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GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

I've been around here a month or two, but here goes; I'm a retired JD L&G collector, do several parades & shows in North MO & some in Southern IA.

Below are my 71-110, 74-112, 69 140 w/Johnson loader (now sold), 83-420, 9? F525, 82-317"Special" & 69 L/60 "Custom":

Love your lineup of equipment... I think John Deere should give you a free hat or two for your brand loyalty. :tongue:

Hello all.

Great idea! When I get a few minutes out of my busy life I'll post a pic of my LX277AWS (sounds sexy, doesn't it?:laughing. Generally I repair my own equipment and I will at times be looking for advise of what to do. Perhaps this will be the best place for it.

Thanks,

Roger

Here is a picture of my SST that you can see I use year around. No I didn't cut that snow with the multipurpose deck!! :biggrin:


Suz

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=356&stc=1&d=1282915815

I qualify as new to the forum. I've been reading awhile but don't post much.

My LX277AWS is my favorite. The all wheel steering is very handy for going around trees and other obstructions.
The "Cyclone Rake" attached to it is 12 years old and getting tired. I just ordered a new, more powerful model. The leaves around here are falling bigtime - the Cyclone Rake sure makes life easier for cleaning them up. If it wasn't for the rake, I'd seriously consider ordering a tactical air strike with Round-Up instead of ordinance! :biggrin:
Rich

I just joined today, I have an old John Deere RX 75 and a new X300. I have had good luck with both, just wanted an upgrade as the older one was clocking many many hours, but I still use them both.

brucesdeere said:

I just joined today, I have an old John Deere RX 75 and a new X300. I have had good luck with both, just wanted an upgrade as the older one was clocking many many hours, but I still use them both.

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welcome to the forum hope you enjoy it ..The older deers last for ever ..there is alot of nice deers out there what are you looking for

Hi, new to the forum, but not mowing. About a year and a half ago I purchased my first John Deere, an LA175. When I bought it, I really didn't think it was a "real" JD as it came from one of the box stores. But when I went to my local JD dealer to get the battery replaced under warranty, guess what I saw lined up alongside the X300's, 500's and 700's? About 15 LA series mowers. Their service and willingness to help me with a mower I didn't even purchase from them has led me to purchase my first tractor just yesterday, a 3038E. I should take delivery of it in about two weeks. It's gonna be a looooooong two weeks!!

Hi, new to the LMF, I enjoy outside work for the most part. I have a JS45 trimmer mower, L130 rider and a new X749. Great for lawn work with a few small tools, cart, broadcast seeder, drop seeder, chipper, pinestraw rake and landscape rake.

I enjoy building landscapes so also have a 4520 cab, 110tlb cab and 820 canopy tractors with implements to shape, smooth and transform.

Hi

I have been a registered member since May 2010, but never posted much on here as I have been busy!

I have for Deeres:

1995 John Deere 455 AWS with 60" Deck( likely for sale in the Spring)
1997 John Deere F1145 Front Mount with 60" deck, 4X4
2005 John Deere 2305 sub-compact, 4X4, 62" deck & rear mount 48" Buhler Snow Blower( just bought it)
2007 John Deere X744 AWS with 48" deck.

The 2305 is replacing the 455 Deere, as I really don't need two AWS mowers and I might sell the F1145 as well and just run the X744 & the 2305 but we will see.

Nice lineup you've got there... I always liked the 455 as it was the flagship L&G machine from Deere for many years. Indeed the 2305 is a nice upgrade, though. :smile:

Welcome to the forum... hope to see some pictures soon.

Hey all,
I've been a member here since July.
I currently have a 1999 model John Deere Lt166 with twin-touch hydro,42" freedom mulch deck, and a 16hp engine. I like it fairly well; especially the smothness with which it drives.
I'll try to post some pictures of it sometime later.:smile:


Thanks,

New member as of yesterday.
I own a X520 with a 54 inch mower.
This is the best mowing and running machine I have ever owned.
It has tons of power and is decent on gas.
Here's a picture of it.

Hello,

I just joined today. I have a 2004 x495 with 173 hours on it, and I'm looking around for a low hour 332. I'm from the south (NC) and look forward to reading and learning more here.

Welcome aboard Appstate


Glad to see you come along , there is a lot of good information and friend ship around here.Hope to hear a lot more from you.Im from Minnesota area cold and snowy around here now

Dear Norma,

Thanks for the welcome. I look forward to checking in as much as I can. I hear it's pretty country up there in Minn. We've even had more snow and colder weather here in NC than most years. I've burned more wood this winter than in the last three combined. Take care!

Hey Everyone,
New to the site, look forward to alot of great info.

Hi all, just got another transfusion of "green" yesterday.
I bought a JD 1435 front mower; hopefully the last mower I'll have to buy!!

Nice mower... that's a serious machine. Welcome to the forum! :thumbsup:

I just joined today, I have an old John Deere F525. I bought it used and have been having trouble with it. I was hoping to get some good advice on trouble shooting my F525.

pborg said:

I just joined today, I have an old John Deere F525. I bought it used and have been having trouble with it. I was hoping to get some good advice on trouble shooting my F525.

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Welcome to the forum! Thanks for joining. :thumbsup:

What sort of problems are you having?

Hi there,
i just joined the forum,
i have 2 older (72-74 ) JD 112 electric lift lawn/garden tractors + tiller,snow blower and mower decks.
Both still work like a dandy :thumbsup:

:thumbsup:HEY GREAT PICTURE OF THAT HARD WORKING J.D. IN THE SNOW. WE DO NOT HAVE SNOW INHAWAII WHERE I LIVE. ALOHA AND GOD BLESS. KALAUKIA37

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=356&stc=1&d=1282915815[/QUOTE]

I have a 2010 JD 2305 and I use it year round.

Here it is in winter mode.

All these great pics are making me green with envy. I might have to paint my Massey green so I can join in.:laughing:

hello again i believe i have just purchased an old john deer or mabie a case. here is a link Tractor with plow

hello again i believe i have just purchased an old john deer or mabie a case. here is a link Tractor with plow i will put up pics tomorrow but it is dark. it is without a doubt the coolest thing I have ridden. Only paid $270

Hi, I joined today, have a X304 that we purchased last summer, only have 20 some hours on it, but have enjoyed every minute of it.

Just bought a slightly used Ztrack 777. Absolutely love it! I'll get pics up soon.

Just joined today. Have a F525 and love it. A great mower for mowing around all my trees.

Have you ever had a problem that it will not go in reverse?
I bought mine used and it worked great for a while but now it only will go forward, you push down on the pedal and nothing happens.

Re: New owner with an LX178

Got my first John Deere lawn tractor, an LX178. Liking it so far but it does need some work. Looking for a deck and the front plastic. Runs great though.

john

Hello john... & WELCOME to LMF...

With mowing season ending here.. you will have all fall winter & spring to get it like you want it Before next mowing season starts... Good luck AND post pictures as you go... :smile:KennyV

Aloha, my name is Colin, checking in on this thread as I am new to this site. I am stuck out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I have a JD LA115, which my dad gave me. He originally bought it from Lowes.

Unlike some, mowing for me is a monthly chore all year round. I don't mind it.

OK Here Goes . Hello all I'm another new guy. I like tractors and lawn and garden tractors, any color is fine but think I have a little green in my blood. I mow my place with a JD 777, In the process of restoring a JD345 but when I'm finished it it will not have a plastic hood. Provided it looks like the picture in my mind I'll try to post a picture. Then last week I bought a JD STX38 (yellow deck) Works well needs brakes. Today I bought a NEW (newer sold for use ) JD112 don't know year model yet will have to wait till it gets here and check the Ser.# It sure is Beautiful. Then I have a JD 420, JD A, JD B, JD MC show ready, 2 JD L's, Oliver 55, Oliver 60 row crop, M Farmall, 4 Wheel Horse, Roper RT20, 3 Sears GT's and a NH TC35.
Just like my toys. Thanks for letting me join. Reading the post and replies is very interesting. I'm not a mechanic,but love to try to be one. When I have time to go to the shop and play with my toys the world just seems to slow down and be more peaceful. Thanks Again JWL

WELCOME to LMF... JWL
Sounds as if you have a lot of fun tractors... looking forward to seeing them... KennyV

Hi Friends,

I just found and joined the forum just now. I had a GT225 until the Sunday before last when the Hydro went in it. Now I have a new 2011 D170. Its a great machine so far with a lot more HP, bigger deck and much improved over the 2001 GT. We are on almost an acre and 25 trees so the fall yard clean up is a chore. I have a DR power vac which on the old tractor worked really well but with the new D170 it works 2 times better. 99% of the leaves are powder now. John Deere in my opinion is the best. I hope to have this for the next 10 years and then get one last one. LOL :thumbsup:

Hello all,

My name is Chris and I actually work for a dealership. I have been reading posts for a while now and have seen a few with questions about Deere products. I will help anyway I can!

