Raptor SD 54 inch drive belt keeps coming off

[vanhanz]

We have factory reps in the Hustler Mower Owners Group in Facebook that can give you direct replies as well as help you get warranty service in the event your dealership is not taking care of your properly.

Here is the link to the Hustler Mower Owners Group in Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HustlerMowerOwners/

Thanks, I don't have facebook but I can check it out under my wife's account. It never got to the point where the dealer denied anything yet, but before I bought the mower from Lowes I called a local dealer to get a quote. The owner called me back and told me he had some end of season specials on the Raptor and Raptor SD, so when I called back to ask what they were he quoted me retail pricing. I let him know that it was the same pricing everyone else has always had, he basically said don't buy from the big box stores because he rarely services any mowers that weren't bought from him. I would like to support the local guys if possible but Lowes was more than 1000 cheaper on clearance and with 10% coupon.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I just got the SD60 on clearance from Lowes, jumped on this forum and saw this thread. I don't have these braces, was anyone here able to get them installed under warranty from a local shop even though you bought it from Lowes?

Lowes make a 100% profit selling the mower to you even at clearance prices and to top it off they don't pay for floor stock
The dealer makes a 30% selling to you at a higher price and has to pay for the stock if he has not sold it before the free finance period expires , usually 30 to 90 days. So the dealer will not want to support the person who is trying to put him out of business.
Most warranty jobs are actually done at a loss so do not expect the local dealer to jump to attentions & salute you when you walk in.
Down here usually a warranty job for a big box bought mower gets done when there is absolutely nothing in the workshop thus used to reduce the losses of having nothing for the technicians to do.
Thus you are unlikely to be happy and neither will the dealer.
You have effectivly spat in his face and now you are asking him to wipe your bum.

There are shops who have their workshop set up so efficiently that they can make a profit on warranty work, but these are few & very far between.
Some dealers will do the work in order to get your details on their books but a lot of these are run by accountants and they just want a big customer profile to on sell the agency at a big profit.

I am an independent workshop and end up doing a lot of what should be warranty work but the customer pays me for doing it.
IF the distributor ends up paying me then the customer ends up getting whatever the distributor paid me back in cash where as I get paid in purchase credits.
Most of them can not believe how little the amount I get paid is and just how long it took for them to pay me.

Now I know this is a bitter pill for many who just wanted to get a good purchase price but there is a reason that thieves like Lowes can offer such good prices and they are destroying your country, just like their equivalent down here Bunnings is destroying Australia.

 

[vanhanz]

Lowes make a 100% profit selling the mower to you even at clearance prices and to top it off they don't pay for floor stock
The dealer makes a 30% selling to you at a higher price and has to pay for the stock if he has not sold it before the free finance period expires , usually 30 to 90 days. So the dealer will not want to support the person who is trying to put him out of business.
Most warranty jobs are actually done at a loss so do not expect the local dealer to jump to attentions & salute you when you walk in.
Down here usually a warranty job for a big box bought mower gets done when there is absolutely nothing in the workshop thus used to reduce the losses of having nothing for the technicians to do.
Thus you are unlikely to be happy and neither will the dealer.
You have effectivly spat in his face and now you are asking him to wipe your bum.

There are shops who have their workshop set up so efficiently that they can make a profit on warranty work, but these are few & very far between.
Some dealers will do the work in order to get your details on their books but a lot of these are run by accountants and they just want a big customer profile to on sell the agency at a big profit.

I am an independent workshop and end up doing a lot of what should be warranty work but the customer pays me for doing it.
IF the distributor ends up paying me then the customer ends up getting whatever the distributor paid me back in cash where as I get paid in purchase credits.
Most of them can not believe how little the amount I get paid is and just how long it took for them to pay me.

Now I know this is a bitter pill for many who just wanted to get a good purchase price but there is a reason that thieves like Lowes can offer such good prices and they are destroying your country, just like their equivalent down here Bunnings is destroying Australia.

I appreciate your input and I’m sorry that the distributors aren’t paying you enough, that’s not a good situation at all and I hope it gets better. It did answer the question about likelihood of getting service.

Now that you’ve shown me that I effectively spit in someone’s face by saving $1000, I’m going to go down to the dealership, walk past all the $12k mowers they have in stock and give them the money I was going to feed my family with. I honestly didn’t realize I was such a horrible person by not paying the much higher price.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I really was not trying to be insulting but there is a consequence every time some one opens their wallet.
Lowers are effectivly stealing from the dealers who have to cover the very expensive workshop overheads.
The ultimate end result is no workshops so when you have a problem it goes back to the distributor / factory and months latter you get a repair/ replacement or refund.
The minimal cost retailing cost jobs and destroys economies.
The dealer, his staff & technicians all have to eat as well as your family, as dose the landlord, the parts suppliers, delivery drivers etc etc etc.
And in may cases more than one of them will also contribute to your income in one way or another.
I like saving money just as much as the next man but I have seen the sorts of destruction cut price no service retailing does.
Parrsites like Lowes will only stock the fastest moving highest profit machines so when the dealers go, so does the variety and your ability to choose the correct machine for your needs.
If you need a $ 12,000 mower then you must either be on an income that could easily afford the extra $ 1000 or you are living way above your means.

