Troy-Bilt Lawn Tractors: Reviews
Sunday June 26, 2005
"I am in the process of looking for a new riding lawn tractor," says this week's featured poster in the Landscaping Discussion Forum, seeking reviews that others can share on Troy-Bilt lawn tractors -- the "Pony" model. See what Troy-Bilt lawn tractor reviews our users came up with, both in the Landscaping Discussion Forum and in the Comments section below.
Comments
Just one thing to say…. MTD
Im also in the sme process of looking for a lawn tractor. It looks like Im going to buy the troy built pony at lowe’s for 999. I’ve only heard good reviews, except for something to do with the shifting
I bought my Pony at Lowes. Have had some trouble with shifting unless I use the clutch. It’s supposed to up shift without using the clutch, but it won’t. Also last week the heavy spring on the PTO cable broke and I’ve been waiting on a replacement cable. I think the spring must have been made in China, because it looks like inferior metal was used due to the type and place of the break. As soon as I get my new cable, I’m sending the broken one to Troy Bilt with a letter.
I bought a Troy bilt Pony 2 years ago, but only have used it one mowing season. The first time I used it, It jumps really bad when you depress the cluth/brake. Thought it was suppose to do that. It steadily got worse until it wouldn’t work at all. It works in reverse but not in forward motion. Had Lowe’s pick it up and they say it needs a new transmission. This is going to cost me $450.00 for the repair. This Slogan of there’s BUILT TO LAST is a big lie. Another commercial to sell a piece of crap. I will never buy another product by Troybilt again. and futher more ,not another product from Lowe’s either.3/27/2008
We bought a Troy Bilt Pony last year and it’s worked great. I have a lot of acreage and the only things that have had to be replaced (this year) are the belts.
I bought a Troy Bilt Pony riding mower about 6 months ago. Been used about 10 times on my small yard.
The PTO cable has already broken. I was just riding along mowing my yard and it snapped. Appears to be cheaply made.
Makes me wonder what other thing are going to wear-out or break soon???
We have a two year old Troybult pony. The first year it worked great. Now it’s been in the shop 3 times since last November. It started smoking and stalling……Gas in the oil they told us AND it’s because we leave the key it even though it’s in the off position. Back and forth to the Lowes repair shop. The tractor cost $999.00 and we’ve spent $500.00 in repairs and now it’s smoking and stalling again! NEVER, NEVER again wil be buy a Troybuilt! How can we trust Lowes
I work for Lowes, most of the Troy-Bilt products are garbage, and I wouldn’t buy them myself. They’re made by MTD, the original company that made Troy-Bilt, Garden Way went out of business. Back when they made Troy-Bilt, it was VERY GOOD stuff, now it’s not. As far as the previous poster, how can you trust Lowes? Easy… don’t cheap out on things you buy, go for Deeres. I can’t stand people who buy the cheapest thing and then complain when it doesn’t work as good as something more expensive! You bought a TRACTOR for LESS than $1000… YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Simple as that.
I purchased a troybilt pony on July 4 last year and since I have had the PTO cable snap twice, one of the pulleys was not put on correctly by the manufacturer and got severely bent and had to be replaced. At the same time I also purchased a troybilt weedeater that takes various attachments. I do give LOWES credit though, they do a very good job of backing stuff. Two weeks ago I broke my finger when weedeating, yeah when weedeating. The plastic coupling that connects the motor to the shaft of the weedeater completely broke loose and part of the internal came flying out and hit my finger and broke it. Lowes replaced the weedeater since it wasn’t even a year old and I had the warranty on it. I will never buy troybilt again though. I disagree to some extent though with the LOWES employee, I understand “you get what you pay for”, but if i give 1000 dollars for a lawnmower I don’t expect to have to work on it constantly for the first year that I own it and there are several LOWES employees that really push the troybilt mowers because they are initially less expensive, but they don’t tell you that they are selling you a pile of crap shaped like a lawnmower and painted.
I regret buying the Troy-bilt… also had gas in the oil… been in the shop 6 times in the 70 hours it’s been ran… now a pencil size stick hit the oil drain cap, rupturing it and it leaked oil blowing the engine after mowing for 20 minutes after it was returned from the shop the last time. Not one indicator light went off even though it has “Oil Sentry”… what a joke… not covered by warranty.
i was planning on buying a pony at lowe’s this week,good thing i read these comments.
I WRITE THIS COMMENT THROUGH TEARS AND FRUSTRATION. I BOUGHT A TROYBILT TRACTOR NOT QUITE 2 YEARS AGO. FIRST THE LAWNMOWER WOULD’NT SUSTAIN A CHARGE. AFTER SEVERAL BATTERY CHANGES LOWES PAID TO HAVE IT SERVICED TURNED OUT IT WAS’NT THE BATTERY BUT SOMETHING AND I’D NEVER EVEN USED IT AT THIS PIONT. I’VE HAD TO BUY 12 BELTS FOR IT SINCE PURCHASE; BECAUSE THE BELT KEEPS BREAKING; AND THE BELTS NOT CHEAP EITHER, THE BELT IS 46.00 AND WHEN YOU ADD ON THE TAX IT’S OVER 50.00 EACH TIME I GET ON IT TO RIDE AFTER 15-20 MINUTES OF RIDING SNAP GOES THE BELT. SO THE LAWNMOWER SITS UNTIL I CAN AFFORD TO BUY ANOTHER BELT AND I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO CUT MY COMPLETE YARD WITH THE MOWER YET. CONTRARY TO WHAT THE OTHER COMMENTER SAYS, IF YOU BUY A LAWN MOWER FOR 1,OOO.OO OR 1,4OO. PLUS, AS IN MY CASE YOU EXPECT IT TO WORK! I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER TROYBILT PRODUCT AGAIN!
