comparing apples to apples.
"And saying exmark just wants to deal with commercial customers is a good thing in my book."
I hope your not running a mower business because you need to look around at who is buying ZTR's, the home owner. Drive around neighborhoods and you will see more and more ZTR's being used by the home owners. Also I never said anything about all Exmark dealers wanting to deal with just commercial accounts, just the one where I went in my town. Are we on the same page now?

[tacoma200]

Well the ultracut will cut much better than the XR7 and mow higher in my area. I don't think any one has spent as much time comparing them side by side as I did. I haven't found anything the Ultracut didn't do a good job on except wet grass. Still looking forward to the reports on the Triton next year. I think both companies make a good mower but you really need to demo in your area.

[prostriper]

Why did you guys choose Exmark over Hustler? I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I was just wondering. I'm torn between these two and I wanted some professional advice!



This is why we chose the Exmark UC

[blackandgold]

I gave a nice neutral personal expanation on the difference between Hustler and eXmark, but your eXmark rep will not post it...

I thought eXmark was a better company than this...I did notbash anyone...

[John Gamba]

I gave a nice neutral personal expanation on the difference between Hustler and eXmark, but your eXmark rep will not post it...

I thought eXmark was a better company than this...I did notbash anyone...



Pj has censored me in the past

[nbrockb]

I have been a Hustler user for the past 3 years. I know have 3 60" Hustler Super Z's & love them. I think the Hustler is a great choice. Can't say much for the Exmark, I've heard great things about them and I know they cut great to. Either would be good choice. I would recommend Hustler on big yards & Def. Walkers for very small, but manicured yards. Walkers are very slow but leave a great lookin lawn.

[cemeteryman]

I would say demo, and talk to some pros in your area to find out who has the best, and most reliable service shop.

[no body does it better]

if speed and quailty of cut is the consederations nothing that ive been on beats the lazer z xs. the fastest mower and you still cut just as well as slower unit.i know a landscaper would went from badboys and hustlers to lazer xs and fired2 workers and still mowes the same amount in the same time.the 07xs rated at 7 acres an hour 2.3 gal. of fuel

[Z-Man]

Well the ultracut will cut much better than the XR7 and mow higher in my area. I don't think any one has spent as much time comparing them side by side as I did. I haven't found anything the Ultracut didn't do a good job on except wet grass. Still looking forward to the reports on the Triton next year. I think both companies make a good mower but you really need to demo in your area.

tacoma2000
Have you tried the new triton and xr7 desks? Do you still come to the same conclusion?

z-man

[tacoma200]

I had one of the first year XR7's with the cut away triangles in back. I cut some grass well and others it just wouldn't. The deck had no lift. I had the triangle fixes added and it stopped most of the missed grass between the blades but it still left stranglers. Checked deck, rake, etc. Many of the first of us having this problem were shipped at no cost the lift kit. It started cutting better but clogged something terrible even in fairly dry grass. They offered my money back, I was spooked about having so much invested in a mower that my customers asked me not to use. They said use the RED one but not the YELLOW one or please don't use the YELLOW one. So I had no choice but to let it go back. I'm not sure what they have done to the new decks but I would guess the ones sent to the North have the triangles in and maybe something to give it lifts so now I can't comment on the new improved XR7's.
I was comparing it to my 05 Ultra Cut Lazer side by side on many lots. The Ultra Cut never missed anything ( or at least up to 3.75"), had tremendous lift and discharge velocity that I have never seen in another deck. The only draw back to the Ultra Cut is it is not a wet grass deck and you have to scrape it when wet. It leaves the smoothest cut I have seen and I've owned Grasshopper, Scag, Huster, and Exmark and demoed many others. Not a super deck but in nomal conditions the Ultra Cut is hard to beat for a carpet smooth finish.
I haven't tried the Triton. I was shown in detail at expo the problems they had with it and what they had done to eliminate it. I'm still waiting on the mid-Spring reports out of the Midwest to see how the new Triton improvements work out.
I have no bones to pick with any company, most make a pretty good mower. I just report what I learn as unbiased as I can. And Hustler stood behind the product when they saw I was having problems so they were great in that aspect. If they get that XR7 deck tweeked and a little more power they will have a heck of a mower. Very comfortable and smooth. I wish Exmark the best and can't wait for the triton reports to come pouring in.
I still wouldn't trade my 05 Lazer . Love that machine.

[tacoma200]

Then don't drive so fast, use the speed for transport.

Don't you work according to the conditions ??

No matter what brands top speed, deck depth, or blade tip speed, sometimes common sense works best.
Your quote blackand gold "PJ,
I thought you may find this amusing. There is a post in the Exmark forum for "Exmark vs. Hustler". Since you know me, you are aware that we own both machines. I posted my opinion along with side by side comparisons showing that the cut quality is the same. I also posted the production figures we keep on our machines. This showed that Hustler has as good of a cut but out produces the Exmark by almost 65%. In business we know that more production means more profit. I did not put down the Exmak, only showed the advantage of the Hustler. I guess this did not set well with whoever runs that forum, as they deleted my post. I guess the truth hurts. I use these machines and this is what makes me a living. I call it, like I see it. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I only wish the rest of the folks here could have.
Sincerely,
John Baker


I also owned both and In the turf here there was no comparison. Exmark never missed a blade on this weedy lot. Had this problem on many lots with the XR7 but not all. When the turf conditions are less than perfect the Exmark always came through. Customers ask for the red one for their lots. Yes this is bad turf but it was never a problem with the Lazer, never.

[Billy Joe Mcguffee]

That's kind of interesting but my experience with the Exmark has been a little different. The Exmark decks I've ran 52" and 60" were awesome on good turf, really tough to beat on good grass. In weedy grass, grass that is has a lot of stems etc. they haven't done well at all. In fact if you pick up a quick single time cut for a field or a lot with dandilions your average homeowner lawntractor will leave less straglers than the Exmark. That's not a knock on the Exmark. It's a very high performance turf cutting machine. I wouldn't try to compare it to a brush hog in certain applications but there are times where on good grass it will leave perfection behind when your finished. Junk grass is not it's forteit, good grass is and on good lawns I'd put the Exmark up against anything out there.

[tacoma200]

It's just my Ultra cut with factory high lifts (sounds like a airplane taking off) has so much lift that everything gets sucked (lifted) strait up and cut level at least to a certain height such as 3 3/4". If I see a stragler I know that my blades are very dull. It has done better than the Grasshopper, Dixie, Scag, Hustler that I have used. Maybe I just have a good one. The down side is that the deck needs scraped now and then and wet performance suffers. I have lost count of how many customers friends have asked what kind of mower cuts your grass. My customers love it. Now the new Scag Velocity I use will move more heavy grass with out clumping. It's great in over grown lawns but not as smooth. The Ultra Cut puts out small clippings while the Scag throws long ones. Its just a trade off. Do you want to cut a lot of grass with large clippings but no clogging or clumps then the 7 Iron II and Scag Velocity are for you. If you want a lawn that has a carpet, putting green smooth finish on top then the Ultra cut is for you. That's my opinion of course but I've spent a lot of time comparing these brands side by side. So far for all around performance the Velocity is hard to beat. Very good cut (not perfect) but will cut in wet, overgrown, or normal grass equally well, great all around deck. Old XR7 short pure turf only.

[cemeteryman]

I have an 07 exmark 60" with the 31hp vanguard. The new triton deck with upgrades for 07 has done a great job in some wet thick grass already this year. I have been impressed with the amount of suction, and the velocity that the clippings shoot out from under the deck. In my opinion the 07 lazer z is awesome.