I'm sorry that you had problems, but something doesn't seem to add up fully here...

Last fall you:
"Got it home, fired it up, it made some horrible noises, and died not to start again."

So, it wouldn't run last fall, wouldn't be exchanged or refunded by Lowes, then starts fine this spring?

"April comes, I fire up the mower and it starts. I make a couple passes and it starts rolling with smoke and dies not to start again."

That seems strange. Also, did you not check the oil prior to running it this spring? That is something easy to do, even for a woman (which you like to point out). Was there an oil pool underneath the tractor?

Maybe there was a flaw in your particular Kohler engine, but like I said I don't suspect the whole story is here...

The one she went out in April and started was the replacement for the first mower but was so late in the season it wasn't used. Make sense now?

What makes sense to me is that she got her replacement mower, stored it for the winter without bothering to put the initial bottle of oil in it that is usually provided, and starting it to make sure it was going to run. She gets it out this spring, cranks it up without putting the oil in, and the usual result.

The old troybilt tillers were manufactured by the Garden Way company which is no longer in business. Troybilt also made a quality riding mower. MTD bought the assets and continues to make some of the tillers. The original troybilt riding mowers are no longer built. MTD applied the Troybilt name to some of the inexpensive mowers that are designed by MTD.

This is an unfortunate situation, however, the pickup and delivery charge is actually very reasonable - especially considering the mileage. 30 miles - the pickup vehicle actually needs to travel both direction - or 60 miles to get the mower to the shop. The trip will require about 1 1/2 hour if he has all green lights. If the engine problem is a warranty situation, the shop is not reimbursed for the travel expense.

"What makes sense to me is that she got her replacement mower, stored it for the winter without bothering to put the initial bottle of oil in it that is usually provided, and starting it to make sure it was going to run. She gets it out this spring, cranks it up without putting the oil in, and the usual result."
Why not read what she posted?
"Come to find out, someone hadn't properly tightened (remember, I'm a woman) some bolts, all the oil came out the bottom, and the engine was ruined."

Teresa, the engine should have a 1 year warranty. Did Lowes offer to help you obtain warranty service? Did you talk to the "upper level" management at your Lowes store? maybe if you complained enough, they would foot the transportation??
What does the owners manual say in regards to warranty?

It doesn't matter what the problem was. It's under warranty. Take it to an authorized service center and they will fix it. No the transportation isn't covered...duh!

Maybe the lesson learned could be that starting a relationship with a dealer who will be with you through purchace, setup, discuss maintenance and other questions would be a better way to go.

Maybe as a goodwill gesture , Lowes could assist with the transportation. It doesn't hurt to ask. . . They're running their trucks all over anyway and they made the $ on the sale.

Actually, the replacement mower that Lowe's brought to me in October was started up by the delivery person and *driven* to my shed. So it did have the oil in it and gas. Because the first mower they delivered was bad, I wasn't going to let them deliver this one without knowing it would run. The first one died very quickly. The SECOND mower just wasn't run very long as it was a cold rainy day when they came. And yes, it was under warranty and I didn't have to pay anything to get it fixed...I was just very irritated having to pay so much for transporting it. I certainly have learned a lot of lessons in this matter. Two bad mowers right in a row in my opinion isn't saying much for Troybilt mowers.

I just wonder if other new lawn mowers warranty their batteries for more than 3 months. Of course the battery was also dead in April. Every battery I have ever purchased, car or lawn mower, has a one year warranty. Oh well, at least I was able to remove and replace the battery myself.

Out of the lawn mower section, I do highly suggest Craftsman tillers. I've had one for 10 years, and worked it extremely hard in my large 100' x 100' garden. I change the oil myself every spring, and hope I'll be able to do so with my Troybilt mower.

It sounds like you got a couple of lemons, BUT I have a comment about your battery "problem". If you leave a battery connected all winter long to anything without charging it (via battery tender preferably), it will be dead in the spring! You probably only needed to charge the battery, not replace it. To avoid this problem next year do one of the following:
1. Connect it to a battery tender or similar device or
2. disconnect the battery before storing and charge it before use if required.

Sorry y'all, but it sounds to me like the first mower she got didn't have any oil in it and she didn't check it for oil and then kept running it until it up and died on her.

If what the repair people said was true about the second mower having loose crankcase bolts causing it to leak out the oil is true, there would still have been smell and noises from the engine before it seized that she should have checked before running that one into the grave also.

If the repair shop she went to gives her a written statement detailing the loose bolts, she may have a warranty claim that the engine manufacturer may give a warranty replacement on.

I always, always, always check my oil before I start my small engines, then check it again if I have to add gas or hear strange noises, and then check it again after I am done using it in order to know if there might be excessive oil loss while using it or an increase in the oil amount which would indicate fuel leaking into the crankcase.

Two mowers down the tubes sounds like the OP should hire a lawn service as she definitely did not do proper diligence of her equipment.

Fairyprincess

Hey people, some say nay and some say yea, so which way to go. Sure like the spec. on the Bronco. Think that the problems were flukes or does Troybilt have a problem I should stay away from?

I recieved a troy bilt cordless mower that I ordered through MTD.
There is a manufacturing defect that will not allow me to adjust the height. Therefore, I cannot put the handle on the mower to move it to the shed, out of my house. Nor, can I take the mower to the repair for them to look at the mower. I have limited lifting abilities.
Troybilt has told me to take the mower to the repair shop to have it repaired.
I have attempted to contact repair shops. One of them will not return my phone call. The other repair shop has not called me back either.
I suggested to MTD they take the mower back and issue me a refund. They do not give refunds.
What is this world coming to.
disgusted!

You say "two bad mowers in a row" blaming the company that makes them when in reality it's Lowes that failed to tighten the bolts, etc. Give credit where it's due - and place blame on the ones that deserve it. I also agree with the person that said the $50 transport cost is reasonable - you obviously don't want to haul it there yourself or you'd need a trailer to do so and that would cost you far more than $50. How much do you expect them to charge you - $5??? Be reasonable - these people have costs, too.

I have had a Troybilt 42" cut riding mower since 2003, and have mowed every two weeks at least. (Abt. 1 acre yard) I have replaced the belts, kept oil in it, and it has served me very well. My last trip to 'the shop', they said the transmission is going, and it makes a terrible racket--to loud! But, I'm going to park it, go out and buy me another, but not one made by MTD. When they purchased this company evidently
they made some 'cheaper' changes in the way they manufactured the Troybilt mower. The old addage, one pays for what they get still holds true in most cases! I feel like I got good service from this one, but Im don't want another one by this company. The key, keep oil in it by checking before each use!

This is a very suspy story with the owner blaming everyone but herself. Clearly someone who starts an engine after overwintering without checking the oil, is the same type of person who doesn't remember to fill the oil before storing.