Thanks Kenny, I really enjoy this Forum. Lots of good info and helpful people here.
Happy Thanksgiving JWL

Hi,
I just became a jd guy by buying this tractor! I look fprward to discussing john deeres with you guys!
Chris

Welcome, Hope you enjoy the JD and this Forum. I enjoy all the info available here.

JWL

Thanks for the welcome JWL

I've got an RX73 and a LT155 with a blown motor. Looking for a 15 horse kohler command

Just posted my first reply earlier today before I saw this thread.

I have a 2003 LX255 with a 15hp Kohler and a 42C mower deck.

This looks like a great forum.

New to Forum to just wanted to say hello. I just bought a F620 Z-Trak last week, so now I am officially an owner of a John Deere.

Hello all.... I'm new to this forum. Just purchased my second John Deere X-300 Series. My first was an X-300 which I had for about five years until a tornado pretty much destroyed our house in 4/11. My 600 lb. X-300 was sucked out of my garage and deposited on the front steps of the house (what was left of it), upside down and pretty mangled. It was not salvageable but I did give it to my JD dealer to use for parts. We just finished rebuilding the house (took almost two years) and it was time to get the lawn back in shape with spring around the corner. I decided on the X-304 this time as I thought I could make good use of the 4-wheel steering to help me around what trees are left and some tight places around the flower beds. I just ordered it yesterday and it will be a few days before delivery. I really never considered any other brand for my replacement mower due to the fact that my original X-300 was such a fine machine. I hope I like the 304 as well. I just wish it had the Kawasaki engine on it like that X-300 did.

photoman said:

Hello all.... I'm new to this forum. Just purchased my second John Deere X-300 Series. My first was an X-300 which I had for about five years until a tornado pretty much destroyed our house in 4/11. My 600 lb. X-300 was sucked out of my garage and deposited on the front steps of the house (what was left of it), upside down and pretty mangled. It was not salvageable but I did give it to my JD dealer to use for parts. We just finished rebuilding the house (took almost two years) and it was time to get the lawn back in shape with spring around the corner. I decided on the X-304 this time as I thought I could make good use of the 4-wheel steering to help me around what trees are left and some tight places around the flower beds. I just ordered it yesterday and it will be a few days before delivery. I really never considered any other brand for my replacement mower due to the fact that my original X-300 was such a fine machine. I hope I like the 304 as well. I just wish it had the Kawasaki engine on it like that X-300 did.

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That sounds like a good mower!...Welcome to the forums at LawnWorld! :welcome:

And sorry about what happened to your house! :ashamed:

Hey yall, new to the forum. The reason for me joining my grandfather recently passed away after battling cancer. He was in to old cars and farm equipment guess thats where I got it from. As a child I remember riding around on his 175 pulling my sister and cousins in a trailer he built and painted to match the mower as well as mowing his grass and everyone else in the general area. When he died he still had the 175 but it needs fixing he also had a 265 that needs new parts on the deck and some body work. Im looking for all information on these 2 mowers I can get so that I can continue to use the mowers and keep them in the family as long as possible.

:welcome: to the forum, good of you to restore these mowers keeping them in the family:thumbsup:

Hello Everyone!

I just joined the forums and hope I can help with some John Deere issues.

Re: Hello Everyone!

hayman3347 said:

I just joined the forums and hope I can help with some John Deere issues.

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:welcome: Welcome to LawnWorld!! I'm glad you could join! :smile:

New to the forum! Looks like a great place to get good information.
We have a JD 650 with a loader, box scraper, and a 60" mower deck.
It has been a very good tractor. We also have a JD GT262 and a Scag Freedom.
We just bought a JD X749 to replace the GT262 and the Scag. The Scag is a great mower
but as we found out it is not so great for mowing on hilly ground and the GT has been a work
horse, but it is 25 plus years old. The X749 with the hydro will be a big change from the GT.

Looking forward to reading more post.

Thanks!

Jim C

thxbaby said:

..
We have a JD 650 with a loader, box scraper, and a 60" mower deck.
It has been a very good tractor. ...
We just bought a JD X749 ...
Looking forward to reading more post.



Jim C

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Hello Jim C & welcome to the Forum..
That 650 was and still is a very popular compact tractor very nice...
The X749 IS an Incredible machine, all wheel Drive & Steering plus all the rest that makes it a $20k bargain...
You have great taste in equipment, looking forward to see how you are using them... :smile:KennyV

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

Hi Mohamad
What about a library for all JD workshop manuals available for the JD owners. I purchased my own but it would be handy when we provide help or if the owner needs info. This means you go into a site type the model number in and "wala" you got info you need .
This is just a thought.

Regards
PJ

Have an X540 and a 5 acre lot. Found ths site because mower won't engage. Runs fine. Just started up for first mowing of the year.

I assume your deck belt or PTO drive belt isn't broken or removed....right?

I just bought a property with about 1.5 acres. I bought a John Deere LA165 mower to keep up with the mowing.

funhunter63 said:

I just bought a property with about 1.5 acres. I bought a John Deere LA165 mower to keep up with the mowing.

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:welcome: fellow Okie, glad you joined, a lot of good people here.:thumbsup:

Hi all -

I have a JD GT242 that's about 20 years old named Lazarus. Freshly repowered with a Briggs Intek v-twin 18 hp. Now I need a wheelie bar. The old hood had fracured badly, so when I did the work this winter (no, the garage is not heated) I got a fresh hood top for it. Still have to trim the sides to fit over the motor, but its all good.

The other warrior is a Bob-Cat I'm itching to restore. Anyone know anything about dual shaft Briggs engines? I don't!

Hello all,
I'm new here, but not all that new to JD.
In a past life I owned 60 acres of Maine and a JD870 with bucket loader, log winch, and 5' pto mounted snowblower for my 4/10 mile dirt driveway.
In this life I have nearly 10 acres, of which I mow probably 3, a JD X300 with 48" mower. Times change!!
I bought this mower a couple of years ago and love it except last year I had to charge the battery every time I wanted to start it. It would run like a champ ( still does, I just charged the batt and started it up for the first time this year ), but when I wanted to mow the next week I'd need to charge the battery again. Lights always carefully turned off, so I really don't know where the battery killing draw is.

Ideas?
Thanks,
Oak

Hi Everyone,

I just bought my first JD Garden Tractor, a nice vintage 320.

-Rich

Hello, new to the forums. I have a JS20 walk behind, looking forward to the information in these forums.

rbeskosty said:

Hi Everyone,

I just bought my first JD Garden Tractor, a nice vintage 320.

-Rich

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dmast87 said:

Hello, new to the forums. I have a JS20 walk behind, looking forward to the information in these forums.

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:welcome: Welcome to LawnWorld!

New here and new to John Deere. Bought first home last winter, has a 1.2 ac yard. Bought an LT160 lawn tractor 2 weeks ago with a couple useful attachments. 400 hrs. Just with it could accept a snowblower instead of a blade.

Zach5.9CTD said:

New here and new to John Deere. Bought first home last winter, has a 1.2 ac yard. Bought an LT160 lawn tractor 2 weeks ago with a couple useful attachments. 400 hrs. Just with it could accept a snowblower instead of a blade.

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Nice machine! :thumbsup: And Welcome to LawnWorld! :welcome:

Zach5.9CTD said:

New here and new to John Deere. Bought first home last winter, has a 1.2 ac yard. Bought an LT160 lawn tractor 2 weeks ago with a couple useful attachments. 400 hrs. Just with it could accept a snowblower instead of a blade.

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Man, you sure have the attachment's on there, buy the way, what kind of rear tires are those? I bet they don't loose traction a lot. Good looking machine too.

I just noticed this thread....own a L120 since 2003 (?) mowing 2acres 2xs a week during mowing season. I've replaced 3 pinion gears/sectors & bushings (steel too soft(?)) and waiting for a new pto. I replaced an Ariens (gave to my brother). I'm pretty much a DIYer for everything. I have already been given helpful info from this site. Thank you. AB

I am new to this forum. My JA65 John Deere mower has been very dependable and I just had a full Spring service. I have had no problems this Spring until this past weekend. After completing 90% of my lawn and refilling the gas tank, the mower would re-start but only run for about 2-5 seconds before it dies. Will not run. I checked the plug (looked fine) and the air filter (very clean). What could this be?

