Troy Bilt Mustang

[JJZ 109]

Purchased a Troy Bilt Mustang zero turn at local Lowe's in mid may.
About 2 weeks ago was mowing the yard and the blades quit turning. To make the long story short, the bolt that holds the electric blade clutch to the crank snapped off and the clutch was dangling by the wires.
I figured I could pull it into my garage, drill/easy out the bolt and repair it and get back to my lawn.
Bolt was fairly hard (or the bits were dull), or a combo of the two. Got a hole started but then it occurred to me that it was under warranty so I stopped before I did some damage.
Not the right move to make. Now the shop doesn't know if MTD will cover it. No matter if they will or won't cover it, parts seem to be a big issue with the shop stating that nobody is carrying much of a parts inventory due to the economy.
I told them that I need a mower regardless, so fix it whether MTD covers it or not. I'll accept the blame for what I did. Here we are a couple of weeks later with no mower and no word on parts.
I recently heard from the owner of a Simplicity Z turn that had the same issue happen. He didn't try to repair it himself but got the same story about parts availability from the same shop.
Anyone had a similar situation happen with these Z turns? Having serious thoughts about biting the bullet on this machine and maybe trading up. I only mow about an acre so I don't need anything elaborate. But I do need something that isn't sitting in the shop.

 

[mwb]

I hear you; I have a Troy-Bilt chainsaw with a broken recoil spool. For any other saw this would be a $5 part but MTD will not sell it - you have to buy a complete assembly (the whole side of the saw cover). The local "dealer" recommended by MTD told me "we only want to sell snowblowers, we don't order parts..."

Some thoughts for you:
1. Buy quality; if parts can't be purchased locally or sourced easily then don't buy it.
2. It is always easier to fix something before someone else has had a whack at it.
3. Your service shop may be less helpful because you purchased from a box store rather than them? Maybe their suggestion that warranty was void is intended to teach you a lesson?
4. The shop will probably come through for you but it sounds like this repair might involve a new crankshaft if the bolt removal is not successful.
5. If the service shop will not fix it, I would pull the engine and take it to an engine machine shop. They should be able to drill / mill / tap and fix it.

I am tired of working on MTD junk. They serve a purpose though - cheap to buy and disposable when they break.

Good luck!

 

[JJZ 109]

Some thoughts for you:

3. Your service shop may be less helpful because you purchased from a box store rather than them? Maybe their suggestion that warranty was void is intended to teach you a lesson?
4. The shop will probably come through for you but it sounds like this repair might involve a new crankshaft if the bolt removal is not successful.
I am tired of working on MTD junk. They serve a purpose though - cheap to buy and disposable when they break.

Good luck!

Re: #3. Lesson learned. It stated as much in the manual. I'll take my medicine for trying a self fix so that (God forbid) I could finish my lawn that afternoon with a 2 month old mower! As far as big box, the "authorized" warranty repair shop doesn't even sell Troy Bilt.
Re: #4. No word yet on MTD coming through. Not betting anything of much value on it. Another lesson learned. "Suck it up, Buttercup" and buy a quality machine with a decent warranty that the company won't try to skate out of.
You are also correct in assuming that a new crank could be in the offing. If a supplier, somewhere can come up with one.
There must be 10's of thousands of these 25 HP Kohlers out there. Very strange that a replacement crank is such a rarity.
Small hint for MTD/Troy Bilt: This cat will not be coming back to the brand if this fiasco is ever fixed. Decorum and forum rules forbid me from posting my true sentiments.

 

[mwb]

Have you considered option 5? An engine machine shop should be able to fix that. Maybe your would even have to remove your crank shaft for them to machine but that is still a viable solution.

I don't think it would be hard to get a crank for that either; you might want to price it yourself. Get the engine model and serial and call a Kohler shop. MTD will probably not stock Kohler parts - even on their web site MTD refers B&S owners to go to the Briggs site.

 

[JJZ 109]

Have you considered option 5? An engine machine shop should be able to fix that. Maybe your would even have to remove your crank shaft for them to machine but that is still a viable solution.

I don't think it would be hard to get a crank for that either; you might want to price it yourself. Get the engine model and serial and call a Kohler shop. MTD will probably not stock Kohler parts - even on their web site MTD refers B&S owners to go to the Briggs site.

Well, now that my rant is over, I have been informed that the repair will be covered under warranty.
I guess the only thing to be upset about now is that it's been nearly 3 weeks and no status reports were forthcoming. Nothing worse than being kept in the dark while a necessary piece of equipment is sitting idle. Borrowing a friend's mower sucks. I'm kind of a big proponent of buying and having on hand most anything I need.

 

[JJZ 109]

Yay! Nearly five weeks later I'm picking my mower up. The local authorized service place claims to have been having big problems all summer getting parts from MTD. Just a little something to keep in mind for potential MTD buyers.