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Murray - Riding Mowers

Murray Lawn Mowers • Self-propelled models • Belt failure • Riding models • Push models • Gas leaks • Other problems • Murray Defenders ---- • 2003 Lawn tractor recall • 2002 Lawn tractor recall

Barbara of Bryan OH (5/10/05):
In December, 2004, my sons bought me a Murray Rider Mower from WalMart. In April of this year, 2005, we got the mower out of the garage. and attempted to start it. Four men, including a master mechanic could not start it. My son called WalMart and they said "No problem. Bring it in and we'll fix it or refund your money."

When he got there with the mower, which had never been started and did not even have dirty tires, he was told once it was sold it was not the store's problem and we would have to take it to the person who works on warranties. He got the mower started, and it spit oil all over the place. He said it needed a new motor. He has now had the motor about two weeks and does not appear to be any hurry to fix it, only to say he has others that also are Murray and the motors don't run.

In the meantime, my grass has not been mowed. Let me ask you - would you be much interested in having a mower that has never been run and is not even dirty and will not run? I am very skeptical about this mower if I ever get it back. Frustrated!!!

Benedetto of Yorktown Heights NY (4/24/05):
I purchased a ride-on lawn mower at Home Depot in April, 2003. I mowed the lawn once and that was it. The mower would not start again. I contacted Home Depot about the problem and they informed me that I had to deal with Murray directly. I tried Murray several times, but have gotten no response. I had a new solenoid installed twice and it started two more times,and again it would not start. I had the starter replaced and it still did not start.

Then I purchased a new battery and a battery charger and it started once, with a great deal of difficulty. Now it is a new year and I have tried to start it once again with no luck. This whole experience has sickened me and I think that Murray should be held responsible. I paid over $800 for this ride-on mower model #425000x8a and now over $300 to fix a mower that never worked.

Kyla of Deltona FL (4/4/05):
I bought a Murray rding lawn mower in 2001. It was leaking gas in the middle of the night; returned it to Home Depot in 2002 for a refund. This lawn mower cost me over $1,000! They gave me a new Murray lawn mower and this one also leaked gas in the middle of the night and the whole house smelled like gasoline. If one of our guests had not woken up we could have died.

Home Depot will not give me another lawn mower and charged me $35 to have it fixed. First, they should have known of the recall and never given me another faulty lawn mover. They should have taken all Murray's off the market during the recall. I should not be charged $35.00 for a recall and I am out over $1,000 without a lawn mower. I was told by the manager if I mentioned lawsuit I could march my but out of the store with the faulty lawn mower! First of all, he does not know how to handle mad customers and he threatened me in front of other customers and employees!

Christopher of Monroe NC (2/24/05):
I purchased a Murray riding mower model #425001X8 from Home Depot on 2/21/03. Less than six weeks later the mower failed to start. I took the mower to Home Depot and they put a new battery in it. The mower worked fine for a few more weeks and once again failed to start. I contacted Home Depot once again and they gave me a new battery. The mower again continued to work fine for a few more weeks and the same problem occured.

Three batteries and a year later I am still having this problem. In addition, there was a recall on this model in March 2003, less than a month after I purchased the mower. Home Depot failed to contact me concerning this mower recall. I am in the process of resolving this problem.

Kevin of Springfield MO (2/3/05):
I purchased a new riding lawn tractor in Feb.2004. Immediantly upon my trial run, the bearings in the deck began making a loud screaming sound. On further investigation I found to my surprise that the bearings had not been greased from the factory. I was assured by a Wal-Mart associate and a Murray dealer that it was an oversight on the company's part. Much to my dismay they refused to replace the bearings.

Now I have found this mower has been recalled for another problem concerning the deck part of the mower. I have spent numerous dollars in fuel and time carting this thing back and forth to have it worked on. I feel like Wal-Mart or Murray should make it right with me.

Sam of Nokomis FL (10/25/04):
I am very disappointed at the poor quality of my Murray mower model 3057x8a. Tires/rims could never hold air pressure. Recently I changed the motion drive belt part no. 37x65 only to find that the stack pulley assembly part no. 92504z was assembled using thin sheet metal to drive the belt. Ultimately the belt caused the thin-walled pulley to bend. It would have cost a penny or two to go to the next sheet metal size.

