This is a public Forum  public

Service & Maintenance Question

    John Robinson
    I just purchased an HU775H walk behind mower. When I got it...Answeredescalated
    Service & Maintenance Question posted February 27, 2012 by John Robinson, last edited April 1, 2012 
    10904 Views, 13 Comments
    Question:
    I just purchased an HU775H walk behind mower. When I got it home the drive system would not move it when in grass. I returned it to the dealer and got a 2nd mower. Same problem. The grass height is not tall and it doesn't even work with the deck at its highest setting. Am I doing something wrong? This mower is supposed to work right out of the box and I'm about to take my 2nd one back. If I have to do that I'll purchase another brand.
    • Be the first to rate this

      |

    • Bookmark and Share

    Best Answer

    Chip I.

     Hi John,

    Sorry your having trouble with your mower. It seems like there is something out of adjustment as your drive belt seems to be slipping.  I'm surprised the dealer would trade your unit out instead of "fixing" your original model. While yes it is supposed to work out of the box it would still need to be tweaked during set up to ensure proper operation. Please return it to the dealer to have them set your mower up for proper operation. If you would like a different dealer follow this link to find one in your area. /images/us/dealers/dealer-locator/  Hope this helps.

    Regards,

    Chip

    Answer

     

    • Chip I.

       Hi John,

      Sorry your having trouble with your mower. It seems like there is something out of adjustment as your drive belt seems to be slipping.  I'm surprised the dealer would trade your unit out instead of "fixing" your original model. While yes it is supposed to work out of the box it would still need to be tweaked during set up to ensure proper operation. Please return it to the dealer to have them set your mower up for proper operation. If you would like a different dealer follow this link to find one in your area. /images/us/dealers/dealer-locator/  Hope this helps.

      Regards,

      Chip

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Kris K

       I had the same problem.  After reading the instructions (Page 7) there is a way to adjust the drive cable that fixed it for me.  If you look at the box on the handle that has the two levers to engage the drive system there is a cable coming out of it.  Turn the silver part counterclockwise (unscrew it) a few turns and it should make the drive engage sooner.  After doing this, I could hardly keep up with my mower.  Good luck.

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • Peter Lazar

        This adjustment was run all the way into the plastic housing on mine, definitely slack, which would be one minor shipment QC problem.  For those who don't realise it, there should be a little bit of smooth roughly 1/4" round stock showing between the nut and the plastic housing.  With your right hand thumb pointing in the direction of the cable, away from the control housing, your fingers point the way to turn so that the shiny adjustment nut (not the plastic covered part of the cable) moves out of the housing, tightening up the control cable; however, after making the adjustment even to the point the levers could not even be moved a quarter inch, I still had nothing for torque transmission.  The lever engages and disengages the wheels, if you lift the rear wheels off the ground slightly, but, the belt is slipping or the differential is slipping none the less.  I have read the belt replacement procedure and am about to take a look under the shields.  Cover Me, I am GOING IN!

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

      • J Moore

        Kris,

        I tried your suggestion with no luck.  Heck, it doesn't even tell you in the manual (at least mine doesn't), which way to turn that "turnbuckle"!  So what do you think the odds are that most people will think that clockwise is tightening it and actually makes it worse?

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • david hitchcock

      same problem here, if everyone is having the same problem with the drive belt engaging then better instructions need to be given or a "fix" to the problem. 

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Keith Brandenburg

      I have bought this same mower from Lowes 7 months ago. I am experiencing the same problems. I have the sent the mower to the shop once after 2 mowes it is doing the same thing. The mower boggs down in the slightest high grass and the underneath gets full even in dry grass. I have owned many mowers in the pass and have never had to tweak one out of the box. My evaluation is this mower is an expensive major piece of junk. Of course I am beyond the point of no return on getting my money back. 

       
       
       
      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • Keith Brandenburg

        I have also tried to adjust the cable (not over tighting) with no luck. Do yourself a favor, go to Walmat or some other store and buy yourself a cheap self propelled mower or a good quality mower.. You will have less hassel and agravation plus save some money.

         
        • Be the first to rate this

          |

      • Carol Cundiff

        Talk w/ a manager at Lowes and ask them to replace your mower.  They want you to be satified and it sounds like the repair shop is not doing a good job or the mower has some issue they are not addressing. If the Lowes store manager will not replace it with a new one then I'd call their Corporate Office. Lowe's wants you to be satified with your purchase.

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

      • dave magnuson

        i agree with this assessment completely.   i am very mechanically oriented and this mower has serious problems pulling its own weight whatever you do.  we just broke our control cable after 3 months of use.  that is probably due to squeezing so hard on the drive levers trying to get it to go.  we adjusted the drive to the limit.  we are in the same position on the return.  I only know that I will never buy another husqvarna product again.  I only wish I could in good conscience sell this thing on craigslist.  cable of course costs another $30 to get it back running again. 

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • J Moore

      I regretfully purchased this mower also from Lowes late last year (2012).  The drive belt failed after only 3 mowings/6 hrs of use.  If there was supposed to be some kind of "dealer setup" it was never offered or mentioned.

      Husqvarna refused to cover the replacement of the belt and is adamently standing behind the warranty restrictions on "wear parts".  They refuse to accept the fact that belts do NOT wear out that quickly, so the belt was defective to start, the belt was installed incorrectly at the factory, or I now have a mower that is going to shread more belts than grass.

      Also, the blade is already dull and I cannot seem to find anyone that is willing to sharpen it because of it's design with the 3 "teeth" at the end.  It leaves clumped grass piles all over the yard.  I was told by support that they cannot be sharpened and I needed to buy a new one.  What?  They also strongly advised me that if I purchased an aftermarket one, my warranty would be voided.

