This is a public Forum  public

Service & Maintenance Question

    Dan Brown
    I have a Husqvarna LGT2554 lawn tractor with a cracked...escalated
    Service & Maintenance Question posted July 15, 2012 by Dan Brown 
    26923 Views, 29 Comments
    Question:
    I have a Husqvarna LGT2554 lawn tractor with a cracked frame. It is broken where the transmission bolts to the frame. Both sides are broken in the same place rendering the tractor unsafe and unusable. When going in reverse the transmission swivels causing the drive belt to come off . It has damaged the plastic pulleys and the fan blades on the transmission. I almost wrecked the tractor when the drive belt jumped off( rolled down hill unexpectedly). I have noted many consumers are complaining of this. Is there a recall on this, is husqvarna doing anything like replacing /repairing this or has a class action suit been initiated (yet)? This flaw is obviously due to weak or substandard engineering and is a significant safety issue. Hopefully I will hear something shortly..as I am not at all pleased with the condition/performance of this equipment given the price I paid for it (new!).

    Thank you
    • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+2/-0)

      |

    • Bookmark and Share

    Answer

    • Kevin Cagle

      I have a Husqvarna YTH21K46 lawn tractor with the same problem.  I ordered a new drive belt thinking that could be the issue but when I went to install it, I saw the crack in the frame on both sides.  I, too, am interested to see if there is a solution for this design flaw.

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • Dan Brown

        Just spoke with Husqvarna rep.  They want me to take it a certifed repair shop. I spoke with them( the shop) and they told me they have seen this particular issue several times. They wouldn't say what the fix was...I know that I won't accept something lame like welding it back together. My concern is if this is substandard, what else is going to break next. and if many people are experincing this then why is husq not taking steps to remediate it now...

        I keep this post updated and we'll see if husq is really quality/customer oriented.

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • Dan Brown

      Just spoke with Husq rep. They want me to take it to a certified husq repair shop. I spoke to the shop and they told me they have seen this issue come to them quite a bit. I am curious what the "fix" is... I know I won't accept some lame weld job when the entire frame and really the quality of the whole tractor is suspect. I'll see what the shop does and keep this post updated. we'll see if husq really is quality/customer oriented...

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • Kevin Cagle

        Thanks for the update.  I have to believe the only thing they will do is weld the spots where it cracked.  Keep us posted...

         

        Thx

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

      • Elvin Crager

        We did that and after paid 400.00 we brought it home to have it do the exact same thing.  The solution we were given doesn't work.  

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • jeff amos

      I ALSO HAVE THE SAME HUSVARNA LAWN TRACTOR WITH THE 54 INCH CUT ,,THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE FRAME HAS BROKEN WHERE THE TRANSMISSION BOLTS TO THE FRAME  , THE FIRST TIME LOWES REPLACED THE TRACTOR AFTER I LITTERLY THREATENED TO SUE THEM ,,,I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS JUST BAD METAL SO I PICKED THE SAME TRACTOR AND HERE IT IS TWO YEARS LATER AND THE WHOLE REAREND JUST ABOUT BREAKS AWAY ,,I TOOK IT IN TO LOWES LAST WEEK AND THEY TOOK IT TO THEIR REPAIR PERSON AND THEN THEY CALLED ME TODAY AND SAID THAT HUSQVARNA KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY HAVE A FIX FOR IT ,,WHEN I ASK THE MANAGER AT LOWES IF THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE THE FRAME AND GIVE ME A NEW WARRANTY ON THE FIX HE STATED THAT HE WOULD FIND OUT ,,I THEN TOLD HIM I WANTED THE NAME OF THE COMPANY DOING THE REPAIRS AND HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW ,,,GIVE ME A BREAK ,,,,YOUR THE MANAGER OF A LOWES STORE AND YOU DONT KNOW WHERE YOUR SENDING YOUR LAWN EQUIPMENT TO GET IT FIXED ,,,, I THEN STATED TO HIM INA REAL CALM VOICE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE NAME AND NUMBER OF LOWES REGIONAL MANAGER ,,THEN HE HUNG UP ON ME ,,,NOW IM BEGINNING TO WONDER IF HUSQVARNA HAS A FIX FOR THESES TRACTORS OR IF HE WAS GOING TO HAVE SOMEONE WELD THE FRAME AND ADD A BRACKET TO IT ,,,NON THE LESS I THINK I AM GOING TO GET A LAWYER INVOLVED BECAUSE OF THE RUN AROUND IM GETTING FROM LOWES ,,ONE EMPLOYEE EVEN MADE THE COMMENT THAT MY HUSQVARNA TRACTOR WAS A THROW AWAY ,,AFTER HE SAID THAT I RESPONDED THAT I DIDNT PAY 2400.00 HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A THROW AWAY ,,, LOOKS LIKE A CLASS ACTION SUIT SHOULD BE FILED ON THIS PRODUCT ,,,IF HUSQVARNA KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE A RECALL AND OFFERED TO HAVE THERE SO=CALLED STIFFENING BRACKETS AVAILABLE SO WE COULD HAVE PUT THEM ON BEFORE THE FRAME CRACKED ,,I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED

       

       

                                                                                         JEFF AMOS    ANDERSON ,IN

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Rick Haywood

      I Just found out that I have the same problem with my YTH2454. I am rather diappointed to find this problem after seeing a show on TV about how these frames were designed to flex in order to stop or reduce the possibility of any such event  happening. Well obviously from what I have found and read on the internet just today makes me believe that Husqvarna missed a great deal of what is really happening out in the field with their in house research based on their "torture" machine that they test the frames on. Obviously the frames can withstand a lot of flexing without having the weight of a driver on it. I am a big guy at around 300 pounds  so I personally can expect that my mower has taken a great deal of stress from me being on it alone. But I do not expect tha all of the other forum posts about this problem are based on guys my size. This problem of cracked and broken frames seems to be a fairly common issue for Husqvarna owners but I have not seen any input from the Husqvarna officials on how this problem is being addressed.  I myself am having a pair of support brackets frabricated in order so that I can bolt them on in place of the broken ones. There are holes already drilled into the frame that I can use for my repair project but seeing those unused holes make me wonder if this problem is due to structural parts that were left off for some unseen reason. If anyone out there has had direct contact with any of the Husqvarna technical stall about this, then I and many others would love to hear about what they had to say about this situation. If anyone from Husqvarna is reading this, then I implore to you folks to step up and take responsibility for this engineering oversight and help out your customers that layed out around $2000.00 of their hard earned money for your product expecting to have a much better experience for their bucks.

      "Nuff Said"

      SDC10379.JPG (496KB)
      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Steve Prchal

      Saw the various posts about the LGT 2554 tractor.   I too have one of these units and the same thing happened to mine where the entire rear transaxle unit breaks away from the mounting straps on both sides.  My dad was actually driving the tractor and almost crashed when this happened - it is a major safety concern since the mower deck was engaged and running.  I ended up taking the entire transaxle off the tractor and drilling out the holes that attach it to the brackets.  The reason that this problem occurs is that Husqvarna uses a self-tapping screw instead of drilling thru the housing and using a bolt / nut attachment.  Also had to straighten out the mounting brackets and re-weld them to maintain strength.  Also on this tractor have had both front axle spindles bend causing the tires to not run true.  I don't have very many hours on this tractor and the list of problems continues to astound me.  We should have bought the John Deere mowers at Lowe's.  Will not make this mistake twice.  Makes me wonder about Husqvarna's other products after this experience.

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |

    • Rick Haywood

      Since my last post I had to re-weld the rear support brackets on the deck itself. One was almost broken off and the other was in pretty bad shape as well. I found that these brackets were only welded on one side so I repaired the broken original weld and the welded the other side of the bracket as well. I also have noticed a significantly reduced forward speed from the transaxle since I had to replace the rear transaxle support brackets. I also had problems with the main drive belt jumping off until I added a couple of flat washers to the rear axle support bolts which seemed to either add the necessary tension or it adjusted the alignment angle or maybe both. I found that information in another section of this forum. If anybody at the HUSQVARNA company would like to use my mower as a research project for further design changes or development I would be glad to talk to you about trading this one in for that reason. I still feel that this is a quality product but I also strongly feel that some definite changes need to be made to insure that these mowers can remain a cut above John Deere or Troy Bilt and others. Especially with the economy being that it is today, people are looking for that extra measure of quality for their hard earned bucks they spend for these mowers. I also was recently warned by a local vendor to sell this mower after this season ends as he felt it has reached the end of its useful life. I bought this mower at the end of the season of 2008. I only used it twice that year and it only has around 360 hours on it at this point. The motor still runs strong but as I said previously, the mower is getting slower. I have not found any information on how to maintain the transaxle but I wonder if it needs fluid added to it. I also wish that the transaxle had a positive traction feature on it as I have some rather wet areas at times to mow and I hate getting stuck in the mud. Well theres another three cents worth for you.

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • James Thomson

        Rick, I have the same issues you do. My LGT2554 is a 2010 and just broke the left axle. I also get stuck on wet grass if there is a slight incline that my last mower used to have no trouble with. This may not make you feel better, but you're not alone.

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • James Thomson

      I have a LGT2554 and loved it for the 1st year. Then my front tire fell off and I bought after factory roller bearings. The my drive belt came off because the frame cracked where the transaxle bolts to the frame. The frame tore on both sides. The repair dealer welded the frame and it hasn't broken since. He said the mounts were installed upside down which caused movement of the transaxle. He also had problems with Husqvarna's Service Representative. He had not physically been to the dealership in over a year, but the computer system showed he had been there twice in the last year. After my dealer told him he wanted to talk to his boss and was denied, the Rep put a hold on my dealer's ability to purchase any parts from Husqvarna. They are too busy building cheaper versions of their products for the big box stores at lower prices. I will never buy another Husqvarna anything.

