Hammerdown
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 49
Hello
I have been a member for a while but I just Noticed this thread. I have owned Nothing but John Deere lawn & garden Tractor's for the past 30 Year's. Many have passed through my hand's but my current 1983 John Deere 318 is here to stay. I have had it about Seven year's now I found it at a John Deere Tri-Agri dealerhip in the back row and paid $300.00 for it whole sale. It came to me with a about new 48" Replacement deck that retails alone for $1300.00. I used it about Five and a half year's with no mechanical issues but decided that it was time to take it down and restore it as it's original engine was getting tired. I stripped it to the rolling Chassis Painted the frame and wheels as well as all of the body panels. I had a brand new Onan P-218 engine built for it to complete the restoration. I added an Upgraded suspension style seat as well as bar tires and wheel weight's to it. A couple of Year's ago I located a model 30 Hydraulic tiller for it that I traveled 1250 Miles in 23 Hours to bring back home. Last year I found a Model 54 Four way hydraulic blade that needed to be restored that I gave $100.00 and restored it. My son in law drove me nut's to sell my 318 to him but being so pleased with it, that sure was Not going to happen so recently I located him a 1991 John Deere 316 Tractor. I found it on our local Craig's List advertised as a 1991 John Deere 316 not running with a 50" mowing deck, extra floor pan and power flow Bagger attachment for $200.00. The add was Just Five minutes old when I called the seller and told him that I would take it. It was a 200 Mile trip to get it and was very, Very rough when I got there to se it. It had spent most of it's life in Stuart, Florida very close to the Ocean so when it's Factory powder coat paint failed the salt air did a Job on all of it's metal panels. I asked the seller if he minded if I checked out it's Onan P-218 engine ? he said that as fine so I hooked up a set of Jumper cables and tried to start it. The engine would Not turn over, so I told him it was no more than a Part's Tractor to me and he dropped his price to $75.00. I then offered him $50.00 for it and he accepted. as we were standing there I heard a click noise and noticed that it's Hour meter was working and that it showed to have 349.2 Hour's on it. I then spotted it's steering wheel Nubbies along the rim of the steering wheel still protruding where as they are worn smooth on my 318 so I figured that the Tractor was a low hour machine. I Paid him quickly and we loaded it up. Once I got it home I discovered that someone had cut the starter wire and placed it on the hot side of the battery cable, where it should have run from it's circuit breaker down to the hot lug of the starter. I put it back where it belonged and the engine turned over with the key. I squirted some Either into it and cranked the engine and it came to life. I then unhooked it's gas line and Placed it into my 2-1/2 Gallon gas can and it started up and ran great. That was when I decided to build it for my son in law. I took it down to the rolling Chassis, Took The engine out of it so that I could paint inside of it's frame rails painted it's frame and wheel's then repaired two hydraulic leak's that it had and cleaned it's carburetor as well as adjusted it's hydro lever linkage. The 50" Mowing deck was destroyed as it was bent badly and cracked from top to bottom so we Purchased a John Deere 317 part's Tractor that I used the 48" mowing deck off of it for this Tractor. I had to Transfer all of the blade spindle assemblies from the 50" deck to the 48" deck as the bearings were bad, Then I sanded it down and gave it Three coat's of John Deere Yellow paint. I sanded down all of it's badly rusted and Pitted body panels and used a Gallon of Body filler in it's badly Pitted floor pan and body panels to fill in all of the deep pits and Gave it Three coat's of John Deere green paint. I bought a new john Deere seat replacement cushion kit for it to finish off the Project. my son in law has Just $632.00 in this Tractor completed and as shown. Regards, Hammerdown
Here is my recent 1991 John Deere build that I did for my son in law. This is how it looked the day I brought it home. it was Not far from being scrapped but I felt it was worth saving with Just 349.2 Hour's on it hour meter this Tractor had a Lot of Life left in it even though it Looked rough from the start when I brought it home I feel that it turned out nice in the end of the 6-1/2 week project of bring it back to a Useable Tractor again
Here it is shown next to my 1983 Restored john Deere 318. We Both Now have Tractor's that will last us a Lifetime
Here is my 1983 John Deere 318 shown with it's restored 54" dirt dozer blade as well as it's Model 30 Hydraulic tiller.
