Export thread

One by one the central Indiana Hustler dealers are disappearing i.e. dropping the product line. My only assumption is that it is because Hustler went after the consumer market with really cheap and trash mowers and tried to keep dealers in the commercial line. I really love my 22 year old Super Z, and honestly I'd go buy a newer 72" more in the next 3 years... BUT with dealers becoming fewer and fewer I feel like I'm going to look into something else.

Anyone have any insight into why the line is being dropped beyond my assumption? I feel like Dixie Chopper did something similar (i.e. cheapened up their mowers and started losing customer base, and dealers started dropping them)... and Dixie sold out to some conglomeration if I recall.... don't even know if they are really still around.

Hustler and Big Dog are now owned by Stanley Black and Decker which also owns MTD, Cub Cadet, Troybilt, so I wouldn't be surprised if that line doesn't either get rolled into the Cub Cadet dealer line or spread to the full service dealer network.

Dixie chopper is owned by Alamo Group the company that makes Rhino equipment. They just announced within the last couple months that there had outgrown their current location and had just acquired the old factory location and will be moving production back into the original location. They used to have a nice banked oval track that they test ran the mower on.

The new owners are making new distribution deals
Down here Hustler was distributed through the whole goods divison of RGS ( my wholesale parts supplier )
MTD withdrew that and awarded it to Masport who have just been taken over by Al-Ko
New owners usually require new contracts from the old dealers and many of them will either not qualify or want to work for the new owners .
Often a new distributor will want the dealers to buy an excessively large floor stock to get money in quickly