Hi all, Just joined recently. I have a L120 with 487 hrs. I have had to replace the electric clutch three times on this unit also all the bearings on the mower deck had to be replaced 2 times. The motor has run fine for the most part. I had a problem a while back finally replaced the fuel filter it looked fine,but after replacing the filter it worked great.
I also have a JD X320 bought last year it has been trouble free. I really like the tight steering and finally a pleasure to cut the large amount of grass I have to cut. I also have a kubota M4700 4wd with a 6 ft finish mower that I use for the really large areas to cut. I look forward for advice and help with the people on this site that has alot more knowledge than me.
Thanks,
Bullfrog

Re: John Deere LT 115 owner

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

Hi folks from NE Oklahoma. I own a John Deere LT 115 riding mower. The Steering is locked up. What is going on here?

Hank

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OK ! Hello to all. I'm new just joined today 5/17/2013. I've had my JD Model LA110 for six years. Never a problem, ran great until four days ago while mowing it just quit running like it ran out of gas. Being a DIY'er trouble-shooting I thought it was the fuel pump as I wasn't getting fuel to the carburator. Bought new pump from JD's local dealer and still no fuel to carburator, so now I'm thinking must be in the carburator. I don't have access to shop manual, and I found this forum and now am hoping someone can help me so fix my mower.
Anyway, I don't know much about JOHN DEERE's except they work and run great. Had this one for sixyears and never had to repair anything until now. Local dealer wants about $80.00 for shop manual. Any body in this forum knows about the Briggs & Stratton model 31P677 0130 E1 engine thats on this John Deere can help me solve this problem I'd sure like to hear from you!!!

Hi to all; I solved my problem. I had connected the two lines backwards. The fuel line from fuel tank was connected to the vacuum side of pump and the vacuum hose was connected to the fuel intake side of pump. Switched them around and the engine started and runs fine now. I'll be watching this web often, as I am abig DIY'er and sometimes need help. THANKS

:welcome: to the forum. Glad you got the problem figured out.:thumbsup:

Hi folks,

I'm new to the forum. I have a John Deere LX188 w/Kawasaki FD501V & 48" mower deck. I'm a ground equipment mechanic for a major airline and thoroughly enjoy maintaining and repairing all my own equipment. It's time for some maintenance and adjustments to the ole' LX188. I look forward to navigating the site.

Thanks,
Bill

8950LX said:

Hi folks,

I'm new to the forum. I have a John Deere LX188 w/Kawasaki .....
...I look forward to navigating the site.

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Hello Bill & WELCOME to these Forums...

You will be joining a lot of other Green here... should fit right in. :smile:KennyV

Hi everybody, after following a pusher all my life I decided it was time to get a rider. I have a smallish yard here in Wisconsin and our new JD x310 is probably overkill, but I really, Really, REALLY, disliked mowing grass, especially after work or on weekends (which means whenever I'm awake and not working) and the 310 has actually turned me into someone who LIKES to mow the grass! My wife has actually had to tell me "no dear, I don't think the grass needs to be mowed"! I'll probably never get the chance to use the cruse control on it because I'm at the far end of our yard by the time I think to engage it but everything else about machine is great to have, and the 42" mower deck does a great job and is the easiest deck to keep clean that I've ever used. I'm looking forward to reading your posts and hope I can contribute occasionally.

New to the forum, but following the rules, I have a Grasshopper that I won't talk about here, and a JD 935f with 3500 hours on it. The first John Deere I purchased 30 some years ago, and still have and use constantly, is a 180 with a 38 inch cut, bagger, and Kawasaki motor. For the life of me I don't know why people trade off their John Deere mower, they run forever!!!!!!!

Hi Every one Paddylast here Just came across a JD2500 used for golf courses. I have always had a cylinder mower so as my old Ransome takes longer to set up than it takes to cut the grass I said I would try to adapt the 2500 for my lawn. As we are in Ireland the grass growth is exceptional "rain and mild climate promote growth. I will search for tips as I don't think I am the first and wont be the last to try this. If I fail I will have great fun adapting the excellent diesel engine and drive system to do something else. Slan Libh go leir Gaelic for "see ye all again" Paddylast

paddylast said:

Hi Every one Paddylast here Just came across a JD2500

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Hello paddylast... & WELCOME to these Forums...
That is a very rugged and dependable hydraulic reel driven system... should make a great residential system.... :smile:KennyV

Roger2561 said:

Hello all.

Great idea! When I get a few minutes out of my busy life I'll post a pic of my LX277AWS (sounds sexy, doesn't it?:laughing. Generally I repair my own equipment and I will at times be looking for advise of what to do. Perhaps this will be the best place for it.

Thanks,

Roger

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Roger,
We have the same mower. My husband does lawn mowing for a couple of realtors that have houses to sell. He also mows our yard, the three rentals, and two of a friends. Now, we are trying to replace the coils on our John Deere LX277AWS. We have the coils, but don't have a clue otherwise! Where do you unattach the bolts?? We have a technical manual, but it doesn't show much. Thanks a bunch ahead of time. NOTHING runs like a Deere!

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I just bought my first John Deere mower. It is an LTR180. It didn't come with any manuals or CDs. I hope to find some soon since I pull my own maintenance. This forum looks like it will be very helpful in the future. I decided it was time for a riding mower for this old guy. It's much easier on the old knees.

Hi!

Bought my first JD on Monday, it was delivered on Tuesday and I finished harvesting my weed patch on Wednesday.

I would have finished sooner, but the land I mow is rough, so I wanted to make sure the deck was properly leveled at the highest settings and drop the deck wheels to the bottom holes.

I'm sure I'll have a few questions, and that they have been asked before, so I lurk and read for a while before asking them.

Slobcat said:

Hi!

Bought my first JD on Monday, it was delivered on Tuesday and I finished harvesting my weed patch on Wednesday.

I would have finished sooner, but the land I mow is rough, so I wanted to make sure the deck was properly leveled at the highest settings and drop the deck wheels to the bottom holes.

I'm sure I'll have a few questions, and that they have been asked before, so I lurk and read for a while before asking them.

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Welcome to the forum. I. Am sure you will be helped if you have a problem. Enjoy your mower

PJ

New member. I'm a homeowner with a GT262. I use ir for lawn mowing only.

cowboy917 said:

New member. I'm a homeowner with a GT262. I use ir for lawn mowing only.

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:welcome: Nice mower!

Hi, I`m new to this forum, but not to John deere lawn equipment. I just purchased a new Z655 ZT today. Just finished mowing my 3+ acres and it is a mowing machine. So far I just love it. I also have a JD 335 lawn tractor that I purchased new in 2000. My first was a JD 112L that I bought new in !985. My 335 is still in great shape , I just wanted to cut down my mowing time since my kids are no longer home to help with the mowing. I found this forum when I was looking for info on the Z655`s a week or two a go. Looks like a lot of useful info can be found here. Alan

Welcome to our little patch of grass on the web. I noticed you have a JD 335. I just picked one up nearly two weeks ago, it's also a 2000 model. Everybody else in the house has mowed with it except me, until today. I LOVE that power steering!! I'm also amazed how quiet it is, that Kawasaki is years ahead of the B&S and Kohlers I also own. How many hours on yours? Mine is showing 1,449 right now. Any problems with yours? One last question, do you know what transaxle your has? Tractordata.com shows that mine should have a K71A, but a tag on my transaxle says it's a K70A.

mullins87 said:

Welcome to our little patch of grass on the web. I noticed you have a JD 335. I just picked one up nearly two weeks ago, it's also a 2000 model. Everybody else in the house has mowed with it except me, until today. I LOVE that power steering!! I'm also amazed how quiet it is, that Kawasaki is years ahead of the B&S and Kohlers I also own. How many hours on yours? Mine is showing 1,449 right now. Any problems with yours? One last question, do you know what transaxle your has? Tractordata.com shows that mine should have a K71A, but a tag on my transaxle says it's a K70A.

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My 335 has 469 hours. I have had zero problems with it. I`ve only put new belts on it and changed the oil. I`m not sure about which transaxle it has though. It has been a great machine.

new here

found this site while looking up info on my deers 1 stx and 1 ltx both old and still in use the stx still is a weekly mower but the tranny broke on the ltx so i am in process of a rebuild

New here, but not to JD.
I recently downsized both the yard and the and equipment from an X595 to a D130; now just mowing without snow plowing, etc.
I'm actually surprised that this little thing seems OK!
Changing the steering wheel for the larger one made a huge difference -- almost don't miss the power steering.

pleeson said:

..................
Changing the steering wheel for the larger one made a huge difference -- almost don't miss the power steering.

Click to expand...

I'm new here and to JD, so please pardon my dumb questions. :confused2:

I believe my tired old muscles would benefit from a larger diameter steering wheel.
My D140 takes a lot more steering effort than the mower it replaced.

What options are available for a steering wheel replacement?

