As I understand it, DR backs everything they sell 100 percent. If you buy a unit from them and are unhappy, then send it back. Yes. You will be out the shipping costs. As for problems, I can't recall ever seeing a complaint about their stuff on any of the forums I inhabit.

I have a DR Field & Brush mower and a DR Trimmer mower, they are both well made. And as stated they stand behind their products.

I have a DR Trimmer/ Mower and it runs great. No problems after 4 years.

Enjoy the journey.
eal51 in western CT

Thanks to all of you. It sounds like this is a solid company with quality products. I had never heard of them and didn't want to buy something that didn't work well and have to spend $600.00 to return it.

wjell:

I had a DR field and brush mower several years ago. It was built like a tank. Pricey, but there were good reasons for it.

I don't know about the implement you're asking about though. From what I've seen of the other products, it is probably a safe bet. But then again, it isn't my money I'm spending.

BTW, I sold my DR field and brush mower just before I moved off my old property for about $200.00 less than what I originally bought it for. That was after owning and using it for 3 years. Not bad for the return investment.

I am looking at the ROTO-HOG Tow Behind Power Tiller.

Thanks,
Bill

I heard nothing but good comments regarding their equipment. That's unusal in this day and age!

have owned three different pieces in the last 15 years,
no complaints with the equipment but......
be fore-warned their shipping sucks. they'll tell you 5-6 business days which may turn into 4 weeks and nothing you can do about it. as far as I'm been able to determine they don't care. I even left a phone message with the owner and never received a call back. allow plenty of time when you order!

They do not ship as advertised...leave yourself lots of time before you need the item ordered.

Yup, shipping sucks. I was told 3 to 5 bussness days now i'm on my third week and no answers from DR. I sure hope the company isnt in trouble.

DR Equipment 8 HP Lawn and Leaf Vac - this is an expensive piece of equipment I bought that is a tow behind model - I have been very unhappy with it:

I have had many issues with this purchase. The first machine that was eventually returned for free replacement kept tearing away the rubber breakaway coupler regardless of whether the engine was experiencing a clog on the blade end � it must have had something to do with the alignment but regardless I received a new machine after approximately 10 couplers and an initial frustrating season with the product.
The biggest issue with this product is that it clogs VERY easily with a very small twig (singular) because the twig gets wedged in the flex hose right before entering the box/blade area. I believe there are two reasons for this � 1) the flex hose is ribbed inside and tends to lodge or grab the twigs and 2) the end of the flex hose is fitted with a coupler that tends to warp outward (inside the flex tube) over time into the path of the flying debris and therefore tends to grab the twigs and lodge them in allowing leaves to accumulate behind and thus clogging the unit. I am talking about very small twigs maybe 6 to 10 inches and no wider than a pencil. Larger sticks you will want to pick up by hand first to save yourself the hassle of them being chopped up by the mower and clogging the flex tube.
In my experience, I was getting of my tractor every 20 feet to free clogs using a wrench at the rear of the motor just at the entrance to the blade � this was very dangerous to say the least but I could not see turning the unit off and on at each clog so I risk being so close to the danger area.
Other problems have included multiple times where the oil fill stick has shaken loose spewing oil everywhere. Luckily, I have caught it and now I watch for it. Be careful to make sure you have a long enough flex hose - if you don�t turns are restricted and you can damage your tractor. Have a screwdriver and pliers handy to work out clogs because the thumb knobs on both ends of the flex tubes will break off after about 10 uses. When it is only slightly wet, the universal deck adaptor acts like glue to accumulate wet clippings and leaves and clogs the chute at the beginning near your deck. Twice I have replaced the bolts that hold the unit�s frame to its hitch mechanism � I finally seemed to have purchased bolts strong enough to prevent them shearing. The unit is very difficult to empty when full, you will need a very strong person to dump the box and push up and down on it repeatedly to remove clippings that might be heavy � you may need two people � one to pull tractor slightly forward while you dump from behind (suggest caution here for sure).
Make sure your leaves are dry and twig free when purchasing this product.

I have the 9.00 Pro, Tow-Behind.I love it.

How good are your mower blades and what type? I was having problems with clogs until I put new mulching blades on mine.

I can fill it completely up without a single clog now.

