Disappointed in Massey Ferguson

[TSO]

Yup, not arguing about the warranty. I'm talking about a manufacturer standing behind its product and correcting a known design issue. Maybe all consumers should have higher expectations on quality products for our dollars.

Interesting thing is that I am in the market for a new 30-35 hp tractor and zturn. Guess where I won't be going and what brand I won't be buying...?

What's interesting is that you all have been saying that if I had used the tractor more and put 270 hours on it in only 2 years, the manufacturer would be expected to fix it, but because it took me 10 more years, they are off the hook? Guess I need to look for products with hour based warranties and not year based warranties.

Sounds like this is the first issue this tractor has developed in 13 years of ownership... and instead of being happy about a machine being problem free for that length of time, you seem to be complaining about a very minor defect, not mechanical, not anything that prevents you from using it.

My F450 PowerStroke has been out of warranty for 4 years. Guess what, it has a known defect. The defect is the entire engine LOL. Well, not really, but there are known issues. At some point, I'm going to need to drop down around $4k to replace the head gasket and head bolts. WHAT I WOULDN'T GIVE TO HAVE AN EASY "MINOR PROBLEM" COSTING ONLY $300'ish ON MY PAID OFF MACHINE !!!!

Sheesh... some people really miss the forest for the trees.

If you decide to not shop a brand again after 13 years of trouble free ownership (until this minor problem) ... Then that's your loss I guess.

But I think you'll have a rude awakening when you discover that practically every manufacturer of practically every product sold in America will likely also NOT pay for a repair on a 13 year old product that is a decade out of warranty.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

Some of you guys need to learn to read better.The point is not a 12 year old tractor but 270 hours and the pipe is breaking due to a design flaw that was fixed in subsequent years, but no support for owners who bought the inferior design. Many commercial machines give warranties in terms of hours, not years because everyone knows that it is not only the years that matter, but how much the machine has been used.

For those of you who like to jump to conclusions without all the facts- there was no blockage- it is a poorly designed exhaust system with the exaust pipe in an unsupported horizontal position. And as for the damage to the light, i didn't know it had broken until after I was done mowing. Anyway, I'm trying to move on productively, which is why I asked for options for aftermarket parts- Massey exhaust is $300 and light assembly is $165

The farm's deere 955 had exhaust and throttle cable issues. After pricing the new parts, I decided to just go to the local muffler shop and have them install a new system for less than half money. I am finished buying new fuel filter/throttle cable brackets, and have gone to cable ties.

Buy the light assembly and be done with that, but dont buy another faulty mf exhaust piece unless you inspect it and see if they did beef it up or something. But 12 years is an issue no matter the hours. It's like a car that list time and miles for warranty. I'd bet if you read the OM, it will state the limits of the warranty. I know, but 270 hours is new and they fixed it etc. But you will find this in all brands in one way or another. It sucks, but unless you can find a ma/pa manufacturer that values service over margin, you're screwed just like the rest of us.

 

[moriboy]

You can look back on everything ever made and find design flaws. At some point a manufacturer has to draw the line on how far back they will support a product.
Things that sit more than they run tend to have as many or more problems than things that get used often....

 

[sd455dan]

In todays scheme of things, those prices are almost too low to believe. All the better, if you can install them yourself.

Wow -sounded high to me... had to replace one headlamp on my chinese Rhino after crushing the hood a while back.
came with shell, the high/ low beam, aim adjusting Assembly and wiring for $29.00
complete turn signal assemblies for $11
they even have the sheet metal in stock- and the tractor is 23 years old... It would bother me not to be able to source a new headlight assembly on a 12 year old tractor.

I would be ticked if I were the Op to- Seem to remember another thread about the small Masseys and multiple broken exhaust systems in just a few hours... It would have been a nice gesture for the OP to be able to buy the redesigned exhaust at cost or with a minimal mark-up. jmo

That said if the op has a friend tht is a good welder possibly could (beef up) the exhaust system for less than the new part.

 

[GManBart]

Yup, not arguing about the warranty. I'm talking about a manufacturer standing behind its product and correcting a known design issue. Maybe all consumers should have higher expectations on quality products for our dollars.

Interesting thing is that I am in the market for a new 30-35 hp tractor and zturn. Guess where I won't be going and what brand I won't be buying...?

What's interesting is that you all have been saying that if I had used the tractor more and put 270 hours on it in only 2 years, the manufacturer would be expected to fix it, but because it took me 10 more years, they are off the hook? Guess I need to look for products with hour based warranties and not year based warranties.

This is simply ridiculous. First off, you previously stated that some manufacturers offer warranties in hours, not years. That may be true of construction equipment that costs FAR more, and is absolutely going to have multiple hundreds of hours put on in a year, not a small homeowner tractor that manufacturers know often get used very little.