John Deere Steering Wheel - GY21194 and cover M142219 were a direct replacement for that tiny thing they come with.
It's about 1-2" bigger diameter but really made the steering a lot easier.
Well worth the $43.08 at GreenPartsStore.com

HTH

Thanks!!!! :thumbsup:

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

Hi Muhammad please help i noted that my reply to thread counter is not working
please advice
PJ

Hello all, I have a 2 acre property in NJ that uses a lot of my time and a bunch of power machines. Here is a pic of my 1998 John Deere LT166 tractor and a custom built cart I made this summer.
Sorry, seems there is not enough bandwidth where I'm at right now, will try again later.

PJ said:

Hi Muhammad please help i noted that my reply to thread counter is not working
please advice
PJ

Click to expand...

Try the button at the bottom of the screen... or the reply with quote.

Muhammad said:

Try the button at the bottom of the screen... or the reply with quote.

Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

Trying to post up a pic of my John Deere and homemade trailer I built.

nycredneck said:

Trying to post up a pic of my John Deere and homemade trailer I built.

Click to expand...

That looks nice! It looks like the trailer was made by John Deere! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Hello, new-to-me LA115 owner. Still have a Sabre but the 115 fell into my lap. It has 160 hours on it and is as new for the most part. The worst is areas where areas of paint have come off.

However, my biggest concern is hot starting. When cold, full choke and the thing is running within a second or two. Maybe two revolutions before firing and running like a top. However when hot it is the mother of all things internal combustion to restart. Let it cool and Bang - instant running. I figure the plug is defective and shows as such when hot. Or carburation. I haven't had any time with it yet to start digging in, but wonder if anyone else has had the hot hard start and their solution?

Oh and hello. Nice to have a forum of other owners.

I have an old 317 JD It works great cutting my lawn! That is on my lazy days! I also use Lawnboys on my want to do a work out days! I guess you can say I have gone green:laughing: You just can't beat the old stuff!

Hi All,
Sorta new to this stuff but looking forward to reading all the posts. I have a JD X300 42" that I'm not really all that pleased with. Owned a older model Wheel Horse (not Toro) which was much better built in my opinion but it got tired. Since they went to Toro it's not the same quality. Now I have this JD and hoping in the near future to aquire a Zero turn Hustler. They cut much nicer and seem to have better control of height adjustment. That is my issue with John Deere plus I think their support sucks.

Greetings my name is Eric, I just bought a new house with a near 2 acre yard and decided to get a Deere. I own a D170 and will post a picture when I get the chance

cbeamer553 said:

Hi All,
Sorta new to this stuff but looking forward to reading all the posts. I have a JD X300 42" that I'm not really all that pleased with. Owned a older model Wheel Horse (not Toro) which was much better built in my opinion but it got tired. Since they went to Toro it's not the same quality. Now I have this JD and hoping in the near future to aquire a Zero turn Hustler. They cut much nicer and seem to have better control of height adjustment. That is my issue with John Deere plus I think their support sucks.

Click to expand...

You will love a zero-turn mower!

excessivegentlemen said:

Greetings my name is Eric, I just bought a new house with a near 2 acre yard and decided to get a Deere. I own a D170 and will post a picture when I get the chance

Click to expand...

Nice! :thumbsup:

New D130 Mower

Greetings! This is is my first post on this forum. I purchased my D130 from my John Deere dealer in august. I know this is a home owner model. I wanted to try a Briggs v twin. I will take care of it, check the valves often ,keep it full of oil and keep it in good shape. I have run Briggs engines for years with good service ! I have less than 1 acre to mow. This is my first riding mower. I enjoy learning from the members on this forum! Have a good day! Groundkeeper

Just bought a used LA135 that a neighbor had in front of his house. Dickered a bit on the price and agreed. It's been great so far-I probably will use it for towing a cart even more than mowing. Been that way so far, anyway. So nice not to have to walk everywhere I need to pick up the dead wood on this property. It's shaping up with the help of my Deere. First rider, as it's been only a few years since I needed one. I'm used to a MTD walk behind, and even that was only about twenty minutes worth. Very different now with 1.3 acres.:wink:

Re: New D130 Mower

groundkeeper said:

Greetings! This is is my first post on this forum. I purchased my D130 from my John Deere dealer in august. I know this is a home owner model. I wanted to try a Briggs v twin. I will take care of it, check the valves often ,keep it full of oil and keep it in good shape. I have run Briggs engines for years with good service ! I have less than 1 acre to mow. This is my first riding mower. I enjoy learning from the members on this forum! Have a good day! Groundkeeper

Click to expand...

:welcome: Welcome to the forum, Groundkeeper! :thumbsup:

Hello,

I have a John Deere 14SE walk behind mower from the mid 90's that I acquired a year ago or so. Can't believe how solid this thing is built, but unfortunatly I can't get the engine, a Kawasaki FC150v, running properly. It starts right up, runs great for about 10 minutes, then starts stumbling. The engine seems to be getting too much fuel, or the electrical system is breaking down. I have had the carb off and apart many times, it is clean, even took the carb to a mower repair shop owned by a friend, they took it apart and could fine no problem with it. The carb and choke linkages are adjusted fine, the carb float seems to be working fine, the needle seems to be seating properly. Have tried many different brand but proper new spark plugs with the same results, they all turn black right away. Tested the OHM resistances in the coil, both primary and secondary as per the John Deere manual, and they are right on both before and after the stumbling conditions occurs. I replaced the fuel line, made sure everything was clean, but like I wrote, when the stumbling occurs it looks like an over-rich condition. Tried loosening then actually replaced the gas cap thinking there may be some type of vapor lock due to the gas cap to no avail. I am usually pretty good with these things but I gotta admit I am about to wit's end with this one. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

Hello
New here to the forum but Not new to John Deere Lawn & Garden Tractor's. I currently have a restored 318 that was made in 1983. I Hail from the Smokey Mountain Range of Knoxville, Tennessee. Great to be here...Here is my 318 with it's Yard toys. Regards, Hammerdown

I am fairly new to the forum, I have a JD STX 38 and an LX 172 which I have built a cab for it and a snow thrower, the frame work is 1 in. box steel and the body panels are under layment, I have some pics on here now of when I was building it and I will soon have a finished picture. I have a litte bit of mechanical knowledge, mostly older cars and not the new stuff, so if I can answer any questions on the forum I will be glad to do so. Bob

sdsra said:

I am fairly new to the forum, I have a JD STX 38 and an LX 172 which I have built a cab for it and a snow thrower, the frame work is 1 in. box steel and the body panels are under layment, I have some pics on here now of when I was building it and I will soon have a finished picture. I have a litte bit of mechanical knowledge, mostly older cars and not the new stuff, so if I can answer any questions on the forum I will be glad to do so. Bob

Click to expand...

:welcome: Welcome to the forum! :thumbsup:

Hey ,,, just checking in I bought an SST16 Sunday so I thought I'd post here. It's an interesting mower. I like a lot of things about it.
Feels a bit cramped but maybe all lawn tractors are like that.
I've only had a chance to cut with it once. Seems to cut ok but I'm guessing it needs new blades or maybe these just need to be sharpened. Oh needs a hood too. I'm trying to cross reference oil filters atm. I know one thing... I'll never load it on my truck again. Getting it on and off a truck using two short, narrow ramps is risky business

groundkeeper said:

Greetings! This is is my first post on this forum. I purchased my D130 from my John Deere dealer in august. I know this is a home owner model. I wanted to try a Briggs v twin. I will take care of it, check the valves often ,keep it full of oil and keep it in good shape. I have run Briggs engines for years with good service ! I have less than 1 acre to mow. This is my first riding mower. I enjoy learning from the members on this forum! Have a good day! Groundkeeper

Click to expand...

Hi

Welcome you will enjoy the team

From PJ
South Africa

bobbwsny said:

Hello,

I have a John Deere 14SE walk behind mower from the mid 90's that I acquired a year ago or so. Can't believe how solid this thing is built, but unfortunatly I can't get the engine, a Kawasaki FC150v, running properly. It starts right up, runs great for about 10 minutes, then starts stumbling. The engine seems to be getting too much fuel, or the electrical system is breaking down. I have had the carb off and apart many times, it is clean, even took the carb to a mower repair shop owned by a friend, they took it apart and could fine no problem with it. The carb and choke linkages are adjusted fine, the carb float seems to be working fine, the needle seems to be seating properly. Have tried many different brand but proper new spark plugs with the same results, they all turn black right away. Tested the OHM resistances in the coil, both primary and secondary as per the John Deere manual, and they are right on both before and after the stumbling conditions occurs. I replaced the fuel line, made sure everything was clean, but like I wrote, when the stumbling occurs it looks like an over-rich condition. Tried loosening then actually replaced the gas cap thinking there may be some type of vapor lock due to the gas cap to no avail. I am usually pretty good with these things but I gotta admit I am about to wit's end with this one. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

Click to expand...

