Raptor SD (2015) Belt pulley came off.

[bertsmobile1]

It should be covered under the warranty whether the op acts like a mechanical idiot or not. The dealer would do the repairs because they will be paid regardless.

Yes but years ago I learned hat if I act like I don't now Jack S**t about what ever and then listen to the answers I get given I can weed out the honest from the crooks.
If they start talkking garbage & throwing in a lot of jargon for no reason then either thy have no idea or they are trying to pull the proverbial wool over your eyes and it is good to know the morals of the people you are dealing with.
If they are sus then it is vital that every thing can be tracked back on paper so when every thing goes pear shaped latter on you have a leg to stand on.
Also by saying "I have no idea how this thing works so never fooled with it" kills the "Owners mal adjustments" line of arguement stone cold dead.

 

[Shughes717]

Yes but years ago I learned hat if I act like I don't now Jack S**t about what ever and then listen to the answers I get given I can weed out the honest from the crooks.
If they start talkking garbage & throwing in a lot of jargon for no reason then either thy have no idea or they are trying to pull the proverbial wool over your eyes and it is good to know the morals of the people you are dealing with.
If they are sus then it is vital that every thing can be tracked back on paper so when every thing goes pear shaped latter on you have a leg to stand on.
Also by saying "I have no idea how this thing works so never fooled with it" kills the "Owners mal adjustments" line of arguement stone cold dead.

What are you talking about? There is no adjustment. The pulley came off because the bolt was loose. It didn't even have an hour on it. Even a moron could figure out what happened. No reason for the op to play games with the dealer. Just take it back and get it fixed. I would rather the dealer know that I have an understanding of how things work. That way they will be aware that I am going to check whatever work they have done, so they will be careful to do it properly.

 

[Oleo]

I really appreciate all the feedback. I want to state here that I contacted the dealer the next morning. Bottom line, they were top notch. Apologies everywhere. Their man came out and picked up the mower. They replaced the spindle, pulley, belt and went over the entire mower to insure it was "tightened up". I have cut the yard and field twice now and it does deliver a very nice cut. Still learning the 'steering in a straight line' trick, but I am very satisfied with the mower - AND my dealer. PS: Wife hasn't gotten back on yet. :smile:

On another note, I do have a problem with the deck getting VERY caked up underneath. I am cutting at 4" and never when it is wet. Removing the deck appears to be a major pain so i have resorted to propping the front with jack stands and going at it with a putty knife. Thanks again for the feedback. Oleo

 

[MRCo.]

I'm glad to hear your dealer made it right. That's what I'd expect. Deck wise, as there is shown on another thread you might try lifting the chute. To make deck cleaning easier, try costing it with Pam. Makes the grass come off easier.

 

[bertsmobile1]

If you have a compressor a long ( my main one is 3' ) air gun works wonders for cleaning both the upper & lower sides of the deck.
Different types of grasses will at differently. Some will cake on when cur & fall off th instant that dry off while other do the poo on a blanket bit.

 

[Oleo]

I'm glad to hear your dealer made it right. That's what I'd expect. Deck wise, as there is shown on another thread you might try lifting the chute. To make deck cleaning easier, try costing it with Pam. Makes the grass come off easier.

Funny thing happened just days after my last post. I ventured out to cut the field. made one pass around the perimeter and the deck began to shake violently. Shut it down and drove back to the barn. Starting the PTO again immediately resulted in a sheared belt. The good news is, I got with the dealer the next day and the following day there was a brand new SD delivered to my home. I now have used this 'new' machine. It is quieter, smoother, cuts great and I believe I am going to like it.

I want take this time to point out that the dealer, in each instance, was right there with a solution. I didn't have to press or put on an unhappy face at all. They stood by me and got it right. They gave EXCELLENT customer service. If it were allowed I would name them but let us just say, if they read this, they know who they are. Thank you. And thank you bloggers for the words of encouragement. - Oleo (I will try the Pam)

 

[Tomster]

I really appreciate all the feedback. I want to state here that I contacted the dealer the next morning. Bottom line, they were top notch. Apologies everywhere. Their man came out and picked up the mower. They replaced the spindle, pulley, belt and went over the entire mower to insure it was "tightened up". I have cut the yard and field twice now and it does deliver a very nice cut. Still learning the 'steering in a straight line' trick, but I am very satisfied with the mower - AND my dealer. PS: Wife hasn't gotten back on yet. :smile:

On another note, I do have a problem with the deck getting VERY caked up underneath. I am cutting at 4" and never when it is wet. Removing the deck appears to be a major pain so i have resorted to propping the front with jack stands and going at it with a putty knife. Thanks again for the feedback. Oleo

Harbor Freight has a lift for $99 that is awesome plus it lifts the mower to a height that makes it easy to get underneath to clean or remove blades for sharpening!