I have been a member for a while but I just Noticed this thread. I have owned Nothing but John Deere lawn & garden Tractor's for the past 30 Year's. Many have passed through my hand's but my current 1983 John Deere 318 is here to stay. I have had it about Seven year's now I found it at a John Deere Tri-Agri dealerhip in the back row and paid $300.00 for it whole sale. It came to me with a about new 48" Replacement deck that retails alone for $1300.00. I used it about Five and a half year's with no mechanical issues but decided that it was time to take it down and restore it as it's original engine was getting tired. I stripped it to the rolling Chassis Painted the frame and wheels as well as all of the body panels. I had a brand new Onan P-218 engine built for it to complete the restoration. I added an Upgraded suspension style seat as well as bar tires and wheel weight's to it. A couple of Year's ago I located a model 30 Hydraulic tiller for it that I traveled 1250 Miles in 23 Hours to bring back home. Last year I found a Model 54 Four way hydraulic blade that needed to be restored that I gave $100.00 and restored it. My son in law drove me nut's to sell my 318 to him but being so pleased with it, that sure was Not going to happen so recently I located him a 1991 John Deere 316 Tractor. I found it on our local Craig's List advertised as a 1991 John Deere 316 not running with a 50" mowing deck, extra floor pan and power flow Bagger attachment for $200.00. The add was Just Five minutes old when I called the seller and told him that I would take it. It was a 200 Mile trip to get it and was very, Very rough when I got there to se it. It had spent most of it's life in Stuart, Florida very close to the Ocean so when it's Factory powder coat paint failed the salt air did a Job on all of it's metal panels. I asked the seller if he minded if I checked out it's Onan P-218 engine ? he said that as fine so I hooked up a set of Jumper cables and tried to start it. The engine would Not turn over, so I told him it was no more than a Part's Tractor to me and he dropped his price to $75.00. I then offered him $50.00 for it and he accepted. as we were standing there I heard a click noise and noticed that it's Hour meter was working and that it showed to have 349.2 Hour's on it. I then spotted it's steering wheel Nubbies along the rim of the steering wheel still protruding where as they are worn smooth on my 318 so I figured that the Tractor was a low hour machine. I Paid him quickly and we loaded it up. Once I got it home I discovered that someone had cut the starter wire and placed it on the hot side of the battery cable, where it should have run from it's circuit breaker down to the hot lug of the starter. I put it back where it belonged and the engine turned over with the key. I squirted some Either into it and cranked the engine and it came to life. I then unhooked it's gas line and Placed it into my 2-1/2 Gallon gas can and it started up and ran great. That was when I decided to build it for my son in law. I took it down to the rolling Chassis, Took The engine out of it so that I could paint inside of it's frame rails painted it's frame and wheel's then repaired two hydraulic leak's that it had and cleaned it's carburetor as well as adjusted it's hydro lever linkage. The 50" Mowing deck was destroyed as it was bent badly and cracked from top to bottom so we Purchased a John Deere 317 part's Tractor that I used the 48" mowing deck off of it for this Tractor. I had to Transfer all of the blade spindle assemblies from the 50" deck to the 48" deck as the bearings were bad, Then I sanded it down and gave it Three coat's of John Deere Yellow paint. I sanded down all of it's badly rusted and Pitted body panels and used a Gallon of Body filler in it's badly Pitted floor pan and body panels to fill in all of the deep pits and Gave it Three coat's of John Deere green paint. I bought a new john Deere seat replacement cushion kit for it to finish off the Project. my son in law has Just $632.00 in this Tractor completed and as shown. Regards, Hammerdown
Here is my recent 1991 John Deere build that I did for my son in law. This is how it looked the day I brought it home. it was Not far from being scrapped but I felt it was worth saving with Just 349.2 Hour's on it hour meter this Tractor had a Lot of Life left in it even though it Looked rough from the start when I brought it home I feel that it turned out nice in the end of the 6-1/2 week project of bring it back to a Useable Tractor again
Here it is shown next to my 1983 Restored john Deere 318. We Both Now have Tractor's that will last us a Lifetime
Here is my 1983 John Deere 318 shown with it's restored 54" dirt dozer blade as well as it's Model 30 Hydraulic tiller.