In case you haven't done it yet - check your spark plug part# for the style engine you are using. Using the wrong spark plug for your engine will give you the symptoms you are seeing (or maybe the spark plug has been damaged somehow). redrhinoman

Coil might be shot.Replace the coil.

Howdy. I'm CalK. Live in NW Georgia. Just bought a D170.

Have a great day!
Cal

Dj here. Just sold my scag so I left the scag forum and hopped over here to the JD forum. Stopped by the JD dealer today and ordered a z920m with a 54" deck. Been a scag owner for 8-9 years but don't mow as much around the house, turned a lot into pasture so wanted to downsize from my 61" turf tiger. JD dealers are going to be a lot closer to me. Hope I don't regret it!

plateauman57 said:

Dj here. Just sold my scag so I left the scag forum and hopped over here to the JD forum. Stopped by the JD dealer today and ordered a z920m with a 54" deck. Been a scag owner for 8-9 years but don't mow as much around the house, turned a lot into pasture so wanted to downsize from my 61" turf tiger. JD dealers are going to be a lot closer to me. Hope I don't regret it!

Click to expand...

Hi DJ

Welcome to this forum
Remember it is what you make of it that will make it successful or not. If you look after your mower it will look after you. Good l wish you a happy mowing in future

PJ

Hello
I have been a member for awhile but just Noticed this thread. I have owned nothing but John Deere lawn & garden Tractor's for the past 30 Years. Many have passed through my hands but I am now satisfied with my First year 1983-John Deere 318. I have had it about seven year's and a year and a half ago I decided to take it down for a restoration. I bought it from a John Deere Tri-Agri dealership for $300.00 whole sale it came to me with an almost New Replacement 48" mowing deck. When I restored it I had a brand new Onan P-218 built for it, painted it's rolling Chassis along with all of it's body panels. I upgraded it's seat with a newer style added a new John Deere seat replacement cushion kit,. and added a set of Rear wheel weight's that I bought used from my John Deere dealer for $30.00 I located a Model 30 Hydraulic tiller for it that I travled 1250 Miles round trip to pick up and found a 54" dirt dozer four way hydraulic Blade that I restored as well that I gave $100.00 for. My son in law has drove me nut's to sell my 318 to him, so recently I located a low hour 1991 John Dere 316 for him that we also restored that had only 349.2 Hour's on it original hour meter, it too has the Factory Onan P-218 engine in it. It was Really rough and not that far from being scrapped but I felt it's low hour's warranted a complete restore. It took me 6-1/2 weeks to complete and he has just $632.00 in it completed as shown. Regards, Hammerdown



This is my restored John Dere 318 sitting beside the recent 1991 John Deere 316 that we restored for my son in Law











Here is how the 1991 John Deere 316 Looked the day that I brought it home and gave $50.00 for it Not running

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.

Hammerdown said:

Hello I have been a member for awhile but just Noticed this thread. I have owned nothing but John Deere lawn & garden Tractor's for the past 30 Years. Many have passed through my hands but I am now satisfied with my First year 1983-John Deere 318. I have had it about seven year's and a year and a half ago I decided to take it down for a restoration. I bought it from a John Deere Tri-Agri dealership for $300.00 whole sale it came to me with an almost New Replacement 48" mowing deck. When I restored it I had a brand new Onan P-218 built for it, painted it's rolling Chassis along with all of it's body panels. I upgraded it's seat with a newer style added a new John Deere seat replacement cushion kit,. and added a set of Rear wheel weight's that I bought used from my John Deere dealer for $30.00 I located a Model 30 Hydraulic tiller for it that I travled 1250 Miles round trip to pick up and found a 54" dirt dozer four way hydraulic Blade that I restored as well that I gave $100.00 for. My son in law has drove me nut's to sell my 318 to him, so recently I located a low hour 1991 John Dere 316 for him that we also restored that had only 349.2 Hour's on it original hour meter, it too has the Factory Onan P-218 engine in it. It was Really rough and not that far from being scrapped but I felt it's low hour's warranted a complete restore. It took me 6-1/2 weeks to complete and he has just $632.00 in it completed as shown. Regards, Hammerdown This is my restored John Dere 318 sitting beside the recent 1991 John Deere 316 that we restored for my son in Law Here is how the 1991 John Deere 316 Looked the day that I brought it home and gave $50.00 for it Not running

Click to expand...

Hi
It looks very nice better than a new tractor makes one feel good after you complete such a project

PJ

grnspot110 said:

I've been around here a month or two, but here goes; I'm a retired JD L&G collector, do several parades & shows in North MO & some in Southern IA.

Below are my 71-110, 74-112, 69 140 w/Johnson loader (now sold), 83-420, 9? F525, 82-317"Special" & 69 L/60 "Custom":

Click to expand...

Very nice even this much later. LOL

I just joined the other day so I'm very new to this. I'm a brand new home owner with my n 2 boys. I love John Deere products and my wife let me get a brand new lawn mower for my anniversary gift. Now I'm learning how to get my lawn looking green and nice! I have a D105 riding mower with the dump cart with it!

Deereman148 said:

I just joined the other day so I'm very new to this. I'm a brand new home owner with my n 2 boys. I love John Deere products and my wife let me get a brand new lawn mower for my anniversary gift. Now I'm learning how to get my lawn looking green and nice! I have a D105 riding mower with the dump cart with it! <img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/john-deere-forum/20197-john-deere-owner-check-read-first-image-1929126935-jpg"/>

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum may you have many good seasons with your John Deere.

PJ

New-be here



Greetings all..
My name is Eck. Live in Huntsville, Al.

Purchased a used John Deere LA105 that looked kind of ragged, but after spending a few hours cleaning and waxing it up, I took a few photos.
Already purchased a new seat and replaced it since previous owners dog wanted the old one for lunch.

shawn,,, john deere lx178.

Hello from upper West Hemlock Township! I own a 317 and 318 that get used hard. Looking to do some repairs and upgrades to both. Looking forward to reading this column for advice.

I didn't see a used parts section, but I have a cart bagger that came with the 318 that I'm not using and will sell or trade if any one is interested.

grnspot110 said:

I've been around here a month or two, but here goes; I'm a retired JD L&G collector, do several parades & shows in North MO & some in Southern IA.

Below are my 71-110, 74-112, 69 140 w/Johnson loader (now sold), 83-420, 9? F525, 82-317"Special" & 69 L/60 "Custom":

Click to expand...

Maybe you can help me. I have a Model N21SJ mower and wondered if it is worth anything. It runs just fine.

Hello all; Not usually a poster to forums, just a lurker trying to glean from knowledgeable users in hopes of getting repair info.

I work in television but my hobby is lawn equipment repair and use. I also cut several yards in my neighborhood for extra spending cash.

Started working on my own Snapper RER. After getting comfortable with working on it I started flipping mowers found on CL.
Then a couple of weeks ago this JD X300 shows up on CL for $100; sold as parts machine. When I inquired why parts he told me he parked it last year when he couldn't get the mower's pto to work with the switch.

The mower has been out in the elements since new in 2008 so I expected there would be issues with it since I couldn't get it started at the sellers house. But I now have it running after MUCH studying of the Tech manual and trouble shooting wiring issues.

I'm on a quest to get this machine 100% operational while trying to keep the spend on the down low. Therefore I don't like to throw shotgun purchases of parts trying to get things fixed.
So I'll be posting a question regarding the PTO issue I'm having shortly.

Thanks for a great forum and for everyone willing to help others with the passion to make things work as they should.

Randy

New member, own a G110 2005, 25 kohler 54'' deck. i cut approx 2.5 acres. 380 hrs on machine, so far its been very reliable. 1 pulley replaced 2 yrs ago, came flying out of the upper deck, got lucky belt didnt get trashed, scared the crap out of me!

Hi everyone, I am not new to this forum, but I am about to be the new owner of a D125 rider. I wish I had more property to mow, but only have a 1/2 acre so this is all I really need. This is my first brand new rider and I have also owned a Poulan and an Ariens before buying this one. I am looking forward to lots of hours on this mower and will upload some pictures and details on how I like the mower.

Howdy Doody said:

Hi everyone, I am not new to this forum, but I am about to be the new owner of a D125 rider. I wish I had more property to mow, but only have a 1/2 acre so this is all I really need. This is my first brand new rider and I have also owned a Poulan and an Ariens before buying this one. I am looking forward to lots of hours on this mower and will upload some pictures and details on how I like the mower.

Click to expand...