The rest of the mower displays the same quality with excess play in the steering assembly and shifter assembly.

Tom of Goode VA (10/7/04):
I bought a Murray 46"-cut riding mower from Wal-Mart July 2001. The manual that came with the mower is for several different models. Recently I had a problem and couldn't make heads or tails out of the manual. I've emailed Murray 3 times asking for help and they have ignored all of them. I've never liked it from day one. No matter how many times I've tried to level the blades, I still got an uneven cut.

Darrell of Barnsdall OK (9/6/04):
I bought a Murray rear-engine mower, model #309015x50a, in 2003. It has been nothing but a pain in the butt. It has never cut even, no matter what you do to adjust the cutting height. The steering gear fell off the first year I had it. You can not keep the front tires aired up, plastic wheels you know. The engine backfires every time you shut it off. And today, the front wheel fell off while I was mowing. I have worked on this thing more than I have mowed with it. I am going to take it to the dump first thing in the morning. Thank you Murray, for a very costly lesson.

Joey of Diana TX (8/5/04):
I purchased a 2003 Murray Riding Mower with a 16.5hp 42" cut, in May of 2003 from Home Depot. Since I have had this mower I have had numerous problems with it, and never a solution. The mower will not start. The mower continuously breaks belts on the cutting deck. The first belt broke after the mower was used the 3rd time to mow a 1/2 acre lawn.

I replaced the belt that was purchased from Wal-Mart. The mower then wouldnt start with the key after it was used around the 8th time to mow. The 2nd belt broke on the deck the 3rd time to mow in 2004. That was the July 4 Holidays. I have not been able to locate a belt anywhere within 50 miles to replace it with. Home Depot is sold out and has been for 6+ weeks. Wal-Mart says they won't be re-ordering any til next yr. The Service company here says it will be 2 months before they can work on it.

I have never been thru more trouble with anything in my life. I am currently using a push mower to mow the lawn with while my Murray sits there. Call Murray and try to get someone on the phone ... that's another joke.

J.J. of Lebanon OR (7/14/04):
I purchased a Murray 17-hp rider on 3/25/2003 at Walmart. On 8/7/04 the Tecumseh transmission went out and Tecumseh refused to honor their warreaty. This is my third Murray rider and they last me usually eight years with just normal maintaince. I ended up with a $426.59 repair bill and the boneheaded mechanic at Sure-Clean Northwest installed the right-side guide pin on the rear pulley inside the belt and seems to have fouled up the park brake so that it only came off when the clutch was depressed. Needless to say I almost burnt up the drive belt before I found out what the problem was and correct it.

I am 70 years old have spent my working life as an automotive mechanic and don't like to be told that I broke the transmission by the way I was using it.

Bill of Beaufort SC (7/14/04):
I bought this Murray 20-hp 48-in cut mower and it is a defective product. I have to constantly replace pulleys due to bearing failures and have had numerous electrical problems. Not to mention it destroys belts and cuts uneven and on turns digs into the ground. If I get my lawn mowed once without a failure I feel lucky. I will never buy another Murray product and I tell everone I know to avoid Murray.

This mower has cost me over $500 in the last 5 years for parts and labor.

Don of Prue OK (6/15/04):
I have both an older Murray and a newer one. The older one is a 12hp 38" cut riding mower purchased in 1990 and I have never had any problems with it at all. It is still runing just as good as the day it was bought new. The newer Murray is a 17.5hp with 42" cut that I purchased in 2000 from Wal-Mart. I have had nothing but problems with this mower.

Bolts falling off it and having to replace them, The bearings going out of the housings for the blade, I've replace both right and left sides over 10 times since 2000 at a cost of about $70 each time. It breaks the belts that run the blades 3 or 4 times per mowing season. It has started cracking out in different places, especially around the bolts that hold the engine cover on so that now you have to grab the hood just in the right spot to get it to tilt over. The Engine is a 17.5 hp Briggs & Stratton with Overhead Valves which I've had a lot of problems with as far as the valves staying in adjustment. When the valves go out of Adjustment it causes it to be hard to start (sometimes not starting at all) and also causes the starter to get hot and smoke.

After contacting Briggs and Stratton about the problems with the Engine, they were very helpful about the problems I've been having with the engine. Sending me Information on just how to go about adjusting them so that they will stay in adjustment. Even going so far as to send me a complete Repair manual for all their Brigg and Stratton Engines with Overhead Valves. Since following their step by step instructions on the adjustments I've not had anymore problems with the engines.

