New Owner - Limited Distribution Husq. GT48DXLS Garden Tractor

tk tom · May 6, 2017

dslanec said:
I picked up my mulch kit today.....well it's not even close to being correct. The "plug cover" is about half the size of the actual opening. The baffles that came In The kit do not fit either. I called husqvarna and they said I had the correct part number. So I took the kit back to dealer and they said it shows the correct part number too but clearly agreed with me that there is no way it was going to fit my mower. So the dealer is going to call their rep from husqvarna on Monday and try to figure this out. I sure hope it gets taken care of because I must have a mower that mulches and I confirmed with the dealer and husqvarna before I bought my mower that there was a mulching kit available. I will say that while I was under the mowing deck today I noticed that it is a very unique (to me anyway) design. Different from any deck I have ever seen.

There is no mulch kit listed available as of yet. You likely received one for a 48" stamped deck or for the previous 48 fab deck.

tk tom · May 6, 2017

Husqvarna is not made by MTD. MTD is not made by Husqvarna. The snowblowers are not made by the opposing companies. The snowblower attachments are not made by either. Unless Agri-Fab is owned by MTD (which it may be, I do not know) then neither make the blowers or other accessories (carts, sleeve hitches, dethatchers, etc.). MTD and Husqvarna both manufacture units for Craftsman as well as other companies.

The K66 should be a serviceable transmission. I haven't pulled the plug out on one yet to check but for $40 you should be able to buy a trans filter and new plug/o-ring kit to service it. the silly part will be refilling the trans when you are done. I would assume given the transmissions specs and capabilities and the consumers these units are marketed to they are hedging their bets that the tractors will die before the trans needs any service - hence the statement of "sealed" transmission. They didn't leave an easy provision to refill the trans fluid and you will likely have to mess around fabricating some device to make it easier. Again, I have not explored this yet, my units came in late due to shipping/production issues and we have been swamped at the shop leaving me with no time for exploratory procedures on new units that are unnecessary.

dslanec · May 6, 2017

tk tom said:
There is no mulch kit listed available as of yet. You likely received one for a 48" stamped deck or for the previous 48 fab deck.

I do have the correct kit and it's installed. The dealer had to call his rep to get the correct part number. It is 582559901. The first kit they ordered me was way off.

HusqGT48DXLS · May 6, 2017

tk tom said:
Where the **** did you buy your mower? If how you describe it is how you received it then the dealer is incompetent, you bought it online, or at a box store.

1. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck is extremely loud when running at full throttle compared to my old John Deere L118.
2. A few design or build issues:
a. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The seat does not adjust back far enough.
b. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck adjustment lever should have been installed on the right side. The 48" deck and extra long chute make it difficult to get on from the right side. The lever and seat arm rest make it challenging to get on from the left side unless the mower height is 3" or greater. The handle catches my leg in any lower setting.
c. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The steering wheel is rotated about 45 degrees with the wheels straight.
d. DEALER COULD HAVE CORRECTED, BUT IT REMAINS IN THE MANUFACTURING SHIPPING CRATE FOR DELIVERY FROM EAST COAST. NOT CAUSED BY THE DEALER. Front and rear wheels inflated to 35 psi. Front max is 14 psi. Rear max is 10 psi.
3. DEALER DID NOT ADJUST BECAUSE IT NEVER LEFT THE CRATE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE. The mower deck was not adjusted properly at the factory. The cut height was 3 3/4" on the 3" setting. The adjustment nuts are fully backed off at the end of the threaded rod to reach the correct cut height.
4. MANUFACTURE ISSUE FROM ORIGINAL CRATE AND PACKAGING. Shipping issue: The right side foot rest was damaged in shipping due to poor packaging. The chute was held up with a rubber band inside the crate with the top edge resting on the foot pedal edge (see picture). The bouncing in shipment gouged and removed several inches of paint. A simple foam insert would have prevented this issue.

