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Since Dixie Choppers are no more is there any parts we should be buying up / hoarding
#1
R
RCountry2
R
RCountry2
I know most are easy to find as far as motor, pumps and spindles but is there any specialty items we should be worry about? Thanks
#2
7394
7394
No more Dixie Chopper ?
#3
C
crabbymower1
C
crabbymower1
No, first I heard of this, but did google search and it is gone. Textron Corp stop making them and another brand (forgot the name) and a four wheel machine. Happened in December 2018. Really bummed me out as I just bought my Zee 2 in June of last year. Will be following this for any thoughts you folks have. Did check suppliers of parts and they are available, but now the prices will probably go up also. Take care.
#4
ILENGINE
Here is one of the announcements of its closing dated in December
https://www.rurallifestyledealer.co...on-of-dixie-chopper-jacobsen-zero-turn-mowers
ILENGINE
No, first I heard of this, but did google search and it is gone. Textron Corp stop making them and another brand (forgot the name) and a four wheel machine. Happened in December 2018. Really bummed me out as I just bought my Zee 2 in June of last year. Will be following this for any thoughts you folks have. Did check suppliers of parts and they are available, but now the prices will probably go up also. Take care.
Here is one of the announcements of its closing dated in December
https://www.rurallifestyledealer.co...on-of-dixie-chopper-jacobsen-zero-turn-mowers
#5
ILENGINE
In November Textron announced that they were moving Dixie Chopper out of Indiana to an out of state facility, and almost a month to the day in December announced that they were closing the plant and stopping production of Dixie Chopper.
ILENGINE
No more Dixie Chopper ?
In November Textron announced that they were moving Dixie Chopper out of Indiana to an out of state facility, and almost a month to the day in December announced that they were closing the plant and stopping production of Dixie Chopper.
#6
R
RCountry2
R
RCountry2
Dang thought everyone new this....well I do spend too much time on the net. Anyway main thing I'm concern is about the wear parts on the frame/deck. Below is the statement on this.
Home > Daily News > Textron SV to lay off 400; cease production of Dixie Chopper
Textron SV to lay off 400; cease production of Dixie Chopper
in Daily News December 19, 2018
Textron Specialized Vehicles – parent company of Dixie Chopper, Jacobsen, Arctic Cat, Textron Off Road, and E-Z-GO – announced that it will eliminate approximately 400 positions, which is 10 percent of Textron Specialized Vehicles’ workforce, and will close several factory-direct turf-care branch locations and a manufacturing facility.
The company also announced that it has ceased production of Dixie Chopper zero-turn mowers, Jacobsen zero-turn mowers and its Jacobsen Truckster L/M series utility vehicles.
On November 27, Textron Specialized Vehicles issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) letter to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that it was conducting a permanent reduction of its workforce at the Dixie Chopper facility in Coatesville, Ind. The facility closure affected approximately 107 employees.
Then, on December 6, Textron filed an 8-K form with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing read as follows:
On December 4, 2018, our Board of Directors approved a plan to restructure the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses within our Industrial segment. We expect to incur pre-tax charges in the range of $60 million to $85 million under this plan, which will be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Textron Specialized Vehicles has undergone significant changes since the acquisition of Arctic Cat as we have expanded the product portfolio and integrated manufacturing operations and retail distribution. As disclosed in our Form 10-Q filed for the third quarter of 2018, the operating results for these businesses were significantly below our expectations as dealer sell-through lagged despite the introduction of new products into our dealer network. Management conducted a strategic review of the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses, which included an assessment of the acquired dealer network and go-to-market strategy for the Textron Off Road and Arctic Cat brands, as well as cost reduction initiatives throughout the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses. The restructuring plan will result in the impairment of intangible assets, primarily related to product rationalization, the elimination of approximately 400 positions, representing approximately 10% of Textron Specialized Vehicles’ workforce, and closure of several factory-direct turf-care branch locations and a manufacturing facility. The restructuring actions under this plan are expected to result in improved operating results for these businesses.