Regarding the gas in the crank case and stalling and smoking problem. Sorry if Lowe’s charged $500. Mine did the same thing. The problem is the new gasoline deteriorates the needle valve seat and the fuel line. The recommended fix is a new needle valve for the float and probobly not necessary but wouldn’t hurt to replace the needle valve seat. Replace the fuel line even though it looks ok on the outside. May be bad on the inside which lets little peices of rubber get in the needle valve seat and keeps the valve open. Also a good idea to put an in line shut off on the fuel line. This will prevent the fuel from free flowing throught the carb into the crankcase if this valve fails again.
Cost….$20 and not hard to fix yourself. A mower repairman should be able to fix for less than $50 including labor.
I have the Bronco by Troy Bilt from lowes. Would not go in gear at the store. They repaired. Ran great the first year. But then it started breaking drive belt about every 3 weeks. Now it will not stop. Take foot off gas and it keep going. You haft to jurk into gear. After this year I will never but a Troy bilt again.
I will never buy anything made by troy built again. Bought a pony last year transmission went out this year. Have a friend that can’t keep belts on his. Bought a tiller used 2 times pull cord won’t engage.
Glad I read these comments. I was about to buy a TroyBuilt Pony but based on what I read I’m going with a Snapper or Deere.
Was going to buy a troy built at Lowes not now thanks for the assesments! Going to look at Sears now!
The SAD thing about products these day is they are cheaply made and use inferior parts made in foreign countries, the absolute best thing you can do is keep your old mower Pre 1999 and fix it the companies still carry parts for it, sad to say but true I still proudly own a REAL MTD 1996 over 12 year old and yea I got to do maintenance on it but so far RUN better than the CHEAP POS made now.
Troy Bilt products are garbage. I gave up trying to keep my Bronco in repair. The cable that engages the mowing deck is made of plastic and lasts about 2 hours of mowing before failing.
I’ve had my Pony for three years and have had no problems. My lawn is one and a half acres.
Glad I stumbled accross your blog. I have been researching lawn tractors to replace my old snapper. It’s nice to know that Troy-Bilt is not the Troy-Bilt of 30 years ago. I will look at green instead.
I bought a troybuilt 42″ Zero turn in January, Paid almost $3000.00 with tax at lowes, When Purchased it already shpwed 40 Hours on it associate stated that was testing hours, By April Muffler had fallen off, PTO decided to NOT disengage, I called repaire and it was going to take 2 weeks to pick up and who knows how long to fix, Luckily I returned to Lowes , they exchanged for another 42″ that showed 20 hours and again was told those were just testing hours, This one now ” Have only put 15 hours on it ” this one the right drive arm fell completely off while mowing a slope ” almost over turning mower atop me, I fixed , Muffler has fallen off this one as well, I fixed, And now it sits in my shop as When I was mowing yesterday it suddenly died and will not start, I have traced problem to either the silinoid ” Needle Valve ” connected to bottom of carb, or vacumme thqat draws fuel to the carb… which I of course can not get at lowes to once again fix myself…. So in closeing I give my 2 cents to all thinking of Purchasing ANYTHING TroyBuilt…… RUN!!!!!!!
Poorly, Hazerdous to use and they should be pulled from the market….. And for those who have already purchased…Good Luck…Find religon and start praying…=O)…..your going to need it!!
We recently bought online a 42″ Zero Turn Radius from Troy Bilt. First of all they delived it with only one guy, so I had to help offlaod it. It was delivered with a flat front tire, and since I don’t have a pressurized airpump, had to drive it up to the house, flat (have 3acres). The engine whales like it’s in pain, and after only 1.5 hours of mowing the PTO went out. I called MTD and was outright refused at having it sent back. Was told since it had gas and oil in it, they couldn’t take it back. The dang thing came with oil in it, so how could I have even had the chance to return it. Anyways, the service people at their main number have been very rude at every step. We are about to send it in for warranty repairs, but after reading all the above, I’m not hopeful. I’m feeling like a just bought a $3,000 525lb piece of crud. I didn’t pay only $1000 as mentioned by the Lowe’s employee above, so getting what I paid for doesn’t seem to apply. Especially since I haven’t even used it for more than an hour.
Wow, I’m glad I read this blog. Lowes has 4 ponys for $699 ea. They were all returns. I wondered why. Now I know.
Bought a 50″ zero turn in august 2006. a good machine. Then the PTO belt came off. Can’t change the belt. Instruction in the manual will not work. The idler pulley bracket was made wrong, or should I say was engineered wrong. Guess what, Troy Built even admitted it. They said it was made to the engineers specs, but it does not work. They don’t know how to change the belt. What? Another company that has customer no-service???
My Troy-Bilt is terrible. The PTO has gone out 5 times in the last year. Neither Lowes nor Troy-Bilt will help in any way. It is a 24 HP with a 60″ cut. The PTO to the Mower deck is defective. I think it is an electrical problem because they melt down. The Help-line has only Rude people working for them and rather than listen or try to help, they only snicker and make smart Remarks. What a terrible experience and such a waste of $2300. These people should be sued by each and all of us. I’m tired of dealing with Troy-Bilt…and shame on you Lowes for selling such a defective product…Don’t you dare say, “I didn’t know,” because you’ve know for several years, now you you continue to handle this defective product. Shame on you!!! Troy-Bilt is nothing but a Trojan Horse full of defective, cheap troubles. Avoid Troy-Bilt at all costs!!!!
had my troy bilt for 4 years now, the pony model, only thing i have had to do to it is change the blades a couple of times, i hit a stump and bent the mower blade into a curve, most other mowers would have had their, blade shaft severed or at least cracked, use the brake, then it shifts easy, the instructions tell you this, plus its for safety, come on people quit being so lazy, if and when mine ever dies, i will buy another troybilt. every product line has lemons, my dads 5k john deere has been in the shop at least half a dozen times since he bought it a year ago..enjoy mowing…
Damn.I wish I would have found this site before I bought mine from Lowe’s today.Well I haven’t used mine yet,So I guess I’ll have to wait and see. Luckily I purchased the Extended warranty for 3 years.
