Is Ztrak M535 a lemon? Hydrostatic drive is failing w/ only 245 hours on mower

[TxBeeman]

I bought a John Deere from an authorized JD dealership (ie. not Lowes of other dept store) specifically because I was hoping I would get better service and more reliability. I am really regretting that decision.

I have had this mower for 4 years, but it only has 245 hours on it. When I took it to a different mechanic to look at, he was shocked at the problems it is having (said he expected it to be over 2500 hours based on the problem).

The problem:
The hydrostatic drive, especially the one on the left, basically quits and just "grinds" after about 5 minutes. The mower just wants to make left-hand circles. And the problem is getting worse. This drive is supposed to be "maintenance free" - there isn't even a drain to get rid of the old oil. For this mower to have this kind of problem with this few hours makes me believe that that HAS to be a manufacturer defect.

The local JD dealership is no help. They want to charge $125/hour to look at the problem, which from what I have read would entail tearing the entire drive apart (several hours of labor).

 

[bertsmobile1]

FWIW
Apart from hat I posted on the other place your thread is
I have seen hydros fail within 100 hours
There is a Craftsman in the shop at the moment with 78 hour on it and both hydros have failed .
Now this is owned by a buildng company who have a small yard with a lot of trailers for things like Dingos, Ditch Witches. compressors etc.
Now I have no doubt that the employees were using the mower as a tow motor becaus it is a lot easier than using a 6 ton truck but of course they deny this .
There is another customer who is a bit on the slow side upstairs and he was running his engine at 1/2 speed because he wanted to conserve it.
That burned out both hydros in under a year.
Even some of my contractors will run the engine 1/2 speed when driving their mowers up the ramp ino their trailers and again that puts a bigger load on the hydros than they were designed for an no surprise their hydros fail early.
Ditto for mowing up hills steeper than the owners hand book specifies
While bying from a dealer should mean that themower was set up properly when you bought it it does nt make any difference if it has not been serviced by them.

I bought a John Deere from an authorized JD dealership (ie. not Lowes of other dept store) specifically because I was hoping I would get better service and more reliability. I am really regretting that decision.

I have had this mower for 4 years, but it only has 245 hours on it. When I took it to a different mechanic to look at, he was shocked at the problems it is having (said he expected it to be over 2500 hours based on the problem).

The problem:
The hydrostatic drive, especially the one on the left, basically quits and just "grinds" after about 5 minutes. The mower just wants to make left-hand circles. And the problem is getting worse. This drive is supposed to be "maintenance free" - there isn't even a drain to get rid of the old oil. For this mower to have this kind of problem with this few hours makes me believe that that HAS to be a manufacturer defect.

The local JD dealership is no help. They want to charge $125/hour to look at the problem, which from what I have read would entail tearing the entire drive apart (several hours of labor).

 

[TxBeeman]

While bying from a dealer should mean that themower was set up properly when you bought it it does nt make any difference if it has not been serviced by them.

This model of JD says the hydro drive is supposed to be "non-serviceable". Even the owner's manual says that if it needs service, to bring it to the dealer.

I have noticed that the problem is much worse while the blade is engaged (even if running on a driveway w/ nothing to cut). It is even remotely possible this is really a belt problem?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Different belts but it can be a loose engine mount or a loose hydro mount ing bolt or brace plate between them
They hydro maker will have a service manual on ther web site
As mentioned before JD ( and others ) fit non servicable hydros so it absolves then from warranty claims and means they are not obliged to keep hydro parts in stock, just complete replacement units .
As it is not working you have nothing to loose by whipping it out draining the hydro & refilling it with fresh oil of a heavier weight
I can not find a M535 but I can find a z535R which has tuff torque Tuff Torq TZT 7-M fitted
Tuff Torque has just done a big dealer network & pulled most of the service information from their web site
But if you buy the oil change kit it comes with instruction sheets
If you ring their customer service they will usually email you service instructions
Mulligans are good as well
They list your hydro for around $ 800 and will also have the oil change kit which should have oil, new cap & filters .
I can not stress enough that if you intend to open the box. even just to replace the oil & filters it has to come out and it has to be clean with a capital K
They are made in a dust free factory and a tiny amount of dust will kill them in no time flat .

 

[TxBeeman]

I can not find a M535 but I can find a z535R which has tuff torque Tuff Torq TZT 7-M fitted
Tuff Torque has just done a big dealer network & pulled most of the service information from their web site

It's a Z535M

 

[TxBeeman]

So if a replacement is $800, then it looks like it's about $300 to get installed. That is for 1 side.

Am I better off just selling this JD Ztrak Z535M and buying a new mower?

• How much could I get for it?
  245 hours, engine runs GREAT, deck is in very good shape. Other than the drive, the only thing that needs replaced is the seat.
  
  
  
• What 52" zero turn has the BEST reliability - ie. will last the longest?
  Sometimes the grass I cut is over 12" high and the ground is not perfectly level...