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Best Warranty in Mower Industry

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28K views 32 replies 10 participants last post by  puppypaws  
#1 ·
The amount of warranty being offered on the Hustler Super Z HD will go a long way in taking a larger percentage of the commercial mower market. I have never seen a warranty this strong in the mower industry, and honestly believe it will skyrocket Hustler's sales.

Hustler has always offered a 5 yr. / 3000 hr. warranty on their HyperDrive hydraulic system.

Hustler is now offering the big block 37 hp Vanguard EFI engine which Briggs backs with a [5 YEAR ENGINE WARRANTY] this engine warranty is unprecedented in the industry. There has never been a gasoline engine in the mower industry with a warranty over 3 years.

This will go a very long way in helping a commercial cutter decide which mower he needs on his trailer. I had one commercial cutter today tell me he was running 5 Hustler Super Z mowers in his lawn maintenance business, of which he started in 1993, and now after me telling him this, it would most definitely keep Hustlers on his trailers.

When a commercial cutter can buy a mower that offers a 5 yr. / 3000 hr. warranty on the hydraulic system, and a 5 yr. engine warranty, that will go a long way in selling him that particular mower. A commercial cutter can operate a Hustler Super Z HD for a very long time while maintaining it under warranty, in reality he could keep all his mowers in warranty his entire time in business.

Vanguard told me it was taking them longer to release their closed-loop EFI engine for the fact they wanted to make sure it would be basically flawless before going to the buying public. With a 5 yr. warranty, this tells me they feel the engine is virtually bullet proof. I mean, just stop and think about it for a moment, to offer a 5 yr. warranty on an air cooled mower engine is phenomenal.
 
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#2 ·
That's nice as long as the manufacturer honors the warranty & doesn't come up with some crazy excuse as to why it's not covered like so many get on here to report. I think Exmark calls for 2500 hours coverage as long as a dealer does the hydro service as requested in the manual & they claim to be a 3000 hour system as well, but yes the 5 year engine warranty would be nice. I think Toro offers a 5 year mower warranty but only 1200 hours...
 
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#3 ·
Back in 2010 or 2011 one of the engine mfg's went from a 2 yr to a 3yr warranty. I would bet most would follow suit. Just remember warranties are built into the cost not giving free.
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#4 ·
djagusch said:
Back in 2010 or 2011 one of the engine mfg's went from a 2 yr to a 3yr warranty. I would bet most would follow suit. Just remember warranties are built into the cost not giving free.
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Click to expand...
It may add a [little] extra, but most would gladly pay for the added insurance.

I actually talked with Hustler and asked them why they were willing to add 2 years to the Vanguard engine warranty, when knowing it is an air-cooled gasoline engine. This is what they said, "we believe this much in the engine."

I found that statement very interesting when knowing they were in such a tight deal with Kawasaki.
 
#9 ·
weaver said:
5 year how many hours warranty though?
Click to expand...
According to Hustler's site, the SZ HD comes with either a three year no hour limit warranty, or a 5 year 500 hour limit warranty. I'd gladly take the three year warranty. The trans is still 5 years.

5-Year / 500 Hour Limited Warranty
See your local Hustler Dealer for complete details.

3-Year / NO Hour Limited Warranty
See your local Hustler Dealer for complete details.

5-Year / 3000 Hour Limited Warranty
on transmissions.

Limited Lifetime Warranty
on the frame and leading edge of the deck.
 
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#10 ·
Ridin' Green said:
According to Hustler's site, the SZ HD comes with either a three year no hour limit warranty, or a 5 year 500 hour limit warranty. I'd gladly take the three year warranty. The trans is still 5 years.

5-Year / 500 Hour Limited Warranty
See your local Hustler Dealer for complete details.

3-Year / NO Hour Limited Warranty
See your local Hustler Dealer for complete details.

5-Year / 3000 Hour Limited Warranty
on transmissions.

