John Deere LA 145 slowed down then stopped

zachcoss

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My 5 yr old JD LA145 got slower and slower but kept going. I finished about 2 hours of mowing, took a break, then started it again. No go. Any suggestions? It does eat shivs, is there another shiv to replace here?

Zach
 

sail902

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My 5 yr old JD LA145 got slower and slower but kept going. I finished about 2 hours of mowing, took a break, then started it again. No go. Any suggestions? It does eat shivs, is there another shiv to replace here?

Zach

I have an LA 145 and have found that when the transmission gets hot, it stops working. There is no way to check the fluid, drain it or fill it. It's a sealed unit and they are junk.
What is a shiv?
 

zachcoss

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A shiv or sheave is a pulley wheel. Together with the belt, the sheave and the belt create...a pulley. I guess a lot of people refer to the wheel as the pulley but the pulley is the wheel and the belt together. whatever.

The problem was the idler pulley (2 shivs and a belt). It had melted. Seriously, for the second time the pulley wheel melted. The LA145 is built to a very low standard and I made a huge mistake buying it. Should have bought the X series. My machine breaks down every season. Dozens of small problems: wiring, switches, belts, shivs, bearings. Now, somehow it has a bent axle. How do you even do that mowing grass?

R
 

sail902

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A shiv or sheave is a pulley wheel. Together with the belt, the sheave and the belt create...a pulley. I guess a lot of people refer to the wheel as the pulley but the pulley is the wheel and the belt together. whatever.

The problem was the idler pulley (2 shivs and a belt). It had melted. Seriously, for the second time the pulley wheel melted. The LA145 is built to a very low standard and I made a huge mistake buying it. Should have bought the X series. My machine breaks down every season. Dozens of small problems: wiring, switches, belts, shivs, bearings. Now, somehow it has a bent axle. How do you even do that mowing grass?

R

Wow, it sounds like I need to get rid of my LA 145 asap! Mine has an idler pully bearing that is bad and also spindle bearing that is bad. Hasn't melted yet, I have been nursing it along until I get parts. It looks like the idler pully bearing is supposed to be sealed, but has leaked out the grease. I have been putting oil on top of it so that it will soak in. It's funny because when I was looking for the parts, the JD web site suggested to use only genuine John Deere parts because they last longer! What a joke, it's the JD parts that have failed pre-maturely! Only two seasons and this thing is shot!
I thought a shiv was a type of knife made in prison LOL
A bent axle too? I haven't even heard of such a thing on a mower. I have heard that there is no front axle bearings, just bushings that wear out and then the spindle gets ruined. I can't imagine how it would get bent by mowing, must be very cheap piece of junk.
A neighbor told me yesterday that the LA series of John Deer mowers is actually made by MTD. Is that true?
 

zachcoss

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I don't know who makes the machine. The engine is great, lots of torque, but that was why I bought the tractor. That engine fooled me. The deck and the frame are sub-par. I have talked to JD about this and the local guys admit the machine was built to compete with the low end stuff at the big box stores like Lowes, etc. The problem is, there is no resale and the price drops like a bullet. I expect 10 to 15 years from a good mower with good care but this thing just breaks sitting there. The X series mowers cost 2x as much but that is what I need for my 2 acres with a few bumps and tall weeds. The worst problem I had was the wiring to the clutch. The clutch vibrates quite a bit and the 2 wires that go into the front would break off. I have replaced that about a dozen times, no exaggeration. At first I had JD do it then when they had found the problem, I did it. I finally cured it by splicing in a piece of braided wire. Also, the wires from the clutch to the back of the machine were exposed so I wrapped them in wire wrap to protect them. But those shivs just wear out. At least the idler shivs are cheap but you have to have them on hand or you will not get a days work done. I am going to keep a stock of the most frequently replaced items on hand. Oh, yeah, the paint is peeling off the mower deck. It appears to powder coat. That is a pain in the *** to remove and then recoat but it will have to be done at some point. Maybe 10% of the paint is gone from the upper middle of the deck and down the right side. I asked the guys what my 5 year old machine was worth and they said not as much as a replacement clutch ($500 or $600). I have an LX mower in the barn, been sitting there for 5 years. Good motor but the motor cover is destroyed. A new hood will cost $500. The JD guys said I should think about restoring that machine; better than the one I have now. Motor on.
 

reddragon

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i had a l155 and sold it because the hood cost $500 to replace....JD needs to up the quality and lower the price a bit on the smaller tractors in my opinion.........anyways...i would make sure the deck is "totally" clean underneath...this time of year decks plug up fast and cause alot of drag...reeking havoc on those plastic pulleys
 

veaseyr

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I too thought my mower was running a little slower than normal. My LA145 has 41.5 hours on it. I know the trainee must over heat because there is a fan back there. I could not believe it. I took my deck down last night because the deck just seems a little loud to me. My son does all the mowing and now he is leaving for college and it seems to me it use to more quite than it is now.

When I pulled the deck all the Idle pulleys has just a little rough feeling to me. One of the plastic (to my surprise) drive pulleys seemed pitted along the outer edge. They both spin but I think I will change them while I have the deck down.

Question if both my rear tires hit a 3/4 - 1 inch lip (resting on it without moving) when I engage and try to drive over it, the tractor wont move. I must get a foot run at it before I can go over it. Does this sound like a drive issue?

I went to the John Deere store the other day and mention that I was coming from a 17hp Automatic Murray and the guy gave me the riot act. You can say what want about my Murray, I had it for 10 years. The deck was a piece of crap, but it could pull anything. I attached a boat tie down to the back and used as a hitch. I pulled 17" boats, a 700 lbs trailer with 1 yard white chip marble in a lot with full day light basement ( so slopes on the side). No maintenance was ever done to the drive system. I would only have to tap the starter lightly for it to start.

So why did I replace it with the LA145? Did I mention the Deck was a piece of crap. I put up with it for 10 years and was now tired of the deck issues.

Now the John Deere seems to have Pulley issues (but the deck mows 100% better than the Murray)
 

pile81

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The main drive pulley on the crank could be worn as well as
 

44redskins

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Wow, it sounds like I need to get rid of my LA 145 asap! Mine has an idler pully bearing that is bad and also spindle bearing that is bad. Hasn't melted yet, I have been nursing it along until I get parts. It looks like the idler pully bearing is supposed to be sealed, but has leaked out the grease. I have been putting oil on top of it so that it will soak in. It's funny because when I was looking for the parts, the JD web site suggested to use only genuine John Deere parts because they last longer! What a joke, it's the JD parts that have failed pre-maturely! Only two seasons and this thing is shot!
I thought a shiv was a type of knife made in prison LOL
A bent axle too? I haven't even heard of such a thing on a mower. I have heard that there is no front axle bearings, just bushings that wear out and then the spindle gets ruined. I can't imagine how it would get bent by mowing, must be very cheap piece of junk.
A neighbor told me yesterday that the LA series of John Deer mowers is actually made by MTD. Is that true?

MTD does not manufacture the LA series. These are built in Greeneville TN. by John Deere employees.
 

bertsmobile1

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MTD does not manufacture the LA series. These are built in Greeneville TN. by John Deere employees.

Your neighbour has no idea about mowers.
The 100 series are identical to the Husqvarnas & nearly everything else that comes out of the AYP factory to the point that a lot of parts are interchangable.
For a long while I believed the 100 series was made by AYP but photos posted earlier this year proved me wrong.
They also showed some black mowers on the same production line so obviously they make other brands at the Greensville plant.
 
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