MTD Reviews

This weed eater was over a 100.00. I am recently in remission from cancer and my money doesn't come easy, but it's nice to know for future references that when you spend this kind of money that customer service has no time for you only to tell you they can't help you. It bothers me a lot to know that while a small portion of my money went towards the company, and they can't help me, had it been a couple of years I can see where that would be the issue, but it was last year. I hope you sleep well knowing your product was defaulted and you can't help a customer that trusted you. I will not be buying any more of your products, ever!!!

The next week, I added more fuel (from the same container) and the mower started and ran for a few minutes but then died. I tried to restart it -- no luck. Called the customer service number on sticker on mower. Was told to take it to Cecil's Tractor in nearby town because they handled the warranty service. Had to wait 10 days for them to look at it -- not their fault, it's the middle of mowing season and they're very busy. Verdict is that the carburetor needs cleaned and/or replaced and this service is not covered by the warranty because the problem is due to bad fuel. I put the same fuel in my ride-on mower and it is still working. Minus the Sta-bil, I also filled up my SUV and it ran fine -- don't think it was the fuel or the Sta-Bil.

Repair shop (Cecil's Tractor) says cleaning the carburetor will cost $95 and if that doesn't work it will be an additional $75 to replace the carburetor (could cost up to $170). I don't have that kind of money after just paying $179 for the mower only 3 weeks ago! I will never buy another Bolens, MTD, or Briggs & Stratton product if this is the lousy warranty that they have -- you'd think that if a mower wouldn't start within 1 month of purchase you'd just get a new one or they'd repair it for free. Things aren't what they used to be! I'm bringing the mower home and will try to find a student at the high school where I teach who wants to try cleaning a carburetor (kids like that are much harder to find these days -- in the 1960s when I was a teen, most boys tinkered with engines).

Took it home. Couple days later went to use the Remington string trimmer. Got about 15 minutes into weed eating my yard. Iit died and wouldn't start until cooled off. I called OK Hardware and they told me they are an authorized REPAIR NOT RETAILER yet they've got about 30 of these string trimmers hanging for sale in the store. The owner of Hardware store told me he's never seen MTD exchange one out that I had to call MTD back and rectify the problem with them. I called MTD Warranty center and asked me why the OK Hardware Store in Amherst Wisconsin wasn't working with me on the problem. My reply was, "I don't know. That's why I'm on the phone with you!!!"

At first the lady from warranty center told me Remington is not made by them and are now bankrupt. I asked why that hardware store is still selling their products. I was put on hold. 5 minutes later she came back saying she gave me the wrong information that it was vursa or whatever she said not Remington. Anyways my wife travel nurses. We travel every 13-16 weeks. Shows how much I'd use a string trimmer 5-6 times!!! She said without a receipt they wouldn't do anything for me. The machine is date stamped 2015, it's only 2016 and like I said, 6 months during winter months I don't weed eat the snow!!!

BUYER BEWARE. I WOULDN'T EVEN GAVE THEM ONE GET THE RUN AROUND. 1 person, "Yeah we will take care of you." The next saying, "Nothing we can do for you." Lesson learned. Read reviews before buying something. Look at MTD'S reviewer rating, 1.5 stars out of 5!! People, please don't waste your money!!! This company will not back their products!!! I wouldn't even gave them one star but had to proceed to leaving my review. The warranty center people are rude and talk down to you!!! Do not buy from OK Hardware Amherst, Wisconsin and definitely don't buy MTD products. You will regret it.

When I returned to the house, someone else had taken the housing and other parts laying beside the chainsaw thinking they were to be removed during this property clean out and I have been unable to find them anywhere, so went to Lowe's again. They don't sell the parts - Sears does, but Lowe's recommended calling the Remington Customer Service number "since the product is under warranty".

I had already registered the chainsaw through Remington, so they had the model # and serial number. I called and spoke with 3 people during the day - the first explained that the company had been sold and they had limited parts available (of course), and that if I wanted parts, I would have to figure out what they were called and look them up on the internet to provide THEM with the serial numbers to see if they even had them!!! I did that (found the numbers on a SEARS site after picking through the diagram for the model) and called back. The cost to me would be half what I paid for the chainsaw and more for shipping, so I decided to give up until it occurred to me that the warranty (these warranties on these products are useless) should have covered these items since the thing FELL APART.

So I called back and explained my reasoning and the agent left to "see what (he) could do"... giving the impression that they are talking to a supervisor when in fact they probably just have standard instructions. He got back on the line and said they could offer me a 10% discount and free shipping and that the warranty was only for manufacturing errors (do they ever take responsibility for their products?). Since I hated to have wasted the money for cutting down one small tree with the thing, I agreed to have the parts sent and am waiting a week for them to arrive. Long menus, very difficult process requiring the customer to do the work despite registering the product, and an expensive attempt to fix this product.

Having had my lawn professionally power raked etc this spring, I first tried to start my lawn mower in late May. As I was leaving on vacation I ended up having to borrow a neighbor's lawn mower. Upon return from a weeks vacation my saga began. I first contacted Sears Financial as I bought the mower on my Sears card. The woman was very helpful finding and supplying me a copy of my sales receipt. Telling me that the lawn mower was under a 2 year warranty. She then attempted to transfer me directly to MTD for warranty service but of course they were closed.

So last week a good friend of mine and I load the lawn mower into her SUV and we drive it across town (50th street and 67 ave) to the authorized repair shop. We walk in with the mower and two service guys look at each other and say "MTD?" Yup, and they kinda rolled their eyes…. I told them my story and they said they would take a look at it. So they called me yesterday and said that they would fix the lawn mower at the cost of labour only. $60 and change. The guy from the shop was very nice and apologized saying that MTD was very sticky about their warranty. I do not fault the repair shop. I understand that someone needs to pay for his staff and overhead.

So on the way home we stopped into Sears. I asked for ** the manager and told him that we had spoken over the phone. He took a copy of my sales receipt and the repair shop bill. Saying he would call them and see why the lawn mower was not covered under warranty. I mentioned the run around with MTD and said that I should not have needed to deal with MTD, but then now for the first time said if the problem was fuel related that warranty would not cover the repair. I asked how putting fuel (gas) into a gas powered lawn mower would basically what I understand VOID the WARRANTY.

