Bush Hog 3210 Mower - Beware!

[gabby]

(This is the second time I have posted this. The first time it got one response and then the thread disappeared! Did a Bush Hog guy hack it???)

I have a Bush Hog 3210 pull type mower, 10' cut, weight 2900 pounds, cost $5900, 3 years old, 3 big gearboxes, still looks like new.

I recently stripped out one of the rubber shock absorbing couplings on one of the two side shafts. I was cutting a nice flat clear pasture and the blade tips suddenly got out of time and started hitting each other in the middle where they overlap. Made a terrible noise and ruined $100 worth of like new blades.

The dealer had never seen this before and a week was wasted trying to figure out what happened and then decide to order a $500 replacement coupling that was backordered at the factory.

After a week of this I learned that Bush Hog has had numerous failures of this coupling and had upgraded the shafts to include bigger couplings.

They quoted me a "very special price" of nearly $1000 for new upgraded shafts and couplings, but the dealer wouldn't even quote me a labor charge for replacing them because the gearboxes have to come off and he had no idea how long it would take.

When the new shafts came in, I was not impressed with them and told the dealer I didn't want them. He was not happy, but by then I was definitely not happy with the situation either and we had words and I took my mower home.

This wasn't even the first major design problem I have had with this mower. As soon as I bought it, I had to spend $150 to modify the remote cylinder lift linkage. The factory had made it so it would only raise about 6 inches off the ground with the cylinder fully extended, and fully retracted the skids were on the ground and the wheels were up in the air as if it was a harrow that needed the extra wheel weight for penetration.

I also have a model 287 Bush Hog, 7' cut, heavy duty 3 point hitch mower that cost me $2500. As soon as I bought it I had to drill 4 new 7/8" lift arm holes lower on the frame to make it pick up high enough.

What is it with Bush Hog heavy duty mowers that the engineers don't want them to raise more than a few inches off the ground??

A big "John Deere Green" mower would look good in my shed. I'm sick of Bush Hog red!

Gabby in Georgia

 

[BillG_in_TX]

<font color="blue">(This is the second time I have posted this. The first time it got one response and then the thread disappeared! Did a Bush Hog guy hack it???) </font>

It didn't disappear - it's right here. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Here's another thread to read on the subject of disappearing threads.

New members should learn how this forum works before they jump to conclusions.

 

[hockeyhead]

I had to lower my hitch pins 4" to get my 5' KK rotary up in the air behind my TC-30

 

[DiskDoctr]

Bill,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( New members should learn how this forum works before they jump to conclusions. )</font>

Slammed him pretty hard, didn't you /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif You probably didn't mean it that way, but that's the way I read it. I'm probably wrong, though, so don't take offense... Lots of good features on this board, takes some time to get oriented and learn them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Gabby,

If you want to find one of your messages, try clicking on your own name in one of your posts, then choose "show all user's posts"

I had to do this until I got comfortable with the layout and forums. Sometimes I still get confused /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-JC

 

[Smithla]

Gabby,

No experience with Bush Hog products, but I have found that if you take your issues to the manufacturer direct, you will usually get satisfaction. I have had to do this several times, and it generally always works, as they don't want or need the bad press. It seems that since the internet, the word can get out quicker, and to more people, so they want to try and keep everyone happy.

Just a thought, and would like to hear what they have to say.

Good Luck,

Les

 

[dbritt]

I have a 3210 also. That was a factory defect. When I broke one of my cross shafts, I called the local dealer to inquire about getting a replacement, and was told that B.H. would replace these free of charge if I would bring in both shafts, as well as the cover that got badly bent when the shaft failed. I walked out with 2 new upgraded shafts and a cover at no change. And no, you DO NOT have to remove the gear boxes! You just press the release pin on one of the U-joints where it slips on the center box's shaft, slide it all the way against the center box's housing, and that will get you enough slack to slip the other joint off the outer box's input shaft. One thing I've learned over the years is that dealers and their "expert" mechanics don't always know everything you would expect them to know. I figured out how to get it off myself, so a mechanic should have been able to figure it out, too.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have a 3210 also. That was a factory defect. When I broke one of my cross shafts, I called the local dealer to inquire about getting a replacement, and was told that B.H. would replace these free of charge if I would bring in both shafts, as well as the cover that got badly bent when the shaft failed. I walked out with 2 new upgraded shafts and a cover at no change. And no, you DO NOT have to remove the gear boxes! You just press the release pin on one of the U-joints where it slips on the center box's shaft, slide it all the way against the center box's housing, and that will get you enough slack to slip the other joint off the outer box's input shaft. One thing I've learned over the years is that dealers and their "expert" mechanics don't always know everything you would expect them to know. I figured out how to get it off myself, so a mechanic should have been able to figure it out, too.

It sounds like they have addressed the problem since the OP wrote this 20+ years ago. Hopefully this will be helpful to anybody else who encounters this issue.

 

[Hay Dude]

(This is the second time I have posted this. The first time it got one response and then the thread disappeared! Did a Bush Hog guy hack it???)

I have a Bush Hog 3210 pull type mower, 10' cut, weight 2900 pounds, cost $5900, 3 years old, 3 big gearboxes, still looks like new.

I recently stripped out one of the rubber shock absorbing couplings on one of the two side shafts. I was cutting a nice flat clear pasture and the blade tips suddenly got out of time and started hitting each other in the middle where they overlap. Made a terrible noise and ruined $100 worth of like new blades.

The dealer had never seen this before and a week was wasted trying to figure out what happened and then decide to order a $500 replacement coupling that was backordered at the factory.

After a week of this I learned that Bush Hog has had numerous failures of this coupling and had upgraded the shafts to include bigger couplings.

They quoted me a "very special price" of nearly $1000 for new upgraded shafts and couplings, but the dealer wouldn't even quote me a labor charge for replacing them because the gearboxes have to come off and he had no idea how long it would take.

When the new shafts came in, I was not impressed with them and told the dealer I didn't want them. He was not happy, but by then I was definitely not happy with the situation either and we had words and I took my mower home.

This wasn't even the first major design problem I have had with this mower. As soon as I bought it, I had to spend $150 to modify the remote cylinder lift linkage. The factory had made it so it would only raise about 6 inches off the ground with the cylinder fully extended, and fully retracted the skids were on the ground and the wheels were up in the air as if it was a harrow that needed the extra wheel weight for penetration.

I also have a model 287 Bush Hog, 7' cut, heavy duty 3 point hitch mower that cost me $2500. As soon as I bought it I had to drill 4 new 7/8" lift arm holes lower on the frame to make it pick up high enough.

What is it with Bush Hog heavy duty mowers that the engineers don't want them to raise more than a few inches off the ground??

A big "John Deere Green" mower would look good in my shed. I'm sick of Bush Hog red!

Gabby in Georgia

I’ve had 2 John Deere Green Mowers, and they are both excellent mowers that exceeded my expectations. Made me piles of money, too.

 

[dbritt]

It sounds like they have addressed the problem since the OP wrote this 20+ years ago. Hopefully this will be helpful to anybody else who encounters this issue.

I didn't realize this was a 20 year old thread. I guess I just read the post quoted in Hay Dude's respond and assumed it was a current post. My bad. I didn't realize it was even possible to respond to posts that old!

 

[Jstpssng]

Made me piles of money, too

That must be why they are called "Green" mowers.

I know, don't give up my day job.