Deck Pin Issue

[4curbappeal]

Pj,

I have a 36 inch Trim Star that I purchased new last spring. I have had a few problems with it, but for the most part I am pleased. Early this spring I noticed that both right side deck pins were bent. It even looks like the weld at the bottom of the front deck pin is cracked. I took it to my dealer on June 5 and left it for over a week. When I picked it up, it had not been repaired. My dealer (whom I have an excellent relationship with) told me that it should be a warranty issue and he neded to send pictures to Hustler. Today I called my dealer to see if he had heard anything from Hustler and he informed me that if it wasn't bent when it came out of the crate it was due to operator error and not covered under warranty. Is this correct? My 54 Hustler Hydro, which is 3 years older and used on the majority of my lawns, has never had any problems. There seems to be more reinforcement on the top of the deck It seems to be a better built mower in my opinion. Please look at my attached pictures and give me your opinion. Notice that there are no marks on the front of the deck and I don't recall hitting anything. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for your time.

Thank you,

Tim

[4curbappeal]

Pj,

Just checking to see if you had any opinions or possible solutions. I need to get the mower in asap. Thanks again! Tim

[mowerconsultant]

For some reason I didn't see this originally, sorry.
Your dealing with Rex? right?
E-mail me some details and I will get someone looking into it further.

Pj

[4curbappeal]

I am dealing with Tim Allgood at Reynolds Farm Equipment in Anderson, Indiana. I sent you an email, but I don't think it went through. Let me know if you didn't recieve the email!

Thank you!

[mowerconsultant]

I am dealing with Tim Allgood at Reynolds Farm Equipment in Anderson, Indiana. I sent you an email, but I don't think it went through. Let me know if you didn't recieve the email!

Thank you!

I didn't get the e-mail, I just looked again.
Please resend it.

Pj

[4curbappeal]

Pj,

Just making sure that you recived my email last week! I included all of my info icluding date of purchase, dealer info and pictures.

Thanks,

Tim

[mowerconsultant]

Pj,

Just making sure that you recived my email last week! I included all of my info icluding date of purchase, dealer info and pictures.

Thanks,

Tim

I did, and I talked to everyone involved in the matter.
Tim should be contacting you soon, he was on vacation last week I believe.

[4curbappeal]

Thanks Pj! I appreciate your help!

Tim

[4curbappeal]

Still no call from my dealer. I'm to the point that I just want this thing off my trailer. I guess I wil pay to l get it fixed and put it on ebay! Future Trim Star owners BEWARE!!!!

[mowerconsultant]

Still no call from my dealer. I'm to the point that I just want this thing off my trailer. I guess I wil pay to l get it fixed and put it on ebay! Future Trim Star owners BEWARE!!!!

Please call Tim @ Reynolds.
I talked to the regional service manager and our service manager at the factory and they both talked and Tim knows the situation.

[blackandgold]

I have sold many of these and have not seen a problem like this.

Looks like you hit something pretty hard...

[4curbappeal]

Pj,

I apologize! I just want this mower fixed! You have always been a great help and I didn't mean to spout off to you!

Tim

[mowerconsultant]

Pj,

I apologize! I just want this mower fixed! You have always been a great help and I didn't mean to spout off to you!

Tim

Have you talked to your dealer? Tim @ Reynolds?

[4curbappeal]

Yes I have. They picked it up on August 5. I should have it back this week!
Thank you!

[4curbappeal]

This is a old post for dylan! Husler did 0 to rectify the problem, so I sold the mower!

[blackandgold]

What are you using now?

[brucec32]

You guys at Hustler interested in feedback?

I was doing research on Hustlers because I happen to need a smaller ztr (42" or less) so I can use one mower for lawns instead of having to switch to a wb for back yards. After reading hundreds of posts, I am concerned with some recurring themes:

a) quality of cut. More than avg number of reports of problems in this area.
b) reliablility. Ditto.
c) most of all, dedication to service after the sale seems very inconsistent.

As for the latter, I am seeing a whole lot of "blame the victim" type behavior on the part of dealers. it happens at all brands, but I am not seeing the hammer come down on dealers doing this. When I had an Exmark dealer problem their forum rep here was on the phone that day and I got a personal apology letter from the owner of the dealer, a new engine, and a loaner for weeks. I am certainly not seeing mowers getting fixed promptly in these Hustler threads. Waiting around while someone gets home from vacation is not an acceptable solution for a busy LCO.