As far as the Murray Mowers themselves, I feel that the newer ones are nothing more than one big joke and people would be a lot better off spending a few more dollars and buying a good mower.

One other thing I found out when I bought the last set of housings for the blades. The new housings come with a grease zert installed in them. The man at the parts house said to never grease them as the bearings in them come packed and sealed from from the factory. If you grease them it causes the seal in the bearing to break and the dust and dirt the grease picks up causes the bearings to go out.

Ken of Pineville LA (5/28/04):
Aside from the usual gas tank leak/replacement, nonskid pad falling off, mower pan gouging ruts in the yard and about throwing me off every time I ever so easily let off of the clutch pedal, I continuously experience an uneven cut pattern. I am a mechanic and machinist and I'll be damned if I can make this thing cut even. I have had this thing apart and rebuilt, shimmed this and adjusted that and done everything that I can possibly think to do SO MANY times that my friends and neighbors think that I have something going on with my lawn mower!

I can go out there right now and readjust that cutting deck and by the time that I can start it up and hit the lawn with it that darned thing will cut crazy. I think that it goes AWOL just sitting there. I spend more time laying down beside this thing gazing under its belly than I spend on it mowing grass. CHRISTINE MURRAY I call her! HELP. She's possessed.

Damages: Many dollars spent in small parts to no avail. Good thing I didn't have to pay someone else to do the work.

Phyllis of Herron MI (5/26/04):
I purchased a Murray Select 42" cut, 16.5 hp lawn tractor, model #04250098xA, in May of 2002. I used it exactly 12 hours in 2002, 24 hours in 2003, and 4 hours so far in 2004 -- not exactly heavy usage in my book. In the course of these two years, I've put 4 new mower drive belts on it already, and after the first use of the year (on a belt that saw 4 hours' use last year) I'll have to replace it yet again.

Naturally, I hit my 'fed up' point two weeks' after the two-year warranty expired, so I doubt Murray will do anything for me -- but based on the other complaints I've read, the issue with the belts is not an isolated situation. I will never buy another Murray or Murray-affiliated product ever again, that's for sure.

At almost $30 a pop for these belts, this is *not* an economical machine to own--and the replacement belts are hard to come by, as well. The only store that sold them around here closed last year, so I'll have to mail-order them as my machine sits idle, and my grass continues to grow, until the order arrives.

Douglas of Covington GA (4/17/04):
I have a Murray lawn tractor, model 465602x8D, that has a two-year warranty. The warranty will run out in three weeks. Since I've had this mower the rear transmission (or transaxle or pump, it's been called several different things) has been replaced five times. The mower is currently in the shop for its sixth one right now. I have less than 1 acre, only which half has grass, to cut so it shouldn't be a problem for any mower.

I've used the mower for two seasons (14 months) and I'm about to get my 6th transmission. We can all do the math on how often its in the shop. I contacted Murray last year -- they sent me to the transmission manufacturer. The manufacturer, after the first year, said it wasn't covered and that I should call Murray. After going back and forth between the two, they finally decided to fix it one last time, this being after the season had ended. Now this year, right out of the garage with a brand new transmission, it has problems. The fluid is leaking out of the transmission, so the mower is back at the shop.

It been at the shop for three weeks now and after going to check on it, the repair shop has to get with the actual owner of the shop because this repair has already been done 5 other times and I guess the manufacturer, whichever one they called, gave them grief. So I went straight home and called Murray (rep: Holly) on Friday 4/16/04 and asked what they were going to do. I explained that I just wanted it fix correctly. I also ask what I do if it happens again, just as it has done 5 times before, but the next time will be outside my warranty. I really don't want to pay the $500 charge for a transmission (the service shop had already filled me in on that part). The customer service rep could help me and to me to contact the transmission manufacturer, to which I asked if they could do it since last time they told me to call them, I recieved the run around. She said that she could not call.

I didn't get anywhere with this company.

Connie of Portland TN (3/28/04):
I purchased this Murray Riding Mower on 4/16/03, shortly after the death of my husband. Only after a month or so of use, I had to have Home Depot have a Murray repair shop pick this mower up and take it to repair it. They kept it for almost 3 months. I had to hire someone to mow my lawn during that period. They said that they found nothing wrong with the mower. I finished the rest of the season with the mower.

