OP
As I alluded to, I just repowered my 2017 Hustler Raptor SD 60" zero-turn. I must admit, that I hate this thing. It's required far, far more of my attention than any other machine I've ever owned. My Grandnephew ran it out of gas in early December, and it sat for about a month before I got to it. It's not been doing well, bogging down in high grass, and when I went out to deal with it, there was gas pouring out of the carburetor. I had replaced it a year or two ago with a cheap Chinese one, so I sprung for an OE carb from Hustler. It still wouldn't start. A quick pressure check showed 55psi on the right and 85psi on the left. Not good. I really don't have the time to rebuild this one and zero-turns have skyrocketed in price, so I bought a direct replacement Kohler for about $1300. It was easy to take the engine out, about an hour, and easy enough to install the new one, at about twice the time. I was surprised at how easy it was to replace the blade clutch. There's not a lot of wiggle room, and the keyway was perfectly aligned somehow. I did have to flip the drive pulley as I failed to mark which way was up on disassembly.
Now, I'm experiencing the failure of the right hydrostatic transmission. These have a history of check valves backing off, so you have great traction for about a half hour and then it starts slipping and groaning. New transmissions are $800/side, but the parts to reseal both is about $150. I've also invested in an electric winch, which I will be installing in the rafters after I finish this post. It should allow an easier and safer method of jacking up the Hustler.
Now, I'm experiencing the failure of the right hydrostatic transmission. These have a history of check valves backing off, so you have great traction for about a half hour and then it starts slipping and groaning. New transmissions are $800/side, but the parts to reseal both is about $150. I've also invested in an electric winch, which I will be installing in the rafters after I finish this post. It should allow an easier and safer method of jacking up the Hustler.