Further, for the companies that offer machines to both markets, they almost always have a shorter warranty when it comes to commercial usage. For example, if you buy a Kubota Grand L, the powertrain warranty is 36 months or 2,000 hours. If you buy an M59 utility tractor the powertrain warranty is 24 months or 1500 hours. That kind of kills your earlier argument.

No matter how you slice it, time is a factor manufacturers need to consider because exposure to the elements causes problems just as hours on the clock cause problems. Rust doesn't care how many or how few hours are on your machine, it only knows how many years it has to work. In fact, rust is usually worse when usage is low. UV damage to paint, plastic and rubber doesn't care how few hours are on your tractor. Fluids deteriorate over time because condensation builds up, and isn't boiled off during normal use, so low hours can be yet another negative if people don't change the maintenance schedule to take that into account. Bet you wouldn't be willing to list the dates and hours when you changed all the fluids over those 12+ years....

From the sounds of it, any tractor or ZTR manufacturer will be lucky to have you go to another brand.

 

[Alien]

There is some protection for buyers if it is a known manufacturing defect whether it is out of warranty or not.
Ford F250 manifolds used to crack badly due to poor manufacturing and I replaced several that were long out of warranty on time and milage.
They did not charge for the manifolds after it was pointed out that it was a known problem.
There are many consumer rights apart from manufacturer warranties.

Very disappointed in some of the smart *** comments made re the original poster. He had every right to question the problem without the 'know it alls' coming on board just for the ride. Get a life.

 

[MortOz]

Very disappointed in some of the smart *** comments made re the original poster. He had every right to question the problem without the 'know it alls' coming on board just for the ride. Get a life.

I'm with you on this one Alien :thumbsup: Normally posts here reflect some thought and understanding of people's issues. If something is a known manufacturing defect, how hard would it be for dealers or the manufacturer's distributor to whack out an email to owners advising them? But they don't, because in the present litigious climate that seems to be spreading like a disease they fear someone will sue them. Pity, as a note to owners saying to check the exhaust system and suggesting an easy fix would probably make for happy return customers.
And in my experience, a failure in an exhaust system is more likely to be due to vibration while the machine is running than simply being X years old, and that does point to a design flaw such as an unsupported section of exhaust that fails due to fatigue. A situation that likely could have been fixed with a $5 bracket at the factory if found during product testing.
Interesting to note that lots of the criticism of the OP comes from people with a MF in their list of equipment owned. Smile guys, and make some constructive suggestions - mine would be to head to one of the smaller exhaust/muffler shops, where you seem to be able to find people who are happy to make up something to suit a particular job for a reasonable price. If you can get the tractor to them, they would likely come up with something better supported by brackets or bracing than the original, and a good lifetime fix.

 

[TSO]

I don't know Alien... How many tractor companies do you think would pay for a repair on a 12+ yr old tractor? Now, if the problem was bad enough and there were enough owners having failures, in addition to changing the design, they would likely have issued a recall. But it didn't sound like a recall was ever issued.

I can understand being disappointed in a product having an issue, but give me a break, 12+ years later? I'd try to work a deal work my dealer and see if I could get the cost split, or something... But after that, I'd just shell out the small amount of money and fix it.

It's also been mentioned that preventative maintenance, especially a pre-start inspection, would likely have disclosed the cracked pipe, and prevented the headlight damage.

 

[Farmer495]

I sympathize with the OP, low hours machine suffering a stupid "known issue" breakage resulting in damage would make me angry as well, but we have people thinking something that breaks on a 12 year old tractor means that brand is junk/doesn't stand behind anything (while apparently never having any other issues in 12 years?) and won't be buying it again? no guarantee the exhaust would have broken during warranty if 200 plus hours were on it when new.

I know personally someone who had a major ENGINE failure in a vehicle with VERY LOW MILES but at least 10 years out of warranty. Engine might have failed under warranty if it was driven lots when new, or maybe not. Owner paid to have it fixed, but didn't complain to car company about it.

Warranties do have time limits, because time and age can affect stuff worse than use.

You used to see disclaimers like "the manufacturer reserves the right to make improvements or changes to equipment without obligation to apply these changes to previously sold equipment" on sales literature. While I agree it would be nice that a company advises of improvements, the fact that something made it 10 YEARS beyond warranty, most in business would say it couldn't of been too bad if it lasted that long.

 

[fried1765]

There is some protection for buyers if it is a known manufacturing defect whether it is out of warranty or not.
Ford F250 manifolds used to crack badly due to poor manufacturing and I replaced several that were long out of warranty on time and milage.
They did not charge for the manifolds after it was pointed out that it was a known problem.
There are many consumer rights apart from manufacturer warranties.

Very disappointed in some of the smart *** comments made re the original poster. He had every right to question the problem without the 'know it alls' coming on board just for the ride. Get a life.

Alien:
Yours is one of only a few ADULT comments on this thread!