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Lawn mowers and Web sites
By Gearhead, NetworkWorld.com, 05/21/05
The reason that many Web sites are hard or unsatisfying to use either comes down to naivete or ignorance. The problem is that they often ask you to follow a non-intuitive path through their site to get what you want but wind up not delivering the goods.
We ran across such a site the other day. We own a Yard-Man riding mower manufactured by MTD Products. Our machine is the Sears Yard Bug a now discontinued model. Our wife says that it looks like it should be made by Playskool and that we look very amusing as we scuttle around on it. Be that as it may, it is a neat package though we must admit not as well designed as we first thought.
Anyway, when the Yard Bug failed to start the other day we decided to fix it - it had to be electrical and how hard could it be?
The answer was "very." The manual that comes with the machine has a diagram of the wiring harness that doesn't actually show any connections and none of the interlock safety switches are shown on any of the mechanical drawings. So, the obvious thing to do is check the manufacturer's Web site. Right?
Wrong.
Go to the MTD Owner's Manual section and try to find the Lawn Bug. You will need the machine's model number and - get this - the machine's serial number! This is ridiculous! Worse still there's nothing there more than the original manual as a PDF but it will take you ages to find this out given the site's organization. Which is where we started this diatribe.
Try to find the model on the site. Go to the home page and in the "Product Menu" combo box select "Riding Tractors". The resulting page appears rather devoid of information until you realize that you are supposed to click on the photograph of the tractor. Has MTD ever got a real human being to test the site? This layout is anything but obvious.
When you do crack the code you get another tractor picture and a list of products without pictures so if you don't know that your model is discontinued you have to click on each link in turn. Argggh.
And should you want to get really frustrated, just try the section "What Model is Best for You?" If you choose attributes that don't match the spec of any of their products you wind up at a page that tells you "Any one of these products will work for you. See your local retailer for availability. … No results were found."
At the very least the process should have tried to sell us something even vaguely close rather than drop us into decision limbo.
So, what can we conclude from this?
1. Make it easy to find products by name and show pictures.
2. Do not run users down dead ends and don't miss a selling opportunity.
3. In the age of the Web you can't omit information or keep details hidden without looking bad.
Interestingly we could only find a couple of on-line comments from people who had bought this machine and they weren't good. If only those comments had been on-line when we bought the machine and we'd had any idea of how inadequate the documentation was.
Anyway, we finally gave in and called customer service at MTD who said they didn't have wiring diagrams either and that such a thing wasn't even in the service manual! Amazing!
We finally gave up trying to decode the wiring loom and got the service guy in who confirmed the Lawn Bug is not something he particularly likes to service. We know why.
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Comments
I am having the same exact problem with my White Yard Bug. I've done numerous searches and find zip as far as repair. My mower worked fine yesterday then poof ...won't start today. Doesn't even make a sound when I turn the key!!
Posted by: Beverly on May 28, 2005 05:07 PM
Hello,
Same problem for the White Outdoor lawn mower.
I need a owner's manual for a R-86 model, but nobody can help me!
Regards,
Daniel Huygh
Posted by: niel Huygh on June 13, 2005 06:56 AM
To the right hand side of your battery is the starter sylanoid. It has two large wires (bolt on) and one small one. The small on is on top had is a slide on "spade" and the wire is orange. Unplug this wire, and run a jumper from the spade on the sylanoid to the + terminal on the battery, as soon as you touch the jumper wire to the + terminal, the motor should start to crank. If it does, you've likely got a safety switch or ignition switch problem. However, if your Yard Bug is like mine, you'll hear (and see if you look closely) a small spark but nothing else will happen. If this is the case, the sylanoid is bad. It will likely crank if you tap on the sylanoid (with wrench or something) as you touch the wire on and off. Mine cranked when I did this. Sylanoid is dirty inside, not working properly. Needs replaced. I've not priced it yet but suspect $25 or less. Anybody intellegent enough to go to the bathroom on their own and not eat hammers when left un attended can replace this part. Go to your local lawn mower repair shop and order the part. Incidentally, remove the wire running to the - side of the battery before making this part change. When you've got it installed, reconnect the battery. Happy Mowing! Dave (forgive my spelling)
Posted by: Dave Thacker on July 27, 2005 08:05 PM
