Any Grasshopper Mower Owners?

[FWP9MM]

I have been wanting to upgrade my mower and stumbled across a 2002 Grasshopper 718 with 52" deck. It is in excellent shape with 390 hours on the original 18hp Briggs engine. New blades with mulching kit and hydros were serviced last year. Picked it up for $2,600 which I felt was fair for a low hour commercial mower.

For those that own Grasshopper mowers, are there any problem areas or dislikes about the brand? They seem to be over built and last from what I have seen.

This will replace my 52" Hustler Raptor residential grade mower. While the Hustler is a decent mower, it just isn't fast enough for a little under 3 acres and the blade tip speed needed to be a little higher as I occasionally had stragglers that would require me to slow down or take a second pass.

 

[RustyHornet]

Should serve you well. I just retired my 1991 718 with over 8,700 hours on it. It's original engine had long since been gone, but most everything else was original as far as I could tell. Very nice mower, little slow for me, but the engine was wore out so I wasn't getting all the power. That's why I retired it, 18hp Briggs is not making enough power to climb a hill or turn the blades fast enough to cut the grass. I love the front mount deck. Replaced it with a 2013 John Deere Z920M, friend owns a landscaping business and runs 6 of those. That's the only reason we went with that.

 

[SMiller]

I have been wanting to upgrade my mower and stumbled across a 2002 Grasshopper 718 with 52" deck. It is in excellent shape with 390 hours on the original 18hp Briggs engine. New blades with mulching kit and hydros were serviced last year. Picked it up for $2,600 which I felt was fair for a low hour commercial mower.

For those that own Grasshopper mowers, are there any problem areas or dislikes about the brand? They seem to be over built and last from what I have seen.

This will replace my 52" Hustler Raptor residential grade mower. While the Hustler is a decent mower, it just isn't fast enough for a little under 3 acres and the blade tip speed needed to be a little higher as I occasionally had stragglers that would require me to slow down or take a second pass.

I would recommend a tiny tach if your zero turn doesn't have a tach, I set RPMs with the PTO on while parked on grass then I set them 200rpm over.

You can also move the governor spring as there should be three holes for the spring to latch into so that it will be much more responsive, this way when you hit a tuff spot of grass you already have full tip speed and the motor will power right through it.

Some governors clamp down onto a round rod, you loosen the nut and turn it then clamp it back down.

People are always shocked when I set a zero turn mower up to run, it is a night and day difference.

I tell you this as it applies to all small motors and mowers and makes a world of difference. Everything I have described can be done in less then 5min. and there are several YouTube videos.

 

[edporch]

I have a 2008 model 727T6, with a 27hp Kohler and a 61" inch front deck.
It was bought used about 4-5 years ago with 467 hours on it.

It's been a GREAT mower, and I've never regretted buying it.

I STRONGLY recommend using a front mower deck instead of a mid mounted one.

The front deck can reach under things much better, and will greatly reduce the amount of hand trimming you have to do.

 

[SMiller]

I have a 2008 model 727T6, with a 27hp Kohler and a 61" inch front deck.
It was bought used about 4-5 years ago with 467 hours on it.

It's been a GREAT mower, and I've never regretted buying it.

I STRONGLY recommend using a front mower deck instead of a mid mounted one.

The front deck can reach under things much better, and will greatly reduce the amount of hand trimming you have to do.

Zero, zero pro's use front mount mowers, not saying they don't work ok for home owners and they are great under pine trees but a front mount mower is slower for a pro to use.

 

[edporch]

Zero, zero pro's use front mount mowers, not saying they don't work ok for home owners and they are great under pine trees but a front mount mower is slower for a pro to use.

Maybe, if you have somebody else to do the increased trimming a mid mounted deck leaves.
I personally hate trimming.

 

[SMiller]

Maybe, if you have somebody else to do the increased trimming a mid mounted deck leaves.
I personally hate trimming.

Deck width being the same and the front wheels being the same distance in front of the deck the only advantage to a front mount is that it allows you to put the deck under limbs that you would not be able to access with a mid mount.

Myself I trim trees up so I can get under them or I bring the mulch bed out so I don't have to get under them.

Front mount is heavier and has 2 extra wheels as well as more belts/pullies.

A mid mount will allow you to pull into/back into tighter spaces and turn in tighter spaces as you don't have the rear to swing around and hit stuff. It will also hold a tighter contour.

 

[FWP9MM]

I would recommend a tiny tach if your zero turn doesn't have a tach, I set RPMs with the PTO on while parked on grass then I set them 200rpm over.

You can also move the governor spring as there should be three holes for the spring to latch into so that it will be much more responsive, this way when you hit a tuff spot of grass you already have full tip speed and the motor will power right through it.

Some governors clamp down onto a round rod, you loosen the nut and turn it then clamp it back down.

People are always shocked when I set a zero turn mower up to run, it is a night and day difference.

I tell you this as it applies to all small motors and mowers and makes a world of difference. Everything I have described can be done in less then 5min. and there are several YouTube videos.

Thanks for the info, I will look into this.

 

[Earl Sinclair]

My dad is on his second Grasshopper and loves it. The suspension travel on it was equal the flex in the tire sidewalls and the foam in the seat, so the ride got a little rough if you tried to go full speed over anything but very smooth ground. To it's credit, the mower still cut beautifully. As SMiller mentioned, the front deck is great with pine trees. They do tend to be long, so not quite as nimble as other brands in tight spaces.

 

[FWP9MM]

I mowed today with the Grasshopper and was able to shave 45 mins off of what it took with the Hustler Raptor. Both mowers have a 52" deck, but the Grasshopper is about 2mph faster. With the front mount it is easier for me to leave very little overlap, which is also saving me time.

The Grasshopper has a mulching kit with gator blades and I am impressed with the cut, especially over the septic leach bed. The only thing I need to get used to is having the wheels out back of the mower. Picked up 91 octane ethanol free gas at the local Country Mark station, which I plan to run exclusively in my equipment going forward.

 

[edporch]

Deck width being the same and the front wheels being the same distance in front of the deck the only advantage to a front mount is that it allows you to put the deck under limbs that you would not be able to access with a mid mount.

Myself I trim trees up so I can get under them or I bring the mulch bed out so I don't have to get under them.

Front mount is heavier and has 2 extra wheels as well as more belts/pullies.

A mid mount will allow you to pull into/back into tighter spaces and turn in tighter spaces as you don't have the rear to swing around and hit stuff. It will also hold a tighter contour.

I only have to mow 5-6 acres or so.

In my case, I'm not at liberty to trim the small trees higher so I can drive next to them underneath the limbs, or put down mulch, as neither of these things are things I have control over (they're not my small trees).

The overall longer length of my front mount Grasshopper is of no disadvantage to me in my mowing situations, and I'm fully able to get into every space I need to.

The bottom line for me is I end up with little it any trimming, and ALL I have to do is just get on the mower and mow, then put it away and I'm done.

FOR ME, a mid mount mower deck is not my best choice, YMMV.