Export thread

Hi All:

I recently bought a used 2000 model year 725k with the 61" deck. It had some issues, but I think I got a pretty good deal on it...paid about $1500 less than I have seen other units with a lot more hours go for.

It needed some TLC...the original owner was a farmer's wife who supposedly used it only for trimming. The PO I purchased from indicated it had seen maybe 20 hours of use by him in the past two years...it was bought for his wife, but it was too big for her. The unit only has 650 hours on it.

I figured out there were some things that were worn...deck mount bushings were shot, the from caster wheel bearings were worn, and the blades looked original. So I ordered all of that along with new hardware figuring some was bent or worn. Where has everyone been ordering parts from for these things...I found one place online that seems pretty detailed, but not sure they're cheap by any means. I have a local Grasshopper dealer, but they have to order everything in!

I found the idler pulleys for the deck needed grease, found the idler arms were seized. That took a little bit to figure out. I also learned that, even though there are grease fittings on the front wheels; the bearings from Grasshopper are sealed and won't accept grease. I removed the blades and decided to paint the underside of the deck for the summer since it was fairly clean and dry. I'm waiting on the fiber washers that sandwich the blades so that I can install the new blades. I also found the PO has welded the front air dam onto the main deck shell...I'll need to cut that off this fall (or maybe sooner depending on how well it works). I may need to replace the drive shaft to the deck...the square slip coupling has some play in it and I think that's causing me a vibration.

The PO had recently completely a drain and refill of the hydros using the alternative Mobile DTE-18M oil and new Grasshopper filters. I found the idler pulleys again dry of grease, so I greased those.

Moving to the engine, I changed oil and filter. I found the air filter plugged, and that it had been leaking around the seal...hopefully that doesn't present problems down the road. I also pulled the oil cooler from the engine. Now here's where things get interesting. The cooler had a plate covering the hole in the engine shroud. There was no air blowing across the cooler, so it was pretty much a decoration. So if you haven't checked, make sure you look under the oil cooler.

Overall the unit seems in good condition. I was thinking about trying it out tomorrow, but we are forecast for 4 to 8 inches of snow!

Are there any known problem points on these that need addressing or preventative maintenance more than others???

It looks as if you have gone over it very close and noted most everything that needs addressed...
Welcome to the forum and it should be good for all of us to have someone that pays attention to details as it seems you do...

There are other Grasshopper folks here that should have some favorite on line sources ...
I am also into good used equipment, quality stuff is much more fun to operate and maintain.... :smile:KennyV

Welcome to the Forum, Steve! As Kenny said, it's good to have someone who knows his equipment... there are a few other Grasshopper owners on LMF, hopefully they will chime in and have some ideas.

Please do keep us updated on your progress. Would love to see some photos of your machine. :thumbsup:

hi steved,sounds like you have a nice machine.I get all my parts from a KUBOTA dealer that also sells Grasshopper.If he doesn't have the part he orders from the mangf.Fourtunally Grasshopper is made here in Ks. so parts are in next day.I believe you can order online from them.Costwise don't know.On my unit I have 14 greasable points,the PO told me 5!The bearings on my front deck wheels are greasable as are the two tail wheels.the drive shaft has 5pts.the steering arms under the seat have zerks plus the deck spindels.rather than paint the underdeck I treated with a rust inhibiator that bonds with rust and gives a rock solid treatment ,I then sprayed it with this product called Mo-Deck I bought at T.S.C.Don't know if you are aware but those fiber washers for your blades are two per blade with the metal sandwiched between them.I also have a manual which isn't what I expected,not enough detail but better than nothing.Bought that from the mangf. online.The manual says only use Grasshopper fluid in the gemini drive.mine holds 2 gal. and that cost $80.00,pricey but it won't need another for a 1000hrs. as well as the two filters for it.I have a diesel on mine so we differ on that.have fun with your mower as I'm sure you'll love it . russ

I was thinking about those fiber washers...what is their purpose? Do they act as a clutch and slip if you hit something??

