Raven Lawn Mower at Lowes?

Ralph, Ohio

Member
Location
Ohio
Does anybody know anything about the Raven brand hybrid-powered riding mower/ATV/engine-generator being sold at Lowes? For $2999 I'm guessing it's Harbor Freight quality & parts & service could be a problem. There are a couple YouTube videos about the Raven.
 
It is a China owned startup based in North Carolina. They use RATO engines made by the parent company in China. Units are assembled and distributed here. Google Denver Global Products to read all about it. CEO was formerly with Husqvarna Consumer products.
 
just go to the lowes web site and look at the reviews only a few but they are all great idea sounds good will be looking in to one soon
 
Interesting idea, but I might wait a year or 2, let somebody else be the 1st guy on the block.
 
We bought one yesterday and were impressed with the machine - where else can you get a hybrid-gas "mule", lawn mower, and generator for $2999. Plus, throw in the extended warranty and what's to lose - 1st generation or not.
 
We bought one yesterday and very
impressed with the machine - where else can you get a hybrid-gas "mule", lawn mower, and generator for $2999. Plus, throw in the extended warranty and what's to lose - 1st generation or not.
 
You need to do more research not made in china! Made in NC USA. I know had to study this one and I sell this Thanks
 
Lowes put a stop sale on this today. The return rate has been close to everyone sold. It is having all kinds of issues. Looks like you guys wanting one won't be getting one soon. All of 6 reviews are from probably the same person with the company posting a different area and name.
 
Saw one on my last trip to Lowes on Saturday. Wondering what the point of the hybrid is? Would it really save that much fuel vs. the extra complication of the electrics and weight of the batteries? Does it generate enough juice to power corded tools (drills, trimmers, etc.)? What have the issues been with them?
 
I bought one last Monday, scheduled delivery for Wednesday. On Tuesday, Denver Global imposed some sort of "stop sale" because of a vague safety issue. Now Lowe"s refuses to let me take my mower home. The Raven rep from Denver Global inspected my mower and cleared it from whatever problem they feared. Denver Global Customer Service said that technically, my mower was not subject to their "not a recall" because I had already purchased it before the "stop sale" began.
My Lowe's store claims some corporate policy prohibits them from turning my mower over to me. They claim I have to wait until 100% of all the Ravens in existance are checked and cleared. They even estimated that this could take a month or more.
They have until 5 pm CST before I just get a refund and buy something from Home Depot.
 
You are upset that a company is trying to protect you? You are going to go to their competitor as revenge for stopping you from getting a potentially problematic piece of equipment?
 
mine was inspected and cleared by the manufacturer. Lowes was holding my mower for no reason, and against the recommendation of the manufacturer.
 
I finally got my Raven. My previous mower is a Husqvarna with the hand control for drive. This drive control is my favorite because I can operate the mower extremely accurately with very little effort and it has cruise control built in. Absolutely no need for a brake pedal, other than to activate the parking brake. Very smooth drive speed changes and the only thing preventing instantaneous direction reversal is the limitations of tire traction.

First off, the Rave's starter battery was dead from the the moment I got it. It drove in electric mode just fine, though. The manual says you can't jump start it. You need a special slow charging cable that is sold separately, which Lowe's didn't have. So I jump started it. A bit difficult to get to the battery, had to take out about 5 screws and remove a panel.
It jumped easily.

In my opinion the Raven mower deck cuts well, the unit drives fast and the generator will most likely be very convenient. But the drive system is very choppy and very inconvenient. It is very difficult to make small adjustments to your drive speed. Very jerky. So much that it forced me to use the cruise control as much as I could (which works very well.) It is extremely annoying to use reverse while mowing. You have to push a kill defeat button before you push reverse. Every time. (I will be defeating this.) Then, the process of changing from forward to reverse, or back, takes 5-10 seconds. When you have to maneuver around a lot of lawn obstacles, this whole process is VERY tedious and time consuming. I ended up making big loops to reverse direction whenever possible, because using reverse was just too much trouble.
The steering is very heavy. Takes WAY more strength to turn than any other mower I have ever used. Maybe because it's twice as heavy as a traditional mower.

I am hoping the use as an electric vehicle on my property and the generator make up for the completely unrefined mowing experience. I am expecting better towing than with my Husqvarna. I am keeping the Raven for now, but I'm only another small annoyance away from returning it.
Like most things that are supposed to perform several different functions, this unit performs none of them very well.
 
Karebear, if you sell these...you as do I work at Lowes. As this is a "Lowes Exclusive" product.

These are in fact Chinese Products.

bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2012/10/rato-denver-global-deal-to-bring-jobs.html?page=all

RATO is the USA Distributor for Chongqing who is a Chinese engine manufacturer.

They bought Denver Global Products on January 1st of 2013. Their first venture into the United States.

You can't go based solely on what your superiors want you to regurgitate to the customers, you have to do your own research as well. The only reason that Chongqing bought Denver Global is to put a "Made in USA" sticker on the product...however that money goes right back to China.
 
Got my Raven a couple weeks ago. last weekend was the first nice weekend to try it out. First off issues learning how to start it. I did"nt see in the manual about the manual choke under the bed once that was figured out starts right up. gas (electric) pedal is hard to use especially on bumpy terrain. Steering will build your muscles. Ok I took it out to my very rolling 10 acres in east tennessee to test. Has not been cut in about five years. Friday started mowing doing very well at a slow speed. Found out if you hit a big clump of grass or (Rabbit) to fast it will shut the blade motor of. Just turn it off for 15 minutes and it will start right up. Saturday - 46 inch deck was taking a while so i hooked up my 60" swisher and off i went mowed for about an hour and a half and the engine
started surging (i think it was getting hot not sure) but Iwas starting to loose power. So i took a break. Went back out after a little while and mowed for about the same amount of time and the same thing started happening. I think its an over heating thing or the battery"s are getting drained not sure. all in all I was pretty pleased. used the generator once so far with a 3 gallon pancake compressor worked well. almost forgot one other issue the seat spring switch was made for someone very very heavy it had to go. I don"t care to be a tester with lowes extended warranty. If you have any questions just ask I"ll try to answer them for you.
 
Datsun Kid, Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to research and get your facts straight. I used to be a manager at Lowe's. Before that, Circuit City. Before that, Best Buy. If I was your manager, I would be proud. You are providing a wonderful service to your customers and coworkers by learning about the products you are expected to sell. Not only that, you are providing the truth, even when it could be detrimental to sales. Retail sales needs more of you.
 
Mine won't be here for four days. Any idea where to see/print the Owner's Manual on-line ? I'd like to read up on it before it arrives. Did a Google search and did not come up with any.
 
Here's a link to the owners manual
worldwideweb thempv com documents Manual.pdf
I'm a guest you'll have to fill in the /'s and .'s to get to it
 
Thanks. I got tired of looking and called Lowe's support. The good person that answered had trouble finding it too, but did, and immediately emailed me a complete copy - 60 pages. If anyone wants a copy, I can email to them.
 
Jim, I would greatly appreciate a copy of the Raven Owner's manual. I'm ready to buy but would like to dig a little deeper into the details first.
Many Thanks,
Mike Manning
 
I read where the storage area is expandable. What does that mean. Mine comes tomorrow, and I hope between the Lowe"s delivery people and myself, we can figure out how to get it in the garage. I know they never put any gas in them, os if no charge, can it be pushed in nuetral, or does something have to be set lik on a hyrdrstatic drive.
 
Can anyone point me to the choke on the Raven engine ? It arrived this morning, completely dead as I expected. Now charging the starter battery. Cranked over a few times, but needs the choke.

I read above that it is under the "bed", but I don't see it.

Thanks
 
I just went and looked at one at our local Lowe"s today.

First impression is that it sits a LOT higher than an ATV. You"re way up there. Not sure how tippy this will feel on hills. Seat is comfortable, and the adjustable column was nice. I"m big (6"3" 300) and had plenty of room. I can say that steering effort was high-higher than my GT-5000 by about 50 percent.

I don"t like the fact that there"s no easy way to trickle charge or jump it off. That should not be.

I"m also a bit concerned by the warranty.
They say it has a 3 year warranty. But the manual says it"s a 3 year warranty NOT including the engine/transaxle components or battery, which are warranted separately.
Engine has a 2 year warranty per the manual, if maintained correctly.
Battery has a generic "1 year if defective) statement in the manual. I would have thought they would have put more of a warranty on the battery pack.
I want one, but may have to wait and see how this plays out.
 
I've had my Raven for one week now. First - I bought a Troy-Built Mustang ZTR last April 2012. Horrible mower. Not one grease fitting anywhere and blades already beginning to squeal. A true piece of junk. One week ago, I was in Lowes and happened to mention the problems with the mower, and the store manager said "I want you happy" and offered a FULL refund or trade (11 months old and used all last Summer !!). He sold me the raven for $192 difference !! My first comments on the Raven - Will not start without choke. Took a long time to find the choke. Have to lower the rear bed to pull it on everytime. With no grass to mow (Indiana), I tried it in the cornfield with standing stalks. Mowed them down with not even a slow down of power or noise. Very quiet. Learning curve is a little steep. Headlights but no tail lights. Seat could go back farther for me (6'3") but doesn't. I really miss the ZTR function, but will get used to it. Should come with seat belt and helmet - FAST. I like it. I notice with gas engine on and using pedal, it surges, but with cruise control it smooths out somewhat. Electric drive is smooth and quiet. Got a quick response from the factory when I asked where the choke was, but subsequent questions have gone un-answered.
 
the manual choke is the wire loop by the throtle, pull it out and it is choked for sure. be sure to push it back in after start-up
 
just got mine 3/30/13, battery needed about 1/2 hr of 10 amp charging and it fired right up, took it down to do some work , it powered my compound mitre saw better than my house power does, very impressed so far, but still have some more testing to do, the engine looks like a honda, sounds like a honda and i"m sure they copied one to its exact specs
 
I saw an ad on tv 3 days ago and went to the website. I think the design concept was good and had potential. Though there is a Made in USA sticker on the machine, it is really a Chinese piece of equipment and I would not spend $29.95 for it. I manufacture machines really made in USA with all USA made parts. I am completely turned off by anything made in mainland China. I wish Lowe's a lot of luck with this venture, they are goig to need it.
 
Since you like the Raven so far, I was wondering if you like the way it handles when cutting grass. I found it jerky and very hard to turn. It is powerful and seems to take the hills on my property ok, but it sure gives me a workout.

My next door neighbor commented as well about being able to power the weed wacker and other electric tools. I have another 1 acre out back which surrounds my 2 acre pond. Being able to plug in my electric weed wacker would be a bonus.

I drove my neihgbor"s new Craftsman 9500 and there"s an amazing difference. I owned a Craftsman lawn tractor previously and loved it.
 
Well, that Raven went back to Lowes. Discovered that only one of the two blades was spinning. When I called to tell them, they volunteered to bring out another instead of sending a repair person as I assumed they would. The 2nd one works flawlessly. Starts without the choke (32 F in the garage). Cuts good. Still jerks a LOT with the "speed" pedal, but smooths out fine with cruise control. After mowing 3 acres, I could hardly move my arms. WD40'd all the steering linkage and it helped. The learning curve is steep, but I am 80% happy with it. But surely miss that ZTR turning. Probably waste a third of the time and gas trying to figure out how to mow all the in between spots, but that would happen with any none-ZTR mower. The Owner's Manual is worthless and a waste of trees.
 
(quoted from post at 10:37:51 03/13/13) Got my Raven a couple weeks ago. last weekend was the first nice weekend to try it out. First off issues learning how to start it. I did"nt see in the manual about the manual choke under the bed once that was figured out starts right up. gas (electric) pedal is hard to use especially on bumpy terrain. Steering will build your muscles. Ok I took it out to my very rolling 10 acres in east tennessee to test. Has not been cut in about five years. Friday started mowing doing very well at a slow speed. Found out if you hit a big clump of grass or (Rabbit) to fast it will shut the blade motor of. Just turn it off for 15 minutes and it will start right up. Saturday - 46 inch deck was taking a while so i hooked up my 60" swisher and off i went mowed for about an hour and a half and the engine
started surging (i think it was getting hot not sure) but Iwas starting to loose power. So i took a break. Went back out after a little while and mowed for about the same amount of time and the same thing started happening. I think its an over heating thing or the battery"s are getting drained not sure. all in all I was pretty pleased. used the generator once so far with a 3 gallon pancake compressor worked well. almost forgot one other issue the seat spring switch was made for someone very very heavy it had to go. I don"t care to be a tester with lowes extended warranty. If you have any questions just ask I"ll try to answer them for you.