I have since moved from FL to TN and now I am having the same problem---the mower WON'T START! I have put a new battery, a new spark plug and a new fuse in this mower and it still WON'T START. I am a widow; I have no one to help me. I do not have another mower and I NEED a mower that actually will START so that I may mow my 100 by 300 lot. I have called Home Depot AGAIN today and they are going to TRY to find a repair shop in my area and within 3 days have someone contact me that they are going to pick this mower up AGAIN and TRY to see what the problem is.

This mower does not cut the grass with any even-ness. It leaves a very large gap in the middle of what is supposed to be a 42" cutting span. BULL. It does not even come close to this. I NEED a mower that works and I NEED it NOW. NOT in 3 months from now like before.

I have to pay someone to mow my BIG lawn. I have to mow the lawn 3 times to be able to get the grass cut that the mower misses and this results in 3 times as much fuel for this piece of JUNK. I am not able to sit on this mower 3 times longer than it took with my John Deere.

Richard of Wagoner OK (9/24/03):
I bought a 42" riding Murray lawnmower from Walmart and I have had nothing but trouble with it. It never cut the grass evenly; it always gauged the dirt; and belts constantly broke on. I WILL NEVER BUY AOTHER MURRAY PRODUCT. The best thing about this lawn mower is that it was stolen last week. I DO NOT WANT IT RECOVERED.

I have spent several hundred dollars on this product without success.

Gene of Lawn TX (7/8/03):
This 42-inch Murray mower never cuts even and when I turn it gouges into the ground scalping the grass. I have tried new blades, belts and other stuff. As well it leaves grass standing in the middle and a person might as well mow like a 20-in span instead of 42 inches. I have never been more disgusted with a mower in my life.

David of Camden TN (6/16/03):
I purchased this 17.5 HP 48" cut rider from the WalMart in Camden, TN in 1997. It has caused only me only cash and inconvience. I spent several hundred dollars on this piece of #$#$ last year and have already spent $80 this year. Have had continuous problems with this machine since I bought it. Fortunately for WallyMart, that's when the warranty expired.

Jason of Platte City MO (6/3/03):
I purchased a Murray riding mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine and a 42" deck about 7 yrs ago. After two years I had to replace the engine at a cost of $700.00. Since then I have had numerous "small" repairs and tire replacements costing me hundreds more. About two weeks ago the transmission went out (it's a hydrostatic transmission) and I am being told that this repair is around $800.00!

I have spent more on repairs than the cost of the riding mower! I have not been able to go one year without making repairs. I have found Murray and Briggs & Stratton to be unreliable trash. I would never purchase their products again.

Damage Resulting: In essence I have purchased a new mower (in terms of dollars spent on repairs) without the benefit of having a new mower. In fact, i have NOTHING to show for it.

Diane of Vincent AL (8/22/03):
I purchased a Murray 46-inch garden tractor approximately 3 years ago. This is a lemon mower! The deck leveling system is terrible. It has to be leveled at least twice every time I cut grass. This requires taking off the deck wheels and dropping the deck all the way down. Then I have to loosen 2 plastic knobs and retighten. The knobs don't hold well and I have had to replace the knobs at least once per season.

Also, the bushings in the mower deck that hold the 3 blades in place keep wearing out. I have to replace all three bushings at least twice per grass cutting season. They are not cheap and the entire mower deck has to come off so that they can be replaced.

Larry of Grapeview WA (4/19/03):
I purchased a Murray Riding mower 42" cut and 14.5hp engine in 1998. This mower has cost more in repairs than any vehicle I've ever owned. I've replaced the starter 2x's. The drive belt comes off 3 times a year. The repair people claim this is due to Murray not putting a guide bracket around the rear pulley which causes the belt to slip off when going from reverse to forward and visa versa. The cutting deck constantly slips out of alignment from the vibration no matter how much you tighten the screws. I have also replaced 2 pulleys on the cutting deck that aligns the belt for the cutting deck. This part comes loose from the spindle and eventually flies off. I only use this machine to cut my lawn and one of my rentals. I would not recommend another Murray to anyone.

I have spent more than $500 to keep this machine running since I bought it. This is parts and labor.

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