John Deere burning deck belt up.

[sgkent]

good job

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Have you seen what appears to be an uptick in the repairs required on what would be normally a uneventful spring service

Repair and service is definitely busier this spring than last few years. My customers rarely complain about cost of parts or labor, and I am at $80/hour book rate time. Parts are marked up 30% most of the time. Many people hold on to equipment for 20,25,30 years and it is still running and performing. This will not be the case with today’s cheaper built equipment. 20 years ago a cheap push mower was $125, today it is $250. Cheap no frills riding mower is $2000. Inflation even at 3%-4% adds up. Of course everything went through the roof in prices after the pandemic.

 

[StarTech]

Prices actually were beginning to go down on parts until the tariffs or at least for me they were.

As the tariffs start hitting the parts those prices will go thru the roof. Inflation of 3-4% is nothing when compared to even 25% on top that. I got some idlers just in that are $30 each and they are made in China so the next order will be 145% more; unless, the White House Adult Insane Asylum comes to their senses or basically $75 before I even add the normal 20-35% GPM to them which makes them to be around $93-$115 instead today's price of $37.50 @ 20% GPM. And that mower usually need three of them. Ouch.

I also went to $80/hr due to the tariffs threats. I also dropped the senior citizen discounts. Got to cover the basic supplies for the shop and keep the shop barely above the waterline. But I am still going keep the profit margin at Zero just to keep from paying any taxes for the next four years. Just sent in this year's 1040 with zero taxes due.

 

[Auto Doc's]

New rider mowers cost more than a used car these days, parts are hardly available after 5 years, but customers keep buying "new" for the feel of it more than the reality of the "throw away" trend they have created.

Push and self-propelled mowers are having catastrophic failures after only one or two seasons.

Product quality has diminished since the old days of the flat head engine and steel body designs.

The final nail in the coffin is adding fuel injection under the pretense of emission standards and fuel economy. Electronics beyond ignition and charging system do not belong in such a regularly harsh environment like lawn care.

We are living in the future where garbage fuels, poorly made parts, and unreliability that just keeps the rich happy with their investment portfolios and the end consumer stuck with junk.

 

[ILENGINE]

New rider mowers cost more than a used car these days, parts are hardly available after 5 years, but customers keep buying "new" for the feel of it more than the reality of the "throw away" trend they have created.

Everybody from the manufacturer to the consumer is to blame for this trend. When the average pushmower is ran 12 hours/year and replaced every 3.5 years, and riders are ran on average 38 hours/yr and replaced every 4.5 years. The manufacturers are only biulding to what has become consumer standards. So the mower OEM's have responded by building products with a 5 year lifespan.