Local Mower Repair Shops

[seattlepioneer]

I notice that many bicycling forums place a good deal of emphasis on buying bicycles, parts and repairs from local bicycle repair shops rather than mass market retailers.

Should forums like this place similar emphasis on purchasing mowers, parts and repair services from local mower repair services?

 

[pabird]

I try to use my local dealer. He sells Toro, Stihl and Simplicity. I have an old Wheelhorse tractor and a Simplicity lawn tractor and Stihl products.They provide great service and are only 2 miles away. I stick with OEM parts. Stuff like Seafoam and oil usually gets bought at Walmart.

 

[bertsmobile1]

You are flogging a dead horse.
And yes those who know regularly suggest buying from local dealers but that is not enough to combat the selfish greed of the buying public.
The idea that every time you open your wallet there are reprocussions is totally foreign to most people, till they get made redundant or the kids/grandkids can not find a job .
The fact that big box stores force factories to sell them goods for less than the actual cost price so the local dealer can not match the price never come into mind.
All that is important is they got what they wanted for the cheapest possible price so they can brag to their friends about how smart they are and can spend all that saved money on beer and lottery tickets.
The big box stores sent Noma to the wall then sent Murray to the wall but who cares,,,,, No body.
If you need confirmation, just look at the ever increasing sales through Amazon & Evil Pay, both of which are destroying the economy but both are regularly touted as being a marvel by the press & the owners become the new economic messiahs .

 

[StarTech]

Totally agree. I do however charge extra to those customer that want to buy their own parts for me to install. I still got the same overhead. Local community support is important as if small shops are like mine they do help locally when customers are having a bad time. Might not be able to it for free other than labor but I personally do give back to my community.

What happen to Murray and Tecumseh is the same thing that is now happening to Briggs.

Here the American public only cares about how cheap they can get something for and then gripe like heck when they got to get it repaired.

 

[Its Me]

[U]bertsmobile1,[/U] [U]StarTech,[/U] you both got it right, I had a shop many years ago, remember when Dynamart Lawnmower company made a deal that they would only sell to Sears, well the next year Murry won the bid with sears Dynamart went out of business, and the low class buyer that buys at the chain stores don't care about anything but his low dollars mower, he see's a 2-3 year warranty and he is dishonest, leaves it where he finished last year, don't service it, goes in the store and makes a sceen and the two dollar per hour person don't know how to deal with that and the manager don't want a seen where the great product is sold so the customer gets a new one, so they only have to buy one for years of service, know several people that have done that until like there 3-4 mower before they get run off and on to the next box store they go, trash like that a Mower shop does not want or need.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I see 2 different groups of buyers. The i want it as cheap as possible crowd and what i call the premium buyer. Most folks around me mow an acre or more. I see more and more higher end and Commercial grade ZTRs. Lots of premium buyers. I have "in town" customers with the cheaper than cheap push mowers but they still want it fixed when they leave gas in it over the winter. So i get work from them. The folks that bought the 7K to 15K mower want maintenance but JD dealer is over $300 to pickup and do annual maint. I am $150 -$200 depending. The dealers around me don't rebuild carbs anymore, just replace. When a dealer says "around $300" to fix a dirty carb i get business. Dealers don't want to work on older stuff either. Low end or high end, doesn't matter. I get business. If the industry would stop competing to see who can be the cheapest of the cheap things would be different but that is how the marketing works now in our global economy.

 

[Rivets]

Ain’t going to happen around here. People won’t even go to a dealer to get replacement parts, so why would they buy equipment there. They won’t even go to a dealer to ask simple questions about their units, instead come here for help and if they don’t like the answer can bad mouth you because no one knows who they are. Heck, we even have techs here complain that when they purchase after market parts, they are not the same quality or size as OEM parts. If the techs don’t do i, why should the AVERAGE JOE do it??? As Bert said, “you’re flogging a dead horse”.