Mini Fastrak?

[dlite]

I have just moved into a new home and have approx 1.25 acres with a fair amount of tree's. Fairly flat property with one small slope which should pose no problem for a ZTR or lawn tractor (in my opinion). From all I've read on this website, it seems like the Mini Fastrak may be perfect for my needs. But to be honest there are SO many ZTR mowers out there and SO much information that making a decision and going forward is VERY difficult. I originally was looking at the Toro's homeowner mowers but from what I've read the quality of those doesn't stand up to any of the Hustlers or high end homeowners mowers that some of the other company's provide. I've just been going round and round trying to make this decision. I initially didn't want to spend anything over 3k but from all I've read it seems like I have to in order to get a decent machine. Any other input someone from Hustler could provide to help make my decision making process easier would be great.......or anybody's opinion for that matter. Thanks.

[mowerconsultant]

Well you have already been enlightened, you have seen the differences and also know that good quality isn't cheap.
Yes you will spend more than 3k for a good mower, but your getting a better warranty, frame, deck, engine options and overall better customer satisfaction.
The main thing I can recommend is to test drive a couple brands and then try the Hustler, you will be amazed at the difference in feel and performance of the Hustler mower.
Don't forget the following..
Patented parking brake (built into the control levers)
lifetime frame warranty
3 year overall warranty
Full welded deck, not stamped thin metal.
Better engine options
Low and wide, makes for great handling.

Pj

[wbwanzer]

I bought my MFT last September and I have only one regret: That I didn't buy one sooner! I love it. As a matter of fact, I mowed yesterday for the first time this season and it was fun. You actually look forward to mowing.

Last year I was torn between a Cub Cadet Z-Force and the Hustler. What decided it for me was that the MFT has only five grease points that are all easy to get to. The Cub had about twice as many and some were underneath. Might not sound like much, but I'm awful at remembering to grease, so less and easy to get to is important to me. The other deciding factor was that my Hustler dealer was willing to bring the machine out to my house so I could try it on my hill. The Cub guys (where I had bought my last two machines) wouldn't even let me cut grass at their place. So Hustler it was and as I said, my only regret is that I didn't get one a couple of years ago.

[nmurph]

i have a mft. search my name on this forum for my comments. wait, i'll save you the time. i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it makes cutting fun.
i now have a larger yard and am considering a FT 54"-----ya hear me PJ?

[mowerconsultant]

i have a mft. search my name on this forum for my comments. wait, i'll save you the time. i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it makes cutting fun.
i now have a larger yard and am considering a FT 54"-----ya hear me PJ?


I hear ya!!
Go to your dealer and get it!!..lol...lol....
You will fall in love all over again with the new FasTrak's....

Pj

[cybervision]

Go with the Hustler. I don't know how the MFT are but the FTs are amazing. I have used the Ft on heavy grass and it went right through it fast. I have been told by several dealers that a lot of landscapers use the them for their smaller yards. I almost bought one but opted for a Mini-Z. Don't even look at anything that Lowe's, Home Depot or Sears sell. They are just lawn tractor pretending to be a ZTRs. Look at the decks on them, same as the tractors. I would think the repairs would be even higher than the cheap tractors. The Hustler will be the last mower you will ever need and with it commercial or near commercial quality it should run forever. Check on the special Promotions at the top.

Ed

[dlite]

Thanks for the responses. A couple additional questions.

1) Is a Mini Fastrak the right mower for my size yard (1.4 acres minus whatever space the house/driveway take)? So would estimate somewhere around 1.25 - 1.30 acres(?).

2) Are there any opinions out there on how a Simplicity (Javelin and/or Champion) would stack up against the MFT? I'm considering that brand as well.

Thanks.

[mowerconsultant]

1) Its the right size for sure, that is a small amount of mowing.
2) I am not to familiar with the Simplicity so I really cant comment, but I would drive both and get a feel for both before making a decision.

Pj

[byronfunk]

I too am looking for a smallish ZTR for my yard and the MFT seems to fit the bill nicely. I'll probably end up mowing mine as well as several others (parents, parents-in-law, etc.). I want a mower that will last a long time and something I can teach my kids to use and possibly earn some money in the future. My (now) 9 year old daughter shows an interest and I'm thinking it could be a good thing in a few years. Thus, the MFT seems like a good one that would handle well for a child. A few Q's... Am I crazy in thinking an 11-12 year old kid could use this? Is there a rubber chute for the MFT? How well does the bagging system work for grass and leaves? How well will the tranny hold up? I'm looking at the 42/16. How well does the Honda perform? I hear they are expensive to maintain, but they don't need to be repaired that often! My grass is growing and my old mower bit the dust! Thanks!