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |

    • Aric Viers

      I too had this same problem, in the second season of mowing, i chalked it up to the "cost savings" of most companies these days and i just replaced the bolts myself, the third season those bolts didn't come out, the transaxle tore through the bracket and subsequently tore the main frame brackets almost completely off of the mower, after that repair i didn't even make it through the same mowing season and now the transaxle is toast, all of these problems are showing up all over the internet, and at all of the Husqvarna repair shops that I've spoken with.  The local shop mechanic showed me a shelf in their storage facility that he calls his "k46 bone yard", there were more than a dozen laying on that shelf from this season alone!  So allow me to recap, I have spent countless hours replacing expensive parts such as belts, brackets, bolts, fan blades, steel (from the frame/bracket rebuilds), k46 pump, k46 motor, main internal body for pump and motor, three quarts of high dollar oil, filter, and the unending horrible appearance of my lawn.  To date there have been nothing but excuses and blame from the three different manufacturers, Lowes says "you'll have to contact the manufacturer", Husqvarna says "Tuff Torq under-designed it", Tuff Torq says that the "buyer" of their transaxle "uses the wrong oil to save a buck".  I ASK!!!!!  Is there anyone out there with any kind of a decent resolution or contact number of someone that can help?  When i purchased my "machine" (piece of garbage at this point) I was searching for a machine that would cover a large range of needs, I was assured by the Lowes sales associate that this machine was Much more than i would ever need, I purchased the attachments that I was promised that the machine could handle with "ease", I now have well over $4800.00 wrapped up in a pile of trash!

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |

      • Rick Haywood

        It is sad that Husqvarna doe not want to accept responsibility for their very poorly designed and built product. I am thoroughly convinced at this point that they just do not care. They have your money and if you do not ever buy another one of their products then so be it in their eyes. I do not care about who all of the other companies are who have sold Huqvarna some of the components that are used in building the Husqvarn products. In the end, it has the HUSQVARNA name on it !!  They however do not apparently understand the power of negative advertising by word of mouth that can cause them a significant loss of sales. I personally have advised many people that I see in any store that sells Husqvarna riding mowers not just to walk away from them but run in an opposite direction. I am not doing this in any kind of retalitory or spiteful move againt Husqvarna but I cannot in good conscience just stand there and NOT warn them about the shortcomings of the product and lack of customer support either. I also have found some information concerning those supposedly non serviceable hydrostatic tranaxles which has given me some hope of maybe getting a little more of my hard earned money's worth out of my YTH2454. I have just found out about this anas soon as I get finished patching up my mower for this season I plan to try this. Check this out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd1EqFtTYgk . It does seem though that you have had the worst luck with your machine than anyone has so far which makes me think that Husqvqrna products are gettiing worse rather that better. I bought my mower to replace a John Deere 216 lawn tractor which I thought then eas a pain to keep up but since have come to realize that it was not as much work as my Husqvarna to keep going. And as far as all of the negative feedback posted on this forum I fully believe that either Husqvarna does not care a bit about it or does not read any of this at all. Either way, they lose!

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • Michael Crandall

      I am a Husqvarna dealer in the central Florida area and have seen this problem a few times.  I would not call it common, I see it maybe one in every 100 tractors I sell.  I see it mostly in tractors being used by bigger people and normally mowing a lot of ground with slopes where it is transferring there weight from side to side.  The problem stems from the bracket being built into the frame instead of being a separate part. 

      Husqvarna knows of the problem, and anyone who has the problem that is still under warranty, Husqvarna will cover the repair.  I have had Husqvarna cover the repair out of warranty a few times.  Husqvarna has issued a service bulletin for this problem, but the big problem being a lot of dealers are not checking for service bulletins when doing repairs.

      There are two different kits to fix the problem depending on whether you have a vertical or slopped draw bar.  The way to tell is to look where your trailer hitch is, if the frame is straight up and down you have the vertical, if it goes up at an angle it is the slopped.  These kits are designed for mowers whose model number starts with 960410xxx or 960510xxx.  Your dealer can verify with Husqvarna tech support also.

      Vertical Draw Bar - Service Bulletin #B1100078 - Kit #532437498

      Slopped Draw Bar - Service Bulletin #B1100077 - Kit #532437497

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Scott Young

      I too have a 2012 LGT 2654, model number 960450038, with both mounting brackets cracked on both edges, the cracks working their way toward the middle.  Slips the belt constantly. From the lack of a Husq response, I am assuming they don't have a meaningful fix for this?

