Hustler Raptor SD - Broken Transmission Bracket Upgrade
Check it out!
In today's video, we'll be upgrading the broken transmission mounts / brackets on this Hustler Raptor SD zero turn riding lawn mower!
The original brackets aren't built strong enough, and end up cracking, which puts additional stress on the other brackets, and eventually leads to them breaking as well.
Hustler manufactured upgraded brackets (part numbers listed below) that are covered under the warranty period, but can be purchased separately.
The newer style upgrade kit even includes a "Plate doubler" that adds additional strength to the frame.
Model: Hustler 938670
Part numbers;
Transmission Bracket Kit: Hustler 125255
Transmission Cross Brace Kit: Hustler 123292
I should note that the instructions recommend using a 7/16" drill bit to drill the upper holes on the bracket, but I found it was slightly too large, so I used a 13/32" drill bit and the bolt fit through perfectly.
Apart from that, just follow the steps in this video, or follow the instructions included with the kit, and your equipment will be back up and running in just a few hours!
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My customer (who owns a landscaping company) asked me if he should blame his employees for being too rough on the equipment? I said absolutely not! This is a design flaw plain and simple. The manufacturer should've known those little brackets weren't going to be strong enough.
Should have been a recall on these mowers, Hustler knew there was a problem with these mowers (raptor SD) but other than do the recall they built a set new brackets so they can sell them to you and you can fix the junk at your expense
@@larrylupton6898 even the new brackets break lol this customer came back again, belt slipped off because the brackets broke. These raptor SD's are junk, I told him to sell it! I called the dealer and they said the whole frame twists.
@EliminatorPerformance I would agree with that. I'm about to do this for the 2nd time almost exactly 1 year after the first complete bracket swap to the 'upgraded' kit that I did. Next time I'll be buying a new mower.
Mine broke at 71 hours, accessed by mechanic of being rough on it. I never been rough on any equipment. Factory flaw. Fixed no charge warranty.
Just got my new crossmember and plates kit delivered. Thank you for making this video. Clear directives, excellent camera work, and detailed explanations make this video very easy and enjoyable to watch. I subscribed to the channel, too! Thanks again!
Use lock time on bolts .
Use locktite on bolts.
Great video. Thank you for sharing your time and expertise. I don't have any cracked YET but will make the upgrade before that happens.
Excellent video on this. I don't have any broken brackets but I can't keep a drive belt on it. I have the parts now and will upgrade it all. Thank you.
Best video on KZhead for diagnosing and fixing this problem . Thanks !!!
One of the best informational videos I have seen in a long time. You have a great gift for this, please keep the videos coming.
Thanks John!
Just ordered an upgrade kit. Thank you for posting the Ref #s.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I thought I was going to be welding this sucker up, but Im going to get it done right. I'll never buy another hustler mower, this is for sure.
Got one in today with same problem,thanks for making my life easier.
Good luck Jungle bob!
My kit had no instructions with it , so thanks for this video
Mine just broke on the left side. Guess I'll be upgrading. Thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing, I have the same problem, but more extinctive all my brackets that you shown have cracked/ snaped. I have two acers of flat yard and drive at a moderate speed when mowing, I bought my mower brand new (7/2020) and always maintained it as per the manual, So I was surprised when i found all cracked brackets, Hustler needs to come up with some kind of bushing kit to relieve all or at least some of the fracturing.
Unfortunately even these new thicker brackets can crack. The issue is the frame twists on these which leads to more stress on the brackets.
I had a Gravely zero turn come in with both front trans axles brackets broken. Had to fabricate and weld new brackets to double up strength to hold for longevity.
I downsized the drill bit also, it worked. Get the kit…replace everything in the kit!!! Don’t skimp on this, do it all. It’s easy work but hard to get your fingers on nuts and bolts in some places. It makes the machine work like new!
Thank you Thank you Thank you man I just found out mine was broken today I’ll be ordering this kit tomorrow
Good day Yea I bet some of them fellows really move with those things. If they soft floatation tires it might help absorb bumps. Thanks good job on 24 hr. service.