I am tired of the song and dance. So just to warn customers once you put fuel into your lawn mower you are hooped. Since all of this began I have checked consumer websites such as this…. Funny how the website refers to MTD as “Modern Tool and Die Company.” Buyer Beware! What ever happened to If “ you are not completely satisfied bring it back”

PS. MTD sells their products under several brand names and Box stores. Check to see if it is MTD then hide your wallet and run. Hopefully more successfully and longer than their products!

So, to summarize, was on site, hit 'place order', order was rejected IMMEDIATELY but authorization was place. Well, today, (June 2) I tried again. Same problem the first time, so I stopped and quickly called customer service. I realized this time, that an order had been authorized as I IMMEDIATELY got the authorization email. When I got on the phone with the first cust service person, they informed me that the order had been rejected, so "no money was removed from your account". To which, I explained that "YES", they were right no money had been transferred, but THEIR SYSTEM HAD AUTHORIZED A PURCHASE THAT THEY HAD IMMEDIATELY REJECTED.

Well, needless to say, the first cust service rep didn't get it. Couldn't understand how it was THEIR system that was mistaken. Well, to prove this, I, while on the phone LIVE with a cust rep, placed the order again. This person took down my info carefully, entered it into their system, and as he hit the 'place order' button, AGAIN, I immediately got the AUTHORIZATION email from PayPal, however, he said to me in the same second, "Sir, it seems the address you gave was incorrect".

Now I tried to explain to him, it was not the info he entered, and the proof was that PayPal would have NEVER authorized the hold if the info was incorrect. Again, he didn't get it. As I tried to calmly explain, each rep became increasingly agitated, and ultimately we ended up ending the phone call. I called PayPal who could see the problem and immediately fixed it. But it should be noted here that their website and PayPal don't like each other, and it appears their IT department will never really know the problem because CUSTOMER SERVICE doesn't listen long enough to get it.

Sadly, this experience has forced me to step my mower game up, and NEVER again purchase the crap from the big box stores. Clearly, if you purchase an MTD product as an independent retail customer, you are taking chances with your yards maintenance. These people need to learn HOW to deal with and listen to customers, and FURTHER, they need to understand when a technical problem is THEIRS and not the fault or issue of the customer. Good ridden MTD.

If you order parts from them, 1) you get no confirmation of your order, 2) when you call to check on the confirmation, you can't find out when the parts will ship. Hint. It will be at least four days, and 3) if you try to cancel the order, you get a runaround about them not being able to contact the warehouse. MTD products are poorly built, and the customer service sucks. When this junk falls apart so badly that it can't be repaired, you can bet that my next mower will be made by someone other than MTD. Hopefully MTD will not have cornered the entire market by then.

I called and talked to the manager - he was very honest and nice and told him the concern I had. He said MTD was fully aware that they were having major failures because the bearing were sealed bearings and made in China and DID not have enough grease in a lot of them. I removed all three of them myself. Disassembled, sure enough, 'China' written on them. Get this, they were sealed bearing inside housing but housing had grease zerts to grease. Is that a joke or what? No help from MTD. Bought three at 119.00 each (x3), installed, then at 56 hours main drive belt failed. Replaced it, mowed yard three more times; now steering won't move. Looked down right tie rod link broke, replaced that. Next week end went to mow yard, won't crank. Got out, test light, battery - ok. Power to starter solenoid - no power to starter, solenoid had failed. Replaced now cranks.

Again three weeks later, went to mow yard, now cranks won't start. Spray carb with carb spray; runs then dies. Removed carb, found electronic fuel, shut off solenoid at carb failed, replaced, re-assembled, now runs again. Mowing a month later, mower blades would shut off after 1-2 min. mowing. When cold outside trans will just whine, won't move any direction. Dont buy MTD - junk. Thanks for taking my money, it will never happen again.

Just 2 days ago, purchased my most recent belt and mentioned to the consultant at the Ballarat MTD again about not being happy, and did he think the mower is too underpowered for my needs. I mentioned I have an acre block and the grass had got quite long. Also did he think I should upgrade to a better model and how much would it be worth. He said they are pretty basic mower. Mind you, this was the same guy who I bought this off and that it would only be worth about $800 to them. I said, "Well, what about privately?" He said $1,100 and that they would sell it for $1,600. Now I'm in sales myself and a 100% make is a bit rich, and to offer me $800 for a mower I paid $2,100 for 12 months ago is a joke! He also mentioned to me when I bought it that in a couple of years if I wanted to trade up, it would be worth about $1,500.

Now as mentioned, I bought a new belt 2 days ago and mowed about a quarter of my block and the New belt slipped off. I fitted it exactly how I was told to from the dealer. He also told me to only do a halve cut and to not mow over the excess grass and this was too much work for the mower. Now I have nearly finished mower today, and also cut a high level to start with, and the belt is halve burnt through again. This means after using this only once and not actually finishing my lawn, and now I'm going to need a new $48 belt to finish my lawn. Would have nearly been cheaper to pay someone to do it. Not happy and not sure what to do now!

Flash forward to September of 2013. After careful inspection and maintenance of the equipment over the 4 years of ownership. The electric PTO switch quit working. It was while trying to troubleshoot this problem that I discovered that the main transmission belt was worn and in need of replacement. I immediately consulted my Troy-Bilt operator's manual for instructions and part numbers, traveled 30 miles round trip to obtain needed belts. When I got back, I followed the attached instructions only to discover a bracket welded in place - This bracket is in none of the documents or illustrations on the MTD website - which prevented me from following the MTD instruction manual.

I called the MTD hotline and got a rude brush off from two different operators. Both stated that since this problem was not illustrated in their manuals either I would have to call back and consult with the apparently better trained techs that work from Monday to Friday. Growing more frustrated, I decided to take a video of the situation with my trusty iPod which illustrated the problem and show it to the Lowe's store employees. After driving another 30 miles round trip, none of the employees stated that they had seen anything like that and since there were no floor models, we were basically out of luck. They did however promise to locate the MTD field rep for their area and get him in touch with me. This was on a Saturday.

Following up on the following Wednesday, I received the name and number of Ryan **, who the store clerk, Eddie **, assured me would be in touch to explain a method for resolving the problem. Today, Saturday, after not hearing back from anyone at MTD, I called the number and got Mr. Ryan **, who explained he was on a camping trip. I apologized for interrupting his camping trip. I then began explaining my problem which he recognized. He apologized for my problems and stated that the belt could be removed by taking out the central bolt which held the pulleys for both the transmission and deck drive pulleys to the drive shaft of the engine. I then stated that I had tried this but could not due to the ratchet turning the engine. He then replied that I would then need an impact wrench to remove the bolt.