Hard to control speed, hard steering, repeatedly overheats... and you're "PRETTY PLEASED" with it???

Those would be 100% deal breakers to me. I'd take it back and throw it over the counter at them.
 
every time I go to mow the blades will run for a very short time and turn off I hear a lot of others seem to have this problem. Is it a sensor switch. I just took delivery last weekend and I read somewhere that you have to let it run in generator mode for an hour or so and the deck will run
 
Is this mower even going to be available anymore? I just went to the Lowes website yesterday 4/19 and it says "Raven 46-in Hybrid Riding Lawn Mower
Item #: 437234 Model #: MPV-710
This item is no longer available on Lowes.com."
I sure hope they haven't just given up on it. I called a couple stores and they said there current stock has been recalled for a safety recall.I was looking forward to buying one (With the 4 year extended warranty of course).
 
Had it 5 days on cold day even with chock hard to start after it started it went 20 feet and quit went out 10 min later it started ran very badly gave up went to lowes they told me they will send another one. next day nice day it started like new well I put gas in when i got it so when not mow about 15 min in bang a blade laying on ground the bolt can undone I guess the blade hit the other one before it fall to ground. I did some checking it's a clone engine of honda copyed by china. Still waiting for replacement.
 
Took mine back after 6 weeks. I really TRIED to like it, it just wouldn"t let me. Nifty idea. fun to drive in electric only mode.
Horrible to mow with. Way too physically demanding to drive. REALLY needs power steering.
Physically exhausted after mowing .75 acres.
Way too heavy, leaves ruts in the yard that my other large riding mower never did.
Then, one blade just stopped working. Back it went. I can"t see this company staying in business.
 
I bought one last week and it arrived dead. The below email serves as an epitaph.


Thanks for trying I have decided to return the MPV and buy a John Deere from
a local dealer with a service dept. The Raven seems very cool BUT for it to
be pushed off a truck without anyone showing us it starts, and how to
operate it, blows. Lowes repeatedly says we don't sell gas. And they do not
perform service. Even getting them to pick up the dead, brand new unit has
been like pulling teeth.

The below article was the deciding factor. Get the bugs out and maybe I
will buy one for our VT house, next year.

Thanks
Published on April 21, 2013 by Dan Maxey in Lawn And Garden
 
I just received my Raven Thursday 4/18. It started up fine but I had the same jerky movement as referenced above. Also the fuel gauge was inoperative. I called Lowes for a replacement and was told they were just notified of a recall. They picked mine up and told me they don"t know what the recall was for and they don"t know when they will sell them again. I see the recall was known a long time back and wonder what is wrong with communication at Lowes. This is Chinese junk rushed to market probably with little or no testing. Good concept but poor execution. I think Lowes owes us some compensation for the hassle.
 
It's really hard to be mad at company when they will just about bend over backwards for you, you tell them what's wrong and they will fix it. They are sending me spare blades no charge also lowe's is giving me a free charger to keep up on main battery pack. I will be getting the new replacement in a couple of days. Now that being said I looked at John Deer,Cub cadet, and many others everyone on reviews complain about the mower or lousy customer service. So I'm for one going to give them a little leeway remember it's a new system and new things come out with some issues
 
Mowed 3 acres twice now. No mowing problems. Starts without choke. Steering is very hard, and the position of the steering wheel keeps changing after a while, usually when turning, regardless of how tight the adjustment handle is turned. I see that I need to level the mowing deck when it gets warm enough to lay on the concrete floor. If I had it to do all over again -would I ? 50-50. I haven't used the generator yet, which is one of the main reasons for getting it. That may sway it towards positive. But I'd really like to have a REAL owner's/repair manual. What comes with it is useless. Doesn't even tell you where the choke is.
 