Well I bought a pony from Lowes and it was a referbish I bought wih the intent to cut the weeds down around the ranch it cose me 499 on sale for that price I did not realy care how well it worked, got it home and started to cut the weeds and it work good belt would slip a little on the hill a bit a few weeks after the belt broke so I put new one on Cost $15 aprox, and put new blads on Cost $24 aprox then I started to use it on my lawn aprox 1 ac it cut great so I bougth a bag for it , it also so worked great the only thing that sucks is the key system mine is now broke do to my 2year son sticking whatever he can find in it so I need to get one but over all for the amount that I have in the thing it works I did not expect anymore then I get out of it just keep in mine you get what you pay for
I purchased a Troy Bilt Bronco March 08 at my local Lowes (Harlingen, TX). I was told to go with this unit by a sales rep. since it had a “Kohlar” engine. He quoted “they are the best engines” you won’t have any issues. A month ago I fueled the mower and started it up. Smoke continued to come out of the muffler and was dripping oil. I immediately stopped the engine and called in my Lowes warranty. ONE MONTH later someone picks it up and now I am told I didn’t maintain the unit and the engine has to be replaced!! and to top it off, that my warranty won’t cover it!!!!! Yes, the couple of hundred dollar four year extended warranty that I was con’d into buy for “peace of mind”. Estimated cost of repair $1,000.00! I was told by the repair shop the air filter was new and was asked how often I changed it. I told the repair shop the reason the air filter looked new is because I just bought the unit!! and haven’t had the need to change it since I only used it about eight times. I feel extremely disappointed and cheated! Long story short, BUYER BEWARE. Don’t get ripped off like I did!!
Don’t expect better success spending more for the Troy Bilt Bronco model. I’ve had one for three years and it’s never made it through a mowing season without requiring repairs to the pedal drive system. It’s a poor product that a quality oriented manufacturer would have recalled. Do yourself favor and stay away from Troy Bilt. I’d pass on anything built by MTD. My next tractor will be built by a Company that takes enough pride in their product to put their own name on. I’ll buy it from a dealer who knows and services the product. This was an expensive lesson for me. I hope it won’t be for you!
For the guy buying the Deere hate to tell u
this. But take a good look at them. Alot of the same parts? That is because MTD is also making making them!
purchased a 2004 horse riding mower/tractor new. should have shot it would have saved me alot of trouble. worst peice of crap ever made. i have replaced the 4 belts each over 10 times.one of those is $40 bucks.all spindles replaced, most pulleys also fall apart. wheels have fell off. the deck is tinfoil thin and looks like crap, sterring linkage went out.allsorts of connectors do not hold,everytime i mow,i know something will go wrong. never buy any mtd product, my neighbor has seen my problems so he bought a torro, turns out to be exact same mower as mine. just different stickers.get what you pasy for, ha, paid for good got junk
I bought the Horse because I wanted to get the better model. My grandfather had Troy-Bilt and never had a problem. So I bought it too. It is the biggest piece of crap! It works with belts for the movement and the deck! The belts are always burning out, the metal that it is built out of rusts away quickly if you use well water to clean it off! Bottom line I will NEVER buy Troy-Bilt again!!!
i bought the horse troy bult riding mower at lowes.its a big piece of junk.the steering went out,had a short in the wiring,and rearend going out,now starter out.its only two years old i will not buy another.the company only out to make that dollar. their not worried about making a good product.
“Dallas” you say MTD is building Deeres? Please stop leaving comments if you do not know what you are saying. John Deere makes John Deere… period. MTD does not make ANYTHING that comes with a John Deere name on it. That is pure NONSENSE. I hate people who spread misinformation on the internet.
Worst mower I’ve ever owned, carb problems, trans bad twice, mower deck had major weld repairs, pully bearings lock up. BTW all this within 4 years starting AFTER warrenty expired. To the lowes employee’s comment about “get what you pay for” my 800.00 Craftsman I had before Troybuilt lasted 17 years. I went back to Crafstman this year.
I’ve been useing Troy Bilt equipment for many years. For mowing the lawn to racing one on a track then mowing with it later. There’s nothing like doing a wheely while your mowing. I just moved to Florida and bought a Troy Bilt Pony 17.5 used and it runs great 4 years old and only belts changed, I was told. Thats good enough for me. And dam it runs great.
I have owned my troy built ztr 5o inch cut for 3 seasons now. I have 40 hours as of yesterday and it has done o.k. I have a fairly rough yard and dispite a belt comming off once and the muffler fallling off yesterday, it has done well. I cut about 7 yaerds (all elderly family) and it has cut my time in half. I enjoy minr for the most part!
Would I recomend it….sure.
Good luck to all!!!
I agree with Chad. The Troybilts of today ar cheap. I bought my 16 HP Troybilt in 1999. It has been one of the best mowers I have ever owned. I have only had to replace the belts a couple of times and I did have to change the clutch this year. I change the oil every year The mower cut great it just wouldn’t come back on when it was hot. That cost $225 I still own my 8 horse tiller. I had not started it in 8 years honest. I put a new plug in it changed the oil and did a little grease work and it started after 5 pulls. I have used it twice this year. I also had a 33″ cut mulching mower that was a dream. My sons and I cut yards every summer with it. I also a 21″ mulcher that was great. Troybilt use to make a very good product until they sold out. I wouldn’t buy one now.
I found out that those mowers you buy at Lowes and Home Depot are not by the the said manufacturer. They are made by MTD. MY son worked the plant and he said that they made the all.
If you buy a Troy Built You will be sorry!
Yeah, I bought a troy-bilt pony from lowes 17.5 hp. I had problems with the motor from day one after the warranty ran out. Every time I use it I have to adjust the valves. It’s a piece of crap. I will never buy another one again.
