I Bought a ZT Mower yesterday; Now I'm displeased..What do I do?

[realtimeeyes@msn.com]

I bought a Hustler Sport 42" with the 17.5 HP Briggs engine..The dealer's trailer is broke so I had to pick it up myself..I mowed when I got home; It mowed OK but not like everyone brags about on this site..The engine seems very weak..Today I notice that after about 60% throttle the engine seems to run rough..Also, the mower seems to vibrate when the deck is engaged; It took about a half hour for me to notice the vibration..I had serious reservations about the Briggs engine before I bought it; Now I'm unhappy and confused..I want to take it to the dealer and see why it is running this way..I don't have a trailer..( it fits in my truck but I have no way of getting it in there) and the dealer won't have his for a couple days..

What should I do? If I wait for the dealer to get his trailer, my 72 hour window to return it (Florida law) will be gone..I really don't want to have to return it and stick the dealer with the mower but I don't want to be unhappy..Has anyone else had this problem with the Briggs Engine? Is it just me? Is that just the way these Briggs Engines run? (I had a Kawasaki 15 HP V-Twin on my last mower;It had plenty of power)..I could use any help and suggestions I can get..

 

[txzrider]

That mower is supposed to be a pretty good one. Is that engine a twin or a single? Have you checked the oil or maybe put in some fresh gas(I have had them run bad with contaminated fuel). As far as the deck vibration goes, what are you mowing? How tall is it, I dont mean to ask silly questions but I once watched a man complain about how his mower ate belts... he then proceeded to show me how he would drive it into foot deep grass, put the deck at it's lowest level and then engage the blades. He said see... it is a bad design cause the belts start smoking!! I have had case's where I was mowing heavy damp grass and the deck had trouble blowing all the grass out.(which seemed to cause more vibrations than normal) The Damp wet stuff built up pretty quickly. Last but not least, the better mower have such higher blade speeds they sound like a wind tunnel is going on. Which reminds me, you should only be mowing with the engine speed set to max. It will not develope the proper blade speed if you run the engine slower. meaning the quality of the cut will suffer.

 

[KennyV]

Looking up the Sport... : Hustler Turf Products - Residential Mowers - Sport
It shows the only engine to be a 15 Hp, Kawasaki FR541... Is the one you got a new mower?
It should run and operate 'perfect', anything less & it should belong to your dealer.
Hustler has a great warranty, But I would insist that it be right when you receive it. :smile:KennyV

 

[djdicetn]

I bought a Hustler Sport 42" with the 17.5 HP Briggs engine..The dealer's trailer is broke so I had to pick it up myself..I mowed when I got home; It mowed OK but not like everyone brags about on this site..The engine seems very weak..Today I notice that after about 60% throttle the engine seems to run rough..Also, the mower seems to vibrate when the deck is engaged; It took about a half hour for me to notice the vibration..I had serious reservations about the Briggs engine before I bought it; Now I'm unhappy and confused..I want to take it to the dealer and see why it is running this way..I don't have a trailer..( it fits in my truck but I have no way of getting it in there) and the dealer won't have his for a couple days..

What should I do? If I wait for the dealer to get his trailer, my 72 hour window to return it (Florida law) will be gone..I really don't want to have to return it and stick the dealer with the mower but I don't want to be unhappy..Has anyone else had this problem with the Briggs Engine? Is it just me? Is that just the way these Briggs Engines run? (I had a Kawasaki 15 HP V-Twin on my last mower;It had plenty of power)..I could use any help and suggestions I can get..

realtimeeyes,
Uset txzrider asked some very good questions and I am wondering what "year" model this Hustler Sport is. On the Hustler website, it specifies that the Sport(42", 48" & 54") comes with a Kawasaki FR series engine. Why does yours hava a B & S? Is the B & S a Commercial, Endurance, Intek, etc. series. Have you talked to the dealer yet about your displeasure with the mower's performance?

KennyV,
Sorry, got distracted before hitting submit and didn't see you post about the Kawa engine shown on the Hustler website:0)

 

[realtimeeyes@msn.com]

It has the 17.5 B&S Intek single cylinder..Manufactured March 2012..The grass wasn't very high..First, I had a Kawasaki V-Twin; I had a choke..I called dealer and he said there wasn't a separate choke..When you shift the throttle all the way forward, that's where the choke is..I never noticed that..lol..The little symbol looked like blades to me..I mowed what I didn't mow yesterday and my other property..It seems OK but it doesn't seem to have enough power..Granted I have on a mulching kit and it rained last night..The ground was a little damp..It only seemed to bog down in thick leafy areas..The dealer told me he wants me to be happy and he is willing to resolve any issues..Maybe it's just me; and that's what you get with a B&S single cylinder..The reviews for this mower were so good..Maybe I'm expecting too much from a homeowner model..This is why I asked for help..I have only owned 1 other mower and I wasn't sure if this performance was normal..