One thing that helps with dumping is to use car ramps to get it up higher. I back mine up the ramps and it will dump easily.

Thanks for thoughts - I religiously keep blades sharp but they are not mulchers - 54 inch 3 blade kubota deck. When I mentioned possible legal action, the rep told me 'they love a good fight'. I was very shocked how fast she dropped any advocacy for me. I am going to do my homework to look for a better product.

I'm sorry that you are having problems with yours. And I know that you aren't happy right now. But before spending money on a new unit I would try the mulching blades.

Another thing to look at is how and where you are supporting the hose. I use rubber straps with hooks, hooked in to a wire tie around the hose. I had to move it a few times before I got it right. The rubber straps let the hose move when turning and keep the hose straighter.

I also didn't like the "universal" deck adapter. It never seemed to fit quite right. I bought a deck shoot (adapter) for a bagger, designed for my deck and it works so much better. I got it from one of the guys that post here. I can't remember his name but I have it on file!

Can you post a picture with the setup? I might can help, not sure.

I have a DR Brush and Field mower that I bought new in 1988 and have used it every year since. Twenty-five years isn't bad! They still carry parts and their customer service is top notch.

I would buy again.

My Dad purchased the Rapid Fire log splitter last May. After splitting less than 1 cord of wood, it broke down and has been in the repair shop for more than a month. Customer service has been poor and even the service tech told us that it is a poor design!! My dad is now out 2500.00 for this machine!!! We could have had a hydraulic machine for less, but the DR salespeople assured us how strong and reliable the machine was. No more DR products on our place!!

I'm looking at one of their tow behind units for grading my driveway. I'll need something to help with the maintenance as I'm about 1600 Ft. off the paved road and own all of that road myself. Any feedback on that device?

nannerbelle, Did you steal my driveway? I've got 1600 or 1800 feet of gravel drive I forget which. I looked at the Dr "power grader" also, stopped looking when I saw the price. Also, wasn't impressed with the electric height adjustment "from the seat." Set it level and let it run?

I opted for a front mount dozer (as opposed to the light duty snow blade) for my GT as it does double duty, grades and levels the gravel and plows snow in winter.

Also, as someone here pointed out, you don't "buy" gravel, you rent it as it eventually disappears and you buy more. You might consider saving some of the $$ the DR costs for gravel in the future.

Just MHO,

Good luck,

Ev

Apart from ryanmad's post(who's credibility I question, since that review came from another site), it seems John's review is the only one in this thread that has been negative. I've looked at the reviews on other sites, and they were almost all positive, but it wasn't until coming here that I knew I could rely on people being truthful.

Thank you to all who have posted here. It's been very helpful in my decision on getting a Dr power machine or not.

I think that you will be glad if you buy it.

Even though it is expensive, you get what you pay for!

I don't have that particular piece of equipment but I love my leaf vac!

I did a little modification, that was suggested to me on another forum here, it works great!

I made some plates that connect between the axle and frame to raise the unit. Now I don't have to use the car ramps to dump!.

Take a look at the online ratings for DR. They are terrible and very accurate. I have had one problem or another with every piece of equipment ever purchased and finally and somewhat regretfully decided I would not make the same mistake again. Their customer service is horrendous, should you have the patience to wait an hour to talk to them. So...I am taking offers for my fieldbrush mower and power grader which doesn't work.

Wanted to add to randylewis33. I've had a DR Chipper for years - its worked great. But recently I order $1000 worth of maintenance parts (its been used a lot). Can't get an answer from them when the parts will be shipped. I've spoken with at least three reps and they all promise they'll look into it and email me back. Not a single email. Calling for support - they must have a single person answering calls (seems like I'm always '15' in queue and its takes a long time to drain down to the first). I would not recommend this company for any products with the absolutely terrible customer support of late.

My experience with them has been awful. The customer service and tech service departments are rude. Tech support expected me to fix the brand new (as in immediately out of the crate) mower myself. The mower I got had many metal shavings in the engine when it arrived, so of course it wouldn't start and run. It's been at the shop for over a month because even though it is under warrenty, DR Power has not sent the replacement engine that they said they would send out "right away." The battery is half of what it needs to be. Look at other review sites; customer service has a 1 out of 5 stars rating on most of them. This is a company that used to be great but has fallen far.