Limited Lifetime Warranty
on the frame and leading edge of the deck.
Click to expand...
The 5 year/500 hour warranty would be great for a homeowner that has a couple of hours of mowing to do every week in the spring and summer. They would likely hit 5 years before 500 hours.
 
#11 ·
weaver said:
5 year how many hours warranty though?
Click to expand...
QUOTE:

1. Select Hustler Products to feature BIG BLOCK Engines ... an exclusive Hustler five year engine warranty, making this change an even greater choice for our valued customers." Other features of the Vanguard BIG BLOCK engines include superior balance, low vibration, ... Created on 21 September 2015

I am being told by Hustler there is no hour stipulation in the 5 yr. engine warranty.

I personally have a hard time understanding how Hustler can pick up the additional 2 yrs. on the Vanguard engine warranty. I understand they believe the engine to be bullet proof, I was told this, but when you sell to a commercial cutter that may put 1000 hours yearly on a machine, we are talking about warranting an air-cooled gasoline engine for 5 yrs., and possible 5000 hrs. This is totally unheard of, and honestly not something I can comprehend.

The warranty on a Super Z HD has never had an equal, there has never been a gasoline engine on a mower in history with a 5 yr. unlimited warranty. I am checking into this even further for the fact I am having a very hard time believing Hustler can offer this. I personally would never give this amount of warranty to an air-cooled, gasoline mower engine, just hard for me to believe.
 
#14 ·
puppypaws said:
QUOTE:

1. Select Hustler Products to feature BIG BLOCK Engines ... an exclusive Hustler five year engine warranty, making this change an even greater choice for our valued customers." Other features of the Vanguard BIG BLOCK engines include superior balance, low vibration, ... Created on 21 September 2015

I am being told by Hustler there is no hour stipulation in the 5 yr. engine warranty.

I personally have a hard time understanding how Hustler can pick up the additional 2 yrs. on the Vanguard engine warranty. I understand they believe the engine to be bullet proof, I was told this, but when you sell to a commercial cutter that may put 1000 hours yearly on a machine, we are talking about warranting an air-cooled gasoline engine for 5 yrs., and possible 5000 hrs. This is totally unheard of, and honestly not something I can comprehend.

The warranty on a Super Z HD has never had an equal, there has never been a gasoline engine on a mower in history with a 5 yr. unlimited warranty. I am checking into this even further for the fact I am having a very hard time believing Hustler can offer this. I personally would never give this amount of warranty to an air-cooled, gasoline mower engine, just hard for me to believe.
Click to expand...
I agree completely puppy.

Their site isn't clear to me on this and doesn't say what you just posted where the warranties are shown, at least not that I could find. I just copied what was there and posted it all, and that was under the SZ HD warranty heading. I can't see how they could offer a warranty that good unless they are believing that most will trade in long before five years time, and very few engines will actually have to be covered.

Let us know if you find out anything more concrete on this as most of us are very interested in this, and it does tend to speak well of how Hustler thinks these new engines will do.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Ridin' Green said:
Are Kia's air cooled engines? Do any of us mow with one?:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
The reason Kia did this is to sell more product, exactly what Hustler is trying to do and it worked for Kia. It still remains to be seen if it will be a quality product and stand the test of time. One of the reasons I bought the Toro was the great warranty and it's transferable. I did not want a used machine with 29 hours and no warranty. I also did not want a machine that there is chance I will have to use the warranty. So far so good as Toro builds a good machine.
 
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#17 ·
tundraman said:
The reason Kia did this is to sell more product, exactly what Hustler is trying to do and it worked for Kia. It still remains to be seen if it will be a quality product and stand the test of time.
Click to expand...
But in the case with Hustler Super Z HD, they're already just about the highest priced machine out there (obviously the Altoz and the bat-wings will be higher). Adding more warranty to a machine that has been priced out of MY reach won't sweeten the deal any. Throw on top of that a deck that under performs and there's NO WAY I can own one. Even if it were 10K out the door, I'd have a hard time buying one because my yards would look terrible.
 
