Just wanted to see if anyone else is having problems with new exmark red system. First off I have owned exmark ztr since day one. I had one of the first machines off the assembly line. Over my 23 plus years in the field we have purchased over 50 pieces of equipment. Exmark to this point has been bullet proof. Minus the issue we had with a diesel engine vibration in the past and your normal hydro pumps going. We average 650 hours per year each machine. We currently have 10 ztr that we run in are fleet. I rotate new machines in every year. This keeps the equipment fresh. Last year we purchased 3 new x series with red system and 1 that wasn't. $60,000. The one machine that wasn't the new red system is great. The 3 reds have been nothing but lemons. In the last 18 months we have had all 3 machines in the shop over and over again. All 3 had to have heads replaced. One had a complete engine rebuild after heads. Than blew out a card board gasket. All 3 are burning a quart of oil a day. Computers had to be replaced. Blades turn on when they feel like it. We have been to our local dealer. Than two other dealers. We have visited the dealer 15 times with different issues. Everything has been under warranty. But these machines will not last past the warranty running out. Theirs nothing the dealer can do. I informed them I wanted all 3 of the reds replaced. Not gonna happen. I called the exmark factory and was told that its an engine issue and that I should call kohler and complain to them. I didn't realize that i purchased two separate pieces of equipment. I tried to trade them into the dealer. Of course they wouldn't touch them. This was the first year for red. Apparently all the bugs have been worked out on the new ones. We are currently looking into switching to another brand. Its not about the purchased is about the customer service after. I feel exmark has dropped the ball and past the buck. If anyone is running into any problems with a red from last year let me know.
NY Lawn Care,
First, let me thank you for your years of dedication to Exmark products, and we’re truly sorry that your latest machine isn’t living up to the legacy you’ve come to expect from us.
“The 3 reds have been nothing but lemons. In the last 18 months we have had all 3 machines in the shop over and over again. All 3 had to have heads replaced. One had a complete engine rebuild after heads. Then blew out a card board gasket. All 3 are burning a quart of oil a day. Computers had to be replaced. Blades turn on when they feel like it. We have been to our local dealer. Than two other dealers. We have visited the dealer 15 times with different issues. Everything has been under warranty.”
While we have seen a couple early issues, this certainly hasn’t been typical at all of what we’ve seen out of the RED (or any) units...and I’m hoping you’ll see that from any feedback you receive here (not that that really matters). Most of the above issues listed don’t have anything to do with RED, in fact, none of them may. The one that’s most suspect is the blade engagement issue.
Without your serial number(s), I unfortunately can’t see any specific details on your calls to us or any service/warranty records, so forgive me if any of the following is way off base.
Really, the only issue we’ve seen with RED was the initial modules had way too short of a delay built in when sensing low oil pressure. What could happen, is basically a blip in the oil pressure signal could cause the unit to go into a safe transport mode (something as common as going off a curb, could cause an interruption in the reading of oil pressure and interrupt the signal). We increased the delay, and to my knowledge haven’t seen a repeat of that on a unit to my knowledge. If your unit has the new RED Module installed and the blades are kicking out, I’d suspect a connection issue at the clutch. Whether it’s that or some other issue, the module has blink codes that will instruct a dealer into why the blades are kicking out.
Again, without your serial number, I can’t see any details on your call to us, but I can tell you it sounds as though it should’ve been handled differently. We run a fine line when it comes to engine issues, meaning that we have to ensure the engine manufacturer has the opportunity to address issues and run their course to resolve any issue…at the same time, we need to ensure that we’re assisting the customer. Sometimes, that means staying out of the Engine Manufacturer’s way and letting them do their job, while sometimes we need to recognize that it’s time we step in and ‘help’ the engine mfgr in resolving the issue.
No matter what you buy going forward, I want to ensure that we get your current machines running correctly. Please, give us a call and ask for Lenny so I can look into the situation and see what I can find.
Thanks,
Lenny
Tech. Svc. Mgr.
Exmark Mfg. Co. Inc.
402/223-6375