I then explained that - in addition to spending 30 dollars for this same advice on Fixit.com - I could not understand why it was incumbent on the consumer to spend as much as 300 dollars for an impact wrench to rectify a problem which was not documented in any of the manuals published by MTD? Things naturally went downhill from there. He stated that neither John Deere or other manufacturers published this information either (REAL LAME ARGUMENT SINCE MTD WAS OBVIOUSLY THE OEM FOR THIS EQUIPMENT).

I then commented that this was illustrative of a company that was not interested in growing market share and would not be purchasing any more equipment made by MTD in my life time. Needless to say, I am not happy with MTD or any of its representatives and highly recommend anyone reading this to avoid the brand or any of its cleverly disguised sub-brands (Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, etc...) by anyone interested in yard equipment that they expect to last more than the limited warranty period of 2 years.

The tires looked like new but none of them would hold air. That cost me $16.00 for 4 cans of fix "O" flat. Now they are perfect. The belts were worn so I replaced them. The dealer wanted $70.00 for the two belts and another $60.00 for blades and $50.00 for a battery and no one on this planet seems to know what makes the blades spin. When I contacted MTD, they could not tell me what makes the blades spin, and now I’m beginning to believe that the weight of the deck when it’s lowered puts pressure on the belt to spin the blades. The owner’s manual is a worthless piece of crap, and to top it all off, the starter started dragging and those idiots at Briggs and Stratton wanted me to pay $50.00 for a new nose cap for a $3.00 bushing that wore out. So I went to the auto parts store and found a bushing that was close enough and cut it down and made it work for 2.28 cents.

I want to tell you all something. If you buy a new or used lawn tractor and you have no mechanical ability, you’re insane. DO NOT BUY ANY MTD, CUB CADET, or CRAFTSMAN yard equipment. They are all junk made of the lowest standard of quality.

It would have cost me over a thousand dollars to have this great looking perfect running engine tractor fixed by a so-called repair shop, and because I'm very mechanical and thrifty, I found out how to get parts cheap. In Shelby, Ohio there is a place called Glens Surplus. They had all of the parts I needed. I got new belts, 3 blades, a brand new battery (375 cold cranking amps), a solenoid, all of the pins and washers, and excellent service, a brand new armature magneto, and everything else I needed, including steering parts; and I have exactly $134.00 in this mower and every part I bought was marked MADE IN USA, which was the whole reason I wrote this article. When I added up the parts alone, I would have spent $690.00 at either MTD or a reputable dealer, if there is such a thing. I hope this helps you in some way and I hope MTD, CRAFTSMAN and CUB CADET lose $10,000,000 in parts sales over the next year. I called all of them and told them that I was going to blow the whistle on them...

I have purchased 4 MTD products over the last 10 years and have been really pleased. The trimmer has worked well besides one head replacement over the last 6 years. I have purchased 2 pushers and they have been great! I mow cemeteries with them annually. And last but not least, by any means (okay, take a seat now), I bought a used (1993) MTD Yard Machine rider (42" cut, 14 horse, 6 speed) this year (summer of 2012) for $150.00. It runs and cuts great because the owner before me babied it all the time like responsible owners should. And I will do the same. I would put this rider up against any Deere, cub, ZTR, you name it.

I realize customer support issues with MTD have frustrated many of you but so do other companies. Companies like MTD operate business so that the "regular Joe" can provide care to their lawn and afford to eat too. For that, be respectful and stop demanding tank quality because it just isn't going to happen folks. Oh, I remember one of the posts here about a guy who kept on buying MTD products and every year became more and more disappointed. LOL, stop buying them then. That simple! Go buy a Deere or better yet a Craftsman. My work is done here.

After all the trouble I had, I did not make the connection until I bought my big Troy-Bilt garden tractor. The first year, it worked okay although I had some trouble starting it. The second year was a nightmare. I did buy the 3-year extended warranty. Yeah, try and get service because repair shops take care of landscaping companies first, which is understandable. So in the first two years, the MTD built with Troy-Bilt name on it cost me $72.00 for two different batteries and me having to recharge it almost after every use even though the batteries were new. Finally, I got mad, kept calling and delivered it to the repair shop, which said they would do the warranty work and have it back in two weeks. This was in February. By April 30th, I called and asked. They said they were waiting on parts.

Two weeks later, I called for parts, not in. Two weeks later, I went up and my tractor was sitting outside uncovered exactly where it was dropped off at. I talked to the manager and was told they would get on it, it was a mix-up. Three weeks later, I received a call that it was ready. The problem with the battery was the alternator - it would shut off before the lawn was finished and I had to recharge the battery for 24 hours to finish the lawn. And it was burning up the batteries so $140.00, plus wasted buying batteries.

In the second year, I started having to replace the belts. They kept breaking. The first year, I bought the MTD-made Troy-Bilt tractor. It was August 28th, so I did not use it a whole season. The second year, with every month buying belts was getting me mad. Again, to the repair shop MTD forced me to use. The spring of the second year, once again, the tractor sat there this time for 10 weeks and me, the **, was going out and renting a push mower to cut my lawn at a cost of $30.00 a day. I also hired a landscaping company to cut my grass that my neighbor used. They charged me $80.00 and it did not include trimming. So the $30.00 a day was cheaper than paying someone to do it. So every 2 weeks, I was renting a mower and taking 3.5 to 4.0 hours to do the lawn because I was being told my tractor would be ready soon.

I finally got it back and again, the belts started breaking again. I ended up starting to buy extra belts so I would have them on hand instead of regularly driving to Lowe's for replacements. So, I limped with my tractor that second year, hating it all the while. Also, while having the deck off, I found the welds on the deck that were broken. It cost $95.00 for a welder to weld them back in place. The welder told me I was lucky because the welds on the deck were only tack welds and he was amazed I made as long as I did with the welds. Also, the deck wheels, the bolts kept breaking off so once again, I started buying extra bolts, washers and nuts to have them on hand.

