Export thread

Just got a 2023 ariens 918005 zero turn. The hour meter does not work. Contacted ariens and was told to call the store where I purchased from. They asked if I bought their extended warranty. I said no. They said they said they can't help. Contact ariens.

Forget the phone, you need to talk with them face to face.

bullet bob said:

Forget the phone, you need to talk with them face to face.

Click to expand...

Was curious if anyone else had the same problem. If so how was it fixed. Should there be 12v at the connector for the meter ? Thanks.

G-Rex said:

Just got a 2023 ariens 918005 zero turn. The hour meter does not work. Contacted ariens and was told to call the store where I purchased from. They asked if I bought their extended warranty. I said no. They said they said they can't help. Contact ariens.

Click to expand...

when you say "just got", ? ? How long ago..., did the hour meter register any hours at all; and if so, what is it showing? If your dealer gave you that bs response I'd load the thing up and take it right back to them, since you can probably expect that same kind of service on anything else.....

Considering it less than a year old then they have a problem; unless, you are using it commercially which the warranty period then changes a little. But either way I would be contacting BBB and file a complaint against the dealer you brought the mower from.

I bought an Ariens Ikon 52” last year and it Arrived with a cracked cup holder. I registered the mower as soon as I got it. I called Ariens customer service and the nice lady looked up my mower and said, “no problem, we’ll send a new one”.
Did you register the mower when you bought it?

Honest Abe said:

when you say "just got", ? ? How long ago..., did the hour meter register any hours at all; and if so, what is it showing? If your dealer gave you that bs response I'd load the thing up and take it right back to them, since you can probably expect that same kind of service on anything else.....

Click to expand...

Just got it less than 10 days ago.

G-Rex said:

Just got it less than 10 days ago.

Click to expand...

Have you talked to the owner of that dealership?

Glades Cat said:

I bought an Ariens Ikon 52” last year and it Arrived with a cracked cup holder. I registered the mower as soon as I got it. I called Ariens customer service and the nice lady looked up my mower and said, “no problem, we’ll send a new one”.
Did you register the mower when you bought it?

Click to expand...

That's crazy, lowes put mine together wrong. I had multiple problems and they just said lowes was to blame. Put my seat on wrong, so I was sitting on the engine shroud the first couple hours. Foot pedal for deck lift backwards. Also the "roll bar" was bent so one of the screws isn't in there. It freely moves back and forth and squeeks.

Cb83 said:

That's crazy, lowes put mine together wrong. I had multiple problems and they just said lowes was to blame. Put my seat on wrong, so I was sitting on the engine shroud the first couple hours. Foot pedal for deck lift backwards. Also the "roll bar" was bent so one of the screws isn't in there. It freely moves back and forth and squeeks.

Click to expand...

Worst case scenario, buy a new hour meter, install, and go back to dealer with a bill for part and labor. Depending upon they react, find another dealer for future service and leave a negative review on their website.

To troubleshoot it, there should be 12v on one side of the meter , at least, anytime the key is in the on position. Other side to ground. It they are two separate leads, they may have gotten installed reversed. You could remove the meter and using small jumper wires, connect it to any 12v source. This would rule out the meter.

I purchased a new Ariens Ikon and the hour meter didn't work. Went to my dealer and he said bring it in or he could give me a new hour meter to install if comfortable with the replacement. I replaced the meter and it didn't work either. I then checked the plug for 12v power with the key on. Didn't get a 12v reading so I carried the mower to the dealer to check. He has ordered me a new wiring harness and will install it once it arrives.

G-Rex said:

Just got a 2023 ariens 918005 zero turn. The hour meter does not work. Contacted ariens and was told to call the store where I purchased from. They asked if I bought their extended warranty. I said no. They said they said they can't help. Contact ariens.

Click to expand...

Hey G-Rex, any update on your issue? Or are you just going to bite the bullet . . . . .

If bought from a reputable, authorized dealer, the sale should have been reported to Ariens, along with the owner sending in or filling out some sort of registration. If bought elsewhere, with no paperwork, why would anyone expect any sort of warranty? Is there any indication other than serial number as to the model year and whether this machine has ever been put in service previously? It may be a 'customer return' or a 'buyers remorse' that was bought, registered and returned quickly.
If it was mine, I would be determining the existence of any sort of warranty, and if sold by a dealer, and lacking the factory coverage, as paltry as it may be, it would be on the trailer on the way back to the dealer. If the seller cannot provide and invoke a factory warranty, then there is something amiss going on that should be setteled as soon as possible. 'Time is of the essence" is held dear by lawyers and warranty vendors and they will not bend if you did not follow their explicit instructions, or were not given the chance to do so.

I just bought a Toro Titan this spring and had the same problem with the hour meter. Talked to the dealer that I bought it from and he said that the hour meter only works when deck is on. Tried it with the deck on that night and he was right, it works when the deck is on. Hope this is your problem.

Cobra93302 said:

I just bought a Toro Titan this spring and had the same problem with the hour meter. Talked to the dealer that I bought it from and he said that the hour meter only works when deck is on. Tried it with the deck on that night and he was right, it works when the deck is on. Hope this is your problem.

Click to expand...

never heard or experienced this in 20 years and several different units . . . . . .

Honest Abe said:

never heard or experienced this in 20 years and several different units . . . . . .

Click to expand...

I always thought that the hour meters worked as soon as the engine was running, but not mine. It has to be different.

it is my understanding that the purpose of an hour meter was to monitor hours on the engine use, not the blades turning. Duhhhh .....

G-Rex said:

Just got a 2023 ariens 918005 zero turn. The hour meter does not work. Contacted ariens and was told to call the store where I purchased from. They asked if I bought their extended warranty. I said no. They said they said they can't help. Contact ariens.

Click to expand...

If the dealer does not fix the problem, carry them to small claims court.

Wonder what the owners manual says about the hour meter. The thing owners should want to know and measure are engine hours to keep track of maintenance and adjustments. Sorry, who gives a fiddle about how many hours the deck has been spinning the blades.
I wonder if the power lead to the meter was connected to the wrong 'hot' lead.

Glades Cat said:

I bought an Ariens Ikon 52” last year and it Arrived with a cracked cup holder. I registered the mower as soon as I got it. I called Ariens customer service and the nice lady looked up my mower and said, “no problem, we’ll send a new one”.
Did you register the mower when you bought it?

Click to expand...

I did register it the day I got home. Found the problem is a diode that is in before the hour meter. The schematics for my machine and serial number doesn't even show this as being there but here it is. So ariens tells me to drive it an hour each way to take it to a repair shop. Then an hour again each way to pick it up. Was hoping to find the issue before having to was my time and fuel.

B&S commonly put a diode right in their harness leading from the engine. It was wrapped in heat shrink and very near the plastic connector.
You would need a diode to prevent battery discharge when the engine is off. The other need for a diode is to prevent damage by the 'back EMF' that occurs when an electric coil is disconnected or power is turned off.
I have no idea what your schematic looks like, so won't offer an opinion. I would check the diode resistance in both directions, or look at the schematic to see its purpose. I do not understand how it would be used in relation to an hour meter except to protect the meter or to provide choppy DC to the meter acting as a rectifier.
If it is worth 2 round trips, take the drive. I think I would consider making it one round trip by having the repair parts and the technician ready to fix it when you arrive. IOW, get the dealer to set up an appointment so you can wait for the service rather than driving twice. It certainly could not take 2 hours to replace a wiring harness or replace a diode(remove a diode?).
tom

toro time cutter solved the problem... theirs comes without an hour meter