My fathers first powered mower cost him near 6 months wages and was paid off over 3 years.
For that price the retailer delivered the mower, set it up in out yard & gave both dad & myself instruction on how to use & care for the mower.
He also took away the packaging which went back to Victa to be reused .
We still have the mower although we don't still have dad & my sister still uses it
I could save at least $ 50 a week if I drove into the city and bought my groceries from the big glass front supermarket But I go to the local shop that employs the local kids after school, donates to the local school & charities and allows staff to go off on full pay to fight bushfires, thus every body wins, including me as the boys have put out several grassfires that could have caused me grief and of course they bring their mowers to me ( or my local competitor ) for servicing.
The incredible greed that has become so pervasive over the past few decades is really quite sickening. Everybody wants the absolute cheapest for themselves regardless of the consequences then expects others to come to their aid when needed let alone to actually be there when needed.
Fortunately we mostly have a community that cares and looks out for each other , so gates do not need to be locked and help is always available and that is worth a whole lot more than saving 10% on a once in 10 year purchase.

And to really push the point.
The problem with the supports has been on here for nearly a year , if not longer so Hustler are well aware of it and Lowes are well aware of it.
Did the sales person at Lowes mention it to you ?
Why ?
Because they don't give a wrinkled rats rectum about you or the mower all they want is your money and if you end up needing to buy a $ 70 belt every time you mow then all the more profit for them.
They sold you a know defective mower and laughed about it all the way to the bank safe in the knowledge that if you get into problems with your new mower some one else will be getting the grief over it.

 

[vanhanz]

I really was not trying to be insulting but there is a consequence every time some one opens their wallet.
Lowers are effectivly stealing from the dealers who have to cover the very expensive workshop overheads.
The ultimate end result is no workshops so when you have a problem it goes back to the distributor / factory and months latter you get a repair/ replacement or refund.
The minimal cost retailing cost jobs and destroys economies.
The dealer, his staff & technicians all have to eat as well as your family, as dose the landlord, the parts suppliers, delivery drivers etc etc etc.
And in may cases more than one of them will also contribute to your income in one way or another.
I like saving money just as much as the next man but I have seen the sorts of destruction cut price no service retailing does.
Parrsites like Lowes will only stock the fastest moving highest profit machines so when the dealers go, so does the variety and your ability to choose the correct machine for your needs.
If you need a $ 12,000 mower then you must either be on an income that could easily afford the extra $ 1000 or you are living way above your means.

My fathers first powered mower cost him near 6 months wages and was paid off over 3 years.
For that price the retailer delivered the mower, set it up in out yard & gave both dad & myself instruction on how to use & care for the mower.
He also took away the packaging which went back to Victa to be reused .
We still have the mower although we don't still have dad & my sister still uses it
I could save at least $ 50 a week if I drove into the city and bought my groceries from the big glass front supermarket But I go to the local shop that employs the local kids after school, donates to the local school & charities and allows staff to go off on full pay to fight bushfires, thus every body wins, including me as the boys have put out several grassfires that could have caused me grief and of course they bring their mowers to me ( or my local competitor ) for servicing.
The incredible greed that has become so pervasive over the past few decades is really quite sickening. Everybody wants the absolute cheapest for themselves regardless of the consequences then expects others to come to their aid when needed let alone to actually be there when needed.
Fortunately we mostly have a community that cares and looks out for each other , so gates do not need to be locked and help is always available and that is worth a whole lot more than saving 10% on a once in 10 year purchase.

And to really push the point.
The problem with the supports has been on here for nearly a year , if not longer so Hustler are well aware of it and Lowes are well aware of it.
Did the sales person at Lowes mention it to you ?
Why ?
Because they don't give a wrinkled rats rectum about you or the mower all they want is your money and if you end up needing to buy a $ 70 belt every time you mow then all the more profit for them.
They sold you a know defective mower and laughed about it all the way to the bank safe in the knowledge that if you get into problems with your new mower some one else will be getting the grief over it.

No arguing here, you are right. I can’t wait to see the look on the owners face when I hand him $1000.

 

[The Chairman]

I honestly didn’t realize I was such a horrible person by not paying the much higher price.

