Outdoor power equipment (OPE) manufacturers’ year-over year dealer satisfaction scores held steady in 2025. The 73% satisfaction rate once again tied shortline equipment as the best among the four categories studied by NAEDA (full-line, tractors, OPE and shortline manufacturers). Only 12% of OPE dealers expressed dissatisfaction, compared to 11% for shortlines.

The OPE score is a staggering distance from the 24% and 28% marks in dissatisfaction for full-line and tractor manufacturers, respectively.

The 2025 Dealer’s Choice Award for OPE manufacturers went to Walker. Grasshopper came away with a Gold Level Award this year. The Dealer’s Choice Award for the tractor manufacturers went to TYM, with Yanmar snagging the Gold Level Award. 

What Dealers Value Most

In terms of the importance of each category to the dealers, the top 5 — Product Quality, Parts Availability, Parts Quality, Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs/Concerns and Product Technical Support — remained the same since the 2024 report, but there were a few slight shifts lower down on the list.

The areas that dealers value most are:

  • Product Quality: 94%
  • Parts Availability: 94%
  • Parts Quality: 93%
  • Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs/Concerns: 92%
  • Product Technical Support: 92%
  • Product Availability: 85%
  • Warranty Payments: 87%
  • Communication with Management: 85%
  • Warranty Procedure: 84%
  • Marketing & Advertising Support: 73%
  • Return Privileges: 72%

Company by Company Results

As seen in Table 1, there 2 OPE manufacturers that dominated dealers’ rankings. 

Walker had the highest mean score of all OPE manufacturers at 6.2. It also had the highest score in 8 categories (Communication with Management, Marketing & Advertising Support, Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs/Concerns, Parts Quality, Product Technical Support, Return Privileges, Warranty Payments and Warranty Procedures). Grasshopper had the highest score in 4 categories (Overall Satisfaction, Parts Availability, Product Availability and Product Quality).

While Grasshopper only saw its score improve in 1 category over last year, it had the second highest average mean score at 6.03 and secured the highest score in 4 categories. 

Husqvarna had the worst scores in 11 categories, while Cub Cadet had the lowest in a single category. 

Following are the manufacturers’ performance in each of the studied categories, in the order of what is important to dealers. 

The numerical scores are based on a scale of 1 (extremely dissatisfied to 7 (extremely satisfied), while the trending data is expressed in percentage change.

Overall Satisfaction

  • Highest: Grasshopper (6.19), Walker (6.16), Wright Mfg. (6.02)
  • Trending Up: Walker (4.76%), Briggs & Stratton (3.75%), Ferris (3.62%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.18), Toro (4.99), Cub Cadet (5.01)
  • Trending Down: Dixie Chopper (–5.91%), Kohler (–4.94%), Husqvarna (–4.78%)

1. Product Quality

  • Highest: Grasshopper (6.39), Walker (6.36), Echo (6.15), Wright Mfg. (6.15)
  • Trending Up: Walker (6.17%), Hustler (3.75%), Briggs & Stratton (2.46%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.47), Cub Cadet (5.03), Kohler (5.17)
  • Trending Down: Kohler (–5.14%), Gravely (–4.15%), Billy Goat (–3.63%)

2. Parts Availability

  • Highest: Grasshopper (6.32), Walker (6.30), Exmark (6.03)
  • Trending Up: Briggs & Stratton (11.18%), Walker (9.57%), Ferris (9.13%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (3.56), Kohler (5.09), Ferris (5.14)
  • Trending Down: Kohler (–6.43%), Ariens (–6.31%), Husqvarna (–4.83%)

3. Parts Quality

  • Highest: Walker (6.34), Grasshopper (6.33), Wright Mfg. (6.25)
  • Trending Up: Dixie Chopper (5.72%), Walker (4.97%), Briggs & Stratton (2.65%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.66), Cub Cadet (5.25), Kohler (5.42)
  • Trending Down: Kohler (–4.41%), Husqvarna (–2.92%), Ariens (–2.45%)

4. Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs/Concerns

  • Highest: Walker (6.20), Scag (5.53), Bad Boy (5.34), Exmark (5.34)
  • Trending Up: Walker (9.54%), Hustler (5.34%), Ferris (4.72%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (3.8), Toro 4.26), Cub Cadet (4.35)
  • Trending Down: Billy Goat (–10.65%), Wright Mfg. (–10.64%), Kohler (–6.83%)

OPE Distributors Now Counted in Results

NAEDA started including several OPE distributors in the survey in 2024, at the request of Blue Mountain Equipment, Crader Distributing, Pace Inc. and Power Equipment Distributors. “The OPE Dealer Council suggested that distributors be included as, in many cases, they have more direct contact with the dealers when repping the manufacturers,” says Joe Dykes, NAEDA’s vice president of industry relations. 

According to Dykes, Blue Mountain and Crader are primarily Stihl distributors, while Pace and Power Equipment Distributors carry various lines, such as Scag, Ferris, Exmark, Toro and Wright. 

Crader Distributing had the highest average mean at 5.82 followed by Pace Inc. (5.75), Power Equipment Distributors (5.49) and Blue Mountain Equipment (4.95).

