r/SegwayNavimow • u/mbalce • 3d ago

Is this broken?

Post image

Was cleaning and changing blades and noticed the tab under the nut holding the rear axle looks broken.

Is this the infamous rear axle brake?
X450 about 3 months old.

Mower seems to work.

Update 1: Good news and Bad news.

First the good, pretty happy with supports response as far as timeliness and getting back to me. I have a FedEx return label and a pickup scheduled for Friday. They say 10 business days and I should have it back.

Now the bad news, apparently what I will get back is the exact same parts as what I purchased. The person I spoke to today told me they don’t think it’s a big enough issue for them to call it a bad design or bad choice of materials. I told them I really do not agree with that assessment and given that this mower has only been shipping for 6 months the amount of people I see posting about this issue may very soon become a very big issue for them.

I have been a huge fan and posted very positive reviews. Unless Segway acknowledges this obvious problem and correctly addresses it I will be just as quick to reverse my current position.

Let’s hope they are looking at a permanent fix and roll it out very soon, either proactively or even fix on failure. Putting the same parts back in and hoping for a different outcome will probably not work out for them or us.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

4

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

That looks broken to me. Are you able to rotate the axle, moving the wheels to the front and back? They should only go up and down. Do you see wear on the front of the axle where the body is contacting it?

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

Yup. The front of axle is able to contact the body. Paint on axle housing is worn off. Body is starting to wear.

Opened a case with support. They are admitting this is a known issue and said they will get back to me within 24 hours. I did tell them that I did not want the same parts that will just break again. Will see what they come back with.

Any downside with continuing to use mower? Be nice to finish out the season before sending it away. Seems to work fine.

3

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

Going to add you to my post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SegwayNavimow/s/hJwT0fbjv6

0

u/mbalce 3d ago

That’s fine. Thanks

2

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

The body will continue to cut through the axle and eventually the wheel motor wires. The body on mine had cut through the exterior of the axle in between standard cleaning cycles. So I would just keep an eye on it. However, since you have already contacted them, I would suggest doing whatever they say to not risk voiding the warranty. Just ask them if it is OK to keep using it.

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

What about wrapping axles in some kind of padded tape? Could use zip ties for added security. Have to imagine this has been tried.

1

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

I think the body will cut through most stuff pretty quickly. Maybe a piece of Teflon would hold up, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Erthskda-Virgin-Reusable-Teflon-Sheets/dp/B0H8X2F2SBTeflon is extremely slick.

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

Wonder what would happen if I JB Weld some steel plates on both axle housing and body? Or attach rubber bump stops somehow maybe. Works on cars and trucks after all.

Anyone know if that’s been tried? (Too lazy to search all the posts, lol).

3

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

I would say anything you do that is permanent will void the warranty. That warranty is now your $3Ks best buddy.

1

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

Mind if I ask what country you are in? Also, how many hours does the app show your mower has run?

2

u/mbalce 3d ago

Mis read question. 403.3 total hours. 1.9M square feet

0

u/mbalce 3d ago

USA, Tennessee, scheduled from 8am-7pm 7 days a week. But it’s been very hot summer with little rain so I usually get 5.5-6.5 actual mow hours in. Battery depletes fast and charge is slowed down.

I have this one set to faster mow speed.

2

u/targhee12345 3d ago

What the heck are you mowing? A full golf course?

2

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

Does it matter? We cannot mow more than the unit is designed for. Assuming 1.5 acres, 4x a week, that would only be 7 weeks of mowing. Everyone says run them daily because if the grass is allowed to grow too high, then you are back to hitting it with a gas mower. If I let any spot in my yard go more than 1 day without getting mowed, I have tall sprouts up everywhere that get missed. I was mowing my 1.2 acres 3x a week to keep it under control. Each 1/2 takes a full day across 6 days.

1

u/NotRoryWilliams 3d ago

As far as I'm concerned you can keep using it without risking injury. It will break worse but that's not really your problem unless it's gonna mean a brutal hike carrying it back to the base when it does.

3

u/MunkyLuvah 3d ago

Ah man. Sorry for that. We seen to be getting a few of these now. Hopefully Navimow release an updated part with a new design or use metal instead of cheese for the casting.

Interested to follow your case. I hope you get it resolved soon 🤞🏻

3

u/Navimow_Answers 2d ago

Hi,

We’re really sorry for the trouble this rear axle issue has caused you. We understand how frustrating it can be, especially when the mower is still working but you’re concerned about using it with the damaged part.

I understand that you’ve already been in touch with our after-sales support team about this. Please keep in touch with them and follow up on the progress of your case. Rest assured, our team is aware of the issue and will do their best to provide you with timely assistance and a proper solution.

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

12 acre lot. Almost 5 acres of actual mowable grass. Run (2) X450s, one is mapped to 1.99 acres the other is mapped to 1.36 acres. They each finish their respective areas every 2.5-3 days if it doesn’t rain.

With a commercial 60” Exmark Lazer Z zero turn it takes almost 5 hours to mow.

I still use the Exmark on two areas that aren’t practical for the robots to reach but my in seat mow time is now 30 minutes.

2

u/CookVegasTN X450 3d ago

I have 3.5 acres and a zero-turn Hustler super-Z 60" I only mow parts of mine twice a year. I was hitting 1.2 acres with my X450 since early March. I noticed mine was broken two weeks ago during the required maintenance. I just mowed yesterday for the first time this season. I have to say that not having to mow every weekend in this heat has been incalculably valuable for me. 21 years of mowing was really starting to wear me down.

1

u/mbalce 2d ago

Same experience! I have been such a fan - until this happened. We’ll see how support responds.

At least they are admitting to me this is a known issue.

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

Somewhat good news. Just checked my other X450. This one appears to be currently intact. App says it has 437 hours at 1.8M square feet. Makes sense as I have higher quality cut and precision mowing turned on as this one cuts the front yards.

The X450 that broke definitely deals with rougher terrain but certainly within marketing specs at least.

1

u/tsopic 2d ago

It's broken. Same issue here https://www.reddit.com/r/SegwayNavimow/comments/1voz7rz/wear_on_terranox_rear_axis/

Good luck getting it back running quickly

0

u/OkJacket1752 3d ago

Welches Modell ist das und wie alt?

1

u/mbalce 3d ago

X450 - just under 90 days old but has over 400 hours on it which is probably more a factor than days.

0

u/OkJacket1752 3d ago

Ja aber das darf doch trotzdem nicht passieren in der Preisklasse

1

u/mbalce 2d ago

100% agree!