I purchased the tractor from the only dealer in the country who had one at the time. Three Washington state dealers were expecting delivery within a month, but not within 80 miles of me. My local dealer is low volume and could not order due to minimum purchase.

wrooster · May 7, 2017

If I understand your post above correctly, your dealer delivered your tractor in the original crate? That is, the dealer did not do any post-shipment/pre-delivery inspection or adjustment, to say the least of unpacking the tractor from the shipping crate?

HusqGT48DXLS · May 7, 2017

Correct...the dealer shipped the tractor in the original shipping crate from the factory. I knew this at the time of shipping. However, the mower deck could have been installed correctly at the manufacturing process. The pre-delivery checklist in the owner's manual is to uncrate, fill with gas, charge battery (if needed), hook it up and drive tractor off the crate. The owner's manual includes the procedure for mower deck height adjustment but it is not part of the pre-delivery setup fro Husqvarna.

Oldtractorfixer · May 7, 2017

Rubber tired equipment is often shipped with the tires overinflated in order to keep it tight in the shipping skid. The hard tire will not bounce.

Teachu2 · May 8, 2017

HusqGT48DXLS said:
1. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck is extremely loud when running at full throttle compared to my old John Deere L118.
2. A few design or build issues:
a. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The seat does not adjust back far enough.
b. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck adjustment lever should have been installed on the right side. The 48" deck and extra long chute make it difficult to get on from the right side. The lever and seat arm rest make it challenging to get on from the left side unless the mower height is 3" or greater. The handle catches my leg in any lower setting.
c. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The steering wheel is rotated about 45 degrees with the wheels straight.
d. DEALER COULD HAVE CORRECTED, BUT IT REMAINS IN THE MANUFACTURING SHIPPING CRATE FOR DELIVERY FROM EAST COAST. NOT CAUSED BY THE DEALER. Front and rear wheels inflated to 35 psi. Front max is 14 psi. Rear max is 10 psi.
3. DEALER DID NOT ADJUST BECAUSE IT NEVER LEFT THE CRATE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE. The mower deck was not adjusted properly at the factory. The cut height was 3 3/4" on the 3" setting. The adjustment nuts are fully backed off at the end of the threaded rod to reach the correct cut height.
4. MANUFACTURE ISSUE FROM ORIGINAL CRATE AND PACKAGING. Shipping issue: The right side foot rest was damaged in shipping due to poor packaging. The chute was held up with a rubber band inside the crate with the top edge resting on the foot pedal edge (see picture). The bouncing in shipment gouged and removed several inches of paint. A simple foam insert would have prevented this issue.

I purchased the tractor from the only dealer in the country who had one at the time. Three Washington state dealers were expecting delivery within a month, but not within 80 miles of me. My local dealer is low volume and could not order due to minimum purchase.

1. Mine is loud - it's moving a lot of air. Throws clippings 15-20'. Hard to do that without a noise issue, but it's still quieter than the JD L130 it replaced. Foam earplugs are cheap and effective.
2a. How tall are you? I'm 6'3 and love the roominess this unit has.
2b. It's much easier if you raise the armrest.
2c. Dealer should have corrected when prepping.
2d. Dealer should have corrected when prepping.
3. Dealer should have corrected when prepping.
4. My dealer pointed out to me the spot where my chute was creased by the pedal. Husky needs to change the packing.
Low volume/minimum purchase? My dealer was brand new, and ordered mine by itself as his very first purchase. When I picked it up, it was ready to go.