#18 ·
tundraman said:
The reason Kia did this is to sell more product, exactly what Hustler is trying to do and it worked for Kia. It still remains to be seen if it will be a quality product and stand the test of time. One of the reasons I bought the Toro was the great warranty and it's transferable. I did not want a used machine with 29 hours and no warranty. I also did not want a machine that there is chance I will have to use the warranty. So far so good as Toro builds a good machine.
Click to expand...
Yes they do, but they need to improve their decks, or else they will continue to loose a lot of the market share of sales. JD's warranty is also transferable, and you rarely here of it being used by anyone. I bought a JD because the deck is that good, and the rest of it is pretty darn good also.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Derwood said:
But in the case with Hustler Super Z HD, they're already just about the highest priced machine out there (obviously the Altoz and the bat-wings will be higher). Adding more warranty to a machine that has been priced out of MY reach won't sweeten the deal any. Throw on top of that a deck that under performs and there's NO WAY I can own one. Even if it were 10K out the door, I'd have a hard time buying one because my yards would look terrible.
Click to expand...
This is not an accurate statement, I've had [ZERO] problems with cut quality of my 72" VX4, and there are 1000's of the VX4 decks running below the Mason-Dixon line that keep trading and buying the same machine. This depends entirely on the area of country you live in as to what mower performs best for a specific cutting situation. Maybe Hustler depends on their sales coming from areas of the country that cuts grass more months out of a year. Geographic location has a great deal to do with what mower sells best in specific areas.

There are tons of Hustlers being run by commercial cutters in our area and all around. These commercial guys keep coming back and trading for Hustler Super HD mowers on a more than regular basis, and now with this outstanding warranty on both the hydraulic system and Vanguard engine, I am expecting sales to increase considerably. I believe there will be a 20% to 25% better fuel economy coming from the Vanguard 37 hp EFI than from the Kawasaki 35 hp engine I run. This in itself makes a difference in what a person can pay for a mower.

People never seem to consider this, I've experienced the savings with EFI, so it resonates with me, saving 1/2 gph at, let's say $2.50 is $10.00 when cutting 8 hrs. per day. When cutting 5 days per week for let's say 35 weeks, about what we cut in my area, that equates to $3500 in savings for one year. This would be in a perfect cutting scenario weather-wise, of which we all know cannot happen, but lets just say you save $2500 in gas cost for one year, this means you've already covered an extra $2500 in additional cost of a mower. Most people don't comprehend the money savings involved with closed-loop fuel injection.

Ridin' Green said:
I agree completely puppy.

Their site isn't clear to me on this and doesn't say what you just posted where the warranties are shown, at least not that I could find. I just copied what was there and posted it all, and that was under the SZ HD warranty heading. I can't see how they could offer a warranty that good unless they are believing that most will trade in long before five years time, and very few engines will actually have to be covered.

Let us know if you find out anything more concrete on this as most of us are very interested in this, and it does tend to speak well of how Hustler thinks these new engines will do.
Click to expand...
Ridin, here is a link where the #1 article speaks to this engine warranty. http://www.hustlerturf.com/index.php?searchword=warranty&Itemid=220&option=com_search&view=search

I have talked with everyone I know at Hustler and they are all confirming this to be a 5 yr. engine warranty with unlimited hours. My dealer is blown away with this, he had no idea until I explained it, and now has a call in to his rep to find out what, if any, the catch may be. Like he said to me, "what will happen when I turn in a warranty claim for a blown engine that is 4 yrs. old and has 3500 hrs., are they going to make me jump through hoops or stand behind what their warranty says, they may give me problems, whereas I am the one dealing with the customer?" I said, "by law they must honor their warranty, but I am of the belief they are thinking most commercial cutters will be afraid of pushing the mower past 3 years, and this is what they are depending on, but it sure makes for good advertisement."
 
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#20 ·
puppypaws said:
This is not an accurate statement, I've had [ZERO] problems with cut quality of my 72" VX4, and there are 1000's of the VX4 decks running below the Mason-Dixon line that keep trading and buying the same machine. This depends entirely on the area of country you live in as to what mower performs best for a specific cutting situation. Maybe Hustler depends on their sales coming from areas of the country that cuts grass more months out of a year. Geographic location has a great deal to do with what mower sells best in specific areas.