Awesome video man. Very professional. Easy to use. I was able to screenshot parts, part numbers etc. I was using my girlfriend's hustler sd and i thought the drive belt broke again because i just replaced it 🙄 and i did it with one hand in a cast lol. But when she come to help me push it, she notices that the right side back tire was tilted out and I got to looking an seen the cross piece was broken on that side and where it wraps around that bolt was almost out. So not sure her year model yet, but the parts looked the same best i can remember. So anyways, this is a sad problem that hustler should have recalled
Hustler will cover some/all of the costs when the units hours are under 350. The tire tilt is the real obvious indication of a problem.
Thanks Bud!
Like your format Eliminator Performance.
Thanks for watching!
what a great video.. this machine should of been built stronger when manufactured.. I mean it's not a cheap machine.. Great video. great repair tips. thank EP
Thanks for watching!
This is not a Coincidence but HEAVEN SENT.. I just bought a used 2018 raptor SD 54" with 203 hr.s yesterday 6/21/22 and the salesman mentioned they changed out the middle brackets but said nothing about the other 5.. I've yet to bring it home so you can bet your last bottom dollar ill be having a discussion with the salesman.. He was a very good professional man. but im so glad i looked for this particular video and found one.. Gotta admit i dont know whether its a good thing or bad thing .. LOL.. THANKS FOR THE PROFESSIONALISM OF THIS VIDEO.. PEACE PRAYERS LOVE..
Hey thanks for watching, and be sure to check out this video by another channel kzhead.info/sun/fpd9qrJ5bJlmdXk/bejne.html it goes over the issues with these units. Unfortunately, even after these upgraded transmission mounts were installed, this unit had to be repaired again. Even the XD brackets cracked because the entire frame of this unit isn't built strong enough, so it twists, which leads to these cracking. Watch that video, he explains it well. Not all models are affected, and there's upgrades you can do, or ask the salesman to include.
very good work thanks
Just broke two brackets at 150 hours! Will be my first and last Hustler machine.
Thank you!!
One luck lawn care business being able to get that equipment back into use in one day, really surprised you were able to source the kit within the same day. As usual great video keep up the good work son.
Thanks for watching! And happy father's day!
tell me bout it this happened to me today basically 1. it was a major pain to get the drive belt on. 2. I broke a bracket in the process lol. I really hope I can mow as long as I can without it popping a belt again. this took more than half a day
@@sunnydelight4991 Nice to have another person pull on the spring loaded idler pulley so it is easy to install the drive belt.
The kits are readily available because they fail often.
@@Homesteadturcke Which within a short period of time leads to back ordered items. Just like the B&S ACR eh
Yo yo ,🇬🇧 hope all is good. Another great video.. hope you and the old man are ok
Thanks Mick, today is father's day here in Canada so we're just hanging out relaxing, no work today!
@@EliminatorPerformance yeah same here.. father's Day.. been to see my old man today.. nice to see him after all this covid is starting to relax now..
Mine broke at 196 hours. Luckily they had the heavy duty rebuild kit on hand. They said it was a factory design flaw covered under the warranty. If you have one they will replace it even if it isn’t broke yet.
Yes but not when the mower is used for "commercial purposes" unfortunately. This is technically a residential mower, the XD is the commercial grade unit that has the beefier brackets from the factory.
Súper thank.
Thanks for watching!
upgrade the bolts to grade 8... as for extra strength coincide the muffler guard. I just used a piece of angle. It did the same thing. Also maybe weld in a gusset for the side brackets. They take most of the abuse. Yea, I've got the same mower.
I think the upgrade kit comes with grade 5 bolts (110,000 lb tensile strength), grade 8 bolts are 150,000 lbs. Do you know what the OEM bolt tensile strength is? I know more is better but wondering if grade 8 bolts are really necessary.
@@dictumfactum9468 I put in G5 bolts and 1 busted, now got G8 and no problems.
Surprised how one side bent without other bending too.
Great video! I'm helping a friend whose left rear bracket broke. There may be other broken brackets, as well. I'll have to check. I just have one question.....on the rear brackets where the hydraulic lock pull ring goes through the slot, how did you remove the pull ring? Was it difficult? What is it attached to on the other end? I hope I'm being clear! Thanks!
I believe they were just pinned with a spring clip if I remember correctly
Had to replace mine. It should have been a recall item instead of another $120.
Hey My Friend . I need to now información for tha brackets for My hustler 54
Some people have this happening in under 200h. Mine came with the upgraded crossmember and my brackets lasted just over 400h.
This one has had it done 3 times so far, 1st after the thin brackets failed. And then another 2 times after that believe it or not. The frames on these SD units twist.