Severance and related costs for this plan are estimated to be in the range of $10 million to $15 million. Contract termination and other facility closure charges are estimated to be in the range of $5 million to $15 million. Impairment charges are estimated to be in the range of $45 million to $55 million and largely relate to acquired intangible assets. Expected cash outlays in connection with this plan are estimated to be in the range of $15 million to $30 million, with up to $10 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the remainder in 2019. We anticipate that this plan will be substantially completed by the end of 2018.
Textron Specialized Vehicles has indicated that it will continue to provide sales, warranty, parts, and service support to its dealers and end-user customers, and that it will maintain its dealer portal.
Home > Daily News > Textron SV to lay off 400; cease production of Dixie Chopper
Textron SV to lay off 400; cease production of Dixie Chopper
in Daily News December 19, 2018
Textron Specialized Vehicles – parent company of Dixie Chopper, Jacobsen, Arctic Cat, Textron Off Road, and E-Z-GO – announced that it will eliminate approximately 400 positions, which is 10 percent of Textron Specialized Vehicles’ workforce, and will close several factory-direct turf-care branch locations and a manufacturing facility.
The company also announced that it has ceased production of Dixie Chopper zero-turn mowers, Jacobsen zero-turn mowers and its Jacobsen Truckster L/M series utility vehicles.
On November 27, Textron Specialized Vehicles issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) letter to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that it was conducting a permanent reduction of its workforce at the Dixie Chopper facility in Coatesville, Ind. The facility closure affected approximately 107 employees.
Then, on December 6, Textron filed an 8-K form with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing read as follows:
On December 4, 2018, our Board of Directors approved a plan to restructure the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses within our Industrial segment. We expect to incur pre-tax charges in the range of $60 million to $85 million under this plan, which will be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Textron Specialized Vehicles has undergone significant changes since the acquisition of Arctic Cat as we have expanded the product portfolio and integrated manufacturing operations and retail distribution. As disclosed in our Form 10-Q filed for the third quarter of 2018, the operating results for these businesses were significantly below our expectations as dealer sell-through lagged despite the introduction of new products into our dealer network. Management conducted a strategic review of the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses, which included an assessment of the acquired dealer network and go-to-market strategy for the Textron Off Road and Arctic Cat brands, as well as cost reduction initiatives throughout the Textron Specialized Vehicles businesses. The restructuring plan will result in the impairment of intangible assets, primarily related to product rationalization, the elimination of approximately 400 positions, representing approximately 10% of Textron Specialized Vehicles’ workforce, and closure of several factory-direct turf-care branch locations and a manufacturing facility. The restructuring actions under this plan are expected to result in improved operating results for these businesses.
Severance and related costs for this plan are estimated to be in the range of $10 million to $15 million. Contract termination and other facility closure charges are estimated to be in the range of $5 million to $15 million. Impairment charges are estimated to be in the range of $45 million to $55 million and largely relate to acquired intangible assets. Expected cash outlays in connection with this plan are estimated to be in the range of $15 million to $30 million, with up to $10 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the remainder in 2019. We anticipate that this plan will be substantially completed by the end of 2018.
Textron Specialized Vehicles has indicated that it will continue to provide sales, warranty, parts, and service support to its dealers and end-user customers, and that it will maintain its dealer portal.
#7
R
RCountry2
R
RCountry2
One part that I'm kind of worried about although there are aftermarkets ones out (but how good are they?) The electric pto clutch...how many hours should it last? If that goes I'm done for awhile. May go ahead and buy one just in case as I plan on keeping mine for awhile.
#8
ILENGINE
ILENGINE
Even though they are going to supply parts and warranty for their products, something that I can see happening and have seen it happen is dealers will disappear. So your local dealer will no longer carry parts or service those mowers, And the next closest dealer will be 75 miles away. Or they claim they have enough parts to service customer mowers for the next 10 years, and in reality 18 months from now some parts will be sold out and NLA.
#9
R
RCountry2
Thats what worries me.
R
RCountry2
and in reality 18 months from now some parts will be sold out and NLA.
Thats what worries me.
#10
B
bertsmobile1
B
bertsmobile1
The only thing they did at the factory was bend , weld & paint steel then assemble all the parts that they bought in the painted steel to make a mower.
So it is not Dixie you need to worry about, it is their suppliers.
