When did Hustler go out of business?

[dirtdobber]

https://northmiss.craigslist.org/snw...263113394.html

Off on the date but a good looking machine.

[Noel Woods]

From what I recall, 1984. The machine in question advertised as a 1997 would be incorrect.

[dirtdobber]

I called and talked to the guy. He says he has all of the original paper and something he was reading from (bill of sale, I don't really know) was from Hustler in Jonesboro Ar and said it was a 1997 945 HK. Depending on the font, perhaps an 8 and 9 can look a lot alike. Even so 1987 would still be a little late.

[Noel Woods]

I took some classes at A.S.U. in Jonesboro, in 1985 while I was recovering from pneumonia. I lived pretty close to the old factory location during that timeframe. The doors and gates were locked up tight by then and there was nothing being produced at that point. Maybe there was some rebadging of new old stock machines to reflect a couple model years later, but by 1997 the company was long gone.
The 945 looks neat and you can't go wrong for the price.

[dirtdobber]

Noel I asked the guy if the body was naturally that color, or did he wipe it down with armorall or something else. He said he did nothing to it. It's just spent a lot of time in a barn.

[ARGOJIM]

Model year adjustments of new old stock are possible, we rode with a guy who bought a new 980ic in 1988. Hustler was willing to go back in production for a while if you bought the parts from them and assembled and distributed them. Of course that could have been their way of depleting stock.

[LittleG]

I remember a gentleman from Michigan that bought out Hustler and was trying to get it going again he used run our annual enduro he was around from 87 until around 92 to my knowledge he was building one machine at a time and selling them until he sold off everything left to Richard Clark who also built a couple brand new machines and sold them in 200?

[Noel Woods]

That would be the only way a late production Hustler would have been built. It's really too bad that the Michigan connection didn't work out better. I've always said that Hustler made the most attractive AATVs ever made. Kind of a similar story for Swamp Fox, fans tried to keep them going as well, and they too finally went out of business.

[dirtdobber]

I was going to go get that machine this afternoon but it already sold.

[ARGOJIM]

I remember a gentleman from Michigan that bought out Hustler and was trying to get it going again he used run our annual enduro he was around from 87 until around 92 to my knowledge he was building one machine at a time and selling them until he sold off everything left to Richard Clark who also built a couple brand new machines and sold them in 200?

Perhaps you remember Gregg's(?) machine then, I met him up there at a WYNATVA ride, maybe Enduro .