I have one with 200hrs mine broke at 60hrs and they told me it already had the upgraded brackets from the factory. Huster wouldn't cover it. Yesterday they broke again at 201hr. Now I guess I am going to replace since hustler didn't pay for them the first time. Then I am selling this junk.
Mine had this happen just over 100h
@@benjaminszymanski2632 sell the machine it'll likely keep happening, the upgraded kit they sell still break because the frames twist. Get the XD if you want to stick with hustler
What about replacing the bottom crossover bracket. Would you replace it first or do that one last? Great video on the other brackets
I would remove it and do the other brackets 1st to properly position the individual transmissions, then you can link them together. Otherwise it might be harder to position them like it was when I did this one. I really used the jack and tapered rod to align things.
What about the bolts. Would you upgrade to harder bolts ?
@@davidwilliams6154 well the kit comes with the bolts necessary, which I believe are stronger than the original.
That machine was built in January of 2019. It was under warranty for those replacements at no cost to the owner. The lower cross member was standard on that machine.
My customer bought this unit 2nd hand (as shown by the previously welded trans brackets, so it's had some abuse). When I initially called the Hustler dealer and provided them with the model and serial number (to verify that I had the correct part numbers), they said it wasn't covered, which is why I had to purchase the kit. Had the kit been covered under warranty, I would not have charged my customer.
@@EliminatorPerformance That's a damned shame. I'm the owner of the Hustler Mower Owners Official Group in Facebook as well as in a few forums and other venues. If it is a '19, it is covered. But then, he probably would rather sell it and bill it back to the company since he has the serial # that can be charged back. Just a guess.
By the way, the dealer can't supply a shop the parts, that is correct. They also can't supply the parts directly to the end users. They can, however, replace the pieces for the end user without cost within their own dealership.
@@MaxsGarajMahal yes I'm aware they won't give me the parts at no cost, as they would have to do it themselves. What I meant is I asked them if it was still covered under warranty and they said no. So that's why I ordered the parts through them to replace myself. Had the parts and labour been covered, I would've just sent my customer to them, as they were the ones who went to pick up the parts anyways. This mower has been through some serious abuse, as the PTO clutch was replaced not long after this video was done. The upper bearing was cooked, appears they used a metal seal on the original Warner PTO clutch bearing, so I ordered a OEM 5219-191 from Warner, and low and behold they upgraded the bearings with rubber seals. So much for 3yr limited warranty lol I complained to Warner and that got me no where, since it was used for "commerical purposes."
@@EliminatorPerformance It is funny to me how many more Hustler Raptors from the cheapest one to the highest priced one are doing commercial duties compared to the 'commercial' models. Considering the frames were not well thought out, the rest of the unit is decent and should hold up to commercial duty. I've seen Raptors with well over 2000 hours without so much as a replacement part. I have a 2014 Raptor SD60, 2009 Fastrak 42 and a 2005 Super Z. You can't tell one bit of difference in the yard once I've put the mowers away which did which part of a yard. That is important more so than anything. A startup business can get started with a non-commercial machine and begin making money immediately. Hard to do if buying a machine that costs 5 times more. The dealership also decided not to warranty those parts due to making it a commercial cop out. Sad to say the least. Good video. You presented well.
Was left side black piece just s piece of angle used to repair previously broken. Put on by the welder of the other bracket?
It actually looked like a genuine OEM part, simply painted black. So as I said in the video, it appears it's been repaired before. My customer bought this used in 2019 from someone else. At least now it has the upgraded brackets, and should not fail under load.
This is a good video. But where did you find this complete kit? Mine is broken on the left side and in the front. Thank you
Google Hustler lawn mower dealer, and find one local to you and give them a call. I heard they will warranty these, but not if they've been "commercially used" so make sure you say you just use it to cut grass at your house. They wouldn't warranty this one because it's used for a landscaping business.
I’m not sure but I feel like it’s an 17 model I got in 18.
Have the HD60, great engine but every bracket I have has had to be replaced. Terrible quality of bolts brackets etc.
Interesting, how did you learn about the updated kit?
Google the model, find the part numbers, then it says it's been superceded
So these brackets would cause the drive belt to keep breaking correct I have the hustler 60” deck
Yes most likely, my customer got lucky, if you look only the right trans fan was damaged, but it wasn't completely broken. When the brackets fail, everything goes out of alignment. This causes issues with the drive. You want all brackets to be upgraded using the kit.