2 phreakin' phunni!!! Don't take it too personally. There's a lot of resentment from small brick and mortar towards big box stores, but that's really not your problem. Efficiency is the key, and shops that are too lazy to not invest in efficiency will always try to blame the consumer. Perhaps, they should find a better product. There used to be a strictly controlled, albeit self controlled, pricing hierarchy that the internet has dismantled. When I first got into automotive it looked like this: Manufacturer => Distributor => Jobber => Retailer. The jobber was the first to go, soon followed by the distributor and even now some manufacturers have set themselves up as retailers. Then you add people like myself who do a cottage industry for my neighbors in fixing their machines for free and it gets even worse. Add in grey/black market goods via e-bay and craigslist and it's hard for some shops to stay in business. But everything is harder nowadays, so they have to put on their big boy pants and suck it up. Smart shops evolve and learn how to survive in spite of the pressures. Excellent customer service, value added services/products and so forth help the consumer to spend a bit more to patronize them. I haven't had any warranty work done at my local shop mainly because they would take too long. I do the work myself and gladly pay for the parts. We all do what we have to do, to get by.

 

[The Chairman]

Lowers are effectivly stealing from the dealers who have to cover the very expensive workshop overheads.

Stealing is a complete misrepresentation. They do have a different business model than you do. You're always free to vote with your feet and sell another brand that will support you better.

The problem with the supports has been on here for nearly a year , if not longer so Hustler are well aware of it and Lowes are well aware of it.
Did the sales person at Lowes mention it to you ?
Why ?

The guy who sold me my mower at Lowes was a dear friend and he had no idea about the belt issue. Since they don't have a shop, why or even how would they know? Other than me, not a single customer has complained to him about it either. He has offered to call the company on my behalf, but I have taken the task of resolving this issue on my own.

They sold you a know defective mower and laughed about it all the way to the bank safe in the knowledge that if you get into problems with your new mower some one else will be getting the grief over it.

I actually fault Hustler for this. I doubt I will buy another one. I plan to spend double what I spent on my Raptor SD, maybe even triple. Mowing my ten point eight two acres is far more of a headache than it should be. Mow and learn.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Stealing is a complete misrepresentation. They do have a different business model than you do. You're always free to vote with your feet and sell another brand that will support you better.

Firstly i do not retail at al I have a repair only business and stealing IS an Appropriate word to describe this immoral business plan.
Technically it is called SKIMMING and is technically ILLEGAL both down here and up there .
Ultimately what happens is all of the Hustler dealers within the foot print of the Lowes store either close down or switch brands .
With no one around to BLUDGE on Lowes then stop selling Hustler because their customers can not get them serviced or repaired.
Lowes then look at what is being sold in the region and once again sell only the most popular model depriving the dealers from the bulk of their retail sales profits so once again the dealers either close down or switch brands.

In the meantime Hustler suddenly loose 10% of their sales volume which sends them into a loss situation, the share price plunges the instant that Lowes announce they are going to sell Word lawn & drop Hustler.
Then a preditor see an oppertunity to buy out Hustler at a big discount to their real worth because the screen jockeys have sold down the Hustler shares and even more criminals have short sold Hustler stock.
Hustler then either gets gobbled up by another company like Ariens for instance who carries on with one or two models rebranded & made at their factory thus the 500 Hustler employees are now out of work plus all of their suppliers & support staff.

And this just keeps on happening and happening till all but a few factories are left in the market and 90% of all lawnmowers are being fully imported from what ever 3rd world country can make them cheaper.

It is not a more efficient business model it is a PARRASITIC business model. and there is a massive difference between the two

Ultimately it will destroy the economy of the USA.
President Trumph is a businessman and recognised this but because he need financial support form Lowes , Walmart , HF and other parrasites he has deflected the blame on China mainly & Mexico to a lesser extent.
Your manufacturing base is going down the toilet an when that happens the USA will be in deep deep poo as the population is so big there is no alternative employment so the rust belt economies will become the norm for the entire country apart from California & NY.

 

[The Chairman]

Technically it is called SKIMMING and is technically ILLEGAL both down here and up there .

"Technically", it's called capitalism and it's designed so that only the strong will survive. You either evolve or go extinct and it's entirely up to you. I'm not guaranteed any happiness; only the right to pursue it. Consequently, I've re-invented myself at least a half dozen times and for the most part, I'm pretty happy. In any event, if what they're doing is illegal, then by all means bring them up on charges. You'll have to convince the prosecutor that it's illegal and I doubt they'll agree with you. Of course, you could take them to civil court, but you should consult an attorney on the merits of your case first. Of course, attorneys always come out ahead even if you lose, so don't take their opinion at face value. Good luck!

 

[vanhanz]

Hey Guys, turns out I had the beefed up brace all along! WHOOPS! In the pictures on this forum it was black and mine is yellow so no need for service. Didn't mean to cause so much passionate discussion. Maybe we can all save the world one mower at a time... I'll just see myself out...