 

[djdicetn]

It has the 17.5 B&S Intek single cylinder..Manufactured March 2012..The grass wasn't very high..First, I had a Kawasaki V-Twin; I had a choke..I called dealer and he said there wasn't a separate choke..When you shift the throttle all the way forward, that's where the choke is..I never noticed that..lol..The little symbol looked like blades to me..I mowed what I didn't mow yesterday and my other property..It seems OK but it doesn't seem to have enough power..Granted I have on a mulching kit and it rained last night..The ground was a little damp..It only seemed to bog down in thick leafy areas..The dealer told me he wants me to be happy and he is willing to resolve any issues..Maybe it's just me; and that's what you get with a B&S single cylinder..The reviews for this mower were so good..Maybe I'm expecting too much from a homeowner model..This is why I asked for help..I have only owned 1 other mower and I wasn't sure if this performance was normal..

A 17.5hp single cylinder does sound a bit small for even a 42" deck ZTR. I assume that's what you have because it would even be tinier for the 48" or 54". Can't understand why Hustler changed from the 15hp Kawasaki, but it sounds like it wasn't a good move. A mulch kit could make the problem worse for sure(I had a 2006 Craftsman 54" lawn tractor with a 24hp Intek and a mulch kit and it would "die" if the grass was wet or too tall). I think you should ask the dealer why the Hustler website shows a 15hp Kawasaki and your ZTR has a 17.5hp B & S.
P.S.
I wouldn't give you $10 for a truckload of Inteks!!! My previous lawn tractor(1993 46" Lawn Chief) had a 16hp B & S Vangaurd that ran circles around the Intek. You need to get rid of the Intek if you ask me.

 

[Kodie's Lawn Service]

I bought a Hustler Sport 42" with the 17.5 HP Briggs engine..The dealer's trailer is broke so I had to pick it up myself..I mowed when I got home; It mowed OK but not like everyone brags about on this site..The engine seems very weak..Today I notice that after about 60% throttle the engine seems to run rough..Also, the mower seems to vibrate when the deck is engaged; It took about a half hour for me to notice the vibration..I had serious reservations about the Briggs engine before I bought it; Now I'm unhappy and confused..I want to take it to the dealer and see why it is running this way..I don't have a trailer..( it fits in my truck but I have no way of getting it in there) and the dealer won't have his for a couple days..

What should I do? If I wait for the dealer to get his trailer, my 72 hour window to return it (Florida law) will be gone..I really don't want to have to return it and stick the dealer with the mower but I don't want to be unhappy..Has anyone else had this problem with the Briggs Engine? Is it just me? Is that just the way these Briggs Engines run? (I had a Kawasaki 15 HP V-Twin on my last mower;It had plenty of power)..I could use any help and suggestions I can get..

Got to homedepot rent a truck there and take it back and get a new one :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[LakeRat1]

If you dont have a Friend with a trailer, Rent one & get it back down to the dealer

LakeRat

 

[realtimeeyes@msn.com]

djdicetn,

The Hustler I bought was last years model..It is a 42" deck..I got it for $2600..The Kawasaki version are $3700..Regretting it now, but I couldn't justify $1100 for the same mower with that engine..I had only read 1 bad review on it so I rolled the dice..Darn...CRAPS!..lol..


And thanks to all you guys for the advice..Here is an update..I have to give Hustler a lot of credit..They had their area Rep call to fix the problem..He didn't get a hold of me so he emailed me too..I called him and he said it sounds as if I'm lacking RPMs..They coming to check the RPMs tomorrow..

 

[djdicetn]

djdicetn,

The Hustler I bought was last years model..It is a 42" deck..I got it for $2600..The Kawasaki version are $3700..Regretting it now, but I couldn't justify $1100 for the same mower with that engine..I had only read 1 bad review on it so I rolled the dice..Darn...CRAPS!..lol..


And thanks to all you guys for the advice..Here is an update..I have to give Hustler a lot of credit..They had their area Rep call to fix the problem..He didn't get a hold of me so he emailed me too..I called him and he said it sounds as if I'm lacking RPMs..They coming to check the RPMs tomorrow..

That sounds promising......keep us posted as to the performance after they check the rpm's.