Now the third year comes along. Spring, I took it out and the front wheel fell off. The metal broke. I ordered the axle parts to repair it and they are out of stock according to MTD. So three weeks later, I got the parts. A month later, the belt broke again, took off the deck and this time, it was the main pulley that sheered off. I called MTD and ordered the part once again. Not in stock and backordered. Three weeks later, I got the pulley and I cannot get the old stem of the pulley off. I tried huge wrenches and a six foot cheater bar and could not get it removed. All in all with the repairs and the rental mowers, and hiring the landscaping company to cut the grass, I spent over $1,200.00 to fix my MTD/Troy-Bilt tractor and now I am livid. I have a $2,800.00 tractor that in two years cost me $1,200.00 plus in repairs, parts and rentals as well as a company to cut the grass. So, my $2,800.00 tractor was now costing me $4,000.00.

I am stupid for putting up with this, but with MTD, you call them and if you complain (without cursing at them), they keep hanging up on me because I kept saying their products were crap and kept asking them if they knew people were having these problems, to which the answer was "No, we make great products." I did call the service rep a liar when he said that to me. I also informed him of the other MTD products that I had that were junk also. I wrote to Lowe's and MTD, telling them of the problem. MTD never answered, Lowe's called me and had me go to the store and offered me a new tractor (not MTD model) at a discounted price. So now I just spent another $3,000.00 on a new tractor to replace the one I had for less than 3 years. After all of this, because of MTD, it cost me over $7,000.00 for two tractors, repairs and lawn services as well as rentals.

What really bothers me is that MTD is selling these junk pieces of equipment, has horrible customer service and when I was at Lowe's, I was told the salesmen at Lowe's were telling people to stay away from anything made by MTD. MTD is using a reputable company's name that made good products. They buy that company's name and then build them at the MTD plant and not telling people that the machine they are buying is not the manufacturer that you think it is. They have a customer service number in the USA, but now from what I read are not even made in the USA. This is fraud, but not in their eyes.

And what is really bad - you may think you are buying some John Deere, Troy-Bilt, Bolen and craftsman models. All these models and others like Ryobi are being made by MTD, and the only way you can find out is in the owner's manual of some hidden place on the product. It is hidden for a reason so you won't find MTD on it until you call customer service or parts and they answer the phone saying MTD. This is hidden because they know they are hiding the fact that MTD is making crap machines. Why else would MTD's name be hidden or why are they not putting their name on machines they make? If you buy an MTD, you are going to get crap and ripped off even though you thought you were buying a machine with a reputable maker's name on it.

Be careful when you buy any yard equipment, check the owner's manual and with your cellphone, call from the dealers the service number on the owner's manual and the part number. If they say MTD when they answer, hang up and run or buy another machine that is truly not made by MTD. You will have nothing but trouble and spend your money on parts and repairs if you buy anything made by MTD. Oh yes, my new Troy-Bilt tractor of less than 3 years old, I put it in my front yard for sale for best offer. I sold a $2,800.00 tractor 2.5 years old, much of the time broken or in the shop, for $300.00. And yes, I did warn the guy who bought it from me that it was made by MTD and I had a lot of trouble with it. But at $300.00, he said he would take the chance.

When I complained that their labeling was insufficient and misleading, all that Brian could say is it's not MTD's problem. I asked for his last name and employee number and he said they are not required to give that info out since they are a private company. I asked for his supervisor and the company's president name and it was the same answer. I will stay away from all MTD products in the future and I have asked the Lowe’s manager to remove this product from his shelves so no one else damages their mower.

But I’ve run that thing through some really harsh stuff. Of course, I don’t take a full bite when I’m clearing with it. But I cleared an area close to 1/2 acre that I couldn’t walk through without a machete. It took about 3 years. It was very slow, working to cut just a bit at a time and to watch out not to run up on something and wreck the blades or bend a shaft. If I was going to complain about anything, it’s the way it kills batteries. I’ve got a 4 wheeler that sits and sits and sits, and the battery on it lasted 4 years and it was in it when we bought the thing. The lawnmower will ruin a battery a year. So, I got a float charger. Hassle, yes, but a battery is costly and sometimes when I hit the starter, it simply will not spin that motor over, even when the battery is fully charged. I hear that can be due to needing the valves adjusted, so I’ll be going in there soon.

Hint! If you hit the starter and it won’t spin the motor, let off the key quick. Then, raise the hood. Look at the top of the motor and hit the starter. As soon as it stops, let go of the key and watch it rotate backwards. When it gets turned backwards, hit the starter again and let off just before it stops, it will bounce off the compression and spin backwards further. Do that a couple of times and then it will spin on through compression. You’ve just got to give it a running start.

Never the less, I got the fire out and called the Tractor Supply dealer where I had purchased the mower and they referred me to MTD. A representative came out and took pictures of the mower, and a few days later, they informed me that neither they nor Tractor Supply would accept any responsibility for the product. After doing some research on the internet, I found that MTD had a recall on zero turn mowers in 2010 and 2011 for faulty fuel problem and possible fire hazard. Still, after printing and giving them the 5 pages about the recalls, they deny any responsibility for their product. I'm definitely not Rockefeller, but I ain't Little feller either. I will be pursuing this in court.

Following are excerpts of the communication thread between MTD Products and myself.

Message by Rich ** dated 09/15/2010:

Please provide us with some clear photos showing raised and lowered settings on the deck with a scale.

My reply dated 09/15/2010:

I will send you the photos that you requested. However, I have found the solution to the problem which you stated has not only affected my mower but also others recently. The two rear rods that support the mowing deck from the rear of the tractor are the incorrect length. The rods on our mower are incorrectly sized (too long) which causes the following:

3. Immediate wear & tear is found on the mower blades belt due to incorrect horizontal alignment.

I would like to bring to your attention that the two rods in question are basically standard rod that is bent with 90 degree returns at each end. This is a manufacturing fabrication that could easily lend itself to error; either machine, jig or human. I believe that if you will compare rod lengths between your mowers that are having this trouble and the ones that are not you will find the difference in rod length.

As for myself, I need to have a working lawnmower, now! I would appreciate it if you will overnight to me two rods of the correct length and a replacement mower blade drive belt. I will still forward the photos to you and also provide you with the rods that I remove if you wish. Time is urgent for me. I would appreciate your telephone response to this message (telephone number is on file with you).

