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I am looking at a "Murray" Mini-Rider that Walmart is selling for $798.00. It's got a 24 inch deck and seems to be a perfect fit for my lot and budget. But:
1. Who the heck made this thing? It seems to have an MTD model number (Model# 13A326JC058), but is has the Murray name and is on their website.
2. I see no reviews other than what is on the Walmart site and there are only a few at that.
3. It's not clear that I can get a muching kit.
4. It looks an awful lot like the Troyblt unit sold last year that wasn't a great review.
5. I now have a Yardman Yardbug that still works ok, but is tippy on the slopes.

dad7432 said:

I am looking at a "Murray" Mini-Rider that Walmart is selling for $798.00. It's got a 24 inch deck and seems to be a perfect fit for my lot and budget. But:
1. Who the heck made this thing? It seems to have an MTD model number (Model# 13A326JC058), but is has the Murray name and is on their website.
2. I see no reviews other than what is on the Walmart site and there are only a few at that.
3. It's not clear that I can get a muching kit.
4. It looks an awful lot like the Troyblt unit sold last year that wasn't a great review.
5. I now have a Yardman Yardbug that still works ok, but is tippy on the slopes.

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Is there something about the design of the 24 inch Mini that would make it stable on slopes ?

It sure does look a lot like the Troybilt Neighborhood Rider! :confused2:

Is a MTD unit. The user manual from the Walmart site shows Thankyou for buying a MTD product. Seems to be a lighter duty clone of the neighborhood rider with a smaller engine and deck. MTD has some new stuff out this year that the folks you can talk to on the phone from MTD do not even seem to know about as of this March. I think I would call and ask about parts before thinking on a purchase. It would be unhandy to buy such a unit only to call for parts and find no one knows anything about the unit or the parts. I think a trip to the service center for these units might be in order as well. Kind of look around and find out if they even work on such items.

:smile: That thing looks kinda cute. Last info I have on Murray, B&S bought them, so I wonder where the MTD MN came from? Also whos going to do the service? I have a good relationship with several equipment dealers, and they all stated that when store bought equipment comes in for service or warranty work they go to the back of the line, as the equipment they sell and service being the 1st in line. which makes sense to me take care of your customers 1st. On the tipping, you are supposed to mow up and down on slopes not sideways.

Briggs is renting the name and either contracting for the products and furnishing the engines or the store selling the items is contracting the products and renting the name and Briggs is furnishing the engines.Last year some of the products were HOP and some were MTD. Briggs is tossing in some Snapper products as well.I saw some Murray branded MTD made string trimmers online in March. This is supposed to be the results of Briggs anouncement last year of getting out of the cheaper mass market line of stuff to concentrate on their better lne of stuff from their dealerships and select stores. I doubt Briggs is to concerned with anything other than selling large numbers of engines.

possum said:

This is supposed to be the results of Briggs announcement last year of getting out of the cheaper mass market line of stuff to concentrate on their better line of stuff from their dealerships and select stores. I doubt Briggs is to concerned with anything other than selling large numbers of engines.

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Huh? I don't understand how Briggs is getting out of the cheaper consumer grade stuff if they are selling brands like Murray, Brute, and Snapper at Waly's Mart!

In fact it sounds like anyone could be building the equipment that is sold under Brigg's consumer brands: Snapper, Snapper-Pro, Brute, Murray, Simplicity, Ferris, Victa. Plus Briggs is buildings tons of their engines in China....

Does anyone build consumer grade outdoor equipment/engines completely in the USA anymore? I thought Ariens did, but I saw a black snow blower in Home Depot that was labeled something like "SnoTec by Ariens" with an engine that was made in China by a company I'd never heard of. Not even a halfway decent made in China Briggs, it looked like a knock off engine on a knock off snowblower that was endorsed by Ariens.

Talk about cheapening your brand....

Snotech is an Ariens snowblower. The single stage one however is a Simplicity Snapper outfit last time i looked. The engine on the two stage ones is a clone from China brought in by LCT. Snotech is Ariens compete with MTD line.

dad7432 said:

I am looking at a "Murray" Mini-Rider that Walmart is selling for $798.00. It's got a 24 inch deck and seems to be a perfect fit for my lot and budget. But:
1. Who the heck made this thing? It seems to have an MTD model number (Model# 13A326JC058), but is has the Murray name and is on their website.
2. I see no reviews other than what is on the Walmart site and there are only a few at that.
3. It's not clear that I can get a muching kit.
4. It looks an awful lot like the Troyblt unit sold last year that wasn't a great review.
5. I now have a Yardman Yardbug that still works ok, but is tippy on the slopes.

