Beware of Husqvarna Garden Tractors! Part 3, The Warranty

[GT48DXLS]

As I promised in Part 1, and Part 2, I would continue to dig, learn, communicate, and pass on the helpful info I find in this process.

For those like myself, already invested in a Husqvarna GT/ TS (including Craftsman GT6000 and other group brands with same chassis), not much to say, but we bought it and there is hope to turn your machine into an actual LGT, (light for possible electric actuators but not hydraulics for the purpose of this thread). They sure are good looking machines, arne't they?

After I finally got a working mans knowledge of the warranty, I figured there is hope here too for some with the desire, means, or connections, with the idea that what you do will only help the rest of us.

I went to the trouble of hiring an engineer in the field of Agriculture Fabrication (structural and mechanical) to examine the pan style chassis and develop a plan that would transform the chassis into a capable, solid LGT for Johnny Bucket jr specifically, and I documented the process in Part 2.

Their opinion on that chassis is that it is not engineered for anything that would work the ground, as in, it is not hardened steel, the frame comes from the factory out of square (in the failed area, at least the new one came that way, the same frame by part number on the new TS), it is not truly a one-piece stamped frame because it relies on bolts on both ends to reinforce it verses a weld that would be more supportive, the bolts are self tapping (not grade 8) that go into pressed in sleeves, was not truly 12 ga (a metric number that was more like 13 ga + plus the thin e-coat was 12 ga). There was more but that's enough for countering Husqvarna's claimed nonsense.

If you are a potential Husqvarna customer that is trying to decide for the purpose of normal use as a garden tractor, Husqvarna or their other badges, then hopefully this will help you, while you consider facts verses opinions on the tractor, attachments you want to use, and the warranty.

It is may hope that GT/ TS customers of Husqvarna are well informed when they buy, which is more than I can say for the rest of us. I also hope to communicate through compassion, and accuracy, Who-What-Where-When-Why-How, this happened, through or with the rest of us, and where to go from here.

With all sincerity, I believe it is up to we the consumer now to help one another, because the industry would rather pay Madison Avenue to positively shape public perception creating substance in virtual reality, than pay out of their budgeted after sales liability to reciprocate consumer loyalty, cultivating a real product and brand that can perform what is claimed in the real world, or at least just be honest.

I will start with the Husqvarna Warranty and the Magnuson-Moss Act that minimally regulates the warranty.

I feel I still have to preface this with every one of these, I want Husqvarna to publicly apologize for their combative treatment of me, my wife, and the other customers like us, to include their support of a Dealer that was rude to my wife, deceptive, and unethical in their business practices (part 1, the story that started my commitment).

I will have several entries here, so much information. But this is the first.

 

[GT48DXLS]

Lets look at some definitions, some of what goes into them, and the people responsible for them, in what goes into some of the regulating of the industry.

OPEI;

Husqvarna is 1 of the 100 members with OPEI, (Outdoor Power Equipment Institute) and they are a part of the current definition. OPEI has long contributed to the definition for this sector of commerce, for themselves, Washington D.C. , and contributed to other Regulating Agencies around the world.

OPEI’s definition of a Garden Tractor currently’

“Garden Tractors are designed to supply sufficient power for home lawn, garden
and yard attachments: moldboard plows, tillers, cultivators, snow throwers,
sweepers, leaf mulchers, etc. Fifty percent of garden tractors are used for areas
larger than two acres.”

I wanted to find a definition that was older(possibly before Husqvarna's entrance), I found this reported July/August 1979, reportedly by OPEI,

“according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
(which is responsible for sorting out the various categories of lawn and garden machinery), a garden
tractor is properly defined as a "self-propelled riding vehicle — designed for general purpose lawn
and garden work — which must have all attachments removable . . . and be capable of pulling a
plow."

Not much has changed in the years, but that it became a little more specific in definition since Husqvarna joined this organization. I have included a list of members of OPEI, in a PDF.

In my opinion they don’t get to play dumb when confronted with questions on their international, lawyer approved, warranty for a consumer. This will be important later, in the mean time I will add a bit of what OPEI helps (again this is them defining them) to define;

This sector of commerce has numerous classifications for commerce, tariff assessment, legal definitions, EPA, and other Regulations. Here is a few examples;

NAICS-North American Industry Classification System
The USA’s Census system

NAICS Code 333112 “Lawn and Garden Tractor and Home Lawn and Garden Equipment Manufacturing”

or SIC-Standard Industrial Classification System
OSHA’s system.

SIC Code 3524 Lawn and Garden Tractors and Home Lawn and Garden Equipment

ANSI-B71.1.2003, OPEI-B71.1.2012, ASE J1940, ASE J1995, ASE 2723, EPA Compliance CAT, etc.

This is specifically what Husqvarna Outdoor Products (a Div of Husqvarna AG in Sweden) is classified as under SIC/NAICS, (in husqvarna corp2.png, screenshot)

The PDF lawn and garden ride-on is an example of a familiar implement (the sleeve hitch we are familiar with from Agri-Fab for Craftsman and Husqvarna) for our tractors and how OPEI plays a role in the equipment we buy, and how they define purpose. (think of warranty)

The US Federal Law that governs the warranty they give is the bare minimum standard for compliance with Consumer Protection in this country, there may be more protections in your State(PA, NY, FL, etc), or country, such as Australia, Canada, the EU, or?.

15 USC 2301 Magnuson-Moss Warranty-Federal Trade Commission Improvements Act.

Without the base of knowledge here, what I reveal later with Husqvarna's answer's may not seem important. They are, if you think you are getting a warranty for that GT/ TS.

I have included a 1997 PDF as an example only of what a US economic census report looks like and specific to this industry, what it's for, and what they reveal.

Also a PDF of the article citing the OPEI quote.