The very first thing you need to do is download the parts manual and any service information that is on the web site.
Print a couple of hard copies and write down the suppliers against each part.
Any company that spends a small fortune releasing new models then dumps them so abruptly is in a financial or political mess.
I would hazard a guess that they were going to off shore the assembly of the Dixie & they ran into problems from the government as that would not fit in with the "Make America Great Again " mantra.
Harley just closed down the aluminium wheel factory they built in Australia to appease the Trump administration.
So the only parts that will become a problem are spindles & spindle housings and the only thing I would be buying right now is a set of them.
After that the next unique item will be the spindle pulleys and the idler pulleys.
As for the latter I fit JD parts because the Dixie pulleys are over $ 100 and the JD ones were around $ 40.
Not exact replacements so I had to turn up new bushes and adjust the belt tension.
Idler pulleys are the biggest problem I have with obsolete mowers that require regular replacement & all of them except European mowers have captive bearings.
Some can be split then get riveted / bolted back together with a new bearing inside & I have customers who do this regularly.
For the Bolens/TroyBilt DuraTrac Garden Tractor we ended up getting PTO idler pulleys turned up, done properly with a replaciable combination ball & roller pulley.
Other unique parts are springs but you should have hundreds of small spring factories in the USA that will make you replacements if you take the old ones to them.
So it is not Dixie you need to worry about, it is their suppliers.
The very first thing you need to do is download the parts manual and any service information that is on the web site.
Print a couple of hard copies and write down the suppliers against each part.
Any company that spends a small fortune releasing new models then dumps them so abruptly is in a financial or political mess.
I would hazard a guess that they were going to off shore the assembly of the Dixie & they ran into problems from the government as that would not fit in with the "Make America Great Again " mantra.
Harley just closed down the aluminium wheel factory they built in Australia to appease the Trump administration.
So the only parts that will become a problem are spindles & spindle housings and the only thing I would be buying right now is a set of them.
After that the next unique item will be the spindle pulleys and the idler pulleys.
As for the latter I fit JD parts because the Dixie pulleys are over $ 100 and the JD ones were around $ 40.
Not exact replacements so I had to turn up new bushes and adjust the belt tension.
Idler pulleys are the biggest problem I have with obsolete mowers that require regular replacement & all of them except European mowers have captive bearings.
Some can be split then get riveted / bolted back together with a new bearing inside & I have customers who do this regularly.
For the Bolens/TroyBilt DuraTrac Garden Tractor we ended up getting PTO idler pulleys turned up, done properly with a replaciable combination ball & roller pulley.
Other unique parts are springs but you should have hundreds of small spring factories in the USA that will make you replacements if you take the old ones to them.
#11
R
RCountry2
Thanks for the insight.
R
RCountry2
The only thing they did at the factory was bend , weld & paint steel then assemble all the parts that they bought in the painted steel to make a mower.
So it is not Dixie you need to worry about, it is their suppliers.
The very first thing you need to do is download the parts manual and any service information that is on the web site.
Print a couple of hard copies and write down the suppliers against each part.
Any company that spends a small fortune releasing new models then dumps them so abruptly is in a financial or political mess.
I would hazard a guess that they were going to off shore the assembly of the Dixie & they ran into problems from the government as that would not fit in with the "Make America Great Again " mantra.
Harley just closed down the aluminium wheel factory they built in Australia to appease the Trump administration.
So the only parts that will become a problem are spindles & spindle housings and the only thing I would be buying right now is a set of them.
After that the next unique item will be the spindle pulleys and the idler pulleys.
As for the latter I fit JD parts because the Dixie pulleys are over $ 100 and the JD ones were around $ 40.
Not exact replacements so I had to turn up new bushes and adjust the belt tension.
Idler pulleys are the biggest problem I have with obsolete mowers that require regular replacement & all of them except European mowers have captive bearings.
Some can be split then get riveted / bolted back together with a new bearing inside & I have customers who do this regularly.
For the Bolens/TroyBilt DuraTrac Garden Tractor we ended up getting PTO idler pulleys turned up, done properly with a replaciable combination ball & roller pulley.
