Comparing 3 Zero Turn Mowers

Carl_NH · May 26, 2011

dandaly,

Its too bad you havent had the best experience, but as others have said, Ferris, with your lawn and area that would be the best choice...

For your Kawasaki it sounds like a fuel issue being this is a new unit. This is not typical of the Kawasaki at all.

The other aspect, dealer prep, attention to detail is definitely lacking in your case and it seems they are interested in moving units in volume and not dealing with the "details" very well.

I have a Ferris IS2000 - looked for 2 years and got a new leftover unit last year $7K - runs great, cuts great, is a solid machine and a great ride.

You need to stick with your dealer, but if your Toro isnt right after they return it and you need to do this again, then once you hit three times (hope you dont) , there is a lemon law you can enact in most states.

There are a host of other things you should check, like the deck level, even left to right and there should be a slight angle front to back 1/8' higher in front than back.. Then the L& R drives should track straight for 100' with both levers full forward..Then everything should be greased and lubed - the spindles take a fair amount of grease..

Good luck with your repairs and hope you are mowing soon..

rabidracin · May 27, 2011

The one thing I would definitely look for in a zero turn is a RD deck. Think a SD would be a disadvantage as if yo cut your lawn your lawn in sections you will get windrowing. As with a RD you can mow from front to back with absolutely no windrowing. Just speaking from my experience. My lawn is 4 acres and I got a RD deck this year and love it.

dan daly · May 27, 2011

what is an rd deck?

rabidracin · May 27, 2011

RD= rear discharge
SD= side discharge

probolpher · May 27, 2011

Your dealer should be bending over backward to get this fixed for you asap. I manager a large car dealership and if we have a customer that has problems with their brand new car we take care of it asap no questions asked.

The dealer and the manufacturer do not want a bad reputation. You should be calling the salesperson who sold it to you. They are usually the most responsive. Service departments get so many repair calls, they usually put them into a cue based on who called first. The salesperson will make sure your name gets put at the front of the list. If your salesperson is not giving you the answers you want, call and speak to someone in charge. If the person in charge is not giving you the answers you want, then you ended up purchasing from a bad dealer. If this is the case, you should let him/her know that you plan on posting your bad experience on google reviews. This will normally get someones attention quickly.

Good Luck.

dan daly · May 27, 2011

The dealer manager is the one who sold me the mower. I left him a message yesterday. He didn't call me back all day today, so I called again and spoke to him. He says they will come Tuesday to look at the mower.

I reminded him that at the time of the sale, he told me that I would get better service from him then either Home Depot or Tractor Supply (where I was looking at competing models). I went on to tell him that if I'd bought from either of them and my mower died the 2nd day I could have returned it for a refund- so where is my better service? He responded by saying I was unreasonable.

The day before another employee at the dealership had told me they couldn't take any returns because it was Toro policy. Today I called Toro and they told me there is no such policy. Each dealer sets their own policy.

beppington · May 27, 2011

dan daly said:
The dealer manager is the one who sold me the mower. I left him a message yesterday. He didn't call me back all day today, so I called again and spoke to him. He says they will come Tuesday to look at the mower.

I reminded him that at the time of the sale, he told me that I would get better service from him then either Home Depot or Tractor Supply (where I was looking at competing models). I went on to tell him that if I'd bought from either of them and my mower died the 2nd day I could have returned it for a refund- so where is my better service? He responded by saying I was unreasonable.

The day before another employee at the dealership had told me they couldn't take any returns because it was Toro policy. Today I called Toro and they told me there is no such policy. Each dealer sets their own policy.

Wow, so far this is a really unfortunate situation. I certainly don't blame you for being P.O.'d. Hopefully it gets better soon.

I'm also not at all surprised that anybody at a vehicle dealership would lie ("Toro's return policy").

Maybe the thing to do is to make our agreements with dealers such that we pay them say 75% prior to delivery, with the other 25% in an escrow account that you document for him. Then after say 3 days of no problems, he gets paid the rest. I dunno, just brainstorming.

Diamondpilot · May 27, 2011

dan daly said:
The mower I got that died has a kawasaki engine.

That may be the case but in my opinion they are the best. Again, its just my opinion. I like Ford trucks also and I know from time to time they die also.

It could have been just a bad motor from the factory but my guess is its a electrical or fuel problem that is part of the mower itself, not he motor.

Chris

Carl_NH · May 27, 2011

dan daly said:
The dealer manager is the one who sold me the mower. I left him a message yesterday. He didn't call me back all day today, so I called again and spoke to him. He says they will come Tuesday to look at the mower.

I reminded him that at the time of the sale, he told me that I would get better service from him then either Home Depot or Tractor Supply (where I was looking at competing models). I went on to tell him that if I'd bought from either of them and my mower died the 2nd day I could have returned it for a refund- so where is my better service? He responded by saying I was unreasonable.

The day before another employee at the dealership had told me they couldn't take any returns because it was Toro policy. Today I called Toro and they told me there is no such policy. Each dealer sets their own policy.

Dandaly,

The dealer response is one that I expect when his back is against the wall, he knows what he said to sell you the unit, and indeed TSC or HD, or large entities will accept the return because it doesnt affect their bottom line or salary.

For your dealer the first issue was delivery - he didnt have stock, then had to get the unit along with others to consolidate his costs, it was late, he was under pressure.

Personally I would contact the Toro regional rep - only to outline your total experience to date (late delivery, shipping, and other issues) and say your dealer is doing x/y/z, however you bought his BRAND based on reputation of a solid machine.

This tact will at least connect you direct to Toro and if you need to escalate this you can.

I dont know how far you are from your dealer, but I would definitely read your manuals and inspect this with a fine tooth comb before delivery the second time.

tomslawn · May 28, 2011

well i just replaced 2 heads on jd ztracks this week, the motor sits to close to the seat and cannot draw in air to cool the engine so grass builds up and overheats the motor casing valve guides to push out, i love the ztrack but they should have went with a verticle engine so it could breath, as for your warranty i would be in that dealership everyday till they replaced my engine or the whole unit. less than 2 hours and it sounds like valve/pushrod problems. don't that that bull. my op.