It looks like reading these numerous negative comments about the Troy Bilt Pony is going to save me lots of frustration. This was going to be my first riding tractor; does anyone have any experience with Craftsman riding tractors with Briggs engines? Thanks.
I recently bought a Troy Bilt Pony riding mower. Thus far it has performed within my expectations with the exception of user comfort. The seat is a real disappointment. I am a 70 year old retired construction worker. I am a very large man at 345 pounds. If the designers shoulders are no larger than his butt, he couldn’t work for me. I have been attempting to purchase a seat more suited to my size but Troy Bilt / MTD doesn’t offer an upgrade. An adloescent Lowes employee pointed out that the seat fit him quite well. That’s fine as long as he is paying for the mower and also cutting my 2 acre lawn. Never again!
Crap. I wish I would have done some research before I purchased my Troy Bilt mower!!! Total piece of crap!! Stay Away! I have to constantly replace the drive belt!!
Bought a Honda powered, self-propelled Troy-Bilt mower in Aug 2008(Lowes!), used it approximately ten times and the self propelled transmission totally failed. Took it to my local repair shop who is a authorized Troy-Bilt repair. They said they’ve seen 4 Troy-Bilt self propelled transmission failures in the last few months.
Tried to contact Troy-Bilt factory service and they don’t care!!! Wasted $430 on my Troy-Bilt BOAT ANCHOR. Lowe’s won’t take it back!!!
Garden Way tractor’s (Troy Bilt are junk) steering gear is weak and screeches after using it 6 times. I would stay away from mtd tractors.
Was looking ot purchase a 42″ troy built lawn tractor @ Canadian Tire,,,guess not now..what an eye opener!! And I thought Troy Built was a great product..what has happened???
Guess Sears get my $$$
Concerning the person who is going to buy a Craftsman riding mower. In 2004 I went to Sears to look at a 42 inch lawn tractor. The salesman could not get one the crank and another to go in gear. So I bought a 2004 troybilt pony a lowe’s. So far so good. Only had to replace deck belts a couple of times. My fault for mowing in wet grass. It backfires thru the exhaust but that doesn’t hur anything.
I bought a bronco in March, 2009 and have mowed my yard 3 times. (2.5 acres) My last mowing, the bottom belt came off the pulleys on the cutting deck. Belt is ok, but I can’t get it back on the pulleys. The manual says to call an authorized dealer when it comes to the bottom belt. Can anyone tell me how to put it back on without sending to the repair shop for who knows how long?
PLEASE DON’T BUY TROY BUILT PONY FROM LOWES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iv’e had mine for 4yrs, NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS!!! Mow 1/2 acre and the trans seizes up.Have read many reviews of the same type of problem or problems with the trans. This is not a Troy Built!!! It is maid by MTD. The Pony is a Big Red peice of CRAP!!! Don’t make the same mistake I did!!!!!
Total junk – 2 years old and hasn’t been hardly used. Most of the time it is at the shop. New engine, yes new engine 2nd time we used it. Multiple trips to repair shop for little items, steering, belts, blades etc. Spent 300.00 (nothing covered by warranty) last October and pulled it out today for the first time use since we had it fixed, won’t mow unless the deck is at the highest and there is no grass. Junk and the worst buy I ever made.
Had mine for about a year now. Except backfiring through the exhaust and a battery that seems to be weakening….knock on wood…no real issues to complainabout.
My warranty has now run out on my Troybilt Pony. It’s sitting outside as we speak, and I don’t know what in the HELL is wrong with it this time. I have had trouble over and OVER with this tractor. God help me, someone needs to!!
I have a Troy-Built GT50 Big Red. I bought this tractor in 2006. Since then, it’s been one issue after another. On day one, it started smoking. The problem: Lowes had overfilled to oil prior to delivery. Also, the air cooling is inadequate for the 23hp engine.
None of the grease joints had been lubricated prior to delivery. I ended up doing this myself. The battery continually goes dead. It will only hold a surface charge, which is a problem with all these small batteries.
The most recent problem is that the tractor goes slower and slower. I see snails passing me when I am in Forward-High. Yeah, the upper and lower drive belts were replaced, along with the fuel filter and undersized air filter (which clogs quickly).
Troy-built, you’re lousy!
I purchased a Troy Bilt “pony” riding mower in march ‘06. In may of ‘08, The engine was replaced, the company paid for the engine, since it was close so to the 2 yr mfg. warranty by Briggs & Stratton & there was a “service notice” concerning a part of the engine, however I was responsible for the shop/labor fee of $150.00 + tax. Now, May of ‘09, I am being told the transmission is out, in which the 2 yr warranty will not cover. Estimated cost for repair is $500.00. I purchased this mower, feeling that Troy-Bilt was a name I knew & trusted. But in a 1 yr period, being out half the cost of the original price of the mower, I am very disappointed in a company with such a strong reputable name. With such a competitive market in lawn care equipment, I would think companies would stand behind their products better.
We bought a Troybult Pony Riding mower from Lowes (Cullman AL) in 05 and here we are in 09 after dozens of trips to the MST’s of Briggs and still the Damned thing isnt working right.
If you have to deal with Briggs on a guarentee problem, you can count on dealing with a Divorce lawyer style of obstinence and incompetent and arragant people.
i bought a troy built ride on mower last year, blades cheap as, battery died after eight months, engine died after twelve months,it had a briggs and stratton engine, i should have realised then it was a piece of crap.
I must have been the lucky one!Bought 17.5 hp pony at lowes for 1G,have had it almost 3 years,and have not had even 1 problem!When I got it home, I first thing knocked down the 2 thirds of an acre or so,that was grown up taller than me and I am 6ft!I’m talking about 1-2 inch thick pine and oaks that my pony destroyed!Hit a hidden cinder block that bent the blade like a taco shell,replaced with $45 xtreem blades(you could tell they were xtreem ’cause they were bright yellow),had to charge battery after winter this year,but that’s it,and I abuse the hell out of it!(have admit after reading this post site I’m thinking of selling it now!)
