Today is Wednesday. I took delivery of a brand new (0.2 hours on meter) Raptor SD 48" from our local dealer. I did what I thought was sufficient research on the product and came away convinced that this was the mower best suited for our needs. The mower was delivered to my home Monday evening. The driver off loaded the machine and drove it briefly in my front yard, demonstrating its maneuverability, etc. He even offered to cut our side field (approximately 1 acre) to demo the mower's capabilities. We respectfully declined as during his demonstration of the very tight turning radius, he was digging holes into my turf. No biggie, it will grow back. Threatening to rain at any moment, we garaged the mower with plans to mow Tuesday.
Tuesday evening, I drove the mower briefly (not engaging the mower PTO), checked the oil, etc. My wife (whom usually cuts our yard and field) then got on and drove it for about 10 minutes, familiarizing herself with the steering and handling. After a bit, she then proceeded to cut the field. It is flat with no obstacles. Approximately 15 minutes into the mowing, I hear this loud thunk. She didn't hit anything. She immediately shuts down the mower deck and drives the machine to me for inspection. I see the left (drivers perspective) blade hanging beneath the deck. I removed the plastic shroud to find the pulley lying atop the deck along with two large spacers and what appears to be a clamp ring. After an extensive search in the field, we found the top bolt and washer. I checked the top bolt on the center spindle and i could spin (the bolt) freely by hand. I did not remove the other shroud and check that bolt but I am fairly sure I would find the same thing. Long story, I know.
The point is this, shouldn't this unit have been delivered ready to go? Why weren't these bolts tightened to specification? I am mechanically inclined and am able to fix the issues, but this unit has now only 1.0 hours on it and I am already having to replace the left spindle, blade shaft and pulley (the star in the center was reamed).
I wonder, if we had allowed the dealer driver to mow, would it have come apart "on his watch"? Have any of you experienced similar problems? Am I going to have to check this deck each time before I use it to see if it is vibrating apart? I really like the machine. I hope this is an isolated incident. Going to see the dealer this morning. My grass continues to grow...
Oleo
First off, it doesn't sond like the guy who delivered your mower knows much about zero turn mowers. If he did, he would have shown you how to make a Y turn so as not to damage your lawn. It also sounds as though the pulley bolt didn't get tightened when assembled. You being mechanically enclined know things like that happen from time to time. Some dealers go over the mowers when they get them in to make sure everything is tight. It doesn't appear that your dealer does that. The raptor sd is a good mower and you should be fine once you get a few hours on it. Any other loose parts should show up within the first 10 hours or so, or you could go over the mower and make sure all of the moving parts are tight. That is the route I would go if I were in your shoes.
If you have not yet fixed it, don't touch it.
Call the mower supplier back tell them there is some ting wrong with the mower ( act like an mechanical idiot ) and see what they do.
If it wa a genuine mistake they should fix it, I would imagine they are busy at the moment an it was an oversight.
If they talk gobblity gook to you then you know they are sleezebags and to be very careful with future dealings.
Secondly you have now made a warrantee claim, should the bearing go or other deck trouble manifect themselves you can throw it back to this claim.
This will be fixed under warranty, no big deal. It's disappointing but as has been said, things happen. this mower is selling like hot cakes, the factory runs 24/7... Some tired third shift worker missed a torquing. They are great mowers, don't let this phase you.
I'd take issue with the dropped the ball statement. Look at the 4000 or so a month they make and a few loose fasteners is pretty damn good failure rate- much better than NASA designated for the space shuttle!Hustler has really dropped the ball on these new mowers. Although not nearly as bad as the Raptor model, the SD Raptor have seemed to be pretty good. Since the inception of the Raptor, fastener torque has really been a handicap for Hustler but I'm not bad mouthing, just calling it like it is. I'm a diehard Hustler fan but it is what it is. The dealer should take care of this problem no questions asked. Hope it works out for ya.
It should be covered under the warranty whether the op acts like a mechanical idiot or not. The dealer would do the repairs because they will be paid regardless.
Yes but years ago I learned hat if I act like I don't now Jack S**t about what ever and then listen to the answers I get given I can weed out the honest from the crooks.
If they start talkking garbage & throwing in a lot of jargon for no reason then either thy have no idea or they are trying to pull the proverbial wool over your eyes and it is good to know the morals of the people you are dealing with.
If they are sus then it is vital that every thing can be tracked back on paper so when every thing goes pear shaped latter on you have a leg to stand on.
Also by saying "I have no idea how this thing works so never fooled with it" kills the "Owners mal adjustments" line of arguement stone cold dead.
I'm glad to hear your dealer made it right. That's what I'd expect. Deck wise, as there is shown on another thread you might try lifting the chute. To make deck cleaning easier, try costing it with Pam. Makes the grass come off easier.