 

[bertsmobile1]

Funny thing happened just days after my last post. I ventured out to cut the field. made one pass around the perimeter and the deck began to shake violently. Shut it down and drove back to the barn. Starting the PTO again immediately resulted in a sheared belt. The good news is, I got with the dealer the next day and the following day there was a brand new SD delivered to my home. I now have used this 'new' machine. It is quieter, smoother, cuts great and I believe I am going to like it.

I want take this time to point out that the dealer, in each instance, was right there with a solution. I didn't have to press or put on an unhappy face at all. They stood by me and got it right. They gave EXCELLENT customer service. If it were allowed I would name them but let us just say, if they read this, they know who they are. Thank you. And thank you bloggers for the words of encouragement. - Oleo (I will try the Pam)

Praise where it belongs
Who are the nice ethical people you are dealing with. ?

 

[stechsc]

Today is Wednesday. I took delivery of a brand new (0.2 hours on meter) Raptor SD 48" from our local dealer. I did what I thought was sufficient research on the product and came away convinced that this was the mower best suited for our needs. The mower was delivered to my home Monday evening. The driver off loaded the machine and drove it briefly in my front yard, demonstrating its maneuverability, etc. He even offered to cut our side field (approximately 1 acre) to demo the mower's capabilities. We respectfully declined as during his demonstration of the very tight turning radius, he was digging holes into my turf. No biggie, it will grow back. Threatening to rain at any moment, we garaged the mower with plans to mow Tuesday.
Tuesday evening, I drove the mower briefly (not engaging the mower PTO), checked the oil, etc. My wife (whom usually cuts our yard and field) then got on and drove it for about 10 minutes, familiarizing herself with the steering and handling. After a bit, she then proceeded to cut the field. It is flat with no obstacles. Approximately 15 minutes into the mowing, I hear this loud thunk. She didn't hit anything. She immediately shuts down the mower deck and drives the machine to me for inspection. I see the left (drivers perspective) blade hanging beneath the deck. I removed the plastic shroud to find the pulley lying atop the deck along with two large spacers and what appears to be a clamp ring. After an extensive search in the field, we found the top bolt and washer. I checked the top bolt on the center spindle and i could spin (the bolt) freely by hand. I did not remove the other shroud and check that bolt but I am fairly sure I would find the same thing. Long story, I know.

The point is this, shouldn't this unit have been delivered ready to go? Why weren't these bolts tightened to specification? I am mechanically inclined and am able to fix the issues, but this unit has now only 1.0 hours on it and I am already having to replace the left spindle, blade shaft and pulley (the star in the center was reamed).

I wonder, if we had allowed the dealer driver to mow, would it have come apart "on his watch"? Have any of you experienced similar problems? Am I going to have to check this deck each time before I use it to see if it is vibrating apart? I really like the machine. I hope this is an isolated incident. Going to see the dealer this morning. My grass continues to grow...

Oleo

I have a very similar story. I took delivery of a Raptor SD 54" on Monday, but only did a little test-driving to make sure it seemed OK. Although I was waiting until the weekend to mow my 3 acres, I mowed a small patch on Wednesday, and that went well, although something didn't sound quite right to me while the blades were spinning. I chalked that up to me not being familiar with the mower yet. On Friday (yesterday), my 15 year old son started to mow the yard, and put less than a hour on it before, in his words, "it stopped mowing". When I got home from work, I discovered the deck belt had come off, but upon further inspection, I found that two of the three spindle pulleys were loose. One bolt was so far out that it was contacting the plastic cover and had melted the plastic. The teeth on that spindle and pulley were totally shredded, too. The other loose pulley wasn't as bad, but also had some damage, as did the belt.

Of course, since it was 6 pm on Friday, the dealer is closed, and I might not be able to mow this weekend. I'm assuming that this will be taken care of under warranty, but it is very discouraging to take delivery of a new mower, only to discover that things haven't been torqued correctly from the factory. I went from being very excited about getting a quality mower to being very disappointed with my purchase.

 

[turboawd]

I have a very similar story. I took delivery of a Raptor SD 54" on Monday, but only did a little test-driving to make sure it seemed OK. Although I was waiting until the weekend to mow my 3 acres, I mowed a small patch on Wednesday, and that went well, although something didn't sound quite right to me while the blades were spinning. I chalked that up to me not being familiar with the mower yet. On Friday (yesterday), my 15 year old son started to mow the yard, and put less than a hour on it before, in his words, "it stopped mowing". When I got home from work, I discovered the deck belt had come off, but upon further inspection, I found that two of the three spindle pulleys were loose. One bolt was so far out that it was contacting the plastic cover and had melted the plastic. The teeth on that spindle and pulley were totally shredded, too. The other loose pulley wasn't as bad, but also had some damage, as did the belt.

Of course, since it was 6 pm on Friday, the dealer is closed, and I might not be able to mow this weekend. I'm assuming that this will be taken care of under warranty, but it is very discouraging to take delivery of a new mower, only to discover that things haven't been torqued correctly from the factory. I went from being very excited about getting a quality mower to being very disappointed with my purchase.

that sucks to hear. hopefuly your dealer will get it taken care of asap.