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Drew DiCocco

      I too have a LGT 2654 with a cracked frame.  After many hours of examination I found it was not totally a poor designed weak frame, it was actually that the front support of the transmission came loose which allowed the transmission to turn and then crack the frame.  The engineering of the aluminum transmission body is bolted to the front transmission mount with two self tapping screws.  These screws probably sheered off in the first 50 hours of use, allowing the transmission to torque the frame until cracking.  What I did was to first find a 2" x 2" x 2" "L" bracket, so I could bolt transmission securely / permanently to the front transmission support, there is a frame whole in the transmission that made this support easy.  Next I went to the hardware store and bought two 2" x 2" x 6" "L' brackets and remounted the axial supports to the frame using two of their wholes and adding one of my own.   Next I tossed out the rear deck support bar, this bar pulls the front transmission mount away from the transmission and adds way too much tension to the support which causes it to bend.  This fix lasted me for 60 hours this summer in hopes to last another 10 years or so.

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |

      • Jonathan Carruthers

        Of all the posts I've read, yours is the only one that shows you clearly understood the problem, and thought through a meaningful repair. Your explanation and instructions are top shelf, although it might have been nice to have pictures of your fabrications to work from.

        I'm going to be putting this into action this week. I just got a 2654 from a neighbor who gave up on it after the mounting plates broke a second time. The first time, the dealer/repair center just did a rudimentary weld job along the cracks, which was doomed to fail.

        Nice job. Great post.

        //Jonathan

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

      • James Chase
        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • Tim Hummer
      Hi,I work for a Husqvarna dealership as a mechanic. There is a kit available to repair the broken transaxle frame tabs. See your dealer to have it installed as it requires modifying the frame.
      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Rick Haywood

      I have seen those kits and they are not worth two cents. Not even a solid piece of metal! I had new brackets fabricated out of 1/4" steel which will never break. When my local dealer showed me those replacement brackets I could not help but laugh out loud. And at a price of $30 dollars! They must be joking I thought. But I thank you for taking the time to inform me about them anyway. And by the way, my new Cub Cadet RZT S50 runs major circles around the Husqvarna. I'll never buy another Husqvarna again!!!!!!!!

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Michael Wiley

      I BOUGHT A LGT2554 FROM MY FRIEND, HE ORDERED THIS MOWER WITH THE UNDERSTANDING IF HE SOLD HIS HOUSE I WOULD PURCHASE THIS. HE ORDERED THIS AND ALSO GOT THE WHEEL WEIGHT AND THE SNOW PLOW PACKAGE.

      THE TOTAL SALE WAS $3,400.00.

      I BOUGHT IT WITH ABOUT 10 HRS. ON IT.

      THE FIRST TIME I HOOKED UP THE SNOW PLOW - IT PLOWED 4 INCHES OF SNOW FOR ABOUT 8-10 FEET.

      THEN SNAP THE REAR AXLE BROKE OFF AND THE TRACTOR.

      I CALLED HUSQVARNA AND FILED A COMPLAINT- THEY HAD ME CALL TUFF  TORQ. I SPOKE WITH THE  MANAGER AT TUFF TORQ , SHE STSTED THAT HUSQVARNA ORDERED A LIGHT DUTY AXLE ON THIS LGT2554. SHE STATED THAT NO ONE SHOULD EVER HOOK UP ANY KIND OF SNOW PLOW ON THIS TRACTOR. SHE STATED THAT THIS REAR AXLE WILL BREAK RIGHT OFF AND IT DID. MY PROBLEM IS THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I EVER PLOWED SNOW FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND THEN THE AXLE BROKE RIGHT OFF. THEY SAID I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 2 WEEKS AND ANOTHER AXLE WOULD COST ME $790.00. PLUS LABOR. THE TOTAL WAS OVER $1000.00.

      I REFUSED TO PAY $1,000.00 ANS I WANT TO HEAR FROM OTHERS THAT GOT RIPPED OFF BY HUSQVARNA AND TUFF TORQ  THAT WANT TO START A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST BOTH THESE RIP OFF COMPANIES.

      THESE COMPANIES NEED TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GARBAGE THAT THEY SELL US.

      ( 810 ) 687-1900

      MIKE WILEY              e-m       mwiley1111@aol.com

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |

    • Michael Wiley

      HELLO, I JUST CALLED MY ATTORNEY AND HE STATED THAT THESE COMPANIES HAVE TERRIBLE SERVICE PROBLEMS AND THAT EVERYONE SHOULD POST THESE PROBLEMS ON THE INTERNET AND FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES.

      HE STATED THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS A POWERFUL TOOL AND EVERYONE SHOULD POST, SHARE, E-M TO EVERYONE AND ASK OTHERS TO BOYCOT HUSQVARNA AND TUFF TORQ.

      • Average Rating: Average Rating100% (+1/-0)

        |