At the mercy of my lawnmower dealer.

[satman858]

Thanks guys for all of your replies.

I should being getting it over to my mechanic friend in the next couple of days, when I can get my friend with a trailer hitch to help me. I didn't know until the other day that one of my cousins has a trailer almost identical the the trailers the dealer uses, and he is going to lead it to me. :thumbsup:

I will let everyone know how it turns out after it is done.

 

[TnHusky]

I would make a video of you using that big impact to get the blades off and if there is Loctite on there make sure you get that also. Then I'd send that out to Gravely and make a formal complaint about the sorry dealer that did this.

 

[Rivets]

If it were me, I would make a copy of this posting and send it to this dealership owner. You have not mentioned his name, but will be sending it to all the manufacturers of the brands he sells. If he has no response, then do just that. His actions give all dealerships and mechanics a bad name, and the manufacturers will definitely be talking to him. I know you have talked to him once, but before filing any complaints, give him a chance to explain his side. One thing I did not see in your post, did you sign a repair agreement when you dropped off the unit? Most good dealers have one which is there to both the dealership and the customer. If you did, reread it carefully, as you may have authorized him to do things you didn't want done when you signed it. I have seen some of these agreements stating "I authorize this dealership to preform all repairs they deem necessary to get this unit in a safety operating condition." This is a way for them to bill you for anything they feel might be an unsafe condition, even though it is not covered in the work you want done.

 

[satman858]

Okay guys here is what happened with the bolts, and something new that I just discovered.

First off the bolts easily came off with my mechanic friends impact gun that he had his auto repair shop. It appears to me that there is no trace of "locktite" on the bolts, they were just tighten with their industrial strenght compressor and impact gun, torqed far above my compressor and impact gun capabilities. Still even though I feel that they may not have used locktite, they did intentionally impact the bolts to a torq strenght way above what is recommended in the owners manual. (see photo below of bolts, enlarge the picture, and give me your opinion on if you think locktite was used, or if because of the high torq strenght impacted by them, these bolts need to be replaced)

Here is the second thing I noticed last night. I decided to check on their other work, and while I know the air filter and v-belt was changed because they left the old ones on the mower, I know for a FACT they did not change the oil element they charge me parts and labor for. (which I now realize is my oil filter). I did NOT know until I looked in my manual, that what is called an oil element, is actually what I have always called an oil filter. (If you look at the photo of oil filter on my machine and the one in my hand, you will see that they are the same exact filter as the box of filters I use, also shown in a photo). The filter on my 44Z is new, because I changed it with my yearly oil change just 3 weeks ago, so the oil filter they say I needed that they said they changed was another lie, as it was not changed nor was it needed.


P.S. Also remember that an hydro oil change is recommended to be changed every 500 hours in my manual, and as you will see on my work order receipt (see photo) my 44z has but 163 hours on it. As for as the Hydro oil change being done, I do not know for sure, but the oil on the stick does look to be clear and clean.

 

[satman858]

Do any of you guys think these bolts pictured in my last post need to be replaced?

 

[LakeRat1]

I think your bolts are OK, I watch for the head of the bolt for ware, if you use a set of bolts to long, If you use a set of bolts to long, they can ware to the point where a socket has trouble griping the head,

Rat

 

[satman858]

I think your bolts are OK, I watch for the head of the bolt for wear, if you use a set of bolts to long, If you use a set of bolts too long, they can wear to the point where a socket has trouble gripping the head,

Rat

Thanks for your reply, Rat.

As for the bolts, the heads on the bolts are not bad at all. This morning I tried screwing them back in by hand without the blades, and they screwed in without any problem at all. What I am concerned about is the fact that they were impacted WAY MORE that the 115-125ft lbs the manual suggest they be tighten.


Could the over tightening in the past cause the bolts to lose their normal strength, if I only torque tighten them to the recommended 115-125ft lbs?



All suggestions from forum members are welcomed?

 

[JSB33]

The price of bolts VS everything that can go wrong if they break or are stretched would be some of the cheapest insurance you ever bought.
Also, I would speak with the General manager of the Dealer Principal and tell them your story. They may not care but on the off chance that they do, you might be protecting the next guy that goes there.

 

[Rednekdaddy]

Be sure to chase the threads and use new high grade bolts!! Also contact the factory rep for your area and tell your story to that person!

 

[satman858]

I will be buying the 3 factory blade bolts (Hex .62-18 x 1.75 grade 8) for $3.50 each in the morning, from one of the other Gravely dealers 26 miles away. The washers are $5.00 each, but to me they seem to be okay, and they only have one in stock anyway. Since they said that they have plenty of the blade bolts in stock, but only have 1 washer, that tells me that most people buy that bolts but not the washers.

As for what I am going to do about the injustice I have face from this dealer, I will deal with it on Monday, and let everyone know what my actions were. Thanks for all the suggestions of things that I can do. He is not only a Gravely dealer, but is a dealer for their big brother Ariens, and also an Exmark dealer. Letters to them might go on deaf ears because they are salesmen, and most of the time they are just happy to have as many dealers as possible in an area. If my letter or email would reach someone up high enough within their company, then maybe it might trigger at least a warning letter to him concerning his unethical practices, which they feel could tarnish their name. I think I might even have a better idea on what can be done, so people can see what kind of dealer they may face if going to him for their mower repairs. I will let you know on Monday.