1 year old Troy Bilt, transmission went out

[stranger706]

Well it looks like the transmission on my 1 year old Troy Bilt went out. I had just started the back yard when I heard a loud bang and the mower stopped moving forward. The drive cable is not broken and the clutch is engaging fine. When I engage the drive handle it makes a loud grinding noise, jerks forward a few inches and then stops moving until I release the handle and do it again.

The mower has seen pretty light duty. My yard is less than half acre, flat for the most part. Nothing but grass; no stumps or rocks or any of that.

It has a 2 year warranty but now I have to find the reciept from Lowes for a warranty claim. This is a really nice mower with the Honda engine so, I hope I can get it fixed. No telling how much a new transmission would cost, I'd probably just buy a new mower.

 

[StevieC]

Troy was apparently asleep on the QC line!

I would fix it, even if it's up to half the cost of a new motor because you can't kill small Honda engines and then you know the transmission is assembled right.

There could be an update for the transmission to fix whatever problem you have because now it is known.

I would investigate further...

 

[Sayjac]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Troy Bilt ride on mowers are not too well rated in CR.

Was it standard or auto transmission? My tranny went out on my 13 year old Craftsman standard. Rather than fix I bought a new Ariens. Mine went when I shifted in to gear and it made a loud grinding noise, and wouldn't move much. Belts all good so I figured tranny.

You are still under warranty and hopefully you can find the receipt to get it fixed.

Good Luck

 

[stranger706]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Troy Bilt ride on mowers are not too well rated in CR.

Was it standard or auto transmission?


Its a walk-behind mulch/bag. Not sure about the standard/auto, its just regular rear-wheel self-propel with the handle you have to squeeze.

Yeah I love the engine, and the mowing deck/frame has lots of nice features and thoughtful design, but it doesn't seem very durable. The big rear wheels are kind of flimsy and move around a lot, and my mulching plug is already all torn up. Not sure how.

 

[Sayjac]

OK, self propelled mower, makes my tranny question meaningless . Not sure how the tranny in those work these days. They should be able to fix it though.

 

[stranger706]

My saga continues...

So I turned my house upsidedown and cannot find the purchase receipt, which is needed for a warranty claim. So I will be paying for repairs out of pocket. The mower is at a local repair shop, waiting to get fixed. It will be at least a week before they even get to it.

So here is my dilemma. I paid $350 for the mower brand new. It has the Honda engine and is self propelled. It will bag or mulch. If it needs a new transmission, which I think it does, it will be around $200 total after parts and labor.

Would you all pay to have it fixed, or just pawn it and buy a new mower?

(HD has self-propelled LawnBoys for around $260)

 

[tom slick]

tough call, at this point you could have paid $550 for a mower that is still running and be even.

How long until your new $260 mower is in the shop for a $100 repair?

 

[Gilitar]

Pay to get it fixed. It's worth it.

 

[Amkeer]

Bring it back to Lowes. They will issue you a new mower since it is not that old or repair it.

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
tough call, at this point you could have paid $550 for a mower that is still running and be even.

How long until your new $260 mower is in the shop for a $100 repair?



My $289.00 Craftsman mower with the Honda engine, purchased in 2000, had its transmission wear out in 2005. Upon teardown and examination, it was full of grass and other debris. Don't know how this got in. Anyway, a new transmission from Sears Parts set me back $75. It was a pretty simple job; I installed a new drive belt at the same time. The new transmission came already made onto a new front axle; the transmission did not look like the original, but the attachment points were the same, and it has worked perfectly for the last 4 years.

I now have just over 500 hours on this mower (I have an hour meter on it), and the Honda engine still uses absolutely no oil in a 1 year, average 60 hour, OCI. It has always had Mobil 1 oil used in it since I dumped the break-in oil at about 5 hours.

This transmission change was about a two hour job for me, as I was learning as I went along. Obviously, the shop is charging about $100 for what should be an hour's work for an experienced mechanic. Considering that this has to cover his overhead and all, sounds about right to me. In my case, I am an old man, retired, and have more spare time than money. In years past, I probably would have just dumped this mower and bought new, but I want to see just how long this Honda 160 GCV engine will last.

Add up the cost of my mower and the new transmission, about $370, and, its 9 years old and running perfectly.

 

[soldierman]

call lowes. sometimes they can look up purchase info if you used a credit card.

