Deere LX6 tailwheel fractured!

[Charlesaf3]

I gotta say, that wheel looks ridiculously lightweight compare to my woods wheel. And I bent the yoke on the woods still (my fault, not woods, I was using it to knock down trees - worked well for a while!)

[Z-Michigan]

Originally Posted by N80

A lot of 'green' implements are not made by JD at all. I know that Woods used to make box blades for them. But Woods makes good stuff.

Quite right. All Frontier-branded stuff is made by other companies and only sold/marketed by JD. However, my Frontier blade, made by "Tecnomec Agricola" of Mexico, has been way below par. The LX6 was made by JD itself rather than outsourced, and I thought that was a sign of quality but at this point I'm not so impressed.

I guess at this point, if I did it all over again I would probably buy the TSC branded stuff (either KK or Farm Force). Cheaper up front, easy to find, and fairly easy to get parts for. I have a Farm Force disk that has been trouble free and enough for my use. I don't think the TSC brands are the same quality as really top brands by any means, but for 1/3 to 1/2 the cost, I think it fits for most personal, non-commercial, non-professional-farmer uses.

I am still trying to figure out which ones are the top brands. I had long admired Woods based on reputation and looking at their stuff at a local dealer, but from reading some other threads here it doesn't sound like they would be the way to go for rotary cutters.

[Z-Michigan]

Update: my local (selling) JD dealer asked a little over a week ago for photos of the entire cutter, presumably so they could see if it had been abused. They have had the photos for a bit over a week. They have apparently been talking back and forth with the JD factory rep in that time. They called me just now and told me that the factory rep's final answer is that they will NOT cover the cost of a replacement tailwheel. His reasoning is that they don't break that often and aren't, in his view, a high dollar item. Mind you, I was quoted $190 for a replacement tailwheel.

My local JD dealer is offering to sell me the replacement tailwheel for $150, a discount from what it would be normally. That's all they're offering. I explained my case nicely and didn't get upset, and am trying not to burn any bridges.

However, I think this is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE from both JD and my local dealer. JD should cover it, but if they won't the dealer should step up and acknowledge it is unreasonable for this part to fail so soon, and they should pay for it themselves.

Appreciate all comments and suggestions. I will never buy any Deere or Frontier implements again, and while I think the tractor is much better quality than the cheap-as-junk implements, it definitely makes me question whether I would ever buy anything JD makes ever again. I also feel that I picked a bad dealer and while I'm going to try and stay nice with them, I don't see any reason they would get much business from me in the future.

[IslandTractor]

I'd say it's time to bypass the dealer and contact JD directly to plead your case. This really should be a no brainer if their customer service has any sense which the field rep obviously is lacking.

[Baby Grand]

Is the $190 ... no, wait, $150 tail wheel the same cheap-o design? On the odd chance that it's not, then that would be something to mention if you do go direct to the JD service dept. As in: why was the design changed?

[Z-Michigan]

From what I've read on here, JD corporate is absolutely adamant that they don't deal with consumers directly, the consumer has to go through the dealer. If someone has had a different experience, please let me know.

I'm probably going to buy a generic tailwheel from TSC or agrisupply and install that, even if some fitting is required.

I may also contact the dealership owners by mail and tell them the story. I've been dealing with one store manage, who I think owned that store before selling it to a bigger dealership chain, so I don't have much higher to go. I'll see if I feel it's worth my time.

[Z-Michigan]

Originally Posted by Baby Grand

Is the $190 ... no, wait, $150 tail wheel the same cheap-o design? On the odd chance that it's not, then that would be something to mention if you do go direct to the JD service dept. As in: why was the design changed?

The replacement would be the laminated design. I don't know if its wheel is stronger or not. I'm hesitant to spend $150 on something that may be no better, when I can get an aftermarket replacement for $50-60 which can't be worse.

[IslandTractor]

Originally Posted by Z-Michigan

From what I've read on here, JD corporate is absolutely adamant that they don't deal with consumers directly,.

Sadly that has been the experience of some Kioti customers complaints too. You would think that the manufacturers would want to protect themselves from poor dealerships by at least offering some sort of customer service outlet other than the dealer.

Are there any JD dealers active on TBN? We have a handful of Kioti dealers on our forum that have been extremely helpful in situations like this. Maybe the JD dealerships are all too big and too corporate but it would be nice to get a second opinion from someone other than your own dealer on this.

[Baby Grand]

After trying to get this resolved in a reasonable manner, I think you're option to "get an aftermarket replacement for $50-60" sounds like a real good idea. Why part with any more cash at that dealership?

Oh, and shame on that dealership for treating you as they did!
Inexcusable.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out with whatever course you take,

Jim

[Farmwithjunk]

I've been following this thread since it's inception, trying hard to decide what my opinion is. Granted, the wheel shouldn't have broke. But then again, it's a light duty mower, regardless of who's brand name is painted on it. I'm very much aware of how fragile they can be. That's reaon #1 why I TRY to discourage folks from buying light duty mowers (and various other light duty implements) . Even in the mildest of mowing conditions, they take a thrashing sometimes. Parts fail.

Deere probably ISN'T alone in their declining warranty issues that are out of warranty. I've ran into a couple situations with name brand manufacturers who went to extremes to avoid warranty claims that were still IN warranty. In most cases, their first instinct is to decline a request for "over and above". Most dealers won't take it upon themselves to provide warranty support if corporate won't back them up. It does happen in isolated instances, but not as a hard and fast rule. While buying a tractor and associated implements may be the biggest single equipment related purchase YOU'LL make in a given time frame, it's just another customer and just another sale for the dealer. I'm sure MOST dealers do whatever is reasonable to keep customers happy, but they can't make a habit out of handing out free parts. (Now I CAN see the dealer letting the part go at his cost in this case)

In no event would I replace what has been determined to be a weak part with the SAME part. If the aftermarket part is at least as good (quality) and is cheaper, I'd lean that direction.