I own one of these and run a lawn care business. The drive belt will chew itself up on this thing, there's a pulley that was out of line with the rest of them, requires a spacer go get it aligned. Also check the oil EVERY time you use it, I failed once and the 691V ran out of oil and locked up. I now have to replace the head gaskets and valve guide seals. I have 550hrs on mine and dog the shit out of it! They're good mowers once they're set up and you make the needed repairs. I agree they should make a better product!
I know one of the problems with this mower was the pulleys on the pump were not in line with the others you would have to shim down the pulley with a spacer or washers. It was a factory defect.. I mean this was a S**T stupid design, don't they even have a quality control?
This stuff has nothing to do with the quality of the mower, my 1500 dollar 46 inch Airens yard tractor is the best mower I've ever had v twin Briggs is awesome bought it in 13 and it has been used, maintenance is the key
Here's your problem: Big box stores like Lowe's are notorious for botching assembly. They take some goober who can barely assemble a wheel barrow and assign him to assemble zero turns. Go over the mower and correct the things they screwed up- like the mounting and leveling of the deck. You shouldn't have to do this...but it is the most propitious and economical thing to do, as you'll likely never get any satisfaction from Lowe's unless you spend many hours writing letters. Yes...Lowe's is the one who should be taking care of this, not Ariens- because Lowe's is functioning as the dealer here, and thus they should be handling the warranty- especially since it sounds like there is nothing wrong with your mower other than poor assembly. They're good mowers...you just got stiffed by buying it at Lowe's.
when I bought my 2022 Ariens Ikon XD 52 Limited Edition I went to a Local Ariens / Gravely dealer. got the same price as Lowe's and a better quality mower. they even delivered it the same day for free. got it on their 3 yr zero interest payment plan and paid it off in under a year. The limited edition came in a retro color scheme of orange and white with a retro emblems instead of stickers, rubber floor mat, a rubber bumper pad on the leftside of the deck side, a upgraded adjustable seat, gray rims, and a round foot peg for the deck height adjustment like the commercial mowers have. it was the same price as the Gravely model, just $300 more then the base model Lowes carries. a much nicer mower in my opinion. avoid box store buys. they suck and who knows who put it together at the box store. You wont pay any more going straight to the Ariens dealer then the box store. You will get a better deal and better service, and they stand behind the product.
also came with metal covers on the spindlles top of the deck. They obviously did not assemble your mower correctly. I have the same belt that came with it new, my mower cuts really nice and other then changing the oil and this spring the blades it all is still original. I would not go to Lowes for anything power equiptment wise. they just dont care.
Just bought mine 2 hrs ago has .4 hrs and broke deck belt and when it did shattered the right side pulley cover . Again purched mower 2 half hrs ago has .4 hrs , .4 and broke deck belt on a yard that was mowed by a JDE130
Sucks that you had those problems but it makes me feel even better for buying mine from an actual dealer where selling and repairing this type of equipment is their main focus rather than just being yet another department within a big store. Mine is the smaller 42" model and it has some changes from the prior models such as a pin system for the deck height rather than the dial. I haven't used it a lot yet but so far I think it is great.
The initial set up is a make or break on the machine. The dealer is the place to go unless you are hands on with the wrench. My Ariens snowblowers been great.
The dealer is the place you buy these big ticket mechanical items from. Many of these companies are ruining their reputation by selling through big box stores. Plus miscommunication.
3rd world country business model shit. All these videos are making the case for me to keep/fix what I've got, which is a 31 yr old Cub Cadet w/driveshaft. Sad. Thanks.
Guess you learned go to a dealer only buy a shovel or bolts at Lowes or Home depot only.....If I spent 4 grand would never be on internet no disrespect.
You might want to take the belt guards off. Debre is probably getting trapped in them and throwing belts off the pullies. They are on there for consumer protection product liability insurance issues only, and not because they actually protect the belts. This has always worked for me.
same i got the icon 52 i just bought it last month i got 19 hours on it broke belt one of the spindles is hard to spin .. i took it in the dealer waiting to get it back now 4 days
I bought a used 2002 John Deere LT 166 in 2010 and have used it every year since. It has a V twin Briggs that has never skipped a beat. The spindles and the deck are still perfect. The front tires are getting bald but the rear ones are fine after 22 years. I like the zero turns but I am afraid they will not last anywhere near as well as the old John Deere I already have.
I bought an Aries Icon x 54” when they first came out I mow two acres had it for 6 years 300 hours on it haven’t had one issue with it. Why do people think just because the deck has wheels you put it on the ground there just to catch the deck on an uneven situation especially on a zero turn when you turn it’s instant so deck wheels will gouge soft ground.Places like Lowe’s doesn’t hire small engine mechanics so when something gets put together most doesn’t know what they’re doing!
This sounds exactly like my experience buying a mower from lowes. Mine took a week to be delivered. It was a Craftsman (couldn't afford the Ariens). It was delivered with unchecked assembly. Took time to fix the deck alignment, seat, handlebars, etc. Was also missing a clevis pin for the deck lift. Lowes answer was "call Craftsman", but I knew Craftsman would say "authorized service center only", so I just took care of it. I've had it for under a year. It's got around 30 hours on it and it's broke down 3 times. Closest warranty service I could get done is a shop an hour away. First time was the deck belt. Second time was the drive belt. Third time the idler pulley fell off the deck due to a sheared bolt. Neither Craftsman, nor Lowes has done anything for me. I'm only buying from places with actual dealers and service centers near me (JD, Kubota, Bobcat, etc).
I bought the very first icon 54” when they came out been a great zero turn have over 300 hours now haven’t to fix a single thing on it just did once a year service on it. You can’t run the deck on the ground I have mine set on the 3 inch setting plenty low enough, plus I keep mine in building out of weather year round, plus remember it’s a zero turn not a tractor made for mowing!
Have the Ikon XD 42 with 210 hrs. Had to replace the hydro drive belt once, was difficult but now that I've learned to do it can get that done in about 30 minutes. Most of that time is loosening then tightening the tension spring. Other that that no problems.
Lowes is a bunch of dumb asses. I ordered a $5K table saw and they dropped it off the truck (500lbs) in my driveway and destroyed it. At that point it was week late. And I had to return it to Lowe’s myself. They did give me 10% off but I had to wait 2 more weeks. The 3rd party shipping company was crap.
I hate that you are having these issues. I would be PISSED too if that happened to me. I have the previous version of the same mower and it has been a great mower and the terrain I have to mow abuses the heck out of the mower every time I use it. I actually thought about posting a video of the crap I put it through. Before I bought the Ariens I bought a JD lawn tractor and didn't like it. I only used it two weeks and Lowes let me return it.
Well I was looking at the New icon but after watching some reviews I'm seriously reconsidering. I was all set and ready to go get it and then I start finding videos like this. Apparently the belts they was a bad batch is why they were breaking apparently. But I've got couple acres that I mow part of. It is pastor that I keep trim down and it's hilly so I was definitely going to have to get some different tires on it but with all the issues that's coming up I really don't think it will work for me. I've got a 2001 Husqvarna LGT 2654 that I've had for over 8 years and it's still a going. I just wanted something different
First mistake was buying from Lowes, support your local small business even if it's miles away. They will give better service and correct problems you may have in person, not dealing with morons on the phone who could care less!
I waited at Lowes a couple of hours today waiting for someone to come sell me a mower. I was planning on a John Deere but saw the Ariens and since I was unsuccessful in buying anything today I thought I would look for reviews. My experience at Lowes was the same as yours.