While I am all for cost and weight savings, these are sold as commercial machines. If they can't run into something (which happens when using them commercially) w/o self destructing, they're not really commercial quality then are they?

Why would you give a "lifetime warranty" for the front edge of the deck if the rest of the machine behind it screws up if your deck edge happens to catch on a hidden obstruction? I've hit objects at full speed (stumps, sawed off metal poles, rebar electrical grounds, etc) hard enough to THROW ME OFF A VELKE AND OVER THE MOWER HANDLE BARS and bruise me all up with Toros (hardly the stoutest machines sold) and the machines didn't miss a beat. I hit a stump hidden in an overgrown lot with my Exmark Lazer Z HP this spring so hard the machine bucked up and the a fuse blew. Blades were stopped cold. I was thrown against the handlebars (no seat belt on this model) but luckily the fuse killed the engine or my weight would have sent me on a wild ride over the stump. But other than a 25c fuse, no damage.

Face it, when your engineers put the horizontal axis load on 4 height adjustment pins, you made that a weak spot in the design. So why not just fix it and move on rather than allow dealers to blame the operator?

Meanwhile the closest dealer to me has been at 3 locations in 3 years. Hardly confidence inspiring. I was tempted to try them just because it was so conveniently located, but it moved not once, but twice, before I could! Moving from a high traffic very visable location to first a smaller building and then a location not so visable doesn't say "sales are way up" to me.

I would suggest that if Hustler wants to succeed they decide to make getting mowers running again a priority at all levels, they make sure the machines cut perfectly BEFORE they're sold, and they give the operator the benefit of the doubt instead of blaming them for things that break. Buyers need confidence before they will shell out thousands of dollars. Merely saving $1,000 over an Exmark or Toro or Scag doesn't induce someone to buy if they think they won't get the same level of reliablitity, cut quality, and service after the sale.

[Doc Pete]

I have 4 of the original Hustler WB's and none of them have pin problems. I've used them for moving wood piles, as leaf rake, moving my truck and other ridiculous things.
HOWEVER........... Hustler had a problem with the carrier deck on all of them being incorrectly engineered and they all developed cracks, which was under warrentee.
IN OTHER WORDS....... the trimstar is new has bugs, because "as you most know" not that many people use them AND Hustler never recieved enough feedback to find out all the "tweets" the trimstar needed.
If Hustler doesn't warrentee this, they need to rethink just what "CUSTOMER SERVICE" is all about.
Doc Pete

[Dunn's]

You guys at Hustler interested in feedback?

I was doing research on Hustlers because I happen to need a smaller ztr (42" or less) so I can use one mower for lawns instead of having to switch to a wb for back yards. After reading hundreds of posts, I am concerned with some recurring themes:

a) quality of cut. More than avg number of reports of problems in this area.
b) reliablility. Ditto.
c) most of all, dedication to service after the sale seems very inconsistent.

As for the latter, I am seeing a whole lot of "blame the victim" type behavior on the part of dealers. it happens at all brands, but I am not seeing the hammer come down on dealers doing this. When I had an Exmark dealer problem their forum rep here was on the phone that day and I got a personal apology letter from the owner of the dealer, a new engine, and a loaner for weeks. I am certainly not seeing mowers getting fixed promptly in these Hustler threads. Waiting around while someone gets home from vacation is not an acceptable solution for a busy LCO.

While I am all for cost and weight savings, these are sold as commercial machines. If they can't run into something (which happens when using them commercially) w/o self destructing, they're not really commercial quality then are they?

Why would you give a "lifetime warranty" for the front edge of the deck if the rest of the machine behind it screws up if your deck edge happens to catch on a hidden obstruction? I've hit objects at full speed (stumps, sawed off metal poles, rebar electrical grounds, etc) hard enough to THROW ME OFF A VELKE AND OVER THE MOWER HANDLE BARS and bruise me all up with Toros (hardly the stoutest machines sold) and the machines didn't miss a beat. I hit a stump hidden in an overgrown lot with my Exmark Lazer Z HP this spring so hard the machine bucked up and the a fuse blew. Blades were stopped cold. I was thrown against the handlebars (no seat belt on this model) but luckily the fuse killed the engine or my weight would have sent me on a wild ride over the stump. But other than a 25c fuse, no damage.

