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Horrible Hayter

p.bellp.bell Posts: 1
in Tools and techniques
I had a Hayter Harrier for 15 years which was great. Solidly built and very reliable. I bought a new one 4 years ago and the build quality was simply shocking. Problems from day one and then a couple of weeks ago I was told it needed a new gear box which would cost nearly half the price I paid for the mower!
I contacted Hayter’s customer service department would could not have been more unhelpful. What used to be iconic brand in the mower world has turned into a second class business, with second class products and an associated attitude to customer service.
A great shame and a brand I would suggest you steer well clear of.

Posts

  • KT53KT53 Posts: 7,771
    Like so many iconic brands I expect Hayter was taken over and the new owners reduce production costs by using inferior components but still charge a premium for the name.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,008
    I have a Harrier 41 from 1997  still works perfectly.  What made you replace your old one? 
    AB Still learning

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 33,757
    edited March 2021
    I'll see you horrible Hayter and raise you a Dreadful Deere.
    I  have a £3,500 John Deere ride on and it's a pile of plap. 
    I could list faults all day long and still not get to the end of them
    Devon.
  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Bought a hayter r53 in 2014 (b&s engine) and it hasn't missed a beat cutting five lawns and some of which are rough, it gets a hard time and survives well. Can't recommend it enough.  Before that a mountfield was a much inferior product for same job.   
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,642
    My 25 year old Hunter 41 is now dead because I can't get the parts to fix it. It has a nasty design flaw where the plastic undertray also supports the rear wheel suspension point resulting in a high stress point which breaks. I should have bought an extra spare last time it broke.
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,348
    I had a Hayter ride on tractor mower with a B&S engine.  It was great and lasted us 18 years.  When it came time to replace it we did some research and if I remember correctly Hayter is now owned by Murray....not so good.  We bought another brand but it doesn't have a B&S engine, only had it two years......time will tell.
    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,133
    As far as I can make out, in 1985 the family firm of Hayter was sold to F H Tomkins, a financial holding company, though it started life as a buckle making company in Walsall. In 1988 F H Tomkins bought the American lawn mower company Murray. In 2004 the US firm of Briggs and Stratton acquired the Murray name and in 2005 Hayter was sold to Toro, another American company.
    Rutland, England
  • DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
    I have a Hayter Osprey 46, one of their 'budget' range of push mowers. It's a year old but absolutely brilliant, well-built and copes with all sorts.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 7,771
    BenCotto said:
    As far as I can make out, in 1985 the family firm of Hayter was sold to F H Tomkins, a financial holding company, though it started life as a buckle making company in Walsall. In 1988 F H Tomkins bought the American lawn mower company Murray. In 2004 the US firm of Briggs and Stratton acquired the Murray name and in 2005 Hayter was sold to Toro, another American company.

    Which just confirms my previous comment that the name on the badge means nothing any more.  It certainly doesn't confirm that something that was a quality product a couple of decades ago is still built to the same standard.
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