Zero turns are nothing new, they have been around for quite a while. The Troy-Bilt Mustang 50 is one of the easiest if not the easiest to operate Zero-turn on the market. Troy-Built put all the operating controls on the right side making everything readily available. The throttle is combined with the choke and a multi function LCD display tells you your hours and voltage. The yellow PTO knob is located right next to these controls. Another ease of use feature that Troy-Bilt added was to integrate the parking brake into the lap bars. Spreading the adjustable lap bars apart engages the parking brake. This is a feature that all zero-turns should have.
The Mustang 50 is powered by a 25HP Kohler which gives it enough power to get through the deepest grass. The Kohler starts every time and it ran smoothly with no problems whatsoever. It has easy to access filters and removable grass screen on the top of the motor. Maintenance should be a breeze with this unit. The build quality of this machine is one of the best I have seen. The front wheel casters are connected to a boxed in front axle which is extremely strong and is user serviceable. Check out the video below of the aggressive tests that they do to their mowers. The 50″ deck has 3 blades that leave a nice uniform cut at the rate of 2-1/2 acres an hour.. Discharge is thrown far and spreads out to reduce clumping. An optional bagger allows your to capture all your clippings. You can step on the deck from either side to sit on the mower without doing any damage. As with almost all mowers these days it also has a deck wash feature.
Comfort is in abundance on this mower, it feels comfortable and the slanted foot rest setup is great even for the tallest people. The bars are padded to absorb most of the mower’s vibration. I have shallow drainage ditches in my yard and compared to other mowers I have used the Mustang 50 felt more stable on slopes. The site gas gauge allows you to see how much is left in the 2.8 gallon tank. I have just under an acre and could get almost 3-4 mows in before refueling. The mower was precise and allowed me to get into tight areas. The big fenders protect the rider from dirt and debris and have areas to hold cups and other items. The Troy-Bilt Mustang 50 is built like a tank! It has a 3 year residential warranty and a full lifetime warranty.
Great writeup Dan! Thats a great looking mower, and very compact!
Thanks Chase
Great review Dan! I love that thing. It will last and last. Is there anything you didn’t like about it?
Thanks Herald, Not really, it is a general all around good mower. As time goes on I will see if any issues or dislikes arrive.
I wish it had 2 gas tanks. I also wish it had deck assist. A foot pedal deck lifter is awesome, your legs are stronger than your arms and sometimes you just want to raise the deck for a split second due to a bump or sprinkler head and a foot pedal allows you to do that. I still think Kubota and Xmark are the best but Troy Bilt have a good reputation. Does it even have a vac system avaiable?
Yes, a multch and vac kit
Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why the Mustang 50 has hinge holes where the storage tray is on just behind the key? Mine, and all the ones I’ve seen pictures of, have the slots for a cover but there is no cover. Considering the quality of the machine and the care and attention Troy Bilt took to build this thing one would think they would have finished the build by closing that little bin. I love my mower and appreciate that it’s all operated by hand controls as my legs don’t work any more and now I can help with the lawn work.
Weird, I though it had a lid too
I know this is old but I suspect you can buy that lid from the company. As the same parts are installed on several different models and brands, I suspect you can find the door on other brands.
It’s a great mower and I do love mine, but I think it’s funny how the owners manual doesn’t show you how to do any maintenance at all, which forces you to to load it up and take it to someone who knows what they are doing…. I bought mine from Lowe’s and they don’t even carry a simple air filter for it!!! Very frustrating.
It’s been a couple of years since you did the review. How’s the mower holding up? I’m considering purchasing one. Thanks!
It is a great mower! Rather it have a briggs but still running strong.
Had mine for 2 years. Been hauled to the shop three times now. Once under warranty and won’t do that again. Lowe’s sends warranty jobs 250 miles away to Cincinnati OH. Took one month. Now a local shop on my own. The power or drive belt has come off 3 times. This is not a consumer fix. The shop has to disassemble parts to get a belt back on. This time I had a new belt installed and so far after 2 months, still going. Doesn’t seem to be any belt guards on it. If a small stick gets up, the belt is going to come off. Other than that, I really like it. Too date I have about $350 in repairs, all for the same thing.
My third summer with mine, and I still love it, mowing 3.5 acres, probably 20 times in the season. Only quirk is the valve cover gasket was leaking and had to send it to a warranty covered shop that was lame and took 5 weeks for the cycle. My only con would be to allow consumers to replace simple parts like this, and other small items to cut down on cycle time.
I would love to get a zero turn mower. I have a large yard. I use a slow tractor to mow it. It takes a long time. Maybe this will speed up my time.
I have the Troy-Bilt Mustang 34″ zero turn mower and I hate it. Slow to react. Crappy engine that even on 2nd highest cut doesn’t cut grass and you have to go over and over it. The back tire will lock up making you leave marks on lawn. I have never seen a cheaper wire to lock and unlock wheels. I paid $2350 and it was too much for this mower. You can’t mow backwards with blades engaged. All the other zero turns I have used ,you could. Trust me ,don’t buy their 34″ mower ,you will be dissatisfied . I should not have tried this mower after I bought a Troy Bilt Trimmer and it went out the second time I tried to trim lawn. Troy-bilt has gone down since their first 22″ mulching mower which I have two of that after 20 years still work great.
I am needing a replace mower deck for my Mustang 50″ mower. Are other mower decks that would interchange with the Troy Bilt. I am wanting a used deck, new decks are pretty expensive.
I bought me a Troy-Bilt Mustang 50 Zero-Turn in or around 2007 or 8, didn’t know how to operate it but gave myself lessons on my own yard until I got familiar with handling it, then I started cutting grass in the neighborhood for my neighbors for free. Whenever I cut my own grass, I went around and cut grass where I saw it needed cutting, I thought it made everything around look better. Some people didn’t know who was cutting their lawn, when they found out that I was doing it for them, some of them tried to give me something but I told them that I just loved cutting grass so that was just something I wanted to do, I wouldn’t take anything from them. It kept me busy since I retired from my job in 2005. It gave me peace of mind. Now, here it is 2021 and my Zero-Turn has decided that it doesn’t want to keep giving me pleasure anymore, it don’t want to start up for me. Sometimes I have to jump it off or carry it to the lawn mower shop and have some work done on it. I’m thinking about getting me another Troy-Bilt Mustang 50. I purchased my mower from Lowe’s but they don’t sell them anymore, so I have been trying to find more at reasonable prices for me. (smile) I need my mower, I’ve got a back problem and the vibration helps my back, at least that’s what my mind tells me. (My mower is my therapy. That is what’s keeping me going. I think it is time for a new one, what do you guys think? (smile) I guess I could get one from you since I don’t know where to go look at one and price it. I love my Troy-Bilt Zero-Turn Mustang 50. This is how much I miss it, I set in my room on the computer, and watch the videos of people on Zero-Turns cutting grass, that’s how much I miss my mower. (smile) No, I’m not crazy, I just miss and love my mower.
Hello I was wondering why the right wheel all of sudden stop pulling any body knows what do I need to do to fixed it
Probably that pulley on top of the trans axle . .there is one for each side.
Great review! I’m considering the Troy-Bilt Mustang 50 for my yard, and your insights on its performance and ease of use really helped. Thanks for breaking down the key features!