 

[stranger706]

Update:

Well I was right, the transmission was shot. Not sure how really. Im picking it up tomorrow so maybe they still have the old one for me to look at. The repair ended up being $176 for everything, which is $24 below the original estimate. The part was $100 and the rest is labor.

Yeah Lowes was not helpful at all. They claimed they do not keep sales records past 90 days. Maybe its the economy. They just did not want to deal with me.

Thanks everyone for the input, Im glad I ended up keeping this mower.

 

[XS650]

Talk nice to Troy Built customer service, give them your mower's serial number, explain your dilemma to them and ask them when it was built. If it was built less than 2 years ago, or a bit over,they might help. Be upfront and tell them why you are asking for the build date, you aren't in a position of power so need to have the rep want to help you.

Than ask them nicely if they will compensate you for the repairs.

If you bought it on a credit card, your credit card company can cough up a statement that at least shows you spent about the right amount of money at Lowes on the right date. It's not proof, but helps your case if they ask to be convinced.

A companies service reps deal with unpleasant customers all day long, if you approach them like both of you are are decent human beings it can make a big difference.

 

[SrDriver]

I bought a Troy Built @ Lowes last year near the end of the mowing season.

Was mowing in an area of rather light grass in the back yard when to same thing happened to me.

My wife keeps receipts. Called Lowes and they told me where to take it for repair. It should be back this week sometime.

Plan on using the self propelled option little after getting it back and next year will consider buying a Toro 22 inch. I had one for several years before buying the Troy Built.

Honda engine was the main reason I bought the new mower.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
I bought a Troy Built @ Lowes last year near the end of the mowing season.

Was mowing in an area of rather light grass in the back yard when to same thing happened to me.

My wife keeps receipts. Called Lowes and they told me where to take it for repair. It should be back this week sometime.

Plan on using the self propelled option little after getting it back and next year will consider buying a Toro 22 inch. I had one for several years before buying the Troy Built.

Honda engine was the main reason I bought the new mower.


Let me know what had to be replaced..someone else said that the gears were made of plastic and wore down. Thanks!

 

[SrDriver]

Transmission is shot. Has been in the shop now over two weeks. I had a Toro that was several years old and all it needed was a new belt which I could have installed myself. I bought the new Troy Built because of the Honda Engine.

Neighbor has the same mower as me but he does not use the self propelled feature.

I have a large yard and am pushing 70 so I consider the self propelled a real + when mowing.

Have no idea when the mower will be repaired. I called and the new transmission has not come in yet.

May need to get a couple of Goats it looks like?

After getting the mower back from the shop will be trading it in for another Toro Mower.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Transmission is shot. Has been in the shop now over two weeks. I had a Toro that was several years old and all it needed was a new belt which I could have installed myself. I bought the new Troy Built because of the Honda Engine.

Neighbor has the same mower as me but he does not use the self propelled feature.

I have a large yard and am pushing 70 so I consider the self propelled a real + when mowing.

Have no idea when the mower will be repaired. I called and the new transmission has not come in yet.

May need to get a couple of Goats it looks like?

After getting the mower back from the shop will be trading it in for another Toro Mower.



Shoot,ya may as well enjoy a fixed mower for a while first.

 

[SrDriver]

Update: Got the Troy Built Mower back from the repair shop. Transmission was shot and replaced.

Was in the shop a bit over 2 weeks.

It was stored outside and after repair parked in the same spot. Mixture of red clay and sand + we had some rain.

Wheels were covered with mud. Just what one needs in the back of a $30,000.00 SUV! Had a tarp with me which came in very handy!

Woman in the office said that was the 4th Troy Built Mower transmission that they had replaced this month.

Am Gun Shy now! Mower is less than a year old. Will use it when possible without the self-propelled feature as much as possible to finish out the year and get a Toro next mowing season. I know it has a 2 year warranty but I can't mow the yard when it is in the shop!

 

[stranger706]

SrDriver your experience sounds identical to mine. Lady running the office; mower was stored outside. When I saw your location I laughed. You don't live near Daphne do you?

 

[SrDriver]

Originally Posted By: stranger706
SrDriver your experience sounds identical to mine. Lady running the office; mower was stored outside. When I saw your location I laughed. You don't live near Daphne do you?


No live in Dothan about 20 miles from Florida and the same distance from Georgia.