Face it, when your engineers put the horizontal axis load on 4 height adjustment pins, you made that a weak spot in the design. So why not just fix it and move on rather than allow dealers to blame the operator?

Meanwhile the closest dealer to me has been at 3 locations in 3 years. Hardly confidence inspiring. I was tempted to try them just because it was so conveniently located, but it moved not once, but twice, before I could! Moving from a high traffic very visable location to first a smaller building and then a location not so visable doesn't say "sales are way up" to me.

I would suggest that if Hustler wants to succeed they decide to make getting mowers running again a priority at all levels, they make sure the machines cut perfectly BEFORE they're sold, and they give the operator the benefit of the doubt instead of blaming them for things that break. Buyers need confidence before they will shell out thousands of dollars. Merely saving $1,000 over an Exmark or Toro or Scag doesn't induce someone to buy if they think they won't get the same level of reliablitity, cut quality, and service after the sale.


Don't worry exmark does the same thing we are having a problem with our blades coming of while spinning on our Turf Tracer HP. At first they said we should use an impact, we said we did and the dealer told us not to, they then said tighten them by hand power with a regular wrench which we have done then and still had the same problem, they then said use a torque wrench tighten to 55-60 ft lbs, Which we have done same problem. Tall grass and now leaves every time it bogs downs and then the blades come looses and sometimes shoot out from under the deck. So they then said that sounds like a defect and defect are not covered under warranty, Are you kidding me I thought that is what a warranty is for. I guess not. They then said we should just by new blade bolts every two weeks ( They then said they don't see that as a problem because they are not that much money) They are $25 dollars a peice and think don't think that is that much money.

So in in other words EXMARKS DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because we all are just dumb rednecks cutting grass anyway. Who cannot figure out how to tighten a bolt.

[Doc Pete]

Has my post not been posted yet????
Thanks,
Doc Pete

[mowerconsultant]

You guys at Hustler interested in feedback?


Feedback is always appreciated and will be read, I can guarantee that.
E-mail me some of your dealer information in your area please, I may be able to help.

Pj

[mowerconsultant]

Has my post not been posted yet????
Thanks,
Doc Pete

Its here Pete, just released them tonight.
Long time no see !!
Where ya been?

Pj

[Doc Pete]

Its here Pete, just released them tonight.
Long time no see !!
Where ya been?

pj

Hey PJ...........Been Mowin....... ALOT (G)

FWIW, I still believe Hustler's SWB's are the best and "in time", I hope to see Excel bring them back. I now have four of them.........

[mowerconsultant]

Hey PJ...........Been Mowin....... ALOT (G)

FWIW, I still believe Hustler's SWB's are the best and "in time", I hope to see Excel bring them back. I now have four of them.........

Good to hear!
Still working for the church?

Pj

[Doc Pete]

Good to hear!
Still working for the church?

Pj

YUP.................
I've been using the special blades I got from Hustler R&D to do leaf blowing.
Interestingly, doubles with the special blade does a better job than a backpack and ground blower together. Granted, it's not for pushing a 3 foot pile, but on lawns with light leaves, the mower will vacuum the grass and blow a clean path about the width of the mower cut.
Continuing to mower in one direction keeps the major leaf pile away from the mower letting it blow the debris as it sucks up the leaves in the mower's path..................

When are ya gonna put the H bar on your riders???:clapping:

[mowerconsultant]

When are ya gonna put the H bar on your riders???:clapping:

We had it on a mower over 10 years ago, I don't foresee it coming out on any of our riding mowers in the future though :cry:

Pj

[blackandgold]

Will this thread ever end?

[Doc Pete]

We had it on a mower over 10 years ago, I don't foresee it coming out on any of our riding mowers in the future though :cry:

Pj

PJ......... Yeah, I know. I almost bought the shortcut. However, in the time I had, I understand why it didn't sell. I mentioned the problems to the staff, but by then the patent problem was apparent.
They needed bigger tires and the steering ratio was terrible.... Of course seating was bad, too.........
OH WELLL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
They should just take a Z and put the bar on it...........Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

[MOHUSTLER]

Actuauly hustler should start building utility vehicles, Just because I want one really bad. :weightlifter: