** Got a replacement mower back today. I'm going to use it a bit and then post another video review. ***UP-UPDATE*** June 2015 *** OK I contacted Denver Global Product directly on their website about my broken Raven. I got a response through email right away asking me to call them. When i called they answered right away. I explained what happened and she said that it sounds like they will just swap out the unit. A Raven guy came today. He swapped out the 48v battery and was going to swap out the deck but as i suspected there is something more serious going on. So he took the unit and said he would get it checked out and brought back out sometime next week. ****UPDATE****** May 2015 ****** I have been a cheerleader for the Raven since i first saw it over to years ago. I bought one of the very first ones available, the one in this video. This one was replaced. First they replaced the deck, then the whole mower. The replacement came directly from the factory. It still had problems but it was a new product and i expected not everything would be perfect but expected them to fix it. My blade had come off. Then they brought me the beta model which had been running great for almost two years. It worked great, mowed fast, ran as a generator when i needed it, and best thing i like about it. I could haul my cart. It's very powerful. Well and here is the bad news, the other day when mowing, while in gear it stopped. Got real ruff and them a tun of smoke can out from under the seat and i smelt a burning. The generator runs ok but it will not move. This thing is a beast and i was way in the back yard. I had to have my neighbor help pull it up with his ATV. It was difficult but we made it. I will contact DGP on Monday and see what they say. This is not the type of machine i can take to the local small engine repair shop. How DGP support this product is going to be key. - ..Looks like the Raven is finally coming back, for some of us. The Raven is available through a growing dealer network and through Lowes ONLY in the Southeast states. At this time Lowes is only stocking it in their southeast warehouse and my understanding is they may not add it to their other warehouses this year. It will not be stocked at stores and you will have to order it out of the warehouse. Raven Races https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA_xgFo0i4s I bought Raven MPV-710 Mower from Lowes in NC on Monday March 25th. In the video you can see me start and run it for the first time. After a very short time the blades shut off for to reason. I turned the mower off and back on. Started the blades again and the same thing happened after about 20th. I then let it run sitting still for 10 minutes. I was able to mow most of my small front yard before the blades stopped again. I parked it running, put it into generator mode and plugged a blower into it. It provides plenty of electrical power. I also put it into high gear and rode around the back yard with it. The next day i let the mower run for almost an hour and i got about 8 minutes of mowing before the blades stopped. Another problem I've had is sometimes after putting the Raven into neutral setting the parking brake getting off it to load the bucket and back on it won't go. I've turned it off and back on and tried to move again and nothing. waited ten minutes and tried again and it worked ok. I contacted Denver Global Products and got a response from them right away asking for my contact details. After providing my info I have not heard back from them again. I'm going to try to exchange it for a new one as i'm hoping it's just a problem with my particular unit. Update The Denver Global Products tech came to my house to fix the mower. He could not figure out what was wrong with it but not without a valiant effort. So the mower at this time still doesn't work. But to save me the inconvenience of having to borrow a trailer pack it up return it and get another he's having one build and he's going to bring it from the factory to my house to swap it out. He's also going to test it out prior. I've never heard of a company go to that level of effort to make one customer happy. So figures crossed I'll have a working mower come Monday. *I work with new technologies and I understand there will be little issues and bugs that arise. As long as the manufacturer makes the effort to fix them it's ok with me. Up-Update Replacement mower arrived today and works fine. The blades never quit and it had plenty of power to ride up my hill without the blades slowing down at all. I will post some video tomorrow. I suspect other problems could arise but I am pretty confident that Denver Global is committed to taking care of them when they do. Oh and they gave me a wall charger for the 12v battery. I heard that they are contracted to produce something around 23k mowers for Lowes...
Comments
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me and my grandpa called these the poor man's gator
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I worked at DGP for almost 4 years, worked on the first Gen Raven MPV and the redesign of it We tried very hard to fix the problems properly but were met with constant push back from the Chinese parent company Rato , they made decisions that doomed the MPV and cost Lowes Millions of Dollars with the first Recall/ Buyback then relaunch and finally Killing it for good, My advise is if you didn't already buy one DON'T!!!!
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Hmm to much plastic...
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I am also a raven owner it has to be put into Hybrid mode to run the mower accessory not in battery mode thats why it keeps shutting off.
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I wonder how long this piece of chinese hardware will last?
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Had my 7100 3 seasons runs like a bear I also use it to run around my friends homes on electric still strong as ever again people saying like impala Mann another one who hasn't got his facts right the 710 unit had blade problems the 7100 complete different holding system not the same as before see this is what I been saying right along by posting BS
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I can weld a place on the back of my lawn tractor, attach a generator, take of the deck in a few minutes and have the same thing, and my 27 hp lawn tractor has never let me down. Good idea, but can easily be a DIY project with your own working stuff. Me personally, modify your lawn tractor and ATV to carry a generator, use one for mowing and trimming and the other for outdoor fun. Or better yet buy two small generators, attach them to each one and you never have to interchange.
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I still have mine and still like it. It is much more powerful then a regular mower. I use it for hauling very heavy carts of rocks and mulch around. I do use it as a generator too. I run my electric trimmers on the other side of my property. Just flick the switch and plug in. They raised the price since i got mine, so that's not good, i have not had any problems other then an issue with the battery since i got my beta unit swapped out. I had an issue after two year where it would not go in gear and smoke came up from under the seat. But they responded right a way and swapped it out. Not for a new one like i had hoped but I am glad i got replacement because i like it a lot.
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These things had a bad recall on them. Apparently they SLUNG THE FREAKIN MOWER BLADES OFF ..... leading to LACERATIONS !! This is a Chinese made POS. Anyone can take one look at this thing call tell that. The build quality is very poor.
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Looks like a lawnmower that wants to grow up and be an ATV.
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all i see is a over priced ,chopped up ATV with mowing deck, that will be hell on the pocket ,and it will take a mechanical engineer to fix it .
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did you ever get this worked out? i'm curious because there are still outlets in my area that sell these but Lowes no longer carries them
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I bought me a Raven 2 weeks ago and I fucking love it! my wife wanted a golf cart, kids wanted a four wheeler, and I needed a mower! perfect for my family! and I finally got the boys to like cutting the grass! very fast and versatile! i was skeptical at first about the price but it turned out to be a great buy! I love my Raven! great machine!
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its all looks
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Mower designed by Lowes for people that have more money than brains.
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Looks like a glorified ATV with a mower deck
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Waste of money
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I bought a demo unit from Lowes last year and absolutely love it! Mine did require service, the steering started slipping on it. Called the support number, they were great. They actually sent a tech to my home and just swapped it out with a new one! Every time I use the MPV, I am amazed at the concept of this thing. I have used all features, including powering my 31ft Travel trailer with the generator, with the AC running! Can a standard lawn tractor do that? Also, I have towed my 4x8 utility trailer around the yard to move a large amount of firewood. Powered a miter saw and other various electrical tools.
Their 3 Year warranty is better than any other lawn tractor manufactures.. -
Any idea why Lowes is no longer selling them? Whats going on?
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I saw one of these(only one) outside Lowe's and had a tag(repaired).That alone makes me think this is a stay away from.Plus with the design it looks very difficult to get in and out of tight spaces.Not the best design I think.