There are tons of Hustlers being run by commercial cutters in our area and all around. These commercial guys keep coming back and trading for Hustler Super HD mowers on a more than regular basis, and now with this outstanding warranty on both the hydraulic system and Vanguard engine, I am expecting sales to increase considerably. I believe there will be a 20% to 25% better fuel economy coming from the Vanguard 37 hp EFI than from the Kawasaki 35 hp engine I run. This in itself makes a difference in what a person can pay for a mower.

People never seem to consider this, I've experienced the savings with EFI, so it resonates with me, saving 1/2 gph at, let's say $2.50 is $10.00 when cutting 8 hrs. per day. When cutting 5 days per week for let's say 35 weeks, about what we cut in my area, that equates to $3500 in savings for one year. This would be in a perfect cutting scenario weather-wise, of which we all know cannot happen, but lets just say you save $2500 in gas cost for one year, this means you've already covered an extra $2500 in additional cost of a mower. Most people don't comprehend the money savings involved with closed-loop fuel injection.

Ridin, here is a link where the #1 article speaks to this engine warranty. http://www.hustlerturf.com/index.php?searchword=warranty&Itemid=220&option=com_search&view=search

I have talked with everyone I know at Hustler and they are all confirming this to be a 5 yr. engine warranty with unlimited hours. My dealer is blown away with this, he had no idea until I explained it, and now has a call in to his rep to find out what, if any, the catch may be. Like he said to me, "what will happen when I turn in a warranty claim for a blown engine that is 4 yrs. old and has 3500 hrs., are they going to make me jump through hoops or stand behind what their warranty says, they may give me problems, whereas I am the one dealing with the customer?" I said, "by law they must honor their warranty, but I am of the belief they are thinking most commercial cutters will be afraid of pushing the mower past 3 years, and this is what they are depending on, but it sure makes for good advertisement."
Click to expand...
That's why I said "No way 'I' could buy one. From all I've read on LS their 60 inch deck in the Midwest ain't cuttin' it. When I FIRST started looking, that was the machine that intrigued me most (almost went to test one in Matton-Charleston area in IL). Ended up with a diff brand. Love the idea of the huge hydros and speed and warranty. But can't seem to find anyone say that V4 deck will cut in the Midwest. If those bugs got worked out, I might consider one again.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
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#21 ·
puppypaws said:
QUOTE:

1. Select Hustler Products to feature BIG BLOCK Engines ... an exclusive Hustler five year engine warranty, making this change an even greater choice for our valued customers.” Other features of the Vanguard BIG BLOCK engines include superior balance, low vibration, ... Created on 21 September 2015

I am being told by Hustler there is no hour stipulation in the 5 yr. engine warranty.

I personally have a hard time understanding how Hustler can pick up the additional 2 yrs. on the Vanguard engine warranty. I understand they believe the engine to be bullet proof, I was told this, but when you sell to a commercial cutter that may put 1000 hours yearly on a machine, we are talking about warranting an air-cooled gasoline engine for 5 yrs., and possible 5000 hrs. This is totally unheard of, and honestly not something I can comprehend.

The warranty on a Super Z HD has never had an equal, there has never been a gasoline engine on a mower in history with a 5 yr. unlimited warranty. I am checking into this even further for the fact I am having a very hard time believing Hustler can offer this. I personally would never give this amount of warranty to an air-cooled, gasoline mower engine, just hard for me to believe.
Click to expand...
If all is to be true, their sales are going to go through the roof in 2016...
 
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#22 ·
Derwood said:
That's why I said "No way 'I' could buy one. From all I've read on LS their 60 inch deck in the Midwest ain't cuttin' it. When I FIRST started looking, that was the machine that intrigued me most (almost went to test one in Matton-Charleston area in IL). Ended up with a diff brand. Love the idea of the huge hydros and speed and warranty. But can't seem to find anyone say that V4 deck will cut in the Midwest. If those bugs got worked out, I might consider one again.
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...
From what I see of them here in Southern Indiana they actually do really well.. I did try an X One 60" & it seemed ok to me but that's a completely different hydro system..
 