I really appreciate all the feedback. I want to state here that I contacted the dealer the next morning. Bottom line, they were top notch. Apologies everywhere. Their man came out and picked up the mower. They replaced the spindle, pulley, belt and went over the entire mower to insure it was "tightened up". I have cut the yard and field twice now and it does deliver a very nice cut. Still learning the 'steering in a straight line' trick, but I am very satisfied with the mower - AND my dealer. PS: Wife hasn't gotten back on yet. :smile:
On another note, I do have a problem with the deck getting VERY caked up underneath. I am cutting at 4" and never when it is wet. Removing the deck appears to be a major pain so i have resorted to propping the front with jack stands and going at it with a putty knife. Thanks again for the feedback. Oleo
Funny thing happened just days after my last post. I ventured out to cut the field. made one pass around the perimeter and the deck began to shake violently. Shut it down and drove back to the barn. Starting the PTO again immediately resulted in a sheared belt. The good news is, I got with the dealer the next day and the following day there was a brand new SD delivered to my home. I now have used this 'new' machine. It is quieter, smoother, cuts great and I believe I am going to like it.
I want take this time to point out that the dealer, in each instance, was right there with a solution. I didn't have to press or put on an unhappy face at all. They stood by me and got it right. They gave EXCELLENT customer service. If it were allowed I would name them but let us just say, if they read this, they know who they are. Thank you. And thank you bloggers for the words of encouragement. - Oleo (I will try the Pam)
Today is Wednesday. I took delivery of a brand new (0.2 hours on meter) Raptor SD 48" from our local dealer. I did what I thought was sufficient research on the product and came away convinced that this was the mower best suited for our needs. The mower was delivered to my home Monday evening. The driver off loaded the machine and drove it briefly in my front yard, demonstrating its maneuverability, etc. He even offered to cut our side field (approximately 1 acre) to demo the mower's capabilities. We respectfully declined as during his demonstration of the very tight turning radius, he was digging holes into my turf. No biggie, it will grow back. Threatening to rain at any moment, we garaged the mower with plans to mow Tuesday.
Tuesday evening, I drove the mower briefly (not engaging the mower PTO), checked the oil, etc. My wife (whom usually cuts our yard and field) then got on and drove it for about 10 minutes, familiarizing herself with the steering and handling. After a bit, she then proceeded to cut the field. It is flat with no obstacles. Approximately 15 minutes into the mowing, I hear this loud thunk. She didn't hit anything. She immediately shuts down the mower deck and drives the machine to me for inspection. I see the left (drivers perspective) blade hanging beneath the deck. I removed the plastic shroud to find the pulley lying atop the deck along with two large spacers and what appears to be a clamp ring. After an extensive search in the field, we found the top bolt and washer. I checked the top bolt on the center spindle and i could spin (the bolt) freely by hand. I did not remove the other shroud and check that bolt but I am fairly sure I would find the same thing. Long story, I know.
The point is this, shouldn't this unit have been delivered ready to go? Why weren't these bolts tightened to specification? I am mechanically inclined and am able to fix the issues, but this unit has now only 1.0 hours on it and I am already having to replace the left spindle, blade shaft and pulley (the star in the center was reamed).
I wonder, if we had allowed the dealer driver to mow, would it have come apart "on his watch"? Have any of you experienced similar problems? Am I going to have to check this deck each time before I use it to see if it is vibrating apart? I really like the machine. I hope this is an isolated incident. Going to see the dealer this morning. My grass continues to grow...
Oleo
I have a very similar story. I took delivery of a Raptor SD 54" on Monday, but only did a little test-driving to make sure it seemed OK. Although I was waiting until the weekend to mow my 3 acres, I mowed a small patch on Wednesday, and that went well, although something didn't sound quite right to me while the blades were spinning. I chalked that up to me not being familiar with the mower yet. On Friday (yesterday), my 15 year old son started to mow the yard, and put less than a hour on it before, in his words, "it stopped mowing". When I got home from work, I discovered the deck belt had come off, but upon further inspection, I found that two of the three spindle pulleys were loose. One bolt was so far out that it was contacting the plastic cover and had melted the plastic. The teeth on that spindle and pulley were totally shredded, too. The other loose pulley wasn't as bad, but also had some damage, as did the belt.
Of course, since it was 6 pm on Friday, the dealer is closed, and I might not be able to mow this weekend. I'm assuming that this will be taken care of under warranty, but it is very discouraging to take delivery of a new mower, only to discover that things haven't been torqued correctly from the factory. I went from being very excited about getting a quality mower to being very disappointed with my purchase.