Hello Howdy Doody
That Model and some other close to it have been Having issues of the Transaxle going out of them. I am Not sure if John Deere has corrected the Ill Transaxle issues but I would question a John Deere dealership before Purchasing one. If you are buying it from one of the Big Box stores as Home Depot or Lowes they will not have a clue about this issue Nor do they do any of the warranty or service work on the John Deere's that they sell, it all Subed out to local repair shops. I am Not trying to rain on your parade here as eveyone should get a new Tractor in their life time, But I am trying to make you aware of Issue they have had with that Tractor. The John Deere dealer ship Tractors that they sell are NOT The same as the One offered at Home Depot ot Lowes. The One sold through a John Deere dealer are more heavy duty than the Lowes or Home Depot Tractors. Both Lowes and Home Depot buy in volume so they take a Much Less heavy duty machine to set out in front of their stores. Don't let the John Deere Green & Yellow paint fool you as you can get BIT buying from Home Depot Or Lowes. I work on lawn & garden Tractor's all of the time and my Buddy who has a Lawn & Garden Tractor scrap Yard has at least 15 of those Lowes or Home Depot tractor's in his Yard all with Transmissions that Have Exploded and no one seems to have a good Transmission for these Tractors as they have had so many issues with them. If it was me, spending my Hard earned money on a John Deere Tractor I would go to a John Deere dealership and ask what they would suggest that you buy. They have a credit line like Home Depot or Lowes and I would be willing to bet that their Interest Rate is lower and you will get a Much High quality Tractor. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

rangid said:

Hello all; Not usually a poster to forums, just a lurker trying to glean from knowledgeable users in hopes of getting repair info. I work in television but my hobby is lawn equipment repair and use. I also cut several yards in my neighborhood for extra spending cash. Started working on my own Snapper RER. After getting comfortable with working on it I started flipping mowers found on CL. Then a couple of weeks ago this JD X300 shows up on CL for $100; sold as parts machine. When I inquired why parts he told me he parked it last year when he couldn't get the mower's pto to work with the switch. The mower has been out in the elements since new in 2008 so I expected there would be issues with it since I couldn't get it started at the sellers house. But I now have it running after MUCH studying of the Tech manual and trouble shooting wiring issues. I'm on a quest to get this machine 100% operational while trying to keep the spend on the down low. Therefore I don't like to throw shotgun purchases of parts trying to get things fixed. So I'll be posting a question regarding the PTO issue I'm having shortly. Thanks for a great forum and for everyone willing to help others with the passion to make things work as they should. Randy

Click to expand...

Hi

You will find this refurbishment project like a walk in the park provided you have a reputable parts supplier. You can get all the Maintenance manuals and owners manuals from your dealer or they can order it for you. Have you seen the operating hours on the machine?

Good luck with your project


Warm regards

PJ

Hammerdown said:

Hello Howdy Doody
That Model and some other close to it have been Having issues of the Transaxle going out of them. I am Not sure if John Deere has corrected the Ill Transaxle issues but I would question a John Deere dealership before Purchasing one. If you are buying it from one of the Big Box stores as Home Depot or Lowes they will not have a clue about this issue Nor do they do any of the warranty or service work on the John Deere's that they sell, it all Subed out to local repair shops. I am Not trying to rain on your parade here as eveyone should get a new Tractor in their life time, But I am trying to make you aware of Issue they have had with that Tractor. The John Deere dealer ship Tractors that they sell are NOT The same as the One offered at Home Depot ot Lowes. The One sold through a John Deere dealer are more heavy duty than the Lowes or Home Depot Tractors. Both Lowes and Home Depot buy in volume so they take a Much Less heavy duty machine to set out in front of their stores. Don't let the John Deere Green & Yellow paint fool you as you can get BIT buying from Home Depot Or Lowes. I work on lawn & garden Tractor's all of the time and my Buddy who has a Lawn & Garden Tractor scrap Yard has at least 15 of those Lowes or Home Depot tractor's in his Yard all with Transmissions that Have Exploded and no one seems to have a good Transmission for these Tractors as they have had so many issues with them. If it was me, spending my Hard earned money on a John Deere Tractor I would go to a John Deere dealership and ask what they would suggest that you buy. They have a credit line like Home Depot or Lowes and I would be willing to bet that their Interest Rate is lower and you will get a Much High quality Tractor. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

Click to expand...

Hammer - First of all let me preface by saying that I am buying this D125 from a dealer and not a big box store. I also know for a fact that the D125 I am buying from the dealer is exactly the same one that you can buy at a big box store and neither is more heavy duty than the other. The reason I purchased from the dealer versus a big box store is after the sale service. I have not heard of any issues with the Tuff Torque transmission, where did you get this information? Now, if you told that your buddies mower "grave yard" of mowers had lots of D105's or past entry level "price-point" units I would believe that. I asked my dealer if the rumor was true that the entry level D100 and now the D105's had transmissions made out of plastic and that even the gears in these low end units and he said yes, it was true. He was not happy about it, but not much he could do about it except to steer people away from these units. Another thing my dealer has done that I think is admirable is he has never pressured me into buying a more expensive dealer only X300. He asked me how much I was going to mow (1/2 acre flat residential) and he felt that what I was buying was adequate. He was also up front and told me that with proper PM, this mower would last me 7-10 years, maybe more. I know people locally that are diligent with their PM and they have almost 1000 hours of pasture mowing with these line of mowers. If we are going to be honest here, all mowers regardless of brand will need some type of repairs sooner or later.

I do not and have not come across any transaxle problems all I can say look after your JD mower and it will look after you

Warm regards

PJ

PJ said:

I do not and have not come across any transaxle problems all I can say look after your JD mower and it will look after you

Warm regards

PJ

Click to expand...

I could not agree more!

Hi, I am the owner of John Deere 14SB walk behind mower. I purchased this mower in 1992 when my family moved from a two acre yard to a subdivision. I sold my Cub Cadet and bought the John Deere. I think I paid about $700 for it. I've had few problems over the years with the 14SB. Last year I replaced the wheels and the rear bag. The deck is starting to corrode but, I can't seem to part with her. I hope to keep the mower going with a little help from the forum.

Bob

Hi, Have a JD 318 1988, with its original P218 Onan, strong ferocious beast, and a trusty R72, that I bought for scrap, the 318 nobody wanted, "too much work!" it was sitting neglected and forlorn, with its deck and a type 49 snow thrower, I could not pass up such a fine machine, work always rewards. Now they say I "got a good deal", its always that way! they just gawk at the 318 now!, the R72 was a non runner and headed to the recycler I payed the scrap value and had it up and running that day! a little more attention to few problems and now its a good little machine

Hey picked up my first JD last week. Just a little d105 but it works great for my .5 acres.

Welcome!

Howdy,

My name is Tom and I am helping a widow that goes to our church with her mower. It is a John Deere F725 with 722 hours on it. It has been maintained by a local John Deere dealer but recently they haven't be able to repair it and won't return her calls. This elderly lady lives on 5 acres, raises chickens, chops wood and mows a lot.

Here are the symptoms. After warming up the mower and mowing for a few minutes, occasionally a blast of blue smoke is emitted from the exhaust. It then disappears and then intermittently emits blue smoke quickly. The mower continues to run great and cut great? The NGK BMR6A plugs looked pretty carboned up. I clean them and checked the gap and them mowed for about one hour. Any one have an idea on this?

Thanks much, Tom

Magnafique said:

Howdy,

My name is Tom and I am helping a widow that goes to our church with her mower. It is a John Deere F725 with 722 hours on it. It has been maintained by a local John Deere dealer but recently they haven't be able to repair it and won't return her calls. This elderly lady lives on 5 acres, raises chickens, chops wood and mows a lot.

Here are the symptoms. After warming up the mower and mowing for a few minutes, occasionally a blast of blue smoke is emitted from the exhaust. It then disappears and then intermittently emits blue smoke quickly. The mower continues to run great and cut great? The NGK BMR6A plugs looked pretty carboned up. I clean them and checked the gap and them mowed for about one hour. Any one have an idea on this?

Thanks much, Tom

Click to expand...

Blue smoke means you have some oil getting into the combustion chamber. It could be making past the piston rings which usually requires a rebuild or the crank case breather is letting too much oil into the intake. This usually is caused by a damaged or missing filter or check valve. Id start by checking the carb and intake for oil residue.

ridesno4llfe said:

Blue smoke means you have some oil getting into the combustion chamber. It could be making past the piston rings which usually requires a rebuild or the crank case breather is letting too much oil into the intake. This usually is caused by a damaged or missing filter or check valve. Id start by checking the carb and intake for oil residue.

Click to expand...