I took it for a spin, it mows well, but I think I got a worn coupler shaft that is causing me a vibration...it only occurs when you engage the PTO, so unless I have a bent PTO shaft; its probably the coupler shaft between the tractor and the deck whipping. I need to further diagnose.

steved,not real sure as to the purpose of those washers,might be a way of tourquing down the blades and keeping them tight.when I replaced mine the old ones were pretty worn.On that wobble you might also check those Pillowblock bearings.One is located right behind the pully sheave back by the pto and the other is located up front by the u joint assbly. the drive shaft goes through these bearings.both are greasable.it would take a heck of a hit to bend that driveshaft.also that back pully has a key that fits in a slot on the driveshaft,maybe it's out of wack.keep us updated .how bout a pic or two of your new machine? russ

I greased those pillow block bearings...they did take grease. I just need to look under the machine when things are turning, to see if anything is wobbling. I'm still thinking its a worn slip-spline on the driveshaft...it was pretty loose.

Did you ever change the lubricant in the 90* gearbox on the deck??? I'm considering changing it at the end of the mowing season...mine has a plug to drain, I assume you simply tilt the deck up to refill. Looked like typical gear oil.

Wow, didn't realize how bad that picture was!

I've got my deck off right now,put new blades and washers on as well as new belts and skirting.was looking at that gear box and decided to change the lube as it's proably never been done before just haven't done it yet.was looking at your machine and curious as what those two "boxes"are on your deck ,the one on top the other?does your deck have the powerlift?mine is an older model and doesn't have it.after each mowing I run it up on ramps to clean it.I also bought an air powered greasegun to make greasing easier. russ

Those boxes are for the spindle-driven blower for the grass catcher in the background...

I was told by the local Grasshopper dealer that those gearboxes are sealed for life...I'm going to drain and refill mine at the end of the season.

BTW, mine's a 2000 model year...

steved,got you on those boxes,so I guess you don't have the powerlift?my machine is a 1995 with a 1996 deck. 61".I think I'm going to change out that gearbox w/in the next day or so.my way of thinking if there's a drain plug for it then it ain't permanent. russ

From what I understand, the newer models don't have a drain plug? If mine had more hours on it, I would change it out, but it looked clean when I checked it...its a wintertime project.

Should only take a cup or so to fill...I was thinking of draining it into a container to see how much is in there, then flipping the deck so the drain plug up in the air and filling to its level, that should leave at least some airspace for expansion of the fluid. Compare the two volumes...although it doesn't look to have leaked, you never know if the last guy actually filled it either.

What weight oil are you going to use? I was going to use what I have on hand: Royal Purple 85w140 or Schaeffer 75w140. I've had real good luck with both in automotive applications and in a 90* gearbox on a gravely mower deck. The oil looked like a gear oil?

My mower is sitting in the corner, patiently waiting for the snow to quit falling...

not sure what wt. to use,I'm going to the dealer tomorrow to buy an exhaust gasket and I'll ask. russ

checked with the dealer today and he said regular 90wt lube is adquate.Curious as to where you get this purple "stuff" you mentioned?....russ

173abn said:

checked with the dealer today and he said regular 90wt lube is adquate.Curious as to where you get this purple "stuff" you mentioned?....russ

Click to expand...

Royal Purple is just a brand of synthetic oil...I've had good luck with it.

So a 80w90 conventional or a 75w90 or 75w140 synthetic should work well in the gear box...

Yes sir that's what the man said,so tomorrow out with the old in with the new...russ

I have used Valvoline, SynPower or Mobil1 ... Gear box temp lowered after changing from what ever was factory in all my various gear boxes... so I have always went back with synthetic gear oils.

Royal Purple is available at both AutoZone and O'REILLY's... :smile:KennyV

Not only did I see a drop in temp using RP 85w140 in a 90* gearbox on a gravely mower, but I also saw an decrease in mowing resistance (nothing else changed)...it took less power to mow the same yard. I had been using a conventional 80w90 gear oil.

I'll probably change it out later this summer when I get time...my elbow is still healing, can't really be ripping and tearing on that heavy deck.

I think I'm going to give that royal purple a try. thanks for the tip....russ

173abn said:

I think I'm going to give that royal purple a try. thanks for the tip....russ

Click to expand...

I'm thinking you must be a K State fan... :smile:KennyV

Hey Kenny,K-State is OK but I'm partial to K.U. even though they let me down last week. russ

If you change the gearbox fluid I would replace it with OEM fluid which would be a synthetic fluid. My Grasshopper is a 1992 model with over 2600 hours and still has its original fluid in it; I believe that the important thing with these gear boxes is that there are no leaking fluids around the gear box. I have friends that run Grasshoppers in their commercial lawn service and have surpassed 6000 hours without a gear box failure.

Well, I took it out for a "spin" yesterday...it was dry and I had nothing else to do. I'll probably be mowing the yard at the end of the week if its dry...just spread 100#s of grass seed in an attempt to grow grass in my former hay field.

I had found the drive tires over-inflated after the last outing...dropping them to the recommended 6psi made an absolute world of difference. No more spinning at every turn, and it rides like its on an airbag.

I basically wanted to see how it would handle the terrain, more than how it would mow. I took it on the steepest portions to see A) if it would climb them, B) if it would rear up descending them, and C) if it would be stable on the side hills. I must say I am very pleased, it climbed without hesitation where the old rider would spin sometimes. It would lift the rear wheel on a steep descent and purposely braking hard, but it was minor and controllable. It felt very stable on side slopes. The only thing I will be doing it changing out the "fixed" deck mount bushings for the optional "floating" deck mount bushings...I think it would place less strain on things and mow better if the deck could pivot a little.

I also mowed a small patch, and it does very well...the grass was pretty thick and it didn't even change tune. It definitely does better with the new blades.

I did check the oil afterwards, and it appears to have flushed some of the old oil out...turned it a little darker brown from the initial olive green. Probably run it one time, then change the oil and filter as a precaution...I'm running Schaeffers 5w40 synthetic, so it should scrub the insides out pretty good being a PAO base. Even though I ran it about 20 minutes, the oil itself barely got warm...so the oil cooler must be doing its job now that its got air flow.

BWH,are you talking about the hydro fluid or the little gearbox that the deckshaft goes into that's located under the deck?I use OEM hydro fluid but as to that gearbox under the deck the dealer said regular 90wt gear lube will suffice.I did get a qt. of Purple something[?]now I'm going to have to research this futher before I do this.I'm going to Grasshopper"s web site to see if I can find any info....russ

173abn said:

BWH,are you talking about the hydro fluid or the little gearbox that the deckshaft goes into that's located under the deck?I use OEM hydro fluid but as to that gearbox under the deck the dealer said regular 90wt gear lube will suffice.I did get a qt. of Purple something[?]now I'm going to have to research this futher before I do this.I'm going to Grasshopper"s web site to see if I can find any info....russ

Click to expand...

The quart you bought should be Royal Purple...it is a quality synthetic. You did get a 75w90, 75w140, or 85w140 right? They also sell "synchromax" which is a light manual transmission fluid, among other things.

A quality synthetic gear oil should work just fine...

steved,thanks for helping me out on that name and no I did'nt get that heavy of a wt. all they had was 50wt. so I'll go somewhere else tomorrow to buy 90wt.glad you like your mower,I love mine and can't wait to get mowing...russ

Russ I was talking about the front gear box and agree with Steved recomendation of synthetic oil, it dosen't break down as soon and can tak heat a lot better. BWH

Well, finally got it out...

First thing I got to do is replace the mower bushings with the optional "floating" bushing...my yard is rough and this may also help improve ride.

Second thing I got to do is remove that inner (optional) deflector under the deck...I think its pushing some of the taller weeds over and not allowing them to get cut.

Lastly, I think I'm going to spend the $$ on the replacement (splined) driveshaft offered my the-mower-shop (google Grasshopper parts, they are on top of the list). I think that would help with a minor vibration I have.

Other than those couple easy fixes...it mows GREAT! I mowed my entire yard in under two hours...it would have taken me at least four to five with the other tractor.

173abn said:

steved,not real sure as to the purpose of those washers,might be a way of tourquing down the blades and keeping them tight.

Click to expand...

I found out the reason for those washers...the primary thing they do is prevent dirt and debris from getting up around the spindle...I had to pull the blades to cut the optional air deflector from under the deck.

The standard deck bushing:







The optional "floating" deck bushing:





As you can see, the groove allows the locking pin some vertical movement, which translates into twist on the ground.