5. Product Technical Support    

  • Highest: Walker (6.37), Grasshopper (6.12), Exmark (6.08)
  • Trending Up: Walker (6.17%), Cub Cadet (5.69%), Hustler (5.17%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.51), Cub Cadet (4.83), Toro (4.98)
  • Trending Down: Bad Boy (–7.32%), Kohler (–6.43%), Billy Goat (–5.39%)

6. Product Availability    

  • Highest: Bad Boy (6.23), Grasshopper (6.23), Walker (6.14)
  • Trending Up: Ferris (15.10%), Briggs & Stratton (9.60%), Walker (7.53%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.07), Toro (5.20), Ferris (5.26)
  • Trending Down: Kohler (–6.20%), Husqvarna (–5.13%), Gravely (3.82%)

7. Warranty Payments    

  • Highest: Walker (6.05), Grasshopper (5.84), Scag (5.74)
  • Trending Up: Walker (8.62%), Briggs & Stratton (3.87%), Ferris (2.59%)
  • Lowest: Cub Cadet (4.67), Bill Goat (4.76), Husqvarna (4.77)
  • Trending Down: Dixie Chopper (–8.32%), Billy Goat (–8.29%), Toro (–6.52%)

8. Communication with Management    

  • Highest: Walker (6.21), Wright Mfg. (5.80), Grasshopper (5.78)
  • Trending Up: Walker (8.59%), Briggs & Stratton (8.42%), Ferris (5.56%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.04), Toro (4.30), Cub Cadet (4.41)
  • Trending Down: Kohler (–6.96%), Billy Goat (–6.11%), Gravely (–5.33%)

9. Warranty Procedure    

  • Highest: Walker (6.14), Scag (5.81), Exmark (5.78)
  • Trending Up: Walker (10.23%), Briggs & Stratton (5.17%), Hustler (3.99%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.60), Cub Cadet (4.61), Billy Goat (4.68)
  • Trending Down: Billy Goat (–9.65%), Kohler (–5.78%), Toro (–4.70%)

10. Marketing & Advertising Support  

  • Highest: Walker (6.07), Grasshopper (5.82), Wright Mfg. (5.49)
  • Trending Up: Walker (9.57%), Ferris (4.79%), Dixie Chopper (4.30%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.18), Ariens (4.42), Kohler (4.61)
  • Trending Down: Billy Goat (–8.40%), Ariens (–6.36%), Wright Mfg. (–6.15%)

11. Return Privileges 

  • Highest: Walker (6.09), Scag (5.62), Exmark (5.49)
  • Trending Up: Walker (9.53%),  Hustler (4.99%)
  • Lowest: Husqvarna (4.17), Cub Cadet (4.61),  Billy Goat (4.64) 
  • Trending Down: Wright Mfg. (–9.33%), Billy Goat (–9.20%), Gravely (–8.22%)

Small-Sized Tractor Performance

When examining the OEMs supplying the smaller power tractors, TYM took 7 first-place finishes and had the highest average mean score, Yanmar took 4 and Mahindra took 1. Last year, Mahindra finished last in all but one category. 

Meanwhile, LS Tractor finished last in 9 categories, the worst performance of all the small tractor manufacturers. 

Looking at a 3-year trend, TYM saw the largest improvement in its average mean score at +17.50%. LS Tractor, on the other hand, saw the largest drop at –20.22% over the last 3 years.

Grouped Analysis

The grouped analysis showed similar results. Yanmar had the best performance in product/parts availability and product/parts quality. TYM had the best performance in administrative programs/protocols. 

In terms of the worst performance in the grouped analysis, the results were spread out. LS Tractor had the lowest result for availability, while Mahindra was the lowest in quality and Kioti in administrative. 

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2025 NAEDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Report

The 2025 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Report is available to all NAEDA dealer members and to participating manufacturers. For information, contact Amy Mullady, amullady@naeda.com.

Mahindra had the best improvement in all 3 categories followed by TYM. LS Tractors results were down in all 3 categories, with availability down 32.10% and administrative programs and protocols down 22.28%. 

A simplified look at the results is shown in Table 2. It shows an aggregation of the OPE manufacturers into 3 categories, and their change year-over-year. 

In these grouped categories, Grasshopper earned the top spot in 2 of the 3 areas – product/parts availability, product and parts quality. Walker took the top spot for administrative programs/protocols and the second highest for product/parts availability and product/parts quality. Grasshopper had the second highest score for administrative programs/protocols. 

In terms of most improved year-over-year, Briggs & Stratton’s score improved 10.38% for product and parts availability. Ferris had the highest improvement in product and parts quality at +9.57% and Walker had the largest score improvement for administrative programs and protocols. 

Ag Equipment Intelligence’s historical data tables also shed light to those manufacturers “on the rise.” For the second year in a row, Walker improved in every single category vs. the previous year. 

Briggs & Stratton also saw improvement across all categories vs. 2024, with its largest improvement in parts availability.  

Hustler improved in all categories as well, with the largest improvement in product availability and its highest score in product availability and parts quality. With the exception of one category — return privileges (–2.39%) — Ferris improved in all areas.