SITREX FINISHING MOWER

Travis_R · Feb 17, 2007

-Not trying to start a mower war, but I thought the consumer/purchaser should be informed.

I bought the Sitrex brand (5 ft.) finish mower the other day with my Yanmar tractor. The mower seems to be pretty good. I will re-state, as I did in a previous thread ("Which Rear Finish Mower"), about my purchase.

The left -rear wheel spindle or "fork" was bent when the dealer loaded it and the tractor up on my trailer (2-10-07). No problem- said that I would have a new one delivered in the mail by the end of the following week at no charge because its under warranty. Well, I got it yesterday (2-16-07). Right on time like he said. I was satisfied with that part. That shows that the Sitrex company must have pretty good product support for their dealer/customers.

I got kinda aggravated when I tried to put the New 'Genuine' Sitrex wheel spindle on the mower. The original "lynch" pin that came in the old spindle WOULD NOT FIT the hole that holds the spindle in the mower. The hole was too small! The other 3 spindles AND the bent one all had the same diameter hole in the top of the spindle. I got somewhat furious, but LUCKILY had extra/smaller pins.

Of course, I could have just took my drill and made the hole alittle bigger, but thats not the point. It should have been IDENTICAL to the other 4 spindles that came with the new mower (so much for genuine parts, uh). I sure hope that the other "major" parts of the mower are an EXACT fit if/when I need them!

I have to send the old spindle back to the dealer. Didn't know it til' yesterday, but its gonna cost me about $19.00 to mail it to him!!! I should have just bought a new spindle myself and forgot about the warranty claim! Probably would have come out better (cheaper!).

Also, its not a problem (yet- and hopefully it won't be), but the gearbox "whines" pretty loud ONLY when the tractor is running at low/almost idle rpms. It doesn't do it when it is revved up. IS THIS NORMAL? It may be because the gears on the inside are not "broke-in" yet. I don't know. I do know that I haven't checked the oil in the gearbox and AM NOT GOING TO. Should have been done by dealer and I think it was. Some of the paint is missing off of the "oil level check" bolt.

Anyway, its fixed, i'm glad, and all is well (besides paying that much for the return of the bent spindle!!!).

Travis R

tallyho8 · Feb 17, 2007

Travis
Many new mowers are shipped with no oil in the gearbox. I hope yours is not one of these. If it is, they probably have it stated in the warranty that the warranty is void if run without oil.

Gizmo36 · Feb 18, 2007

I had to put oil in the two I have you better look.

Travis_R · Feb 18, 2007

Well I'll guess i'll take a look then. But the dealer told me that when I picked the mower up from him, everything would be ready to go to work.

BobG_in_VA · Feb 18, 2007

Travis, sorry but this may come across as somewhat of a flame: 1. Check the darn oil!!! It's YOUR responsibility if you want something that will last. 2. If the new pin is the size of a 10penny nail, use one, as long as it holds who cares, remember it was you that made the decision to buy this unit....3. DON"T send back the old part! Tell the dealer that if he wants it come and get it and that you will "hold" it for him. By the way, you probably can get a shop to straighten the thing for less than the shipping back...ever thought about that? Now you'll have 2....Okay, I'm done, enjoy your new machine and sorry if I offend anyone, but I'm on my first cup of coffee this morning...BobG in VA

Travis_R · Feb 18, 2007

Thanks Bob.

Yeah I went ahead and checked the oil. Its full. When I took the plug out, air came out- meaning it was pressurized on the inside. NOT GOOD! I looked for a vent on the gearbox and on the check/fill plugs. NO VENTS! Again, not good.

As far as sending back the bent spindle, Thats what the deal was between me and the dealer. I need to own up to my word on sending it back. I am an honest person. But I'll call and talk to him about it and see what we can come up with. I asume he wants it back so he can send it to Sitrex. Not for sure, but Sitrex may want to see where it malfunctioned.

I'm starting to think I may have made the wrong choice on a finish mower.

Travis

Gizmo36 · Feb 18, 2007

I told you First Choice Finish Mower's is hard to beat.

RedRiver · Feb 19, 2007

Sounds like the breather plug was not installed at the dealer. Your top fill plug should have a breather on it.

We used to carry the Sitrex brand finishing mowers. I personally have never seen any issues with them but a lot of the cheaper finishing mowers are more prone to tearing up quicker when people do not grease them frequently enough.

Travis_R · Feb 19, 2007

If I had to do it over again, I would have went with the First Choice brand.

Yeah. You've gotta keep em' greased, no matter what brand it is. But its true. Some are definitely built better than others.

Travis R

MDM · Feb 19, 2007

I have a 60" Sitrex I bought new a couple of years ago. I think it is a real nice deck for the $1100 I paid for it. I do take care of it. I blow the underside clean after each use and put a good coat of used engine oil under it after each season. I'm happy with mine.