[mowerconsultant]

I too am looking for a smallish ZTR for my yard and the MFT seems to fit the bill nicely. I'll probably end up mowing mine as well as several others (parents, parents-in-law, etc.). I want a mower that will last a long time and something I can teach my kids to use and possibly earn some money in the future. My (now) 9 year old daughter shows an interest and I'm thinking it could be a good thing in a few years. Thus, the MFT seems like a good one that would handle well for a child. A few Q's... Am I crazy in thinking an 11-12 year old kid could use this? Is there a rubber chute for the MFT? How well does the bagging system work for grass and leaves? How well will the tranny hold up? I'm looking at the 42/16. How well does the Honda perform? I hear they are expensive to maintain, but they don't need to be repaired that often! My grass is growing and my old mower bit the dust! Thanks!

I certainly can not comment on the use of the mower by a 11-12 year old, that is a decision you will have to make with her abilities and skills.
There is no rubber chute for the Mini FasTrak, I am not sure we are going to offer one either.
The bagging system for the Mini FasTrak is a non blower type unit, you install a high lift blade on the discharge side of the deck and it forces the grass and leaves into the rear catcher, now if they are wet or too thick you need to slow down a bit for better performance.
The Mini FasTrak uses the EZT hydros from Hydro Gear, we have used them for 3 years with little to no problems with them, they are the perfect fit for a machine of this size and class.
As you heard with Honda engines... they are great and they are a very large part of our success with the FasTrak and Mini FasTrak series of mowers.
As to them being expensive to maintain? I am not so sure they are to much more expensive to maintain than a similar commercial grade engine.

Pj

[mowerconsultant]

I too am looking for a smallish ZTR for my yard and the MFT seems to fit the bill nicely. I'll probably end up mowing mine as well as several others (parents, parents-in-law, etc.). I want a mower that will last a long time and something I can teach my kids to use and possibly earn some money in the future. My (now) 9 year old daughter shows an interest and I'm thinking it could be a good thing in a few years. Thus, the MFT seems like a good one that would handle well for a child. A few Q's... Am I crazy in thinking an 11-12 year old kid could use this? Is there a rubber chute for the MFT? How well does the bagging system work for grass and leaves? How well will the tranny hold up? I'm looking at the 42/16. How well does the Honda perform? I hear they are expensive to maintain, but they don't need to be repaired that often! My grass is growing and my old mower bit the dust! Thanks!

I certainly can not comment on the use of the mower by a 11-12 year old, that is a decision you will have to make with her abilities and skills.
There is no rubber chute for the Mini FasTrak, I am not sure we are going to offer one either.
The bagging system for the Mini FasTrak is a non blower type unit, you install a high lift blade on the discharge side of the deck and it forces the grass and leaves into the rear catcher, now if they are wet or too thick you need to slow down a bit for better performance.
The Mini FasTrak uses the EZT hydros from Hydro Gear, we have used them for 3 years with little to no problems with them, they are the perfect fit for a machine of this size and class.
As you heard with Honda engines... they are great and they are a very large part of our success with the FasTrak and Mini FasTrak series of mowers.
As to them being expensive to maintain? I am not so sure they are to much more expensive to maintain than a similar commercial grade engine.

Pj

[mowerconsultant]

I too am looking for a smallish ZTR for my yard and the MFT seems to fit the bill nicely. I'll probably end up mowing mine as well as several others (parents, parents-in-law, etc.). I want a mower that will last a long time and something I can teach my kids to use and possibly earn some money in the future. My (now) 9 year old daughter shows an interest and I'm thinking it could be a good thing in a few years. Thus, the MFT seems like a good one that would handle well for a child. A few Q's... Am I crazy in thinking an 11-12 year old kid could use this? Is there a rubber chute for the MFT? How well does the bagging system work for grass and leaves? How well will the tranny hold up? I'm looking at the 42/16. How well does the Honda perform? I hear they are expensive to maintain, but they don't need to be repaired that often! My grass is growing and my old mower bit the dust! Thanks!

I certainly can not comment on the use of the mower by a 11-12 year old, that is a decision you will have to make with her abilities and skills.
There is no rubber chute for the Mini FasTrak, I am not sure we are going to offer one either.
The bagging system for the Mini FasTrak is a non blower type unit, you install a high lift blade on the discharge side of the deck and it forces the grass and leaves into the rear catcher, now if they are wet or too thick you need to slow down a bit for better performance.
The Mini FasTrak uses the EZT hydros from Hydro Gear, we have used them for 3 years with little to no problems with them, they are the perfect fit for a machine of this size and class.
As you heard with Honda engines... they are great and they are a very large part of our success with the FasTrak and Mini FasTrak series of mowers.
As to them being expensive to maintain? I am not so sure they are to much more expensive to maintain than a similar commercial grade engine.