Click to expand...

I would just not get it cause i had the weedeater one they were ok but not made to last and mtd makes them

Briggs purchases Murray in 2005 out of backruptcy court because they owed Briggs like $32 million. But Briggs didn't get the rights to the name, and no company was allowed to use the name for 5 years or so. Last year the name became available for use, and MTD was building some of the push mowers and all the riders, and Husqvarna was making the other push mowers.

Briggs is supplying parts for the older Murray products, but parts for the newer products will depend on who made it. So as a repair shop, somebody calls me up and says I need parts for my Murray, is it a Murray original, a MTD murray, or a Husqvarna murray.

ILENGINE said:

Briggs purchases Murray in 2005 out of backruptcy court because they owed Briggs like $32 million. But Briggs didn't get the rights to the name, and no company was allowed to use the name for 5 years or so. Last year the name became available for use, and MTD was building some of the push mowers and all the riders, and Husqvarna was making the other push mowers.

Briggs is supplying parts for the older Murray products, but parts for the newer products will depend on who made it. So as a repair shop, somebody calls me up and says I need parts for my Murray, is it a Murray original, a MTD murray, or a Husqvarna murray.

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Ilengine,
Yep, buying a Murray is similar to buying the Isignia HDTV at Best Buy(their "store brand"). Depending on the "model", it could be a Samsung, an LG, a Sharp, a Panasonic or a Dynex. Based upon the quality of these manufacturers you can only hope you got one built by Samsung instead of Dynex!!!

:smile: Its a day to day job, just to keep up with who owns what or whos building what.

That Murray looks like a rebadged Weed Eater One, I have heard some negative things about those. I wouldn't buy it. It is a overpriced hunk of plastic. They aren't built to last.

dad7432 said:

I am looking at a "Murray" Mini-Rider that Walmart is selling for $798.00. It's got a 24 inch deck and seems to be a perfect fit for my lot and budget. But:
1. Who the heck made this thing? It seems to have an MTD model number (Model# 13A326JC058), but is has the Murray name and is on their website.
2. I see no reviews other than what is on the Walmart site and there are only a few at that.
3. It's not clear that I can get a muching kit.
4. It looks an awful lot like the Troyblt unit sold last year that wasn't a great review.
5. I now have a Yardman Yardbug that still works ok, but is tippy on the slopes.

Click to expand...

I purchased this rider on May 28, 2014 on July 28, 2014 it would not start, called Wal-Mart got no where with them, called Murray told me I need to take it to an authorized repair dealer, I have one here in my town and they are great, but I will not see my machine again until the end of the growing season, it only 2 months old and used 7 times, I would be careful before buying. This makes for an unhappy customer

To answer some of your questions, #3 it comes with a mulching kit, or you can buy an optional bagging kit
one the reasons I liked it was it will go threw a 3' gate, this is a plus for me, there is a knob to go from reverse to forward that keeps coming off, I don't like the fact that if you want to back up you must disengage the blade, this is a pain. The 24" deck is alright for a small area it just takes more time to cut a large area.

SeniorCitizen said:

Is there something about the design of the 24 inch Mini that would make it stable on slopes ?

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I don't think so.

LazerZLandscaping said:

That Murray looks like a rebadged Weed Eater One, I have heard some negative things about those. I wouldn't buy it. It is a overpriced hunk of plastic. They aren't built to last.

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At least this model has a gear drive transaxle in it, unlike the non repairable disc drive unit in the weedeater one, that they decided they won't supply parts for, and the rear drive plus labor cost 2/3 of the cost of the mower.

ILENGINE said:

At least this model has a gear drive transaxle in it, unlike the non repairable disc drive unit in the weedeater one, that they decided they won't supply parts for, and the rear drive plus labor cost 2/3 of the cost of the mower.

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Why even put a disc drive transaxle in a mower?

Did anyone notice that the Weed Eater One isn't made in the USA, it is "assembled" in the USA.

LazerZLandscaping said:

Why even put a disc drive transaxle in a mower?

Did anyone notice that the Weed Eater One isn't made in the USA, it is "assembled" in the USA.

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Because Snapper has been doing it since like the 50's, and it is a reliable system in there RER.

ILENGINE said:

Because Snapper has been doing it since like the 50's, and it is a reliable system in there RER.

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I like the older Snapper RER's because they are dependable and long lasting, but these newer ones are just low quality and junk. As I say, you get what you pay for.