Thanks much I will locate the crank case breather and remove the filter or check valve and replace or clean. Thanks for a good place to start. Where can I locate the crankcase breather on this engine? Thanks much

Tom

Hello Everyone...love Forums..usually hands-on info lots more valuable than trying to read a manual.
Have always owned cheap-brand mowers and usually spend a lot more time working on them than using them. Recently took a chance bought a LX172 cheap w/38" deck 5-speed(wouldn't start and had bad tires & typical broken hood)...replaced anti-backfire valve and started right up. Bought new tires (pricey) and mows better than any other mower I've had. Need help de-coding the build date...serial #MOL172x075482...thanks in advance

garbhead said:

Hello Everyone...love Forums..usually hands-on info lots more valuable than trying to read a manual.
Have always owned cheap-brand mowers and usually spend a lot more time working on them than using them. Recently took a chance bought a LX172 cheap w/38" deck 5-speed(wouldn't start and had bad tires & typical broken hood)...replaced anti-backfire valve and started right up. Bought new tires (pricey) and mows better than any other mower I've had. Need help de-coding the build date...serial #MOL172x075482...thanks in advance

Click to expand...

According to my dealer it is a 1993 model.

I've had an LT155 purchased used for 8 or 9 yrs. Put a Freedom Mulch 42 on it 5 yrs ago. I loved that Freedom mulch. Had to replace timing belt twice cause I wasn't paying attention. First time I replaced it I asked parts guy at dealership how to do it. He copied pages out of manual and gave to me. As the LT155 was wearing thin I started looking for a new mower. I had decided on a Cub LTX1040 KW, same engine and transaxle as an X300. Drove by the JD dealer so I thought I'd look at what they had. Salesman showed me a 2013 new X310, gave me the keys to try it. I love that power steering. Called the salesman back and bought it. Got it for a good price and 0% finance. That eased the pain of passing on the much lesser priced Cub. JD bagger works very well. Only time I've plugged it was not paying attention to the bagger full indicator. I had a Craftsman with a bagger before the LT155 and it always plugged and the bagger full indicator just never worked well. I don't like things that don't work like they're supposed to. One neighbor has had his X310 for 3 years and he's happy, other neighbor has D110 for a year and he's still happy. All of us have had contact with the local JD dealer and are satisfied with the level of service. I just did my 8hr break-in oil change. Went to local big box store that sells JD oil for over $8 a quart. Dealer sells for $3.72. Filter sells for $13 at big box, dealer for $8. It's hard to find any good conventional oil for less than $3. Big reason I got the X310 is the serviceable transaxle. Most of what I learned in research is the fluid in these transaxles goes first.

Howdy!

Hello All. I live on 5 acres of what used to be our 188 acre farm. Grateful to still have it. I have a 317 that I use as a workhorse and a 318 for mowing. I also have our 1958 620 gas (narrow front) that I use for snow plowing, wood splitting, and just destroying stuff with a 6ft offset Bush Hog mower. Do a lot of my own work, but haven't done a lot on small engines and old 2 cylinders. Currently looking into re-powering the 318 (Onan) and curious to see if anyone has upgraded to a Honda engine.

Any possibly that the crankcase is overfull, creating windage and excess pressure that could be getting past the rings?

Hey, I'm new here, but have participated on other forums in the past. I live in the suburbs and don't really need the John Deere x495 I own, but it's in my blood having grown up mowing on the 140 and 300 of my youth.

bennyb

Hi. I'm new to this forum. I recently moved to a place that has about 4 acres to mow. I own a John Deere 111h that is undersized I'd say for this task but that's what I've been using. It's been a good mower but the hydrostatic transmission quit me and I found this website while looking for information. I'd appreciate any help or advice.

bennyb said:

Hi. I'm new to this forum. I recently moved to a place that has about 4 acres to mow. I own a John Deere 111h that is undersized I'd say for this task but that's what I've been using. It's been a good mower but the hydrostatic transmission quit me and I found this website while looking for information. I'd appreciate any help or advice.

Click to expand...

I do not see that you mention the model number. But this I know obtain the workshop manual and work from there it is a sealed unit if i am not mistaken.
Regards
PJ

bennyb

Hey folks! Just checking in. I'm new Here. I have a 111h John Deere. Been a good mower but hydrostatic transmission quit the other day. Am121302 Eaton. I haveaover 3 acres to mow . hope I can find some information on repairing this. Appreciate any help.

I have a 98 John Deere 345 with a 54" deck and a 48" snow blade. I bought it in april 2011 with 440 hours on it, now has 490 hours. Great machine with the 18hp Kawasaki liquid cooled V twin. When I first looked at it I thought it was a year or two old because it looked brand new for a used machine. Still looks like new. :thumbsup:

My brother has a 92 or 93 John Deere 320 with a 48" deck. My dad bought it new. Same engine as my 345.

Magnafique said:

Howdy, My name is Tom and I am helping a widow that goes to our church with her mower. It is a John Deere F725 with 722 hours on it. It has been maintained by a local John Deere dealer but recently they haven't be able to repair it and won't return her calls. This elderly lady lives on 5 acres, raises chickens, chops wood and mows a lot. Here are the symptoms. After warming up the mower and mowing for a few minutes, occasionally a blast of blue smoke is emitted from the exhaust. It then disappears and then intermittently emits blue smoke quickly. The mower continues to run great and cut great? The NGK BMR6A plugs looked pretty carboned up. I clean them and checked the gap and them mowed for about one hour. Any one have an idea on this? Thanks much, Tom

Click to expand...

This sounds like carbon build-up replace plugs possibly points and try to de carbon as last option because de carbon stage is when you start considering a complete cylinder head removal.

Good luck

PJ

This should be a sticky

Just purchased my first John Deere, a used 2013 x360 with 58 hours on it. Previous owner kept it immaculate. Has 48" mowing deck and 44" snowblower with tire chains and weights. I live in Minnesota and grew up driving JD tractors on our farm so always been a fan of this brand. Looking forward to being apart of this group and learning.

Welcome to the forum, I think you will find a lot of useful info here.:thumbsup:

[URL=http://s1259.photobucket.com/user/Darren_Roar/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150116_005617_zpsyeozhbaw.jpg.html][/URL]

I also have a JD 314 I'm in the process of putting a 18hp twin cylinder Kohler on.

lsxcubdeere said:

[URL=http://s1259.photobucket.com/user/Darren_Roar/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150116_005617_zpsyeozhbaw.jpg.html][/URL] I also have a JD 314 I'm in the process of putting a 18hp twin cylinder Kohler on.

Click to expand...

Looking at your picture clearly you will not have a problem
Regards PJ

MickG said:

Hi, Have a JD 318 1988, with its original P218 Onan, strong ferocious beast, and a trusty R72, that I bought for scrap, the 318 nobody wanted, "too much work!" it was sitting neglected and forlorn, with its deck and a type 49 snow thrower, I could not pass up such a fine machine, work always rewards. Now they say I "got a good deal", its always that way! they just gawk at the 318 now!, the R72 was a non runner and headed to the recycler I payed the scrap value and had it up and running that day! a little more attention to few problems and now its a good little machine <img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/john-deere-forum/21934-john-deere-owner-check-read-first-img_0061-jpg"/>

Click to expand...

I would love to get my hands on a scraped 318 to rebuild. Is there any one in the forum that is wiling to help? ?

MickG said:

Hi, Have a JD 318 1988, with its original P218 Onan, strong ferocious beast, and a trusty R72, that I bought for scrap, the 318 nobody wanted, "too much work!" it was sitting neglected and forlorn, with its deck and a type 49 snow thrower, I could not pass up such a fine machine, work always rewards. Now they say I "got a good deal", its always that way! they just gawk at the 318 now!, the R72 was a non runner and headed to the recycler I payed the scrap value and had it up and running that day! a little more attention to few problems and now its a good little machine <img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachments/john-deere-forum/21934-john-deere-owner-check-read-first-img_0061-jpg"/>

Click to expand...

Mick your 318 look like or better than new!

Hey all, came to nose through for info. Just a little ~.5 acre yard, little D110 that I'm looking to see what all I can get away using it for. Almost ready for 5th year on it, and thinking maybe time for a plow!

Here's the little garage queen.. if I do anything stupid (thinking about making some led "brake lights" :laughing I'll be sure to post for some laughs

bricooper78 said:

Hey all, came to nose through for info. Just a little ~.5 acre yard, little D110 that I'm looking to see what all I can get away using it for. Almost ready for 5th year on it, and thinking maybe time for a plow!

Here's the little garage queen.. if I do anything stupid (thinking about making some led "brake lights" :laughing I'll be sure to post for some laughs

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum.....nice mower!

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

New here from Aus.
Was looking for the solution to a problem when I found this forum.