Response by Rich ** dated 09/16/2010:

Here's the drawing of the lift rod. Can you determine what the dimension is on yours? Also follow directions to download these files. Important! A document file has been added to this discussion.

My reply dated 09/20/2010:

I have compared the rods with your drawings and find it to be the same. Nonetheless, the deck will not raise above ground at the #5 setting. I did mfg. new rods 2" shorter which were able to allow the deck to set at 1-1/2" above ground at the #1 setting. However, this new setting (new rods) only allowed the machine to operate only within the 3 & 4 settings where it did a beautiful job of cutting. However at the #5 setting, the blades would not stop in the idle setting nor would they turn in the #1 setting. Needless to say, I soon (not unexpectedly) broke the belt. I then returned to the store of original purchase this past Friday afternoon to purchase another belt and also to look at some floor models to see if I could find anything amiss. This is where the 'fun' started!

While on my hands and knees examining the floor model, a sales associate asked if she could be of help. So as not to look completely foolish, I explained to her that I was seeking to gather information and buy a belt. When she asked if I would further elaborate on the problem, I did and noticed that she became very interested. When I finished, she informed me that another person had come in earlier the same day and had expressed frustration over exactly the same issue. She said that he also expressed that he had to make new rods but she did not seem to know much beyond that. I told her of my frustration over my inability to get timely service and asked if she knew of any authorized repair shops. She said she only knew of Westlawn on Terry Blvd. She also confirmed that their wait period was 4 to 4-1/2 weeks. You may confirm all of this by speaking to the store representative; Lanell at Lowe's store #1085

I feel that I have now done more than is reasonable. I purchased the unit from Lowe's store # 1085 in July 2010. I have a reasonable right to expect a piece of equipment without this type of a problem. I also should not be expected to redesign it or wait for 4-1/2 weeks just to have it looked at. Please authorize a replacement from Lowe's' or refund my money, or arrange for an immediate repair. I thank you for your prompt reply and thank you for your attention to this matter

Response by Rich ** dated 09/23/2010:

You've done more then your fair share. We may be on to something here. Seems as the lift arm is almost identical between 2 different deck sizes. If one is installed in the wrong unit it may be causing our problem. We've ordered both types to check that angle out.

My reply dated 09/25/2010:

Thank you for acknowledging that I have "done my fair share." I am also pleased that you may be on to your "problem." Now, I still do not have an operational lawnmower. Also, you have not offered any solution, i.e. arrange for mine to be corrected in a timely manner, or refund my money or authorize a dealer to give me a new one, or ship me a new one. I need the machine now, not after the grass dies. Thanks for your anticipated quick response.

My follow up dated 10/06/2010:

You have not responded to my transmittal of 09/25/2010. I want a solution! Please respond.

Response by Rich ** dated 10/08/2010:

Sorry for such a late delay in answering as this has been a problem engineering was looking into. Your unit needs to have the dealer change out the lift arm fro the cutting deck. Seems they believe that on some units the wrong lift arm was installed causing what your having as a problem for sure. Let us know where it will go and we'll authorize pickup with the dealer in question.

My reply dated 10/09/2010:

I am not going to wait for six weeks. Either get us to the head of the line or offer another option.

Response by Rich ** dated 10/11/2010:

I can't put you to the front of a line as they are independent dealers. Please call customer service to see how they can find you a lists of dealers that may be more time wise better for you at 800-800-7310.

My reply dated 10/25/2010:

This is not working. I am a very unhappy camper! This problem started on Sept. 15. You closed it out as completed on Oct. 11. It is not completed! Your transmittal dated Oct 8 states in relevant part, "Let us know where it will go and we'll authorize pickup with the dealer in question." You also said in your transmittal of Oct. 11, "Please call customer service to see how they can find you a lists of dealers that may be more time wise better for you at 800-800-7310. I did what you asked. The dealer recommended, WestSide Schwinn. It still has a four week wait period. customer service is of absolutely no help other than to give me Westside's te.l number.

If you want me to handle this as per your explicit instructions, I am sure I can find one of your authorized dealers somewhere who will fix it in timely manner! Also, per your instructions, we can work it out for you to get the shipping charges assigned to you wherever it goes! I want this problem solved. I have already spent more time than is reasonable to accommodate you. FYI, there is Paul's Mower Shop (504 628 8963) who is fully qualified to repair this thing. However, they are not one of your dealers. This is just a suggestion. I have now done all I can (care to) do. Please govern yourself accordingly.

Response by Rich ** dated 11/03/2010:

If you can find a more accommodating dealer to do the repairs that would be fine. Let us know whom you have found that can help you sooner where your at.

My reply dated 11/05/2010:

In my prior correspondence I spoke of Paul's Lawnmower shop and even provided you with their telephone number. Can I take it there (not one of your dealers) or do you mean "only your authorized dealer". I need clarification.

Response by Rich ** dated 11/13/2010:

Dealers not in our loop will be paid according to state law but if this is warranty, it would have to be filed online by a dealer. I'll be on vacation until after Thanksgiving.

My reply dated 12/15/2010:

Terrytown, LA 70056 with tel. number 504 392 2000. I explained all to a lady who received the unit and was provided their shop ticket Y741.

Approximately one week later, they called and did not have a clue what the problem was. I re-explained it all by telephone and requested that they contact you. They never even attempted to contact you. Last week they called again and said that there was no warranty work to be done. I asked if they had even tried to raise and lower the deck to determine elevation cutting levels. The answer was no. Please contact these people and straighten this mess out. I am beyond sick of it! This has been ongoing since the week of September 15. It is now December 1. That is 2-1/2 months.

On August 30, 2010, I took the mower back to Dons Small Engine & ATV Service in Coon Rapids again for repair because the mower was hard starting, running rough and rear wheels were wobbly. It was diagnosed by a mechanic: “Unit started and ran poorly, removed and disassembled carburetor, and found debris in float bowl.” He recommended that the carburetor be cleaned and rebuilt, fuel tank flushed, fuel line and air filter replaced. Both back wheels are worn and rear left height adjuster is damaged. Total for this repair was $204.49 and I was told that it was not covered by warranty, and I will not cover these charges. Menards also refused to cover these charges. I did not receive a warranty card from employees of Menards for the mower.