Pj

[dlite]

I attempted to check out MFT on Friday but got there and found out the dealer was closed Friday and Saturday due to Easter holiday. I then went to another dealer and looked at a Cub Cadet Z-force 44 which seemed nice. The dealer I spoke with said that a 3 yr warranty was offered for this machine (same as MFT) but in the literature I took with me it says a 2 yr warranty. The Z-force seemed nice but I really have nothing to compare it to since it's the first time I've ever driven a ZTR. One general question I have re: decks...............what exactly does a stamped deck mean? I can figure out what a welded deck is but don't understand the terminology "stamped deck" and if one is better then the other and if so, for what reasons. Thanks.

I plan on checking out the MFT sometime this week.

[mowerconsultant]

A stamped deck is a single piece of steel stamped into the shape of a deck shell, then they weld or bolt the needed brackets on.
The Hustler decks are fabricated, they are cut on a laser and then welded.
Typically a fabricated deck is stronger.
Go to our website and look at the factory tour area, you can see how your deck is made in the pics.
You really need to test drive the Hustler now, if you like the cub, your going to love the Hustler.

Pj

[wbwanzer]

Be sure to check out the Hustler before you make your decision. The Hustler is a well built machine. I got the flex forks for mine to help soften the ride. They work well in my opinion.

[dlite]

I did test drive the MFT today and LOVED it. Not sure exactly what it was but it felt a little more solid then I remember the Z-force. Maybe it's that it's a little lower to the ground or something. And at first glance of the deck it looked so much more solid then the Z-force. If there was any drawbacks from the short test drive I had, it seemed as though this mower was significantly louder the Z-force. Is it common for people who use these mowers to use ear protection? I'm not saying I'd need it, but I definitely noticed it was somewhat louder then the Z-force.

Also, in this range of mower, who would Hustler's number 1 competition be? It seems as though there are SO many types of mower out there, and SO much information/opinions on each, it's very hard to determine who would be Huster's #1 rival in this level of mower. I can say that of everything I've read that there are VERY few complaints or bad things to say about MFT. But I still don't know if I've tapped into their number 1 competition and I'd like to see as much as I can before actually purchasing. Of course I don't have a whole lot of time to do this, but want to make sure I see the best possible before buying if I can. So far Hustler's leading.

So two questions....1) the noise thing.......and 2) who's the top competion for Hustler in this level of mower.

Thanks

[mowerconsultant]

1) Which engine was on the unit you ran? sounds like it may have been the single cylinder Kohler, it is not the most quiet engine but it is a good one.
With any mower now a days you need to use hearing protection.
2) In the high end residential market there really isn't any competition, we have pretty much had this market for a few years.
But with recent major mower mfg's now making a unit in the residential market you could use JD, Scag, eXmark, Toro, Cub... etc..etc...

Pj

[dlite]

Correct, it was the single cylinder 17 hp Kohler Courage. When I test drove the Z-force the salesman there did mention that it had the Kohler Command engine which apparently is the engine used on commercial mowers. Not really sure what makes one engine a homeowner vs. commercial??

Thanks for the info re: the competition too. I may check out an Exmark Quest but at this point I'm leaning heavily towards the MFT. By the way, I don't remember from yesterday's test drive of MFT, but is the seat adjustable?

Thanks.

[wbwanzer]

I've got the single cylinder Kohler 17 hp motor on mine, and it is loud. The Honda two cylinder might be quieter. You should probably wear ear plugs no matter what machine you use. I keep mine in the cup holder when the machine is not in use. They're always there and the cup holder is open for business when you are mowing.

[fishinpa]

I've been watching this thread for a few days and felt I ought to chime in. Don't ask me why...

I bought my MFT 42/16 (Honda) last March. I've cut 3 lawns ALL last season. Let us just say they are 3/4, 1/2 and 1/2 acre lots. I put about 50+ hours on this machine and REALLY can't wait to do it again this season!

This is just my opinion. I read ‘round and ‘round this site for months before my first post. I couldn't find more that the occasional 'We have a problem Houston' post, as far as the Hustlers are concerned. I chalked that up to "Everyone is allowed a lemon once and a while" OR the problem was not the actual mower manufacturers problem,. OR someone bought the WRONG tool for the job.

I have to admit I have an issue with "MY" flex forks and the dealer has had them since about late August, last season. He's scheduled to take them to a training seminar because he understands the particular issue I'm having, and/or found, and is going to make a hands on presentation (if necessary) at this class about the issue. We both want an answer on this one. Possibly "we" are wrong, but I'll know for sure soon. When that is resolved I’ll post a complete and thorough explanation on this site somewhere but until then I'll just keep this issue to myself.

I absolutely would buy this mower again, as of today. I think the customer service is A1 from the manufacturer... not just my local dealer.