Forgot the most important thing I wanted to say,and it applies to all machines you may in future purchase,most stuff gets to the retail outlet we buy it from unassembled or part. unass.,that means some yahoo at lowes or walmart or whatever put it together!So even with the hardcore beatings I give my tractor,before starting it the first time I put it on a shop table and made sure it was ready(it wasn’t).I know this practice has saved me a lot of time and money over the years!Have a good day everybody!
I bought a Pony in 2005, and I have used it approx once a week to mow my 1 acre. Can’t really say I have had too many problems. Only issues were the deck came loose once on the right side, and now it does not sit quite level anymore, but it still cuts pretty decent. For $1000 and 4 years later, I can’t complain too much. And I leave mine uncovered outside, and have not done the best maintenance either!
I will never again buy a Troy-Bilt Mower. Bougth a 2007 17.5 HP and have had nothing but trouble since. Not five minutes after I got it home, I went to engage the blades and all hell broke loose. Pulley’s were not assembled correctly and it threw the belts and bent one of the pulleys. Loaded it up and took it back to Lowes. They were nice enough to give me another one. One thing after another since then. Finally, about 6 months ago it wouldn’t start. Engine won’t turn over unless I bump the solenoid but that, in turn, drains the battery. Have heard that the ignition wiring on these things tends to go out. Just seeing if anyone else has had a problem with the wiring.
Bought a new Lowe’s Troy-bilt self propelled, honda power $400 mower. Used approx 6 times and the transmission fell out. Had the transmission totally replaced and it’s still not right. Threw the Troy-bilt junk away and bought a real lawn mower….SNAPPER!!!!
Not trying to sound snooty,but again I say,any machine you did not build,before use,check it out,it needs prep work!Min.wage guy doesn’t care if it is ready!Even a little tractor has a lot of power,enough to destroy it’s self,when not tightened up and ready to use!
BUYER BEWARE – I purchased a Troy Bilt mower last April. The transmission went bad in early May of this year. 4+ Weeks later and the part is still back-ordered. They do not care about customer service!
I just looked at a Troybilt Pony lawnmower at Lowes in Billings. Looked great and I thought looks good and a will go back and buy it. I am so glad I read these coments. Will now purchase something different. Thanks to all who have commented. Hal
Stay away from the Troy-Bilt Super Bronco. I’ve had mine two years and I’m constantly repairing it. The engine leaks oil because the bolts were not properly torqued at the factory (rocker cover and head gasket.) The cable holding up the deck snapped the first year. The drive belt for the blades needs replacing every year. The PTO belt just bit the dust. It looks like a mjaor job to replace the PTO belt.
Even with all these bad remarks about this tractor, I still think that with the proper preventive maintenance, it will work fine. Have any of you who have had these problems with the belts and PTO cables and such ever checked them prior to use, to see if they could be hazardous? Remember, as “rufustw” stated, the people at Lowes and Home Depot are building these tractors after they are shipped. They are not pre-assembled. The employees are given a frame in which to attach the deck, engine, seat, hood, headlights, etc. They have to wire it, they have to assemble it, and they have to sell it. There is no pride taken in what they are building. In essence, they are more-or-less giving you a semi-finished product, which, loosely assembled, can and WILL shake itself apart after a bit of running. Prior to MTD’s ownership of Troy-Bilt, I can only assume that they came pre-assembled, (I may be right or wrong) which would explain why they worked a billion times better… They weren’t being assembled by teenagers fresh out of high school that could care less whether they got the job done right, or for that matter, the customer’s satisfaction in their product… My best advice: Look the WHOLE TRACTOR over, top-to-bottom BEFORE YOU OPERATE IT, if you want to save yourself a BUNCH of headaches, and I can tell, there are a lot of people who have had some real headaches from this machine. My old 96 Poulan was supposed to be a real junk-heap after about five years of operation, but it still stands and everything still works CORRECTLY after 13 years of total abuse! The only thing wrong with it right now is the hydrostatic tranny is about to die on me, as it cannot maintain speed down a hill, and whines louder than the engine, (a Brigg’s & Stratton, mind you) going uphill. Other than that, it runs and operates great. I plan to keep it as a backup tractor when I get my Troy-Bilt. (And who knows, I may need it as such…) Just goes to show that proper preventive maintenance is truly your best friend. Happy Cutting!
the smaller john Deeres are made by mtd,also all brands of rideing tractors are made by mtd factories,we will soon be getting thim from china to many rules in this country to build anything
I have a 2006, Troy-bilt Horse lawn tractor. It has been great for me. I cut at least 3 acres of grass including pasture grass, weeds, small brush etc. I have definately put this mower to the test and it has passed with flying colors! I would certainly recommend this one.
I will never buy a Troy Built mower again. I have been through two of them in less than a year. And just TRY to talk to Troy Built about the problems. First one had the Kohler 22 hp engine. It blew a head gasket within a month and was in the shop for 6 months. Got a new one with the 25 hp. A deck pully blew apart within 10 hours. Still waiting to get it out of the shop and my 3 acres of chest high grass is waiting as well. I have a Troy Built blower, weed eater and pressure washer, I figure they will die next. I do have to say that Lowes has been good to me so far but NEVER AGAIN will I buy Troy Built!
I bought a LTX1842 Troy Bilt lawn tractor in 2003, and from a half hour after delivery until present (July 22009), I have had nothing but problems with it. Each time I mow the lawn, my only thought is “What’s going to break on it today?” I bought it because of Troy Bilt reputation for making a good and sturdy product. Boy! Was I mistaken.
for you green snobs… if you spent less than 5000 bucks… your green machine was most likely made in mexico out of inferior parts.
