Husqvarna R322T AWD mower. Any Good? Got one?

[Trobertil]

Hi. I am having a significant belt issue. I have gone through 3 belts since last summer and the mower just now broke 100 hours. It is the main drive belt (I think) that gets eaten all the time (Part ID # 535 41 19-01 or 544 40 02-01 from the catalog). It is the belt from the rear to the front of the mower.

My local dealer has repeatedly said that these are bad mowers and there is no way to fix this issue. I truly believe that all they want me to do is buy a newer mower instead of fixing what I got. The problem is the next closest dealer is about an hour away and I do not have a trailer (yet).

Also, I cannot find a manual that can provide me a step-by-step of how to replace it myself.

I'm looking for any advice on what could be the problem, what to look for, or a fix will be greatly appreciated! I can no longer deal with the dealership and need to figure out how to fix the mower myself.

Have you found a solution for this problem? I recently aquired one the these machines and am having the same problem???

 

[Coyote machine]

Have you found a solution for this problem? I recently aquired one the these machines and am having the same problem???

What year machine do you have? I'm not certain if later mowers have/had any belt issues. Mine is a 2015 year model.
I haven't had any belt breakage issues per se, but have replaced one of the long belts from engine to mower deck blades in around 125-150 hour timeframe.
I got a correct replacement from Mfg supply. It is important to get a belt by actual length, even more so than by part # IMO. I had my dealer order a couple of belts for it and they were both WRONG. It must be the belt for the 103 combi deck- if that's what you have for a deck. Mfg. supply was able to cross reference the belt AND specify length. I measured my old belt and the spec was the same as the new one, so I knew I had finally hit gold!

Sad to say, as I reported a few times on mytractorforum.com, I'm close to having my second rear transaxle replaced by my dealer. First was done under warranty when I found the trans fluid reservoir was leaking down between uses. It had a huge palm of one's hand glob of white silicone slapped up against the transaxle shaft to attempt to stop a leak that had to have been obvious at the factory. I didn't find the source for a week or so due to my having a Swisstrax grid pattern floor over my concrete garage bay floors for water and snow drainage. When I put down cardboard under the mower the leak became obvious.
So, at around 35+/- hours the dealer replaced the bogus first rear transaxle, then I noticed, after moving the mower to my new storage shed/garage bay that AGAIN I had a rear transaxle leak going on!
Now, somewhere between 125-150 hours, (from memory), I called my dealer who talked to Husky, and the best offer I got was Husky would supply a third transaxle, but I had run over the warranty period, so the labor would be on me. Oh, and they'd give me a $25 coupon toward what will amount to be at least several hundred dollars of labor cost.

I argued that had either Husky or Tuff-Torq, the transaxle mfg. done their job of quality control the first transaxle would never have gone to the retail customer, - me. And had that been the case, then the current, second leaking transaxle would now have been replaced during the warranty timeframe, and I would likely be a happy Husky customer. But no, neither one wants to take responsibility for a blatant lack of quality control. In fact, someone must have signed off on sending out the original silicone globbed first transaxle - which should have never left the factory floor.

Finally, I'm going to have to pay several hundred for labor I have no reason to spend because of Husky's inability to build and stand behind their product sold to me at retail.

One other point, in recent posts here I see a 'blade brake' being referred to quite often. I believe the correct name is the 'belt brake', which is a thin metal piece with a pad attached to one end, that is designed, IIRC to keep the belt from falling off a pulley; not as otherwise implied, to keep the blades braked when they are disengaged.

On a side note I went looking for a more reliable mower than the 322T and found one for not a lot more money. Don't get me wrong, I like the 322T a lot, but just can't deal with all the problems I've had with mine in very few hours.
What I found was a Cub Cadet Pro-Z 160 with ALL Wheel Steering. It is an AWESOME mower. It is a ZT, BUT with all wheels steering it performs better than any other mower I've ever owned. It has the Kawasaki 23.5 HP FX-790 (?) carbed engine. The deck is solid, prograde materials as is the rest of the machine, AND it has a long range with two gas tanks, around 8 gallons total fuel.
Unlike the Husky, it has greater than 3" max deck height, and the model 160 has a 60" 3 blade deck. Here's a link to the details:

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/cubcadet/pro-z-160s-23-5-HP-Kawasaki-commercial-zero-turn-mower

FWIW, I plan to keep my 322T Husky. BUT if the 3rd transaxle even weeps, the machine is gone!

