Going Green: Truth in Advertising

[Stephen M.]

This thread needs honest opinions about the new hype regarding Hustler's Zeon: "The Worlds First All-Electric ZTR Mower" as highlighted in an advertisement in the January 2010 issue of Lawn & Landscape".

I made inquirey to said company on another forum about the reviews I Goggled. I was not impressed by what I saw and heard in the video feed regarding this break through: "the all electric would retail around $6500 and give a run time of about 80 minutes, which is enough time to mow an acre. When used once per week or about 40 mows per year, it would save about $1000 per year over an estimated $2800 to maintain a gas powered ztr".

SAY WHAT?

This is being advertized in an industry mag, but the message from the video feed on an independent review is clearly aimed at the large grass area home owner!!!

I am equally unimpressed by the Hustler Rep's response to me on the other site:

"The Zeon has gotten a huge response from all parts of the industry. The batteries are recycleable, they are made by Trojan, similar to what you would find in a golf cart. Here are the MSRP details of the Zeon:

929141 Zeon 42" MSRP $6999
929711 Kit, 2 Bag Catcher MSRP $749
112844 Kit, Mulch MSRP $99
110737 Kit, Light MSRP $169
333724 Kit, Steering Extension MSRP $51


So, of course there is going to be a huge response when Hustler's Add in an industry mag says:

"Just unplug and mow! The worlds first all-electric zero-turn riding mower. Hustler Zeon. No gass, no oil, no fluid, no belts, no filter, no emmissions, no mess. www.hustlerturf.com/zeon.

SOOOOO, WOULD YOU PAY TO GO GREEN for a machine that gives you 80 minutes of run time per plug in?

Even if you had a solar tickle charger or was able to rig a charging unit from your truck to the Zeon, would it be enough to have any commercial value?

[MASTERMOWER]

No commercial value, but I guess you gotta start somewhere...

I love it, zero emissions. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

I guess emissions from the power plant don't count. Even funnier I believe Hustler's HQ is powered primarily through a coal plant. I guess you're not suppose to look into that far though.

BTW: what happens if it dies when you're mowing on the far back edge of the acre property?

[lawrence stone]

I just pasted up a real nice 1980ish Simplicity gear drive garden tractor 38" deck that had a blown 11hp Briggs but otherwise was mint for $50.

And I have a 12hp and 8hp briggs engines in stock.

For $100 I could have put together a machine that would have out performed the above $6.5k electric abomination.

[steve-o]

I Think It's A Great Idea...............

i have one of those bad boys here in hooterville although i have modified it somewhat so it won't run out anytime soon. ever here of DILITHIUM CRYSTALS? my sheot is the bomb for sure.

steve-o

[johnwright238]

Did you hear about the going green thing was a Government lie of sorts...it is not making headlines, but there are tapes of government officials saying the whole global warming thing was a hoax. I am not crazy. Google it

[froglawn]

i would not buy one but it could be where the industry is heading

[Stephen M.]

Yeah but

i would not buy one but it could be where the industry is heading

I know that R&D is costly and you have to start somewhere, but this protype has severe limitations and its a Joke that anybody is going to spend $7-8,000 to buy a mower that gives ONLY up to 80 minutes of run time per plug in.

A year from now, I hope Hustler tells us how many they sold to the Industry vs. the hobby homeowner who has money to burn in this tight economy.

[MASTERMOWER]

Hustler knows who will know this mower and who will not even consider it. Do you think the only subscribers to Lawn & Landscape are green industry professionals, especially considering a subscription is free of charge? Would you think a rich lawn equipment junkie homeowner would rather pour through pages of Horticulture magazine, or a trade magazine paid for through all advertiser fees? Just something to consider. :alien::alien::alien:

Right now I'm in Newton, Kansas for the week...maybe 5 miles from the Hustler offices in Hesston. I ought to venture over and get the low-down on this deal............do you want an answer from them???? :alien::alien::alien:

[sjessen]

Hustler knows who will know this mower and who will not even consider it. Do you think the only subscribers to Lawn & Landscape are green industry professionals, especially considering a subscription is free of charge? Would you think a rich lawn equipment junkie homeowner would rather pour through pages of Horticulture magazine, or a trade magazine paid for through all advertiser fees? Just something to consider. :alien::alien::alien:

Right now I'm in Newton, Kansas for the week...maybe 5 miles from the Hustler offices in Hesston. I ought to venture over and get the low-down on this deal............do you want an answer from them???? :alien::alien::alien:

I imagine they'd like to make some profit from this mower but the publicity is priceless. Going green is the rage and savvy companies are looking for ways to cash in.

[Stephen M.]

I know U R right

Hustler knows who will know this mower and who will not even consider it. Do you think the only subscribers to Lawn & Landscape are green industry professionals, especially considering a subscription is free of charge? Would you think a rich lawn equipment junkie homeowner would rather pour through pages of Horticulture magazine, or a trade magazine paid for through all advertiser fees? Just something to consider. :alien::alien::alien:

Right now I'm in Newton, Kansas for the week...maybe 5 miles from the Hustler offices in Hesston. I ought to venture over and get the low-down on this deal............do you want an answer from them???? :alien::alien::alien:

and yes, I am curious on the turkey.

I have met a few wealthy homeowners who have invested in expensive toys (for themselves) like a Walker to mow a third of an acre per week or a Badboy to mow half an acre per week, so it isn't far fetched that somebody would anti the cash over for an electric ztr.

My beotch is that I wouldn't fork over the dough for it since it only gives limited time per day: One hour and 10 minutes isn't a heck of alot of time when we run mowers 6-7 hours per day 5 days per week.

Most electric tools I have run lack the guts to do commercial work anyways. Ever try to hedge laurel using homeowner electric trimmers? How about run a Neutron lawn mower? My late Dad bought a Neutron and sent it back.

[Cadence]

I did buy a Hustler Zeon, and am less than impressed. I have about 45 hjours on it. The price has dropped, $4999, but still too much for the mower. While hustler advertises 80 minutes of mowing time, I am lucky to get 50 minutes. I am mowing about 1.5 acres, and it take me three charges, which is three days (16 hours per recharge). With all of the rain and heat this summer, as soon as I am done with the third day of mowing, I need to start all over again. If the grass is too long, you need to drive very slow since the electric blade motors will trip out. You then need to wait a bit, and cycle through the off/on sequence a few times before you can start again. Claiming no maintenance is not correct. Since I am charging and discharging the batters pretty regular (probably charging 90+ hours per week) the batteries need to be opened and water added about every two weeks. Zero emissions is not exactly accurate, but if they can claim that on electric cars, I guess they can claim it on this mower. More accurate to claim zero tailpipe emissions. The electronics on the mower also get confused a lot. At times going from forward to reverse, the mower will shut down completely. You need to sit for a few minutes, and cycle through the on/off sequence a few times. When the bateries get low enough, the blade motors shut down, leaving you enough charge to still drive back to the garage. Nice feature, but if you get off the mower to open the garage door, it consistently locks up, and you again need to let it sit for a while and cycle through the sequence. In all honesty, it has the nicest cut of any mower I have owned. But not nice enough to justify the price and hassle of dealing with it. Repeated calls and emils to the dealer or Hustler have produced nothing. I still have my 25 year old JD 318, which I feel I can't sell because of the servicability of the Zeon. After having the Zeon for 2 weeks, I put it on Craigslist for $900 under purchase price, no calls !