I have had my Troy Bilt for 3 years and have had nothing but problems with it. The latest was the parking brake won’t release. Had to flip it over and find the lever. I have had it worked on in the shop three times. The tractor is a piece of junk. Don’t buy this tractor. You get what you pay for, I think.
had my super bronco a lil over a year now and paid around 1500 bucks for it. the way it’s going i’ll have spent near that on belts before two years is up. now i have to go look for a spindle. hmmmmmm
I have had a troybilt for about 4 yrs now. The Manager of the lawn and garden section”highly recommendedit” It is a piece of crap- two batteries-smokes and chokes-stalls and crawls. Now the starter is shot, it smells like its burning. I do not consider 1200.00 as buying “cheap” crap. I plan on buying a push mower just not sure how to get rid of this riding mower-it deserves to be in a landfill-DO NOT bUY troybilt.
Chris, you are exactly right, John Deere Riders are made in Greeneville, TN. Not MTD.
I bought a Pony from Lowe’s two summers ago to cut my mother’s one acre lot. I feel fortunate after reading all the problems listed here. My only gripe so far is I can’t keep blades on the thing. At the least little suggestion they bend. Granted the property has roots and ruts to navigate but I’ve been cutting this lot for 40 years (no I don’t live at home…but when mama calls….) and never had this problem the previous Craftsman or Toro riders. The worst that happened was the engine would stall. It also does a poor job charging the battery. I’m trying to track that problem down now.
Just bought a Pony and delivered Monday. Used one time, and on Friday, 4 days later, the belt broke. Lowe’s was GREAT about response. Service was back loggged for three weeks, so I stated I don’t want to lose confidence this fast, and within 3 hours Lowe’sdelivered a brand new one to my door and took the four day old one back. Extremely great service, polite, and went out of their way. Based on that, I would buy again. I am buying the service, not the product
I have a Troy Built Pony…nothing but problems. This is my 4th yr. and so far this year have sunk over $300.00 in repairs. Just changed my starter 2 weeks ago…get on it today…starter fries. It has been one thing or the other. For you that are having trans. problem…its not the trans but a bearing in the drive system that freezes up. I am looking now for a new rider…but you can be sure it wont be a Troy Built. JUNK
I bought a Troy pony @ Lowes last summer and so far it’s been in the shop twice. First time they kept if for 2 weeks and it had a blown head gasket. It worked once and than it kept throwing the drive belt. Went into the shop this time for a month. The first time we tried to start it seems like a dead battery. Long story short this is a piece of crap.
Got my 43″Bronco at Lowes 4 years ago and has always run great. Only problem right off the bat was back firing after slowing down the engine and turning it off. Found in the manual you are supposed to turn off the key only at full throttle. Pays to read the instructions, duh! Still using the same belts that came with it. I engage the blades easily, not slamming them into gear.
What a pain to drop the deck to change blades. Made an 8″ ramp with 2×10’s and drive one front wheel up at a time, set the brakes and block rear wheels, remoce spark plug wire…..room now to reach under and remove the blades.
Take the key out of the ignition when finished…leaving it in sometimes draws juice (I don’t know why) from the battery. Same thing on my Troybilt tiller.
I don’t know why people keep replacing the same belts, pulleys, etc, over and again without figuring out why it’s happening.
I would never get a poorly assemblied machine fixed or keep it. Insist on a new replacement machine or get your money back. Maybe that way they would get a clue to hire competent help.
Forcing shifting lever in or out of gear, running a smoking engine into the ground, running with known oil leaks until engine freezes up, poor maintenance, etc, are all owner fault for not getting the problems fixed or replacing the unit.
Parting note…..we have warrenties on products in the United States because we EXPECT them to fail. There are no such warrenties in Japan because they expect their products to work. Amazing concept, huh?
I have a Troy-bilt Bronco. After 5 1/2 years and three batteries, it blew a head gasket. Now I’m wondering if it’s even worth fixing. (Anyone know if a head gasket is a user-fixable problem?) I’m weighing repairing it versus going to Sears and paying $290 for a Honda walk-behind that will probably last 10-15 years. Anyone have any advice?
the smoking (oil/gas) problem can be ignored if…..
you run the gas tank dry every time you run the thing. That was my first problem. Then it was the battery. Now it is the drive belt, and the tensioning spring which holds the belt taught.
What a shame…. or do I mean sham
I mow over 2 acres a week on a troy bronco been doin so since last April now August. I have recently replaced the blades for the first time. Keep the blades sharp. Change oil often. Watch what you mow over. Know what your doin to begin with. These troys will last 10-15 years. I mow heavy and rough ground. I work the you know what outta this troy and wouldnt think of trading even for a Deere. I go hard and so does this troy. My guess is most dont know what they are doin to begin with. Troy is a quality product. Its the operators.
I purchased a new Bronco last week. I was using it for the first time when it died on me. I started it backup and got off of it to try and see why it was still missing badly.
Just then it took off and very quickly got up to a speed way to fast for me to catch. It then crossed over into the neighbor’s yard and ran directly over their little poodle dog!
OMG! Guts flew everywhere and sounds of howeling and pitifull shreaks of pain were the last thing heard…. Dead Dog!
Save yourself a headache and get a John Deer. It’s the ONLY riding mower made today that isn’t a POS. The cutting decks are thicker AND adjustable for the cable that engages the blades. Everything else is garbage. I oughta know, I repair them every day.
BTW….A good Snapper is still the best buy for the money…hands down!
I’ve had a troy bilt super bronco for two years now, the blade pulley has had to be replaced twice, at 200.00 per repair. Next time I will buy a new mower, different brand.
I bought the Troy bilt Pony at Lowes. I used it about 10 times and the motor blew up. Pieces of motor shrapnel went flying. Thank goodness that no one was injured. Took the horrid thing back to Lowes today. Manager said they have to send it our for repair? But first they have to determine if I was the cause of the engine failure! They have got to kidding! If I do not get a brand new mower, I will sue them. And when I do get my new mower, it’s going up for sale. I will NEVER buy another Troy Bilt.
just to let everyone know..if you buy a deere, from lowes/depot ect..YES it is infact MTD, MTD has bought the trademarks/colors/logo from deere, to use on their products,,it is purely MTD unless you go direct to a JOHN DEERE dealer.