Other unique parts are springs but you should have hundreds of small spring factories in the USA that will make you replacements if you take the old ones to them.
Thanks for the insight.
#12
7394
7394
Local Ace Hardware was a Dixie Chop Dealer. They confirmed the RIP Dixie. But said they will still sell off the mowers in stock, & carry parts & service supplies. For how long ?
This was where I got my Kawasaki oil filters when they have sales. Guess I better stock up on them.
This was where I got my Kawasaki oil filters when they have sales. Guess I better stock up on them.
#13
B
BobM53
B
BobM53
My local Dixie dealer runs hot and cold on parts. One time I gi in there and they are as helpful as can be. The next time they act like they want nothing to do with getting Dixie parts. Kinda ticks me off since I purposely used the one dealer so that my purchases amounted to enough to keep them interested in my business. Guess that was a waste. And several times I could have bought cheaper elsewhere!
#14
7394
7394
Hindsight is always 20-20...
#15
H
Hugeroost
H
Hugeroost
Talked to the head mechanic at the largest lawn service in Texas about 2 months ago about this very thing. He told me the only thing on the hi end commercial mowers thats proprietary are those back tires, said most of the parts you can get straight from Rotary. I wanted a new set of front tires for mine, 05 Flatlander, and was thinking i would just buy them complete so i could just pull the bolt, roll old wheel off and new one on and be done in 5 minutes. The dealer could not get me a set, i couldnt believe it, so i ran over to my Rotary dealer, he had to order them but they were the exact replacement. I could have just bought a set of tires and rebuilt the wheels but it was not much more to just get em complete. I just put new rear tires on mine last year, 200 each from dealer, but Rotary has some thats very close to the DC originals, they look better too, 85 each...Roost
#16
R
RCountry2
I friend of mine got given a DC and he said he cannot find back tires for his as its a oddball size made for DC(?) Looks to me you can just run a common size along as its wide enough for the wheel.
R
RCountry2
Talked to the head mechanic at the largest lawn service in Texas about 2 months ago about this very thing. He told me the only thing on the hi end commercial mowers thats proprietary are those back tires, said most of the parts you can get straight from Rotary. I wanted a new set of front tires for mine, 05 Flatlander, and was thinking i would just buy them complete so i could just pull the bolt, roll old wheel off and new one on and be done in 5 minutes. The dealer could not get me a set, i couldnt believe it, so i ran over to my Rotary dealer, he had to order them but they were the exact replacement. I could have just bought a set of tires and rebuilt the wheels but it was not much more to just get em complete. I just put new rear tires on mine last year, 200 each from dealer, but Rotary has some thats very close to the DC originals, they look better too, 85 each...Roost
I friend of mine got given a DC and he said he cannot find back tires for his as its a oddball size made for DC(?) Looks to me you can just run a common size along as its wide enough for the wheel.
#17
ILENGINE
ILENGINE
Not sure which direction DC will take now since they have been purchased from Textron by Alamo group,
#18
R
RCountry2
They do own bush hog and its still around. Wonder if they will either drop Bush Hog and keep DC or maybe fuse both together?
R
RCountry2
Not sure which direction DC will take now since they have been purchased from Textron by Alamo group,
They do own bush hog and its still around. Wonder if they will either drop Bush Hog and keep DC or maybe fuse both together?
#19
H
Hugeroost
Rotary makes a back tire same size nearly identical to the DC tire for half the price, I bought one while waiting for mine to come in, ran it two weeks. If you need the part number I can get it, I gave like 80 for mine
H
Hugeroost
I friend of mine got given a DC and he said he cannot find back tires for his as its a oddball size made for DC(?) Looks to me you can just run a common size along as its wide enough for the wheel.
Rotary makes a back tire same size nearly identical to the DC tire for half the price, I bought one while waiting for mine to come in, ran it two weeks. If you need the part number I can get it, I gave like 80 for mine
#20
R
RCountry2
Thanks for the offer but he has already found some
.
R
RCountry2
Rotary makes a back tire same size nearly identical to the DC tire for half the price, I bought one while waiting for mine to come in, ran it two weeks. If you need the part number I can get it, I gave like 80 for mine
Thanks for the offer but he has already found some
.