Vermeer 352 Problems

[stumpjumpermo]

I own a professional stump removal company in Missouri. I purchased a new Vermeer SC352 diesel that is now 2 years old and 600 hours. During that time I have had to invest over $4,000 in repairs for driveline, motor mounts, and electrical problems. I am not at all satisified with this piece of equipment and was wondering if there were other 352 owners with similiar trouble?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

352 owner here ,to date no serious problems,other than oil leaks on a steering ram,and a leak coming from a drive motor..

 

[stumpy66]

I only have 120 hours on mine but no problems so far....has enyone seen the new updated version. i thought the mods on it were a logical progression...

 

[Bigstumps]

What are the mods on the new one?

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

What are the mods on the new one?

Ditto

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

What are the mods on the new one?

whats the matter with these big manufactures ,don't they road test a machine ,or are we the guinea pigs

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

What are the mods on the new one?

whats the matter with these big manufactures ,don't they road test a machine ,or are we the guinea pigs

 

[TBONE]

bump for more replies for stumpjumpermo. Vermeer customer service is pretty lacking I must say. I have only had a few interactions with them and they don't seem to care once you buy the equipment. Very disapointing after dropping my kids college fund on a grinder!

 

[Bigstumps]

. Very disapointing after dropping my kids college fund on a grinder!

Get to work, get a bigger grinder - send your kids to Harvard with the money - then they can work for Vermeer and treat you like a POS:greenchainsaw:

 

[TBONE]

Get to work, get a bigger grinder - send your kids to Harvard with the money - then they can work for Vermeer and treat you like a POS:greenchainsaw:

lol...looks like I hit a nerve. Or you work for vermeer.

 

[911crash]

my 352 has had no real problems, a broken motor adjusting bolt and a cracked weld on the shield covering the wheel. i took the grinder in couple weeks ago with problems starting and stalling out randomly. they told me they found a loose wire or something fixed it and said no other problem. first job using it after repair it stalled numerous times. next day was talking to one of guys about he asked if i checked oil?? low and behold it was @2qts low you would think the dealer would check that. especially with the frequent stalling.:bang:

 

[stumpy66]

The shield covering the wheel is one of the mods.....you can flick the curtain up and hold it in place with a bolt think....mine just hangs loose and gets bent on gates when it flops down...so good mod, they reckon the engine is quieter...couldn't tell...the engine grill is rubber mounted now so it doesn't vibrate annoyingly. clutch switch has moved to near the levers, 4 wheel drive is a good ne, with articulated axle at the back....thats about it.....sensible mods i think.....As for dealers, if you want a job done, do it yourself.....anyone used a bandit grinder?

 

[Bigstumps]

anyone used a bandit grinder?

Friend in Alabama bought a track. Looks like a big tow behind mounted on tracks - don't know the model number. Nothing but huge problems. Bandit took it back to the factory a couple of times, still huge problems. Won't swap it out or refund. He is trying to sell or trade it. Haven't seen or heard anything about their other models.

 

[John464]

I have had a lot of problems with my SC352, but with that said when its running right its a great little machine.


Just recently my 352 is starting to stall out when taking big bites. never did this before since it is equipped with AutoSweep. Tightened the belts, that seemed to help a little but its still doing it..... so I have to "grind lightly" to get the stumps out. Anyone had a similar problem or know of some things I should check?

 

[stumpjumpermo]

For those of you talking about the "mod's", were those done under warranty or were they just new additions for the new machines coming out?

 

[stumpjumpermo]

For those of you talking about frequent cutting out or stalling, my experience has been it's usually an electrical problem. Behind the panel that the throttle control, ignition switch etc is 2 relays and a bunch of wires. What happened to me was the wires were working off the spades of the relays part of the time, the relays themselves backed out of the block part of the time, and other times the wires going into the relays were broken. Anytime any of those wires work loose or break it will shut down the engine. I took zip ties and secured the relays to the block which has eliminated any further problems other than broken wires!

As far as the low oil, a equipment rental house near me had big trouble with the engine running out of oil and shutting down. The engine (diesel) had to be replaced I believe twice but once I know for sure and I know that problems still continue for it. My local Vermeer dealer recommended checking the oil at least every 2 hours of operation. Just FYI

 

[Bigstumps]

Diesels do tend to burn a little more oil, but checking it every two hours seems excessive. If the engine injests any dirt through the air intake they will really start to burn oil. I check my oil every day before I go out and change it every 75 hours - pretty cheap insurance!

 

[stumpy66]

The mods are on the new machine....also one of the mods was the swirch/relay panel that houses the fuses...its now covered in....has a plate on the back.....presumably its to protect its contents..ie the relays...the 4 wheel drive is a good mod......havent seen that on it yet but the new model has it apparently...still no remote...shame..

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

so basicly our 352's are now a worthless pos,with the new model being 4x4 etc ,it makes our machines [352's ] look pretty poor,...I will never buy a new vermeer EVER!!!!!!!!!

 

[stumpy66]

arrhhh shusss....i have no problems with mine....it does the job....just think that the only machine in that sector of the market has just got better.....if there was another machine to match it...i would be pissy...my 352 is ok......my mind is still inquiring about peoples experience of the bandit range of machines.....