I KNOW I have the best (mower) dealer anyone could hope for. It’s tougher to get him OFF the phone than ON the phone… when he’s in the office.

[blackandgold]

As for opporators, my 13 yr old nephew has been mowing with a 16/42 Mini FasTrak for 3 years. He mows about 1.5 acres. They are the envy of the suburban neighborhood.

As for the question about stamped decks VS fabricated--- Try standing on the stamped Cub Z force deck, or the Toro Timecutter, John Deere 445 or any other competitor under $4500.

[djk]

I recently bought a MFT. I certainly would not allow a 12 year old on this machine. It is lots of fun to drive around and it moves at 7 mph. It is no toy. 2 blades whirling at 3000rpm are not something for a child to be working with, in my opinion. The bagger works very well - perhaps too well. I found that after mowing just a short distance I needed to empty the bags (after years of mulching my yard is full of old grass and leaves). Beware of the back of the bagger - it is easy to snag fences because of the increased length of the machine. You lose some of the maneuverability of the ZTR.

[wbwanzer]

I've got to add that with my MFT I don't bag and I don't mulch and I don't rake. It seems that what gets discharged gets distributed such that there is very little left. I used to have to rake after I mowed (in spring and fall) with my Cub tractor. Since getting the Hustler, there is nothing to rake. I'll admit I left the discharge chute zip tied up, instead of putting it down. I'm guessing that is why everything gets dispersed. But it's been a great advantage that I no longer have to rake.

[dlite]

Went to look at an Exmark Quest y'day but the place I went didnt' have any and I was told that because it was their first year out he didn't want to have any in stock until he see's how they work and how many problems they have. He then tried to "introduce" me to a Everride Hornet which to me seemed much more then I actually need. The MFT seems to be the best choice for my 1.4 acre lot.........all things considered.

[DJL50]

The size mower you are looking at will handle your size yard with no problem at all. I am guessing from your post you were looking at a Toro time cutter like sold at Home Depot or the such. Not a fair comparison with the hustler. The more comparable Toro unit would be the Toro Estate model. It has a 19hp Kaw and a 48" or 52" cut (I have the 52") I like it a lot. Very happy with it. That being said I was in Sam's club today and got a good look at The Hustler Mini Z. It has a lot of nice features my Toro does not have and only $500 more. Would be money well spent IMHO. When I was looking last year I was very interested in a Hustler but unfortunately their is only one dealer close to my home and their displays were horrible. Sitting outside in mud and rock and grass growing up between them. They were so packed together in a small caged in area I could not get a good look at them. No way was I going to spend 6K for a mower sitting out to rot. If last summer they would have had their displays at Sam's, as they do now, I think I may have gone with the Hustler. Looks to be a lot more mower for the money.

[akridge6]

I purchased a Quest 24/52 and it works fantastic. I love the thing it is light and fast it doesn't leave ruts when you turn and it cuts on a hill great. I was trying to decide between the MFT and the Quest also. I looked at the grass clippings and the Quest had the smaller of the two. Plus the blade tip speed was higher on the Quest. I mowed wet grass with it the other day and it didn't have any problem. I have a fescue lawn. Hope it helps.

[nmurph]

"Plus the blade tip speed was higher on the Quest."

not true!! not by much , but still the MFT bts is faster. also, the quest is more comparable to the Fasttrak 48/54".
warranty-wise, the quest and MFT both have basic 3 yr, but the MFT also adds lifetime on the frame and lifetime on the leading edge of the deck. the FT is 4 yrs and lifetime on the leading edge of the deck and on the frame.

[dlite]

Had my MFT delivered yesterday. I cut what grass I have (was minimal grass due to my yard is new and was started from seed) but loved just cruising around on it trying to get accustomed to driving ZTR. I don't own a grease gun but learned yesterday that there are 5 spots that need greasing so I guess I'll need to get one. How often should I be greasing? I haven't read the owners manual yet so sure it mentions it there. I'm guessing using a grease gun is pretty simple but where do I get one of these? Home Depot? Lowe's? Thanks.

[mowerconsultant]

Had my MFT delivered yesterday. I cut what grass I have (was minimal grass due to my yard is new and was started from seed) but loved just cruising around on it trying to get accustomed to driving ZTR. I don't own a grease gun but learned yesterday that there are 5 spots that need greasing so I guess I'll need to get one. How often should I be greasing? I haven't read the owners manual yet so sure it mentions it there. I'm guessing using a grease gun is pretty simple but where do I get one of these? Home Depot? Lowe's? Thanks.

In your case it would be once a year or every 50 hours.
You can buy a grease gun and grease at any auto parts store.

[wbwanzer]

Congratulations on getting the MFT. You'll love using it.