#23 ·
puppypaws said:
This is not an accurate statement, I've had [ZERO] problems with cut quality of my 72" VX4, and there are 1000's of the VX4 decks running below the Mason-Dixon line that keep trading and buying the same machine. This depends entirely on the area of country you live in as to what mower performs best for a specific cutting situation. Maybe Hustler depends on their sales coming from areas of the country that cuts grass more months out of a year. Geographic location has a great deal to do with what mower sells best in specific areas.

There are tons of Hustlers being run by commercial cutters in our area and all around. These commercial guys keep coming back and trading for Hustler Super HD mowers on a more than regular basis, and now with this outstanding warranty on both the hydraulic system and Vanguard engine, I am expecting sales to increase considerably. I believe there will be a 20% to 25% better fuel economy coming from the Vanguard 37 hp EFI than from the Kawasaki 35 hp engine I run. This in itself makes a difference in what a person can pay for a mower.

People never seem to consider this, I've experienced the savings with EFI, so it resonates with me, saving 1/2 gph at, let's say $2.50 is $10.00 when cutting 8 hrs. per day. When cutting 5 days per week for let's say 35 weeks, about what we cut in my area, that equates to $3500 in savings for one year. This would be in a perfect cutting scenario weather-wise, of which we all know cannot happen, but lets just say you save $2500 in gas cost for one year, this means you've already covered an extra $2500 in additional cost of a mower. Most people don't comprehend the money savings involved with closed-loop fuel injection.

Ridin, here is a link where the #1 article speaks to this engine warranty. http://www.hustlerturf.com/index.php?searchword=warranty&Itemid=220&option=com_search&view=search

I have talked with everyone I know at Hustler and they are all confirming this to be a 5 yr. engine warranty with unlimited hours. My dealer is blown away with this, he had no idea until I explained it, and now has a call in to his rep to find out what, if any, the catch may be. Like he said to me, "what will happen when I turn in a warranty claim for a blown engine that is 4 yrs. old and has 3500 hrs., are they going to make me jump through hoops or stand behind what their warranty says, they may give me problems, whereas I am the one dealing with the customer?" I said, "by law they must honor their warranty, but I am of the belief they are thinking most commercial cutters will be afraid of pushing the mower past 3 years, and this is what they are depending on, but it sure makes for good advertisement."
Click to expand...
That link only says 5 year, but no hour stipulation, so I hope all the info you are getting is correct, and actually what we ill see. Your dealer friend raised a very good question about what will happen. Please keep us posted on this. That will be awesome for a warranty on a commercial mower and will raise the bar for everyone else. That's a great thing IMO.
 
#24 ·
weaver said:
From what I see of them here in Southern Indiana they actually do really well.. I did try an X One 60" & it seemed ok to me but that's a completely different hydro system..
Click to expand...
It also uses different blades than the SZ decks use. I have seen a few SZ'z with 60" VX4 decks cutting here this year and last, and I have to say, that cut and finish keeps me put off from buying one. The 72" here may do great here like it does down south, but I have never seen one running here anywhere as of yet.

If they would change the VX4 to a better design for northern grass, I'd be all in.
 
#25 ·
puppypaws said:
QUOTE:

1. Select Hustler Products to feature BIG BLOCK Engines ... an exclusive Hustler five year engine warranty, making this change an even greater choice for our valued customers.” Other features of the Vanguard BIG BLOCK engines include superior balance, low vibration, ... Created on 21 September 2015

I am being told by Hustler there is no hour stipulation in the 5 yr. engine warranty.

I personally have a hard time understanding how Hustler can pick up the additional 2 yrs. on the Vanguard engine warranty. I understand they believe the engine to be bullet proof, I was told this, but when you sell to a commercial cutter that may put 1000 hours yearly on a machine, we are talking about warranting an air-cooled gasoline engine for 5 yrs., and possible 5000 hrs. This is totally unheard of, and honestly not something I can comprehend.

