Chipper DR Chipper first impressions

MarkV · Jun 10, 2004

I got some of that from Country Home Products once. I bought a DR field and brush mower plus the 42" finish mower deck from a friend and needed new blades for the finish mower. Got the model number off the deck and couldn't figure out their system on the Internet. So I called and had a terrible time because my name wasn't in their records to show what model mower I owned. Even with the serial number and model number in front of me the lady I was talking with just could not get over me not being listed in their data base. When we got that sorted out I wanted to know if we were sure these were the right blades and if they were in stock. Couldn't tell me that. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I had to talk to the tech people and the warehouse people. Just shouldn't be that hard to order 30 or 40 dollars worth of blades.

Pete, I have been using the newer Kevlar belts on my DR mower and feel that they hold up better. The ones I get are blue in color but I don't know if all Kevlar ones are. If you have more belt problems you might give them a try.

MarkV

Boondox · Jun 10, 2004

( Did they tell you the brand and part number of the belt? )

Bird, no they didn't. It wasn't till I called the local Kubota dealer that I was told it was a relatively common belt in the automotive industry and should be available at NAPA. Had Country Home Products told me that upfront I would have had a much better feeling about their post-sale service. As it is, I'm worried that if I keep this chipper I'll face more breakage and more runaround. They're certainly friendly enough, but a little more forthrightness would be nice.

Oh, and if this belt fails I'll look around for the Kevlar replacement next time. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

Pete

WCarlson · Jun 11, 2004

Boondox,
My experience with DR has been the opposite of yours. Every problem was taken care of quickly and professionally. Two issues that occurred during the warranty period on my 18 hp DR chipper were refered to a local repair shop with DR picking up the bill and providing necessary parts directly to the repair shop. A subsequent post warranty problem of a loosened taper lock bushing after literally hundreds of hours of operation was handled by excellent technical advice and fax of detailed instructions on the adjustment of the bushing. Sorry to hear that your problems weren't handled as professionally as mine, it wouldn't be the first time that a business has grown to the point that the excellent reputation that caused them to grow was destroyed by the growth.
Bill

Boondox · Jun 14, 2004

Well, I found the replacement belt locally at the same firm that supplies them for DR. You'd think they could have told me that...

The good news is the belt replacement is quite easy and I was back in business in five minutes. Attacked a fallen pine over the weekend and that chipper really gobbles up softwood!

Pete

GrayBeard · Jun 14, 2004

Boon,
I'm glad you found a belt and I would guess a much better price. (even if it is warranty)
I've had a Dr. brush mower since '97 and it's a great piece of equipment !
Mine is the old style with the 21" semi-pneumatic tires.
This Spring they(tires) finally wore out completly and I called Dr about replacements.
Well, after getting the qoute and picking myself off the floor I said I'd have to check around.
I contacted the people who built the mower for Dr and asked about tires. They were 1/2 the previous quote.
Needless to say, I ordered 2 and I'm back in business.
The mfg. was great to deal with.
Dr supplies a good product (IMHO) but I pays to check around.
GrayBeard

John_Mc · Jun 20, 2004

(
I contacted the people who built the mower for Dr and asked about tires. They were 1/2 the previous quote.)

Who is the company that does the manufacturing?

John Mc