We had our 2008 XUV 850D Gator (350hrs) serviced at an Ohio JD Dealership last month. It was making a thunking-clunking sound coming from under the floor board. The dealership replaced the front-end bearings, drive shaft, and also replaced BOTH centrifical clutches to the tune of about $2000. My neighbor has 2 850D XUV's and also had them at the same dealership for the SAME CLUNKING noise. The bearings in his Gators are also toast; one of the clutches was cracked. After many phone calls and talking to various people we finally got some action at the dealership level.
John Deere Company agreed to pay 1/3 of the bill, the dealership agreed to pay 1/3 of the bill. that brought my bill down to about $670. Still a lot of money to spend. :mad:
Our gator has been making that noise since early 2012, it had maybe 280 hours on it when I first noticed it. (280 hours is 7 weeks of working 40 hours a week, our Gator is not moving all the time, it idles a portion of the hours is has...think about that.:rolleyes:) the gator is ready for a $2000 repair bill. This is ridiculous. Let me tell you why. The bearings are crap...most are made in CHINA. Parts that replaced the worn bearings are also made in...yep...CHINA. Cheap parts. Our neighbor is working on one of his and purchased bearings made in USA...you can tell a marked difference for the better.
While all of this was going on we have identified 7 friends/neighbors within a few miles of us who also have the same problem with their Gators. 2 of these made this noise from the very beginning while the gator was still under warranty. One person was told by their dealership "Oh, they all do that". The other one was told to "...back up about 20 feet to put the wheels back in sync..." Unfortunately Those gators are now no longer under warranty. All 7 are about 2005 or later models, most with low hours and are making a clunking noise underneath. We all use our Gators on farms to do chores. No rough stuff, mud bogs, creeks, etc. Just checking fences, cows, feeding, taking trash out, hauling firewood and chainsaws, going back and forth to barn, getting mail, etc.
IF YOU HAVE A GATOR MAKING A THUNKING-CLUNKING NOISE THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Call your dealer from whom you bought it or who you deal with and talk to the service manager. Print out this post and tell them that JD company is aware of the problem. They should fix it for you and pay for at least 2/3 of it. Stay on them. If enough people with Gators innundate JD maybe they will recall these gators. If not, I see an opportunity for a possible class action lawsuit.
I wish all of you the best in resolving your issues with this. Please pass the word around to everyone you know who owns one of these.
"There are more colors than GREEN"
John Deere Company agreed to pay 1/3 of the bill, the dealership agreed to pay 1/3 of the bill. that brought my bill down to about $670. Still a lot of money to spend. :mad:
Our gator has been making that noise since early 2012, it had maybe 280 hours on it when I first noticed it. (280 hours is 7 weeks of working 40 hours a week, our Gator is not moving all the time, it idles a portion of the hours is has...think about that.:rolleyes:) the gator is ready for a $2000 repair bill. This is ridiculous. Let me tell you why. The bearings are crap...most are made in CHINA. Parts that replaced the worn bearings are also made in...yep...CHINA. Cheap parts. Our neighbor is working on one of his and purchased bearings made in USA...you can tell a marked difference for the better.
While all of this was going on we have identified 7 friends/neighbors within a few miles of us who also have the same problem with their Gators. 2 of these made this noise from the very beginning while the gator was still under warranty. One person was told by their dealership "Oh, they all do that". The other one was told to "...back up about 20 feet to put the wheels back in sync..." Unfortunately Those gators are now no longer under warranty. All 7 are about 2005 or later models, most with low hours and are making a clunking noise underneath. We all use our Gators on farms to do chores. No rough stuff, mud bogs, creeks, etc. Just checking fences, cows, feeding, taking trash out, hauling firewood and chainsaws, going back and forth to barn, getting mail, etc.
IF YOU HAVE A GATOR MAKING A THUNKING-CLUNKING NOISE THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Call your dealer from whom you bought it or who you deal with and talk to the service manager. Print out this post and tell them that JD company is aware of the problem. They should fix it for you and pay for at least 2/3 of it. Stay on them. If enough people with Gators innundate JD maybe they will recall these gators. If not, I see an opportunity for a possible class action lawsuit.
I wish all of you the best in resolving your issues with this. Please pass the word around to everyone you know who owns one of these.
"There are more colors than GREEN"