      What a racket they have.  It is a 400.00+ piece of junk and they won't stand behind it.  But they have no problem in recommending you spend yet MORE money every few months to keep it running properly.

      Never again.  Back to Honda or Toro for me.

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

    • Cindy Burns

      I am on your side.  I just purchased my mower on July 5th,2013, and it leaves clumps all over the yard that is WHEN I can get it to mow.  Most of the time I am just force pushing it with the wheels locked in place and with very little grass height, it just dies!!  The washer valve that is suppose to wash the underneath, is defective & will not allow water to go throught it, and now they tellme that I have to call around for the 2 service centers that they gave me in my area and take the mower in to one of those shops. Well, I called the shops which I am glad I did first as the shops told me that if I wanted to drop the mower off I could, but there is no guarantee as to when they can get around to it!!!  I am madder than a hornet with this thing, & I am a light weight female that can not physically drag this mower around the yard!  The mower WILL NOT go in reverse either. The dealer response to that was for me not to try & mow but in  forward only!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What an insult!!

      Cindy B.

      • Be the first to rate this

        |

      • J Moore

        Cindy,

        Mine was in the shop for 2 weeks and had to borrow my neighbors low end Lawn Boy mower that she got on sale for less than 200.00.  After using hers, I asked her if she wanted to trade but she turned me down.  :-(  The repair was 50.00 so at least it wasn't something ridiculous.

        As for using the washer valve, your not missing out on much.  It just makes a bigger mess under there because all the clippings are lodged in numerous places under there where the water can't clean.  I am wondering if it too is clogged up with grass.

        And trust me, even though I can pull my mower backwards, it doesn't cut any better in that direction!  ;-)

        • Be the first to rate this

          |

    • J Moore

      Followup:

      I have now had the opportunity to utilize my mower a few more times since it's trip to the repair shop to replace the drive belt.  I have also purchased an aftermarket generic mulching blade to replace the worn factory one.  So what if it violates my warranty, it isn't worth the paper it is printed on anyway.

      When I first got the mower, if you didn't release the drive handles at least a few seconds before trying to back up or turn, the drive wheels would lock in place and you had to manually lift the rear of the mower, drag it back about a foot, and push it forward again to get them to release.  After the replacement of the belt by the local dealer, the drive wheels no longer lock up at all.  I can go right up to a fence with the drive engaged, release the drive handles, and manually pull the mower back without issues.  So that tells me that whatever the repair shop did when replacing the belt, the mower is now adjusted/setup/installed differently than it was from the factory.  So this tells me that one of two (or both) things has occured.  One is that it was asssembled wrong at the factory or two, they have identified a fix for the drive belt issues and are including that fix during any drive belt repairs without acknowledging that there is a problem so they aren't stuck with the bill.  

      I have also discovered the reason why the mower is leaving clumps of grass.  Well, at least with mine that is.  What is happening is that I mainly use my mower in mulching mode with the back and side doors shut (no bag, no chute).  If the grass is even a little too tall, the clippings get clumped up in the door openings instead of being recut by the blade.  Even though the bag door has a moulded part that is supposed to "fill the hole" when closed, it doesn't and the grass lodges up there until the blade starts hitting it, which causes a sound that I have now identified as the blade end hitting the grass accumulations in the door.  When I hear that noise, If while keeping the mower running, I stand to the side of the mower, reach down and open the rear door, there is a large clump of grass clippings that would fill a gallon ziplock storage bag in the hole.  I have to stop the mower, remove the grass, and then continue to mow.  If I don't, clumps start dislodging from the clogged chute and end up lying all over the yard.  It also happens when using the bag, and the bag starts to fill.

      As for the washer valve, I find it easier to just use the hose to rinse the underside vs using the valve.  If you don't have all of the clippings cleaned out from under the deck before you use the valve, it just makes a wet, sticky, grassy mess under there. 

      So here are my "tips" to get this mower to operate at a basic level and minimize grass clippings/clumps left behind.

      1.  Don't let your grass get too long or your going to have a mess.  Mulching only works well if you mow at least twice a week.  Bagging is a little better with longer grass but bag fills quickly so you are constantly emptying it.  If your grass is quite high, just use the chute and leave the clippings, at least they won't be in clumps and will be in a nice row to rake up easily.

      2.  Don't let the mower move any faster than the slowest possible drive speed.  If you dot it will leave grass leaves uncut no matter what blade you use.  Also, if you set the mower on the higher setting (above 6), the deck is not deep enough to create a "lift" and cut the grass evenly.  You will probably have to settle for shorter grass length to get a good even cut.

      3.  Forget about using the washer valve since you have to get under the mower to clean out the clippings first anyways.  Just use the hose after removing the accumulated grass.

      4.  Look at selling it to someone else and buy anything else.  Your yard, grass, and peace of mind will thank you over and over.

      So at the end of the day, I have a high maintenance, overpriced, orange mower that couldn't compete with even the cheapest mower on the market.  And this is even AFTER it was repaired.  The really sad part is that someone actually tried to steal it from my shed the same day I picked it up from the repair shop.  The security floods came on and scared them away just as they were ready to lift it over the backyard fence.  If it wasn't for not wanting to shell out hundreds more for another mower at this time, I almost wish they had gotten away with it.  It would serve them right for going to all that trouble to steal something not worth the effort.  Knowing my luck, they would probably bring it back!  ;-)

      • Be the first to rate this

        |