Went down to lowe's they tell me none came in yet. I call Denver Global products they tell me Lowe's put a stop order till they make some improvements. I asked what improvements she didn't know but told me to call the main office at lowe's. Which I did they took my name # and they were calling global to call me. Yes I am a guttlen for punishment but I really like it we will see what happens next.
 
Wait until other customers have had them long enough for the "new toy" feeling to wear off to get some honest reviews. My local Lowe"s store its having three returns for every five sold. Too many people think this will work as good as an ATV and end up very disappointed then they return them when they find out that it isn"t much of a ride around peice of equipment. Steering is bad. Basic MTD type lawn mower steering. Good front suspension ruined by poor steering. Needs wider rear tires for better traction. Also needs a selectable locking rear differential if it doesn"t have one - I didn"t get to check this. I would not but one of these now unless my mower was broke. I would wait and see what happens. A Lowe"s associate told me today that they will not be selling any more of these until issues are resolved.
 
I work at a lowes in Cincinnati and they were pulled because a blade was shot from the undercarriage and came close to hitting someone standing nearby. Don"t plan on seeing the ravens again
 
Checking with Lowe's none came in yet. I call Denver Global they tell me Lowe's put a stop order, They want things fixed before they will sell any more, maybe they will get them right this time.
 
They came to pick up my Raven today for a refund. When I went to cut the grass a second time, the blades would shut off after about ten minutes. Guess I was pretty snowed by the sales pitch and the fact that it looked pretty cool. The idea of a built in genreator was a good selling point, but at the end of the day, it failed to do what I needed it to do, cut grass. $3,000 is a bit much to drop on a mower that doesn't cut grass. Now I hear about a possible recall because one of the Raven's threw a blade. They need to take this one back to the drawing board. Shame on Lowe's for selling such a problematic item.
 
Well because of Lowe's stop sell order none came in yet. They came and took it away they told me it would be better this way, the warranty will start fresh. I felt bad to had to return it hopefully they get the bugs out and I get another one. And they better not tell me they raise the price because of all there problems.
 
Exact same thing happened to and Loews is coming to get it and give me a refund. Kool idea - hope they get their act together . My advice ... Don"t buy one anytime soon
 
I loved the idea of this mower and it was fun in electric to drive with kids but.... Today the blades crashed into each other and one came completely off . I read on Internet this is not uncommon. Loews has been hreat so far and basically said they would prefer to Come get it and i pick a new different mower as opposed to fixing this Raven.

Seems dysfunctional but I really would rather fix and keep this one , assuming it was working but soooo much negative feed back I guess I will go get a boring regular riding mower with my credit .
 
Jim West keep us inform on how you second unit performs seems like you got one of the few running so far good luck
 
Don't get mad at Loews - they are simply protecting u from all the grief that so many of us have already gone thru . My Raven had the blades fly off just like so many others . Read these reviews before u decide you really want ur Raven. As an X owner I say wait at least 6 months and better - wait a year for them to get their act together .

Loews has been great as they simply came and picked it up and credited my Loews card then gave me a 10% discount on another brand mower !
 
I see a major issue of the blades flying off based on Internet reviews and personal experience . It does not cut even, steering was hard so it was a bit of a work out to cut lawn as I have many trees . The coolness factor was high but the reality set in once the blade flew off and Loews simply offered to exchange it .

This is after 1 giant recall late last year in regards to some electronic issues - not worth it now , wait for them to revamp
 
Well, I didnt get to mow untill Monday 5/13, and I loved my Raven untill now, unfortunatly the motors on the deck cut out after 1/2 hr or less of mowing, they will come back on , but i think its an over heating issue, it handles ok, steering is a little hard, and i dont like how there is nothing to hold the speed back on a downhill, also 240v and DC posts would be nice on the generator, needless to say, i had to abort the raven and Lowes happily to it back with no issues even though I was past the 30 day return policy (although I am doing a store credit and exchanging with the JD D170)
I am sad to see the Raven go , but its in need of some refining before it comes back to market
 