Pm me if anyone has any questions about either machine I didn't cover already.

 

[DHD]

Have you found a solution for this problem? I recently aquired one the these machines and am having the same problem???

I mentioned this in an earlier post on this thread, but it could be that your belt brake is causing your premature belt failure.
I had premature belt failure when I was using my two stage snow blower on my R322T,
the belt failure problem stopped as soon as I removed the belt brake.

Prior to the snow blower belt problem and before I removed the belt brake, the belt brake would engage occasionally when using my Combi 103 mower. If I mowed down into a ditch and started up the incline on the other side, the mower could float upwards enough that the belt brake would engage and a loud chirp or screech could be heard as the fast moving belt would rub against the pulley that was stopped by the blade brake.

Maybe your belt brake is broken, which can cause problems for the belt too.

Post #2447 in the following link may help. The quote in this post talks about belt problems from mowing, and there is info about the belt brake in the post.

I hope this helps.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/64-husqvarna-dixon/250230-husqvarna-rider-322t-awd-164.html

 

[Michael J]

WARNING Don't buy the Husqvarna R322T AWD tractor. I've owned mine for almost a year now. Works great when working. It has been in the shop now for 4 TIMES on warranty repairs already. The dealer has now had it this time for over 3 months and it's still not fixed. Parts on back order for my one year old machine. Husqvarna customer service is terrible as well. They all but laugh at your for your troubles and offer absolutely no help. The support team rarely calls back like they say they will and have no authority to get anything done. They will transfer you off to someone else that is normally on vacation or out of the office. I'm not one to normally write reviews, but on this mower and mower company, steer clear. DANGER One of the worst decisions of purchasing power equipment I've ever made.

 

[stevem5215]

Judging from the reviews of the R322T on the Husky website I'd say that you are not the only one with problems with this mower. Looks like others have had them repaired and then sold them for something else. $5g's is a lot of money for something that doesn't work.

Steve

 

[ten87]

Looks like my R322T blew the rear transmission, maybe more. Of all places, it was at the bottom of the steep hill in my back yard. Rear axle turned wheels in the opposite direction when trying to roll with the axles disengaged. Ended up putting a wheel with a bearing in it on one side of the rear, so the axle could spin free backwards. It wouldn't move forward with the rear axle disengaged and the front engaged. I could get it to go in reverse, so I backed it up the hill back to the house under its own power. What a PITA. The shop is picking it up tomorrow. Hopefully this won't turn into a horror story worse than it already is. It's performed perfectly since I got it until now. It's currently in its 5th mowing season, with just over 200 hours on the clock.

 

[anrbob]

Wanted to give an update on my R322T:

For the past 5 years, I have had nothing but trouble from this mower. The constant belt issues (eating the drive belts after just 10-20 hours). I did find that the belt brake had broken off (which no technician could ever figure out) and I replaced it. However, after every mow since replacing the belt brake I could see belt dust on the deck and knew that it was just a matter of time before it went out again. For the final straw, yesterday the front transmission went out. It only has 134 hours and I have gone through at least 10 drive belts, one rear transmission (at least warranty covered it), **** near a deck rebuild, and now another transmission. One of the last times I took it to the shop the technician said that these mowers were garbage and no one could resell them. The Husky customer service is a joke as well. I am tired of it and want to get something else.

 

[stevem5215]

Look for a used Steiner 420 or 430. They hold their value due to the new ones being so high priced but it's a lifetime type of machine and the AWD system on it is the best. Even in icy conditions where you can't walk on a driveway that machine will work like a billy goat. It's pretty amazing and you won't understand what i mean unless you actually try one. With good engineering a machine can last quite a long time.

That Husky looks to be a problem child based on the reviews and comments on here.

Steve

 

[bilug]

I'm using the single stage snow thrower on my R322T and just popped the intermediate belt, I could smell it cooking! Any advice on where to look for a repair manual or advice? I can't find anything related to these machines and belt replacement.

 

[DEWFPO]

I'm using the single stage snow thrower on my R322T and just popped the intermediate belt, I could smell it cooking! Any advice on where to look for a repair manual or advice? I can't find anything related to these machines and belt replacement.

I don't know where you looked but here's the Manual and the Spare Parts List. DEWFPO

HUSQVARNA R 322T AWD OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf Download.

http://service.webec.husqvarna.net/documents/HUSI/HUSI2018_AAaa/HUSI2018_AAaa_R322TAWD_2018.pdf