Trakternut
Active member
I figured it was time to retire my trusty John Deere snowblower. Nice big 10 hp, 32" cut machine. I plunked down a grand total of $1603 and some change for a brand, spankin' new Husqvarna 27" cut machine. Has heated handle grips, nice grippy tires, BUT the lower end of the discharge chute what bolts to the side of the fan housing is plastic.
Early last week, I was blowing snow when I "found" a few 1 1/2" decorative river rock. The side of this part of the chute was GONE!!! Little black pieces scattered in the snow.
Went to the dealer who sold me the machine and he took a chute off of a floor model and sent me on my way. Day before the fatted Turkey became dinner, I was cleaning the driveway which has gravel at the end. Yeah, you guessed it, another smaller stone destroyed the new chute within minutes. Today, I got another chute from the dealer. The fella who owns the store also has a welding/machine shop. I talked to him about making a new chute from metal but he was hesitant as it would take several hours to make one. He did, however, send me home with a piece of heavy polyurethane to bold to the inside of the new chute section to reinforce it. I will be cutting, drilling, and bolting this new lining on myself.
An email to Husqvarna, sent Wednesday night, has gone unanswered as of now.
I would have paid for the first replacement chute as the destruction could have been written off as a fluke. No more! I believe the chute has a design flaw which allows any debris flung by the fan to break the plastic.
I have to stop at the dealer on Monday, as the manager was gone today, and talk to him. I do not plan to pay for either of the chutes, even though they sell for a mere $4.
We shall see how this turns out. The manager, last week, said this was the first chute he had ever seen broken. I just bet! Famous last words from a salesperson!
Keep your fingers crossed that these guys don't try to run me around. I'm almost 50, I'm overweight, and have arthritic knees. I do NOT run anymore.
Now, I must say that the rest of the snowblower is a very nice machine! Once I get this achilles heel fixed, I think I will like it quite well!
Early last week, I was blowing snow when I "found" a few 1 1/2" decorative river rock. The side of this part of the chute was GONE!!! Little black pieces scattered in the snow.
Went to the dealer who sold me the machine and he took a chute off of a floor model and sent me on my way. Day before the fatted Turkey became dinner, I was cleaning the driveway which has gravel at the end. Yeah, you guessed it, another smaller stone destroyed the new chute within minutes. Today, I got another chute from the dealer. The fella who owns the store also has a welding/machine shop. I talked to him about making a new chute from metal but he was hesitant as it would take several hours to make one. He did, however, send me home with a piece of heavy polyurethane to bold to the inside of the new chute section to reinforce it. I will be cutting, drilling, and bolting this new lining on myself.
An email to Husqvarna, sent Wednesday night, has gone unanswered as of now.
I would have paid for the first replacement chute as the destruction could have been written off as a fluke. No more! I believe the chute has a design flaw which allows any debris flung by the fan to break the plastic.
I have to stop at the dealer on Monday, as the manager was gone today, and talk to him. I do not plan to pay for either of the chutes, even though they sell for a mere $4.
We shall see how this turns out. The manager, last week, said this was the first chute he had ever seen broken. I just bet! Famous last words from a salesperson!
Keep your fingers crossed that these guys don't try to run me around. I'm almost 50, I'm overweight, and have arthritic knees. I do NOT run anymore.
Now, I must say that the rest of the snowblower is a very nice machine! Once I get this achilles heel fixed, I think I will like it quite well!