@@EliminatorPerformance bought the kit today appreciate your video bud
Great video!! I am currently looking for this beef-up kit for my Hustler Raptor 52" (Model 937854). Can you point me to that kit?
Numbers 8,11,15 and 16 You'd have to see if they are superceded to the newer numbers. Get part numbers of those brackets then do some searching. store.germanbliss.com/hustler-turf-52in-raptor-kawasaki-fr691-23hp-937854-parts-frame-parts
@@EliminatorPerformance thank you, Sir! This is perfect.
@@lothlorien9068 there was no beef up kit for mine at my local store so I got the same type as what came with the mower
I have the same mower, I bought new and have 160hrs on it. I “thought” I was buying a heavier duty machine and everyone said I would get hundreds of hours out of the wheel motors and kawasaki engine, which I take great care of, I never thought the “frame” would COMPLETELY FALL APART!I just took it to the dealer, it’s gonna cost $600 or so, and I am past the 3 year 300 hour warranty... how many hours did you have fixing this?
About 3.5hrs. Interestingly, the dealer quotes this bracket job at 2hrs, and the cross brace job at 1.5hrs, which maybe on a brand new model I could see, but when the trans is shifted and you need to realign everything, it takes more time. I filmed so it took a bit longer than that. I charge $65/hr plus the $128 for the kit so the bill came out to about $440 Canadian
I just contacted the manufacture, since I am over 5 years, but have under 350hrs they will give me a price break on the bracket kit for $30. But I still pay labor, my local shop is telling me 3hrs at $89/hr that is in maryland, U.S.
@@arubanjames 3hrs is reasonable, and the price break on kit is fair. Apart from labour costs, that's honestly fair.
Where did you get the 1/4" brackets? My model # is 935833 a 2017 model.
Google your local hustler dealer and give them a call, provide them with a model number. This unit wasn't covered under warranty because it's been used for commercial purposes (landscaping company).
I have to do this job thanks i going to share
Where did you buy the kit from?
Directly from hustler dealer
I did the upgrade and a year later it is broken again. Think I will repair it and sell it. OR I will make my own brackets that will not break.
Sell it, the frames twist. Even the stronger mounts will break. This one has been done 3 times so far.
@@EliminatorPerformance Guess I will have to talk to the wife. Hard to buy a new mower when this one only has 130 hours on it but if it can't hold up then no use to keep it. I can promise it will not be a Hustler. Probably going to look at a eXmark.
@@smellfunny1864 the hustler XD's are good, look for a tubular frame
@@EliminatorPerformance I welded the bracket today and even enhanced it by making the bracket mount to the bottom and top of the transmission where the long small bolt is located by where the hydro disengages. The belt is still flying off. I don't see anything else that is cracked or broke.
How many hours on that when they broke?
Anywhere from 1.5-3 depending on how much out of alignment it is
@@EliminatorPerformance I meant how many hours on the mower. Thank you for the quick reply!
@@EliminatorPerformance I'm asking because I just bought a Raptor XL
@@rbbfpe I'm not too sure exactly, few hundred forsure
Shame on hustler for using such thin metal. I will say Hustler designed this mower for residential use I don't think they intended it to be used by commercial cutters like me. One of my dealers does sell Hustler but they only recommend the Raptor to residential customers.
I believe the raptor xd has the thicker plates
Hustler should have replaced everyone’s brackets for free for life. They never notified buyers. Total BS!
Yea they denied warranty on this unit and then after I fixed it they broke again not long after lol the issue with these are the frames twist so the brackets will always break
The Hustler aka Bigdog machines are designed terribly. These brackets ultimately break on every machine.
Face people I’ve been hearing too many issues with the hustler raptor SD riding lawnmower. They’re no good including their belts and pulleys. When you buy it brand new and they have issues a few months after you bye it they’re no good I know this for a fact.
I don't recommend the SD version but the XD version never had these issues. The main problem is the frame twists, which allows these brackets to flex. Once these flex, they break, then the belt gets misaligned and the pulleys get a bit damaged. It's a huge chain reaction that doesn't take long at all.
Kit fixes it, very pleased after kit. All no charge from dealer. Took way to long to get kit.
I have this problem now. I will never buy another hustler product. Total shit!
BIG DOG MOWERS ARE CRAP