Most Common Faults of Lawn Tractors

[SeniorCitizen]

Just thinking, if manufacturers would read some of the forums available to determine what bugs owners / operators the most, how well they could improve their product for so little cost. Riding mowers directed.

Example :

1) it just clicks
2) i'm setting on the seat and nothing when i turn the key not even a click
3) it seems I have to crank forever to start it
4) the battery doesn't stay charged while mowing, jump start it. I've personally replaced the rectifier on my John Deere 3 times in 200 hours.
5) is my solenoid bad
6) is my fuel solenoid bad
7) i replaced the switch, still nothing
8) i replaced the starter solenoid and still nothing
9) i installed a new battery but that didn't seem to help
10) how do you change oil without making a mess
11) how do you change filters without making a mess
12) swapped out starter didn't help
13) won't crank when hot
14) dies after it gets hot
15) tire is always flat


These are only a few and I'm sure you can think of many others to add. What's the manufacturers thinking? OH, I KNOW, How does it look . Ours has arm rests. The ones we make have a cup holder. Ours has lights and a bumper. So what, if the thing won't start and mow grass what good are those arm rests, cup holders and looks real nice.

 

[primerbulb120]

For self-propelled mowers, rear wheels locking when you try to pull the mower backwards.

I bought a commercial ZTR instead of a lawn tractor and haven't had any issues.

 

[pugaltitude]

Just thinking, if manufacturers would read some of the forums available to determine what bugs owners / operators the most, how well they could improve their product for so little cost. Riding mowers directed.

Example :

1) it just clicks
2) i'm setting on the seat and nothing when i turn the key not even a click
3) it seems I have to crank forever to start it
4) the battery doesn't stay charged while mowing, jump start it. I've personally replaced the rectifier on my John Deere 3 times in 200 hours.
5) is my solenoid bad
6) is my fuel solenoid bad
7) i replaced the switch, still nothing
8) i replaced the starter solenoid and still nothing
9) i installed a new battery but that didn't seem to help
10) how do you change oil without making a mess
11) how do you change filters without making a mess
12) swapped out starter didn't help
13) won't crank when hot
14) dies after it gets hot
15) tire is always flat


These are only a few and I'm sure you can think of many others to add. What's the manufacturers thinking? OH, I KNOW, How does it look . Ours has arm rests. The ones we make have a cup holder. Ours has lights and a bumper. So what, if the thing won't start and mow grass what good are those arm rests, cup holders and looks real nice.

Manufacturers dont work like that though and only go by what warranty issues there is.

For example Briggs Quantum primer engine suffered from warped air filter back plate which caused a non start due to not pushing fuel up the emulsion tube.
Briggs knew this which would cost a lot of research to repair but due to hardly any warrantys then they didnt repair.
If they dont have to spend money thdn they wont

 

[cashman]

A guy goes and buys a new mower with a 22hp engine on it and his yard hasn't been cut in a month and a half because his old mower was broken. He plows through his yard for a year or so and loans it out to his neighbor and son in law and finally breaks the mower belt. He doesn't want to pay the $75 for an original belt and goes to a parts house and buys a $30 belt made for an electric fan and it starts shredding from the git-go and starts beating everything to death. Then he can't understand why he has to replace his belt, pulleys, and all of the spindle bearings later on because his $30 belt wasn't designed for mower applications. He then decides the mower was a piece of junk. I can recite many stories of this event.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

Lawn tractor manufacturers can't fix STUPID but they can improve on most of the items mentioned in the OP that would satisfy upwards of an estimated 90 percent percent of their customers. Then advertising by word of mouth would be beneficial to those that do.