I went to other stores since this happened to find out what kind of procedures these stores (Home Depot, Sears and Northern) used when dealing with customers and all of these stores procedures were that the warranties would cover the engines of their mowers. We were told by Menards that their hands were tied and could do nothing about it and Yard-Mans story was the same. This mower cost me $289 before taxes and after only 5 months of mowing I would have to pay for a $204.00 repair plus a $50.00 payment when I brought the mower to Dons Service so that would be $254.00, plus I had to rent a mower for two weeks waiting for an estimate from them so I am also out of money for renting a mower. It is not my fault for having shoddy workmanship from Yard-Man.

If you refer to the Internet, you will see many complaints on the Yard-Man products. I have owned different makes of lawnmowers over the years and have never had any problems with them. I am pretty fussy about my yard and take care of the equipment that I purchase, but if mowing my yard and cleaning the mower after each use is being negligent, then guess I am guilty. I feel that this is just one of those mowers that was not properly assembled and that Yard-Man should owe up to their workmanship and refund us for the mower.

My wife went up to pick up the mower and brings it home. I filled it with fresh gas, pulled it 20 times and it starts. It sounds like it’s running half the speed as before but I’ll give it a shot on the grass. The mowers running but when I pushed it into the 3 inches of grass, it died. There was no power. I tried 10 more times. Forget it! It was a pure junk. Do not buy any product from MTD LLC. Push Mower Riders, you name it. Look on the Label or paper work! I’m going to continue this battle forever through the internet or wherever I can post it and give a word of mouth to everyone along the way. I wish an attorney would see this and teach this company a lesson in a court of law. Please everyone, Do not buy a product from MTD LLC.

The mower only has 193 hours on it. We would like to file some sort of suit. We will send a letter to our state attorney's office concerning the matter. We will never buy another MTD ever. Our neighbor's John Deer is 10 years old and has not had one thing done on it except sharpen the blades and tune-ups.

Unfortunately, to get a good quality mower, you will need to spend a minimum of $2,000 to do so and I would not recommend the MTD line of products. I also would not recommend the AYP products (low-end Husqvarnas, Craftsman, Poulan, or Big Box store John Deere) as they are also not built for quality, but are built to be affordable with a planned obsolescence of 2-4 years.

The idea is to get you to purchase another one every few years. Shop around for what the repair shops actually sell. Ask a person who does repairs. I've always been honest enough to tell people that some brands that we don't sell are great mowers. I work on nearly every brand of mower out there and we work on about 2,500-3,000 machines per year. The mechanics know what is good and what is sub-par.

I went to pick my machine up and was told the warranty claim had been declined by MTD. So on top of the cost last year, I am now out of pocket a further $140. I wanted to appeal to MTD, but that company is locked down so tight all you can get is automated responses and FAQs from their website. MTD isn't the cheapest on the market. There are plenty of other brands in the same price range. You can be sure I'm taking my money elsewhere. I will never buy MTD again.

Now, I believe my problem was probably caused by a defective design of the single steel bolt that holds the soft aluminum alloy transaxle housing to the rear of the deck. It had stripped the threads allowing the transaxle to flex, probably causing the pulley to come out of alignment with the transaxle. So all these years of unreliable, slipping drive may have been caused by this flawed design.

I'm completely dissatisfied with this particular MTD product. Though I'm aware the unit is out of warranty, I asked MTD to replace the mower with a similar self-propelled model with a reliable drive system as compensation for the years of trouble I've had with this unit.

I read all their disclaimers on the warranty and fully believed I would be covered. They had a 1800 number to call for the nearest service center which was in Hamburg, NJ. I called them and was told that it would cost me $50 for them to pick it up and another $50 to have it delivered back to me upon completion of work. Then once they got the machine, they started saying, "Oh, we have to open up the engine to see why it failed before the warranty covers it." Two weeks passed and they never called me back, so I called them up and they said, "Oh, we never got around to it." But, the owner promised they would check it in 2 days, which he did. His conclusion was that the engine blew because of no oil and it would not be covered by warranty.

But the engine was full of oil prior to it blowing when it was running and full of oil when it was sent to the service station. The owner even commented on how the oil looked clean and then says the engine blew because of no oil? I said to him there is no way it blew because of no oil because there was oil in it before it blew and after. I made sure I checked the oil before each time I cut the grass, just like I checked the gasoline level. Besides, in total, I cut the grass only 7 times since May 2008.

I want to know one thing? Why does MTD mislead the public that it has a 2-yr warranty on the engine when it has no plans on honoring the warranty?

The mower since the first week I got was trouble. The push handle would not lock in place, so the handle would be useless and would not allow you to mow. I found out that Toro was made by Murrey, and Murrey was made by MTD. You do not know this when you buy it. They just use the Toro name to sucker people in. The mower has sat in my garage for 6 years now, looking new, since they told me I could take it to a repair shop that was miles away,and I would be given no date for the return.

I bought a power washer. The name was generic. I believe this is also an MTD product. It worked the first year. It's giving me some trouble the second year. It was a real dog; it would lose power and I would break down the wand to make sure that it was not fouled. It also started leaking oil and that could not be stopped. I called them, and they said they had a problem with one of the plugs. Mine was plastic. They sent me a metal one, which did not fix the problem. I use the power washer rarely, since I know it will cause me trouble each time I use it. So washing my siding is easier using a scrubbing mop and soapy water. The soap induction on the power washer does not work, so I have to spray soapy water on the area with a spray bottle. The power washer is a piece of junk and well, useless.

I bought a garden tractor, a 24-HP model with the name of Troy Bilt. This tractor replaced a Craftsman tractor that I had used for 14 years before my daughter used it and did not check the oil. Up until that point, I had never had any trouble with the Craftsman tractor. I changed the oil and blades and did tune-ups on it, and it was great.

The Troy Built mower purchased for $3200.00 was not made by Troy Bilt but was built by MTD. Another farce and deception that they used to get me to buy the mower. Troy Bilt was a good tractor when they made them, as I worked for a golf course and they used them. The 24-HP automatic tractor has been a nightmare. It gave me problems from the start. First, it started dying before I could finish the yard. I purchased 4 batteries for it, thinking that was the problem. I used to have to plug in the battery charger and let it sit for 4 hours before it would go again. I found out it was the alternator, after taking it to an MTD repair center.

