Sign at OPE shop "No MTD products worked on"

[Donald]

My SIL told me an OPE shop has sometimes goes to in CT has a new sign "No MTD products worked on".

Apparently the stuff gets dropped off. He spends some time diagnosing the problem and determines a integrated piece (like an axle assembly vs axle) needs to be replaced, its a few hundred, tells the customer who just leaves the old clunker with him. He even has a 1 hour diagnosis fee to be paid up front.

 

[Tdbo]

I can understand that. IMO MTD is throwaway equipment once it is used up. Many times the repair is more than the replacement.

 

[Kira]

+1 on that. "$X for diagnosis, applicable to the repair bill within 30 days" is a sign I grew up seeing. Kira

 

[JTK]

The guy must generate enough revenue elsewhere if he has the ability to be selective on what he wants to work on.

MTD is massive in the homeowner OPE realm. Not saying it's great, but there's millions of them out there.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
The guy must generate enough revenue elsewhere if he has the ability to be selective on what he wants to work on.

MTD is massive in the homeowner OPE realm. Not saying it's great, but there's millions of them out there.


And 3 & 5 year service contracts are pushed on every buyer.

The guy with the sign does most of his work on commercial equipment for landscapers.

 

[JHZR2]

MTD= wal mart stuff right?

I can understand why they wouldn't want to deal with that clientele and product set.

 

[Spazdog]

Then they are willing to give up the warranty work for low end Craftsman and Toro stuff.

MTD makes the low end residential machines for Sears and Toro.

The OPE shop I use told me that Toro had the easiest warranty claims. Even on the big box affordable stuff.

Even if the warranty is more difficult than Toro, they are giving up on Troy-Bilt warranty revenue.

Briggs and Stratton supply the WalMart stuff. (Murray and Snapper....but in all fairness, you can tell at a glance the difference between a WalMart Snapper and a commercial grade Snapper just in quality and comfort of the hand controls)

 

[doitmyself]

Sigh.....Back in the day, it was quite the status symbol to own a Troy Bilt tiller. I remember my dad looking at the gardening magazines and wishing for one. There were certainly better walk behind tractors, but Troy Bilt had their marketing perfected.

I preferred the Herter's catalog, but that's another topic.

 

[jeepman3071]

I hate MTD with a passion, but I would never have a sign that says "No MTD products worked on", period. That is just a [censored] way to do business. I will say that I have had more MTD machines than anything else that needed more repairs than they were worth, but I've also had MTD machines that needed very little. Sometimes, a repair may exceed the value of the machine, but customers will often have the repair done because they need the machine and it is cheaper than buying a new one.

The most common thing I have dealt with in the last 5 years or so would be carb cleaning and repair due to the ethanol fuel. This problem impacts all machines no matter what the brand, and refusing business based on a brand is just plain stupid, even if you hate that particular brand.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tecumseh. Some of them are great, others are nightmares. Refusing to work on Tecumsehs would kill my winter business, since 95% of the snow blowers I see have a Tecumseh snow king engine.

 

[bubbatime]

Yeah it seems like he is loosing a lot of business. Maybe they are terrible at paying dealers for warranty claims.

 

[JTK]

I'm thinking this shop is in a more affluent area, and the guy makes gobs of money selling equipment and services to landscapers. If he's got enough of that going on, he doesn't even need to mess with little stuff. Sweet gig for this guy.

OPE repair shops are becoming a rare thing IMO. I know I just lost mine much to my dismay. This guy was in business for decades and had a large shop and lots of business.

 

[Whimsey]

I purchased a MTD snow blower about 20 years ago for my father. My BIL now has it and it runs fine, never been repaired and it's used a lot here in northwestern NJ. The only thing is a very small fuel drip from the fuel shut off valve when it's open. A simple repair I expect.

Whimsey

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Then they are willing to give up the warranty work for low end Craftsman and Toro stuff.

MTD makes the low end residential machines for Sears and Toro.

The OPE shop I use told me that Toro had the easiest warranty claims. Even on the big box affordable stuff.

Even if the warranty is more difficult than Toro, they are giving up on Troy-Bilt warranty revenue.

Briggs and Stratton supply the WalMart stuff. (Murray and Snapper....but in all fairness, you can tell at a glance the difference between a WalMart Snapper and a commercial grade Snapper just in quality and comfort of the hand controls)


Toro does have an excellent warranty claims process, and takes care of their customers at all price points.