I'm with you on that note, very sad to see my Raven go back, but it needs to go back to college for a little while before it can graduate. Things I'd like to see is:
better speed control(i don't think my CC worked)
240v on the Gen, 12v DC outputs for jump starting cars,power steering or somehow make it easier, hi/lo range selector lever reachable from the seat,
choke pull on the dash,and I would have liked to REALLY know when a bagger would be available and how much it would cost, as well as a snow plow,
hmmm anything else I could add to make it cost 4-5k? So that said , for now i will put my generator in a tow cart and pull it around with my new J.D. :)
 
Understand your desire to have a Raven. So would I but the lack of communication form the factory when I tried to get answers on mine as well as their lack of communication with Lowe's stores was the final straw in my decision to take the refund and get a John Deere. The Raven is a great concept but the engineering is flawed and some corners were cut in quality as well. But theri unwillingness to step up to the plate and admit the problems and what their proposed fix is (I've heard 6 different stories)just blew my confidence. Maybe Raven 2.0 or 3.0 will be worth a look.
 
After a 10 minute test ride I felt and saw all the issues people are having with the exception of the blades breaking. The steering was awful, no accelerator control, it's heavy, has no real ground clearance as an ATV, and no 240v. All my hopes were dashed in just 10 minutes at Lowes because they actually let me test drive it. I said "thanks, but no thanks... I'll take the Husq 48 please." I can buy an awesome Gen with the savings! Sorry everyone else had to go through all the anguish of a poorly executed product. But you should never look at nice shiny new things with rose colored glasses.
 
(quoted from post at 08:09:02 03/02/13) We bought one yesterday and were impressed with the machine - where else can you get a hybrid-gas "mule", lawn mower, and generator for $2999. Plus, throw in the extended warranty and what's to lose - 1st generation or not.

After reading through all the comments here, I guess you just threw your $2990.00 away, first generation or not!

Live and learn.
 
I bought my Raven back in March. It arrived with a dead battery. Charged it up and the Raven worked just fine. I mow about 2 acres with some hills and trees. The Raven handled my rough yard well. During my second mowing, one of the blades fell off. No damage was done so I suspected that is just was not torqued properly. I reattached the blade and torqued the attach bolts on both (the other was loose too). After about the 5th time mowing my yard, the left blade stopped spinning but the motor seemed to be turning. I removed the deck and found that the blade bolt had again backed out and this time it stripped the splines from the blade adaptor. I contacted Lowes for repair and they scheduled a pickup. Later Lowes informed me of the recall and that they had no idea when I could expect the unit back. I expressed my displeasure with that answer and they put me in touch with the store manager where I bought the Raven. He told me that Global Denver was doing some major upgrades on the Ravens before they went back on the market (basically a new model) that might not come out before next year so he was going to give me a full credit back on the Raven and make me a really good deal on something else. I went to the local store and the manger showed me a Husqvarna YTH24K48 24 fast tractor with 7 hours on the meter that was returned for a bad ignition switch. The tractor sells for about 1900.00 new. He sold me the tractor for 800.00 with full warranty and offered free delivery. I have researched the new "fast tractor" as they are called and it has outstanding reviews. Lowes arrives tomorrow to pick up my Raven and drop of my new tractor. Since the Raven has been down for a couple of weeks, I haven't been able to mow so the new tractor is going to get put to the test right away. My wife and I both loved the Raven and really hate to see it go. I knew what I was getting into and was willing to deal with the prototype issues but, I can't do anything but wait for the new model now since they will not repair this one nor will they sell me any parts. The Lowes manager has also agreed to sell me the new Raven when they do come back at cost if I still want one. (i suspect that I will give it another go). I think that they are on to something with the Raven and with a little more work, they are going to produce a pretty awesome little machine. I can'y say enough about Lowes. They bent over backwards to resolve my issues. They took the Raven back after nearly 3 months (return policy is 30 days), cut me one heck of a deal on what looks to be a great lawn tractor and promised to still try to get me back into a Raven when the time is right. I am just waiting for the next release of this cool little machine now.
 

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