The tractor stayed at the repair center for 3 months outside, before they even worked on it. I got it back with nuts and bolts missing, and the dash was shaking apart. Some of the levers have never worked which they were supposed to fix. Next, the deck is a piece of junk; actually, it is a hazard since pieces were falling off and getting hit by the blades.

This year, I continued to work on the tractor. It cost me $50.00 to have the brackets re-welded, since there was only one small track weld that held the bracket on. The welder told me that the reason I had the problem was that the welding was not sufficient and that was why the brackets were coming off. Also, the bracket after they fell off, were hit by the blades, destroying them and causing a hazard for anyone in the line of fire if the blade was hitting the bracket. This repair cost me over $150.00 for parts (which took weeks to arrive) and $50.00 for the welding. After repairs to the deck, it ran fine for about 2 months when there was a noise coming from the deck. This time, the center pulley sheared off at the center. This took two weeks.

Today, I tried to put on the pulley and cannot get the nuts off to change it and found also that the bracket that runs across the discharge chute is hanging off on one side. It needs to be welded. This tractor is a nightmare, and when you talk to the customer service center of MTD, you get snotty operators. And I have had to call back 6 times one day, since I kept getting cut off by them. Also, I told them I was going to get rid of the tractor and tell people about how MTD products are crap. He told me "If I tell people of the problems, I will have trouble selling it. So I should just keep quiet about all the trouble."

I also have had to replace 7 belts and 3 sets of blades because of the parts that fell off, hitting the blades hitting and sent flying. As you know, these are not cheap. The cost of this has been over $500.00. This is a dangerous machine, as when something falls off it and the blades hit it, they send the metal flying. One spot in the back of the house has an area where a piece of metal hit the aluminum siding, cutting it and destroying the siding. I make sure if I use this tractor, no one is around, because I am afraid of someone getting hit by a flying metal.

I am now thinking of going out and buying another tractor, since I cannot get through a month without trouble. You can be sure that it will not be an MTD product. One thing I am really upset about is the way they use other companies' names on their tractors. And that is false; you are buying an MTD product, not a Troy Bilt, Toro, or other reliable manufacturers. MTD bought the companies' names and pass them off as those companies, until you have trouble and then you find you are are dealing with the worst company in the world, MTD. I would say, since I bought my equipment, I have spent $5400.00 on lawn tractors, log splitters, power washers, and push mowers. That does not include the $1000.00 of so in repairs and parts replacement.

2 years previously, I purchased a 24hp, 54-in deck; and it again have gone through a lot of belts, and the transmission has failed ,only allowing forward motion at a very slow turtle's pace. I, like most other people on this page, will not knowingly buy another MTD mower or other product. I have around 10 acres in disjointed sections to mow, and the MTD mowers have left me in the lurch too many times. Even with 2 mowers, I cannot count on them to be operational when I need them. I'm a very disgruntled former customer.

At an average of $2000.00/mower and having 2 mowers to attempt to insure that I have an operating piece of equipment, it is much more sensible to buy reliable equipment from someone else than Huskee/MTD.

We were told to bring it to the MTD's authorized repair center which we drove five miles to. It was closed at 6pm for weekend. I called them Monday morning and they said the company would pay for repairs. I don't want a mower that I, a senior widow, can not start by myself. Besides, how can I trust a company that doesn't honor the so called two year warranty beyond 12 hours? If we have it repaired, how often will they pay until it's fixed? How do we sell it for what we paid? Not to mention the hours wasted trying to reach the company and writing complaint to Menards headquarters by snail mail. They have a complaint form online and they blew me off and said that the company was responsible, blah, blah.

The blade adapter holds the mower blade to the engine's shaft so that the engine can turn the blade. The blade adapter should have inside of it what's called a sheer key. Thus, when the user hits a big rock, a root or a hidden tree stump, the key (sort of a rectangular, soft-metal nail) sheers off inside the adapter and thus prevents the suddenly stopped mower blade from warping or bending the engine shaft. The user then simply unscrews the blade adapter, shakes out the broken sheer key and replaces it (about a buck at a mower supply store).

But for my $200 Walmart 21" MTD Yardman push mower, MTD decided to go cheap. It literally welded the sheer key into the blade adapter. So when I hit a hidden tree stump beneath the grass and it suddenly stopped the blade, the sheer key failed to sheer off and absorb the force. It thus bent the engine shaft. MTD's authorized dealer refused to fix it under warranty, even though he agreed that it wouldn't have happened had MTD not gone cheap (saved itself maybe .80 cents) and skipped using a real sheer key. The dealer agreed with me that it was MTD's fault but MTD would not authorize him to fix my mower under warranty. Pretty cheap and sleazy, eh?

When I wrote the company and supplied color photos proving my claim, I got a sleazy lawyer's double-talk letter non-response. It read like a Saturday Night Live parody of lawyers. Thus, I got no justice, but only stupid, sleazy management that literally paid a sleaze-ball lawyer probably the same $200 it could have paid me on my claim (the mower only had 5 hours of use on it but was a total loss because the labor cost of fixing the bent engine shaft exceeds $200). Wanna bet MTD did this to untold other users?

It's nothing but a cheap-ass decision by MTD management (to save a lousy .80 cents), and it has now putatively resulted in economic and ecological time bombs all over the American landscape: It's only a matter of time before another user hits a stump, rock, etc. and discovers that his mower hass instantly been turned into a pile of scrap so MTD could pocket .80 cents. Just a plain-ass cheap, sleazy decision by MTD management.

Special note to MTD management: I have digital photos and copies of my letters to you and your sleazoid lawyer. I challenge you to dispute any of this. Specs: Yardman lawnmower model # 11A-588C755, Serial # 1C306KB0829. I invite a RICO-wielding class action lawyer to contact me, as I will be more than happy to be the lead plaintiff in a class action, breach of express and implied warranty case against MTD.

I read all kinds of complaints here about this brand of mowers. My father owns Murray brand tractor and he too has not had issue out of it. I believe most is misdirected or due to ignorance. I do believe that most people here are not properly maintaining their tractors. The owner before obviously took care of his tractor and is familiar with small work needed to regularly maintain this tractor for good service year in and year out. I too am familiar with the small deeds needed to keep it going for many more years and am willing to spend that afternoon at early spring and late fall to ensure a properly working tractor. I do recommend Murray tractors to those with a decent size yard and are willing to either maintain it properly or pay someone to maintain it.