The warranty on a Super Z HD has never had an equal, there has never been a gasoline engine on a mower in history with a 5 yr. unlimited warranty. I am checking into this even further for the fact I am having a very hard time believing Hustler can offer this. I personally would never give this amount of warranty to an air-cooled, gasoline mower engine, just hard for me to believe.
Click to expand...
All this hype about Hustler 5 year warrantee sounds good in talk and looks good on advertising. Hustler explained their "fine print" to me back in 2002 when I had a S/Z. They are happy to replace a bad part, the first time. Once a part has been replaced, that is the end of the Hustler warrantee for that part. The new part is now warranted by the "part" manufacture which in most cases is 30 to 90 days. I'm not the only one on here that went through the "fine print" education.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Ridin' Green said:
That link only says 5 year, but no hour stipulation, so I hope all the info you are getting is correct, and actually what we ill see. Your dealer friend raised a very good question about what will happen. Please keep us posted on this. That will be awesome for a warranty on a commercial mower and will raise the bar for everyone else. That's a great thing IMO.
Click to expand...
I've checked it out and 5 yrs. with no limit on hours is what everyone is saying, but I think I've got the psychology part of this plan figured out.

Hustler is rolling the dice and thinking that commercial cutters are the only ones able to put extremely high hours on a mower. They are of the though process that even for the fact there is a 5 yr. engine warranty they know from experience if putting 3000 hrs. on the machine in 3 yrs. it will start breaking down to some extent. There will be small things wearing out on a regular basis, and the only way to prevent this is to have your own mechanic that replaces all wear parts during off season.

Most LCO's in this part of the country run mowers until they believe problems are going to begin popping up on a regular basis, they then trade, which is in the 2000 hr. range. Hustler is hedging their bets that the LCO's running this machine will trade as they normally do for what may be tax purposes, but you may also have cutters pushing it out to 3 yrs. instead of 2 to find out just how well they do hold up.

A commercial cutter does not want a mower sitting unproductive, so they will not take a chance of pushing the mower past 3 yrs., and this is what Hustler is betting on. Commercial cutters will never believe an air-cooled mower engine will last to 5 yrs., whereas they may have 5000 hrs. on the mower, and I feel the same way personally.

A large acreage homeowner such as myself may put 200 to 250 hrs. on the mower per year, this only adds up to 1250 hrs. in 5 yrs., no problem to bet the mower will remain in good shape until the warranty runs out.

Hustler will pick up a tremendous amount of sales based on the hydraulics and engine warranty alone, but my bets are the warranty will never need to last until 5 yrs. with a commercial cutter, and a homeowner will never push the mower's limits.

Hustler is rolling the dice, can you understand how this can work in favor of Hustler?

The only problem the warranty would be forced to deal with is if a commercial cutter puts 1000 hrs. per year on the machine, he has a mechanic that is meticulous about maintenance and replacing parts before they fail. This cutter could run the mower a full 5 yrs., of which I am willing to bet the air-cooled engine will fail before 5000 hrs. Do you follow my train of thought?

This generates unprecedented sales, with Hustler rolling the dice they will generate a great deal more profit than loss spent out on warranty repairs, sounds like a business plan to me.

I know Hustler is by no means believing there is an air-cooled mower engine that will run 5000 hrs. in a realistic world.

gene gls said:
All this hype about Hustler 5 year warrantee sounds good in talk and looks good on advertising. Hustler explained their "fine print" to me back in 2002 when I had a S/Z. They are happy to replace a bad part, the first time. Once a part has been replaced, that is the end of the Hustler warrantee for that part. The new part is now warranted by the "part" manufacture which in most cases is 30 to 90 days. I'm not the only one on here that went through the "fine print" education.
Click to expand...
This is not Hustlers warranty on the engine, this warranty is fulfilled by Vanguard.
 
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