Bought ours at Lowe’s three years ago nothing but POS. Oil in the gas, backfires, battery dies every two weeks. This is not because of opertor errors, this is a class action law suit that needs to be filed. As for $1000 you get what you pay for, your sadly mistaken.
Man, sounds like Troy-Built has really gone to pot. We looked at Troy-Built riding mowers several years ago, along with several other brands…then, ended up buying a SEARS Craftsman. Caught it on sale for just under 1000 dollars… We have almost an acre and a half to mow, and have used the Craftsman mower for 3 summers now, and have done little more than change the oil and sharpen the blades. And we did buy a new battery the first of this summer… However, I will probably have to buy a new set of blades next summer, as our son in law hit something along the back fence last week and bent one of the blades pretty bad.
We bought our 22 hp Troy-bilt at Sams club a number of years ago and have not really had a problem with it. It has hit numerous stumps and cut grass usually left to the brush hog without even breaking a belt. Today it slipped a belt and upon inspection the two belts (46 inch deck)look like they are failing and need to be replaced. A spring also needs to be replaced. Any recommendations for places to buy replacements?
just go a pony its great.
Ps.I got it at Lowes & thanks to this blog I checked it out real good.I found sand in the gas tank.I Vaced it out and called Lowe so they could check out the other floor modals.But it a great mower.
When you change belts do you use the OEM belts or other brands? I notice they warn about using other brands on the MTD website as they can be dangerous by not disengaging completely. Is this really a problem or is this just a way to try to get you to buy the $80 belts from them?
Be warned. My TB Bronco has a blade engage lever in front of the left knee. If you do something the safetys don’t allow (in my case it was shifting to reverse out of habit, something another tractor allows), the engine can cough, causing the lever to strike your knee with the power of the engine behind it. I am in constant pain as a result of this horrible design.
“Inherited” a Pony with a house we bought. No start the first time. Re-gapped plug, started right up-Yeah! Then, huge cloud of gray smoke. Drained tank and carb-fresh gas added. New air filter, fuel filter and plug-same thing. Oil dripping from muffler. Told by a local mechanic that a typical problem with benzene in NJ gas. Have a new engine to install-adding a fuel shut off. Any tips on remove and install or direction to a good site that doesn’t just try to sell me stuff welcome
I have a horse 23hp Troybilt 50″cut from Lowes. They must have monkeys assembling them as the bolt supporting the idler pulley dropped out after wallowing the pivot. Fixed that. It eats drive belts. The engine is excellent. Ordered the springs that broke ( which affected the drive as in wont move. Took 10 days!!!. Called tech to find where springs go.. VVV rude tech (woman who insisted the springs are all the same) (are Not) gave up. I can see how Quality control breakdown at the factory leaves TroyBilt a sorry company. One last rant go try start the gas powered (Easy assist) hedge trimmer and see how you do
I bought my Troy Built Pony a couple years ago and all i’ve had to replace is the blades.I keep it clean keep the deck set on high and swing wide in the turns.Works as good as any other $1000 mower.My mother in law bought a Craftsman the same time I got the pony and side by side the only difference
is the stickers.
I got a 23hp 50″ cut ztr50 from Lowes on sale in July 2006. This machine had “0″ hours. Within the first ten hours all four tires went flat. I found myself constantly airing all of the tires up after just sitting overnight. I called the Troy bilt customer service center, & was told where I could take the mower. After taking the mower to an authorized service center, they told me that the seals around the rims were bad in all the tires & they would never seal again. Nothing was found in any of the tires that would cause them to go flat. The valve stems were all good. Troy Built would not replace the tires, this is after I had the mower for 30 days… So I had to replace them myself. I bought 4 new tires & put tubes in them, no problems since. At 15 hours both deck hanger cables broke. I took the cables off & took them to the sevice center, Troy Built said that since I took them off of the deck that they would not honor the warranty, so I replaced the deck hangers with chains, no problem since. When I hit 22 hours the poor welds on the deck separated & the deck came apart. Once again I took it to the service center, only for them to say that they would not honor the warranty, so I grinded the poor welds off & welded the deck back together “on both sides” & haven’t had a problem with the deck coming apart since. I just replaced the battery @ 291 hours. I have over 300 hours on it & I mow my 8.5 acres. The PTO gets stuck every so often. The one thing that I hate about this machine is the gas tank is black & there is no gas gauge, so when you run out of gas you wont know it until it happens, so I have to have a gas can near by! The gas cap vibrates loose unless I tighten it down with big channel locks. I did a lot of research on this machine & its brother the Home Depot Cub Cadet model, both built by MTD, parts interchange, but I wish that I would have got the cub cadet! If you buy a mower cause its on sale please look it over, bring someone who mows for a living, or is mechanically inclined with you when you are ready to buy a mower so they can check it out for you…it never hurts to be real picky about something like this! Look at mower options ’cause little things will become big things in a hurry! Look for things that will be a problem & fix them before they turn into a headache! Take a notebook & write things down & compare mower options & prices! Remember there’s always a lemon mower out there, well these days it seems like they all are lemons! Get your moneys worth & Happy mowing!
Oops! I forgot to mention about the sorry 6 point spindles & blades…replaced all three spindle housings, replaced all 3 spindle shafts several times due to the 6 points wearing out… I finally just looked up the shaft # for the 50″ cub cadet that used the “round hole blades” & haven’t had to worry about buying those expensive 6 or 3 point blades again… good luck mowing!
