20/52 Fastrak attachment questions

[ejdago]

I have a 2003/4 Fastrak 20hp Honda, 52" cut model. I currently only have an aluminum side grass catcher and am considering upgrading to a rear catcher. Are there any advantages to a rear bagger over a side catcher other than the amount to be bagged between dumping? currently using gator blades with the mulching kit, but unless you mow every other day, clumping is inevidable. What is the correct bagger that i need?

Also, I'm considering buying the snowblower attachement for it. Is this still available? My driveway is about 200' long, so I'm thinking that this is the way to go. Do I need weight added or tire chains? Is it a bad idea to use this machine year round. Part number and cost if still available? Would love to find a used one, but they don't seem very common.

Thanks for the help!

[mowerconsultant]

The rear catcher is going to allow you to get in tighter areas since you dont have as wide of a unit with the side catcher.
You will also be able to bag more grass between dumping.
Either catcher will do what you need, the $$ are the main difference between the 2.
There are some of the snowblowers still around new, your going to have to have your dealer check with is Hustler regional warehouse to locate one for him.
I dont have pricing on them, since we havent offered them for a few years now.

Pj

[ddrk44]

ejdago - I am up in NH and have a 2006 FT 18hp Honda w/44" deck. I have both a rear grass catcher/bagger and the snowblower attachment, which I believe would be the same as what you need on your machine. Reason I first looked Hustler was the snowblower option, as my old machine was no longer dependable for winter use.

Through my Hustler dealer - 48" snowblower was $1800 or so, and the rear mounted grass catcher (bagger w/blower unit) was $1000.

Couple of comments - My driveway is 800' and I've used the snowblower now for 2 winters. For the most part, it does an ok job, but appears to have been designed for lighter midwest snow, not heavy NE snow - so performance for me is less than ideal (compared to say Bercomac). The concept of a 2-stage snowblower on a zero turn is fantastic when compared to the same attachment on a regular style mower for manuverability. I did have some trouble with tire chains - clearance on inside of tire was not sufficient, so I use wheel hub extenders that provide an extra 2" so chains do not scrape against the frame. You will also need a rear weight box, which is a dealer option or you can fabricate your own.

I just purchased the rear bagger a couple of weeks ago. My dealer told me that our NE distributor had several in stock that fit the older models (which need the older style bagger unit). The new rear bagger looks to be a much better design, but is far more expensive and may not fit on older models. Have only used the bagger twice, but so far it is functioning as expected and did a great job picking up grass and debris after dethatching lawn.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[ejdago]

ejdago - I am up in NH and have a 2006 FT 18hp Honda w/44" deck. I have both a rear grass catcher/bagger and the snowblower attachment, which I believe would be the same as what you need on your machine. Reason I first looked Hustler was the snowblower option, as my old machine was no longer dependable for winter use.

Through my Hustler dealer - 48" snowblower was $1800 or so, and the rear mounted grass catcher (bagger w/blower unit) was $1000.

Couple of comments - My driveway is 800' and I've used the snowblower now for 2 winters. For the most part, it does an ok job, but appears to have been designed for lighter midwest snow, not heavy NE snow - so performance for me is less than ideal (compared to say Bercomac). The concept of a 2-stage snowblower on a zero turn is fantastic when compared to the same attachment on a regular style mower for manuverability. I did have some trouble with tire chains - clearance on inside of tire was not sufficient, so I use wheel hub extenders that provide an extra 2" so chains do not scrape against the frame. You will also need a rear weight box, which is a dealer option or you can fabricate your own.

I just purchased the rear bagger a couple of weeks ago. My dealer told me that our NE distributor had several in stock that fit the older models (which need the older style bagger unit). The new rear bagger looks to be a much better design, but is far more expensive and may not fit on older models. Have only used the bagger twice, but so far it is functioning as expected and did a great job picking up grass and debris after dethatching lawn.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I appreciate the advice. My driveway is only about 200', and am currently using a pretty nice ariens snowblower that works pretty well. My thought was just that why maintain two engines, etc, and instead get year round use of my mower, not to mention that it would take about 1/2 the time which would be nice. I didnt realize that the attachement was 1800, plus chains, plus weights. Must be well over 2K. Do you think it's worth it? How does it work compared to a regular snowblower (ariens, toro, etc)?

I have an aluminum side grass catch that workw well, but fills up quick and can be awkward to dump and handle. I thought that the rear catcher would be a nice addition - but not sure if it's worth it over my side catcher.

[ddrk44]

You will find attachments are expensive, so if your current Ariens does a decent job, I would keep using it. For me, my old Husqvarna garden tractor was on it's last leg, and I was able to sell my 2 stage bercomac snowblower to a friend who could mount it on his unit. The reason I picked Hustler was cut quality, dependability, and the unit had a snowblower attachment available (I knew the costs upfront).