Only their low end conventional riding mowers are made by MTD though. The pushers are still in house, even the entry level Lawn Boys. Even though it's built to be sold at Home Depot or wherever, it's still much higher quality and better engineering than MTD.

MTD products have their place, can often get the job done, and can generally be rigged up so they stay working, but I can see why an OPE shop wouldn't want anything to do with them. They can be difficult to repair because they are not designed to be repaired, and it's quite easy to "total" one out.

I used to "recondition" mowers that had been returned to stores for one reason or another. A lot of nearly new MTDs went in the scrap metal pile. Beyond missing/damaged hardware or a stuck carb diaphragm they usually got junked. Even riding mowers got junked pretty easily.

AYP/Husqvarna made some real winners too under Poulan, Weedeater, Ariens (mowers only), and other names.

Kawasaki powered Toros are the best thing in the world to work on. If I had an OPE shop, my sign would say "Kawasaki powered Toros ONLY."

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Whimsey
I purchased a MTD snow blower about 20 years ago for my father. My BIL now has it and it runs fine, never been repaired and it's used a lot here in northwestern NJ. The only thing is a very small fuel drip from the fuel shut off valve when it's open. A simple repair I expect.

Whimsey


I cannot say when MTD went down hill. Maybe they were good 20 years ago? TroyBuilt was good when they were built in Troy NY.

 

[kschachn]

This. There is this OPE shop near Milwaukee that is one of the most rude places I have ever seen. They verbally berate people at the service counter and in the sales area, even the checkout girl is rude. On top of that they have a Saturday radio show and the guy who comes on there is even rude. I have heard him tell callers that they "need to learn" something. So weird. And they wonder why the shop is empty most times I've been in there.

Fortunately I have found another shop owned and run by a guy from India. He couldn't be nicer and I'm a lot happier to give him my money. It's like night and day.

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
I hate MTD with a passion, but I would never have a sign that says "No MTD products worked on", period. That is just a [censored] way to do business. I will say that I have had more MTD machines than anything else that needed more repairs than they were worth, but I've also had MTD machines that needed very little. Sometimes, a repair may exceed the value of the machine, but customers will often have the repair done because they need the machine and it is cheaper than buying a new one.

The most common thing I have dealt with in the last 5 years or so would be carb cleaning and repair due to the ethanol fuel. This problem impacts all machines no matter what the brand, and refusing business based on a brand is just plain stupid, even if you hate that particular brand.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tecumseh. Some of them are great, others are nightmares. Refusing to work on Tecumsehs would kill my winter business, since 95% of the snow blowers I see have a Tecumseh snow king engine.

 

[Bror Jace]

Donald, Dad has one of those old Troy-Bilt (in Troy, NY) tillers. He bought it in the 70s and it is in near-new condition. I bet it only has 20-30 hours on it.

A 100% no-MTD policy sounds kind of severe ... but it's their shop and it's based on their experience with the brand.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where the typical consumer buys things, doesn't care for them, then pitches them when they fail. MTD machines seemed aimed at these people.

BITOGians and others that are more likely to care for their equipment can make them last ... as some attest to. But this is not the norm.

I know I have pulled nearly a dozen vacuum cleaners out of the trash in the past few years, cleaned them (they were merely clogged up, one broke its belt) and gave them away to friends and family who used them for years.

Unfortunately, it's the age.

 

[HM12460]

No MTD? His shop, his income, his decision. I won't buy anything MTD.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace

BITOGians and others that are more likely to care for their equipment can make them last ... as some attest to. But this is not the norm.


So true.

I can make an MTD product last 20yrs. I don't buy brand-new much. Usually fixer-upers.

 

[Donald]

Well the 2 issues with MTD you cannot control are stamped steel parts vs cast iron and MTD selling "assemblies" vs individual parts.

But if you can make a MTD product last 20 years, that only applies to a 20 yr old MTD product. Time will tell whether one could make a current year MTD product last 20 years.

 

[Bror Jace]

" I don't buy brand-new much. Usually fixer-upers."

That's terrific. We need more people who see value in "junk" and are willing and able to bring it back to life.

It's a hobby that good for the soul and selling off a machine here and there to friends, neighbors, etc ... you might even be able to put a few extra bucks in your pocket.