I bought my troy bilt pony from lowes the very first time i used it the deck hanger weld on the left side broke and the deck hit the ground. they replaced it for me and sold it as reconditioned to the next sucker(no warranty). I used my replacement for only one season and it is constantly in the shop. It is not lowes fault that it is a piece of junk. They are just selling something affordable to people looking for something affordable. but i will never again buy a troy bilt. period end of discussion.
I have to say I must be a fool. My father bought a Troy Bilt lawn tractor and had problems keeping the belt on it. I looked at it couldnt figure out why it kept messing up. It seemed to give problems every 4th time you mowed. Now stupid me got a good deal ( I thought on a tuffy ) so I bought it. Dont have anything to do with Troy Bilt products unless you like working all week then working on this junk every weekend. I do mean every weekend. JUNK. Never I again I promise. Oh by the way had a tiller from Troy about 3yrs ago. Guess what? Junk. Why do we keep these JUNK dealers in business?
I have had a pony riding mower for two seasons now and she is a real good little work horse….never a problem with her other than replacing the blades will will have to be done this year.
I cut over 2 acres of land with her and she eats it up with no problem.
Kinglake Australia
Brand new pony two years ago, got it off the trailer , started up steering pin fell out slammed into wifes new car,
3 hours mowing spring broke ground into spindle housing,
10 hours cross bar on side discharge snapped,
Have gone thru 6 belts, 4 spindle assemblies, battery died after 4 months absolute heap of s;;t.
Not bad for about 100hrs of mowing,
I must say though all my problems have been with deck, engine has performed flawlessly.
Should have bought tractor would have been better.
We purchased a self propelled Troy Bilt lawnmower. After one year the wheels and gears had to be replaced. They were very cheap plastic. After the second year the self propelled feature no longer worked. When we took it in for service we were told the transmission had to be replaced, which we were told cost in excess of $200. At this point we cut our losses and junked it. Our recommendation is to stay away from Troy Bilt. They are made with very cheap plastic materials that only last until the warranty expires. Total junk!!!!
We had a 17hp twin cylinder MTD from Walmart purchased in 1996, which was getting a bit tired, but gave great service, and still runs. It was replaced in 2007 with a Troy-Bilt Big Red Horse 50″ with the 23hp Kohler engine. In 2 seasons of plowing snow and mowing there have been no problems at all. I was surprised how powerful and easily it pushed snow around my driveway. I purchased it directly from MTD online, so perhaps the quality of the assembly is superior to HD or Lowe’s. (Re: Post # 68). Anyway, very happy with the two MTD tractors I’ve owned.
Troy Bilt Pony is a piece of junk! Motor exploded several months after I bought the mower. Lowes says that I “had no oil in the motor”. That is a total fabrication!!!! The oil was changed as instructed in the handbook and was properly full when the damned thing blew up. I used oil absorber to get up the oil that was covering the mower. Oil was all over my grass from the explosion. Still, Troy Bilt says there was “no oil in the mower”. Of course not!!! after the piston went through the side of the engine, all the oil ran out. As proof, I sent the bag full of oil and absorber along to the factory for repair. After six weeks of “expert examination” they decided that it was my fault that I let the motor run out of oil. So here I am, out one grand after three months of use and a bunch of so called “experts” calling me a liar. Obviously the warranty is worth no more than the paper it is written on. A product that does not stand by it’s warranty claim is a usless company. I will never, never, never buy anything from Troy Bilt again. I am still considering a the small claims route to try to recover some of my money. But basically it’s my word against theirs. I might have to chalk this up as a hard lesson learned.
my pop bought a new troy built to pos. belts break then it caught on fire…. as far as the green goes. mtd makes them to up to 29 hp. and the koler motors they used a few years back popped like orville redsnacker. aint nuthing worth a crap any more. like these china scooters. all junk. cheaper to buy a few goats to eat the grass
Wow, i’m really surprised to be reading about all these problems with Troy- Bilt. My mother has one and its a piece of %$#@. I just thought that she had a lemon. What a disappointment, “TROY-BILT, SHAME ON YOU” In the years past, Troy Bilt made such an excellent product. Now, Troy-Bilt is cheating the consumer via sub standard quality, while tricking us with there once good name.
Wow! What great comments. Being the only person it seems to work on these things for a living here, I may be able to help some of you. I bought (and rode) the Pony for $250 nearly new (my shop would never sell one of these, so I bought it “in house” on a trade in). These mowers are NOT junk compared to any other tractors from large retail stores. MTD ownes nearly everything in the industry, your complaints mean nothing to them, they buy and sell companies like candy (THEY ARE HUGE). They didn’t make the tranny or motor (NEITHER DID DEERE, I hate John Deere). They aren’t responsable for leaking carbs that weren’t designed for corn fuel, or transmissions that fall apart… Bad engineering??? We’re not talking about Lockheed Martin here, we’re talking Redneck engineering (Dixie Chopper? See, it’s even in the name!). You cheap asses have forced all good companies to cutthroat each other to drive down their prices and compete!!!… I still like Snapper (rear engine rider, disk drive ONLY). But just give it time, because Briggs and Stratton bought them too (including Simplicity), and soon someone will say their profit margin is low and they will kill the whole line of rear engine riders (just too expensive to produce). If only Honda made their tractors still??? Who am I kidding, no one here would spend over 4K on a riding mower. LOL Hope I helped!!!!!!Go modern AMERICA!
I bought a Troy Bilt Pony from Lowes 4 years ago. It has never made it through a mowing season without breaking down. The first 3 seasons, the steering gear broke and had to be replaced. I had to pay to have it picked up/delivered and it cost about $300 to repair each time. The first time it broke, it was one week after the warranty ran out. Currently it is in the shop again, this time the tie rod to one of the wheels broke. I have also had to replace the deck belt 3 times at about $50 a crack. I bought a Troy Bilt because of its reputation. I hadn’t known that Troy Bilt went bankrupt and was bought by tin wizards MTD. I’m trading it this week for a Snapper Zero Radius……