widefat · May 8, 2017

HusqGT48DXLS said:
1. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck is extremely loud when running at full throttle compared to my old John Deere L118.
2. A few design or build issues:
a. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The seat does not adjust back far enough.
b. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck adjustment lever should have been installed on the right side. The 48" deck and extra long chute make it difficult to get on from the right side. The lever and seat arm rest make it challenging to get on from the left side unless the mower height is 3" or greater. The handle catches my leg in any lower setting.
c. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The steering wheel is rotated about 45 degrees with the wheels straight.
d. DEALER COULD HAVE CORRECTED, BUT IT REMAINS IN THE MANUFACTURING SHIPPING CRATE FOR DELIVERY FROM EAST COAST. NOT CAUSED BY THE DEALER. Front and rear wheels inflated to 35 psi. Front max is 14 psi. Rear max is 10 psi.
3. DEALER DID NOT ADJUST BECAUSE IT NEVER LEFT THE CRATE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE. The mower deck was not adjusted properly at the factory. The cut height was 3 3/4" on the 3" setting. The adjustment nuts are fully backed off at the end of the threaded rod to reach the correct cut height.
4. MANUFACTURE ISSUE FROM ORIGINAL CRATE AND PACKAGING. Shipping issue: The right side foot rest was damaged in shipping due to poor packaging. The chute was held up with a rubber band inside the crate with the top edge resting on the foot pedal edge (see picture). The bouncing in shipment gouged and removed several inches of paint. A simple foam insert would have prevented this issue.

I purchased the tractor from the only dealer in the country who had one at the time. Three Washington state dealers were expecting delivery within a month, but not within 80 miles of me. My local dealer is low volume and could not order due to minimum purchase.

IMVHO, you are letting the dealer off the hook WAY to easily. Manufacturer issue or not, if the dealership cared one iota, they would have checked and corrected the non-design issues.

PS - I am 6'6", 280, and I have no problem getting on and off if I raise the seat arm on my GT52.

tk tom · May 14, 2017

HusqGT48DXLS said:
1. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck is extremely loud when running at full throttle compared to my old John Deere L118.
2. A few design or build issues:
a. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The seat does not adjust back far enough.
b. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The mower deck adjustment lever should have been installed on the right side. The 48" deck and extra long chute make it difficult to get on from the right side. The lever and seat arm rest make it challenging to get on from the left side unless the mower height is 3" or greater. The handle catches my leg in any lower setting.
c. NOT A DEALER ISSUE The steering wheel is rotated about 45 degrees with the wheels straight.
d. DEALER COULD HAVE CORRECTED, BUT IT REMAINS IN THE MANUFACTURING SHIPPING CRATE FOR DELIVERY FROM EAST COAST. NOT CAUSED BY THE DEALER. Front and rear wheels inflated to 35 psi. Front max is 14 psi. Rear max is 10 psi.
3. DEALER DID NOT ADJUST BECAUSE IT NEVER LEFT THE CRATE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE. The mower deck was not adjusted properly at the factory. The cut height was 3 3/4" on the 3" setting. The adjustment nuts are fully backed off at the end of the threaded rod to reach the correct cut height.
4. MANUFACTURE ISSUE FROM ORIGINAL CRATE AND PACKAGING. Shipping issue: The right side foot rest was damaged in shipping due to poor packaging. The chute was held up with a rubber band inside the crate with the top edge resting on the foot pedal edge (see picture). The bouncing in shipment gouged and removed several inches of paint. A simple foam insert would have prevented this issue.

I purchased the tractor from the only dealer in the country who had one at the time. Three Washington state dealers were expecting delivery within a month, but not within 80 miles of me. My local dealer is low volume and could not order due to minimum purchase.

As you're not a dealer I wouldn't expect you to know this, but yes this IS A DEALER PROBLEM. As a dealer you are REQUIRED per the dealer agreement to:

Uncrate the unit
Perform a PDI and make ALL adjustments and corrections necessary. A dealer PDI is very thorough with many implied practices. We do this all the time and don't need every step spelled out for us (well, maybe not all of us).

EVERYTHING except your complaints about deck height lever position and seat position should have been fixed by the dealer. As far as the noise - you are comparing to an old outdated JD with a smaller deck - one that was known for practically folding in half with very slight impact. Do you want a mower that cuts well or do want one that's quiet? Your dealer is terrible and your complaints are pretty silly.