I just picked up my RK55HC from its 50 hour service and some warranty work tonight. Tractor was at Rural King from 12/21 to 1/3. I was told the work would take a week, so not too far off from the estimated time.
Before I discuss my experience, let me preface this by saying I NEVER take my equipment back to a dealer unless it requires warranty work. I always perform all maintenance service on my vehicles/tractors and once the warranty expires, I perform all work short of pulling an engine or splitting a case (except for my motorcycles, on which I do split cases). The reason behind all this is that I've never met a mechanic that had as much respect for the equipment they were working on as the individual who spent big $$ purchasing that equipment, plain and simple. Maybe I've just never met the right mechanic or I'm just too darn picky.
That said, my RK55 developed a hydraulic leak at one of the steering shafts. Since I assumed it would be covered under warranty, I did not wish to bother with it myself. The leak was small so I monitored it during the mowing season and added hydraulic fluid to the tractor when needed. Considering the cold season and my 50 hr service coincided with one another, I decided to take the tractor in to have the steering cylinder assy replaced (seals are not replaceable, must replace the whole unit) and since it was already going to be there, I figured I'd give them a shot at my 50 hr service.
First, my impressions of what I assume to be the service area. The space Rural King moved into used to be a K-Mart, so I think they are working with the cards they were dealt as best they can. Here's a few pics of the back area where my tractor was stored when I went to pick it up. My tractor was sitting next to the yellow air compressor tank in the second pic, and several pallets of product had to be moved from behind it in order to back it out. I think if they had to have a couple of RK55's in there at once, it could start becoming a little cramped. Prior to the tractor being accepted for service, it was pulled into the bullpen area on the side of the store which is protected by chain link fence, but not covered from the elements.
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My thoughts about the service are as follows, I'll give it 3 stars out of 5 for several reasons, listed below. Overall, I am mostly satisfied with the work performed. The steering assembly no longer leaks, my 50 hr service is done, and I got the tractor back in generally the same condition in which it was dropped off. That’s what truly matters. Consider everything below to be the nitpickey observations of an overly protective tractor owner.
1. Mechanic was a little heavy handed with tools when replacing the steering assy, so paint chipped off several components (pics below). Not a huge deal, but avoidable in my opinion. I wrap my wrenches with electrical tape to keep from marring painted finishes when necessary.
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2. Oil residue is apparent on several components where it was either spilled when filling or emptying and not completely wiped up. To be expected I guess?
3. Whomever greased the loader zerks, used a LOT of grease. And, unless a completely different and totally fastidious individual greased all the zerks on the underside of the tractor, none of them got greased at all because the fittings are all bone dry. Pics below for comparison. I prefer all of my zerk fittings to be cleaned thoroughly after greasing so they don't attract dirt, so this is probably a blessing in disguise as I have quite a bit of cleanup ahead of me on the loader.
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4. One of the hood panels was not installed correctly as shown below.
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5. The grill guard in front of the hood wasn't secured at all with the lever bolts. My grill guard is really tight without the lever bolts being fastened so not a big deal but I've felt other tractors at RK that moved quite freely when the lever bolts are loosened and this could be a huge deal if the guard moved and you attempted to operate the loader as they will interfere with one another when the guard is not in the fully closed position.
6. I requested from the mechanic that the 3 point hitch up/down lever be adjusted or greased because it is extremely stiff to operate to the point where it feels like something is going to break or bend when operating. Apparently, this request was forgotten, because there is no evidence that anything was performed to remedy this issue.
Overall, the items I listed above may be considered minor in nature by most. Unfortunately, I'm really particular about most everything in life, so things like these stand out to me. One of my fatal flaws I guess. In the end what ultimately matters is that the tractor had an issue and a $400 component was replaced at no charge to me.