Now 6 years later the same transmision this time the right side cracked in half. The repair, is a new casing which is now $435.00 which I said no , not including labour! So I bought another this time its a Yardworks which is made by MTD ,1 week later a deck spring @ the idler pulley broke ? This spring is so thin , no wonder why it broke. My next riding mower will be a John deere !

Dropped deck ( not nice looking on your lawn )

I now have to replace the mower whic is expensive.

I could have bought a new mower for what I have paid in repairs and today it is going back to the shop.

He ended up fixing it himself and managed to get through the mowing season, but has been continuously having to buy belts for it. This mowing season he has had to replace a cable twice within a week and now it won't go forward. He has worked trying to get it to go and is very disgusted. I know if we call they will tell us to take it back over there and then they will say well someone else touched it so it will cost more. My husband is a diabetic and this has put a great deal of stress on him. We will never buy another mower from Lowes or an MTD product again

I sold my cousin a MTD 21/46 lawntractor and it has the same problem. She and her elderly Mother have had it for 3 years and it has been down more than it has been ready to mow. They have replaced 6 deck belts and She had 1 put on 2 weeks ago and it took it out today.

I see the problem and MTD has to know about this. The engine pully is to high for the deck. I think MTD should repair the problem and reimburse her for the money she has put out on belts.

No damage just the Money that she has paid out for belts and the headaches from this piece of junk mower. Never will I purchase and MTD product as I have seen to many problems.

I have my elderly Mother to take care of and I have a bad back. I need a mower I can depend on so we can have a nice looking lawn like everyone else. It is depressing to look out and see tall grass everywhere. Another thing, the list of parts on the MTD site does not have the proper part numbers. I ordered a belt to drive the blades and they sent me the one that drives the transmission. They need to get the parts list right!

The expense of buying new belts all the time. The last belt was purchased only two weeks ago and has already come off and is being chewed up.

i called the store and told them about it and was told to bring it back, the driver was only able to deliver not pick up. i took it back and they kept it another 5 weeks. during this time i cut my grass with a 1973 craftsman with the kohler engine. i bought the new mower in may and cut my grass 1 time through the summer. i tried 4 different times by then i was stuck with a mower lowes would not take back. i finally took it to another repair shop and was told that mowers now are not designed to last more than 3 years and push mowers aren't supposed to last more than 2 years. this is a mower that i paid $1600 for.

the only way i got satisfaction was to sit in front of lowes and tell everyone looking at mowers about mine. the store called the local police to tell me to leave. after doing this at 4 stores i finally got a call from the home office offering me a refund. its a shame that when these stores get your money thats all they care about. i found a 30 year old mower shop in a nearby small town, spent $650 having my old craftsman rebuilt and thats what i cut with now. i lost work time, put up with months of torment dealing with lowes. i will never buy another mower made by mtd, i will use a reel mower first

I guess I think on this situation, you get what you pay for. My dad spent $999.99 on this machine, as for me, his son, I've learned my lesson, or his lesson, I buy commercial equipment, Wright Corp., John Deere Corp. certainly even name brands are cutting back on quality, but at least with a name brand the customer still has some bargining power, fix this or I'll go to MTD.... As far as MTD is as a corp. worthless..

Replacement of spindle and wiring fix took at least 1 1/2 months, I know, because I mowed my dads lawn with a push mower...

I bought the mower because of the heavy metal they used compared to the copetition. I would like for Mtd to replace the fender/body cover Part # 783-04333A They say there wasn't a warranty. I still would like the replacement part. Has anyone else had this problem.

I took the mower home and within the first week or so of use, one of the blades fell off while mowing. The mechanic, instead of replacing the blade tower because it was damaged, put the blade back on with lock-tite. The same blade fell off a couple of more times which I put back on myself because I couldn't wait 2 weeks or more to get my mower back. You could see that the gear on the tower was stripped about a quarter of an inch. After complaining about it they finally replaced the tower.

During this time a pulley broke out in the center. I had never seen such a thing. Then one of the front wheels fell off. Again I fixed that. When I took it home after the new tower was installed, i went out and started mowing. After an hour, the part of the frame that holds the gas pedal on has somehow spread apart and the pedal will no longer stay in place. After a month waiting for a factory rep to look at the machine, he deemed that it was my abuse that caused the problem. They originally said that I must've dropped the mower off the back of a truck to cause such damage. I only carry it on a little trailer. Then it is the way I get on and off of it, or a steep bank or hill has caused it to flex. So, MTD won't cover it with the warranty. The thing is my warranty says if the same thing goes wrong with it 3 times I will get a new mower. I guess I should've taken it in for all the times the blade fell off.

This mower could blow up!

So why buy the same model mower FOUR times if it is unreliable? Because, at $159, it appeared to be a bargain and we thought that we perhaps just purchased a lemon the first couple of times. We kept giving the mower and Bolens/MTD the benefit of a doubt... However, now I'm totally convinced that this model mower is just garbage. We've had dirt cheap, $99 mowers that have lasted for years. None of our FOUR Bolens/MTD mowers have even lasted for one whole summer. This is BY FAR the worst, most unreliable mower we've ever used. Pathetic!!

The response I received was horrible. The customer services group basically blew me off. And, had the nerve to say that the mower was for cutting grass not leaves. Well, they don't know it, but anyone in the U.S. who has a mower and leaves on their property will go over the leaves with the mower. I'm sure the information in my letter never made it to the corporate office.

I contacted my local repair shop and he didn't believe my discription of the situation, when I convinced him that what I discribed was correct he said in all his years of doing repair he has never seen this condition. He tells me that the transmission case will need replaced. I have a 42" Murray thst is 12 years old tha is still going strong that is used to mow around a flying field with a little more area, all it need is oil, blades and belts. why didn't the yardman last longer?? Do you stand behind it or far away.

Well, mufflers do get hot. We're not certain the company is to blame for this. Sherrie should look first to her homeowner's insurance policy.

Fortunately there was no one working with me, and I was not hit by any of the shrapnel. The pieces of the heavy steel blade must have exited at very high speed because I saw nothing. They went through the safety shield like it wasn't even there. I don't know how many more of these machines may be in use around the country, but I think they are all potentially very dangerous! I know for sure that I would not even consider trying to "repair" mine, or ever use it again. I'm still chilled by the thought of what would have happened if I had been in the way of a chunk of that blade when it came through the safety shield!