I have a secondhand L100 that has done a lot of work and have already replaced the engine and the deck so hoping I don't have to spend much more on it.

My problem is the park brake lock mechanism wont engage to hold the brake on. The brake works fine just cant lock on. I will search and try to find the solution.

Cheers

John

Greetings. I've been sitting in yellow seats since the days I sat in yellow seats. :redface:
Currently in my possession are an LT155 (love the Freedom 42) and an LX188 that's got me stumped. Looking forward to digging out some useful info and maybe offering some along the way.

I found this forum when I was searching for a way to fix my LT160's starting problem. Having other people with John Deere tractors to ask sure seems a better route than hauling it to the dealer for an expensive repair. I have had my LT160 for 10 years and we have cut a lot of grass together. I have referred to it as my "tractor" from day one. My wife on the other hand is a hurtful person and calls it a lawn mower. How such a pretty woman can be so mean is beyond me. I love her dearly and even let her cut the grass once with my "tractor."
I am still working on fixing that starting problem. It will not start by turning the key and I cannot jump it by using the battery post. I have to put the positive cable on a solenoid post and then it starts right away. I have installed a new battery, that did not help. I put in a new solenoid which was probably a waste of money as problem is still there. I have read mention to a fusible wire which I have not been able to identify yet.

Howdy from Texas...bought a used JD riding lawn mower...runs great but I need help changing oil and yearly up keep stuff. I can not find an owners manual online for a 1985 160. (I don't want to buy) lol:thumbdown: Please help. Thanks Maxine

44dud said:

I found this forum when I was searching for a way to fix my LT160's starting problem. Having other people with John Deere tractors to ask sure seems a better route than hauling it to the dealer for an expensive repair. I have had my LT160 for 10 years and we have cut a lot of grass together. I have referred to it as my "tractor" from day one. My wife on the other hand is a hurtful person and calls it a lawn mower. How such a pretty woman can be so mean is beyond me. I love her dearly and even let her cut the grass once with my "tractor." I am still working on fixing that starting problem. It will not start by turning the key and I cannot jump it by using the battery post. I have to put the positive cable on a solenoid post and then it starts right away. I have installed a new battery, that did not help. I put in a new solenoid which was probably a waste of money as problem is still there. I have read mention to a fusible wire which I have not been able to identify yet.

Click to expand...

It sounds like earthing problem to me I have a 140 and looking at the diagram the starter goes trough a lot of safety systems before it will start. You will have to check all the safety switches. One of them is under the seat, other if the cutters are engaged. If you connect direct to the solenoid you are by-passing all the safety systems pleas check

Regards

PJ

Just joined today. I have a 2009 John Deere X300 with a no spark problem I hope to get solved.
I by-passed the seat kill switch which did not help. I disconnected the ground wire to both coils, now I have spark!
I have read about a bad oil pressure switch (does the X300 have one?) and replacing the control module under the dash, is there any way I can check these out without hauling the mower to the dealer?$$$$
Any suggestions as to what might be the cause of no spark or a course of action to follow would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all,
New to the forum and new to lawn tractors. We just got a D130 and started it up for the first time today. Still trying to figure things out from the manual and hopefully we can get some help here, as we need all the help we can get.

Thanks for a great forum.

Hi, I have a 1983 John Deere 318 with 1530 hours and running strong.

I also have a 1986 John Deere 318 with a 44 loader which I added brush forks to.

1994 JD 320 with 18hp Kaw liquid cooled. it just clicked over 991 hours yesterday while mowing for the first time in 2016. i have tried unsuccessfully to add a photo.

Just purchased a JD D130 to replace a 10 year old Cub Cadet. That replaced an older JD lawn tractor that lasted 20 years. Unfortunatly there were no JD sales places near me when I got stuck with the Cub Cadet.

i figured it out, i think! lol

Howdy all,
Just joined found and joined this forum. I have a couple of mowers, one of course being a JD 345.


Not a bad little mower, wife really likes using it, as well as Daisy Mae.

Ron_P said:

Howdy all,
Just joined found and joined this forum. I have a couple of mowers, one of course being a JD 345.
View attachment 29058

Not a bad little mower, wife really likes using it, as well as Daisy Mae.
View attachment 29059

Click to expand...

welcome! looks like you've had some rain. nice mower, too!

new mwmber and new owner of a LA 165

hello JD people!! I am Chaz and live in NE Pennsylvania..
I just bought a 2008 LA 165. good looking and running machine..The problem I am looking at is the steering..Seems like the pinion and gear plate are not meshing when in a tough turn.. I think the bushing is bad..and was just wondering if yall had this problem? Looks like an easy fix..How did you JD owners fix this

tks in advance
chaz

Re: new mwmber and new owner of a LA 165

this might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDmhhyjeHt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACLN2C8DIWE

buckjr1800 said:

hello JD people!! I am Chaz and live in NE Pennsylvania..
I just bought a 2008 LA 165. good looking and running machine..The problem I am looking at is the steering..Seems like the pinion and gear plate are not meshing when in a tough turn.. I think the bushing is bad..and was just wondering if yall had this problem? Looks like an easy fix..How did you JD owners fix this

tks in advance
chaz

Click to expand...

Hello all, owner of a 2010 Z245. St Gabriel, LA

been lurking and learning for awhile, just bought a jd d140 and happy with it, have 2-1/2 acres to mow so this will work fine :smile:

Sorry about the late entry- guess it has slipped my mind until I got the reminder yesterday!
Been on here for just a little while, and have tried to help here where I can. I worked for JD for almost 10 years, before I switched on to a different job, but never really left the small engine world. Retired now, but I got bored real fast, so I started working on JD equipment again. Then also started working on ATV's and UTV's. Well that progressed up to restoring tractors. I also started collecting my own JD's, moving from this one to that one, some that I always wanted to have, and also just buying "just for parts" tractors to get running and back to functioning- just cause I wanted the challenge. If you have any questions, Ill try to help you best I can, just ask. Looking back a couple of the threads I got on a rant, cause just like everyone else- bad information gets passed around from one to another and I try to correct it where things are wrong or give a little information on how things work. Forums are great info, but also not the first answer to everything. That's why I stayed away from posting things for a long time. I guess as a look at this, I started another rant.

Anyway, collector of JD, semi retired tech, worked on all kinds of equipment in power sports, lawn and garden, and agriculture.

Hi everyone,

New JD owner. I just bought a 1982 314 with 46" deck. its in rough shape but I'm trying to get it running again.

I have another thread with more details so I wont repost it here.

This is my first lawn tractor, and my first attempt at fixing one.

Wish me luck! :thumbsup:

I'm brand new to the site, made an account in hopes to get some help with an issue with my Z225 and see if I can't help out with some past problems I've had.

Just got a reminder to introduce myself here. My name is Ron McClellan, Just got my first John Deere last week, a 2017 D140. Definitely more fun to mow than my ancient Snapper rear engine with no brakes, heheh.

New to the forum and hunting help.

Hello All

Just joined today. I just junked my Poulan Pro tractor. The desk finally rusted through to the point I don't wish to patch it anymore. I gave it to a school and they use it to move stuff with a trailer and not as a mower. The Briggs Intek 21 hp intek still runs great. It gave me twelve years of good service except I had to replace the spindles twice.

I am taking delivery on my new John Deere D130 from Lowes on Wednesday. I have a two acre lot. One acre to mow the rest is wooded.

Great Forum.

Thanks

Larry

hello

Hi, I'm Dwight and I live on the Iowa prairie. Just inherited an older STX 38 Hydro and am trying to sort out some carburetor problems.

First time JD owner this afternoon. A D140.

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

I have 5 John Deere's 2 run LT133 and STX38 yellow deck, and 3 I'm working on, STX38 yellow deck, LX172, and a LT166.
Thanks

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

Delighted tomhave discovered this forum. I'm an avid user of the Airstream forum finding it a great source of valued information about these travel trailers. I suspect this forum will be even more valuable.

I live in Rhinebeck, NY and we have @ 7 acres much of which we've converted to "mowed" areas. As a result I have an X748 JD lawn tractor with it's 54" mower deck. I also have a JD 4320 Utility Tractor with a number of attachments. Front bucket and forks; rear Frontier "brush hog," and a simple rake as well as a new/fantastic combination implement I use to keep a 150 yard gravel driveway free of pot holes etc..

The X748 has a diesel engine and has a very low center of gravity allowing me to mow rather steep slopes cross slope versus vertical. Great machine but a bit expensive to buy and maintain.

Happy to be a member and look forward to accessing valuable information/friends. Cheers. Adam Geuss, Col USAF Retired.

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!
Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

Happy to be on this Forum...I bought a lightly used X300 two years ago with only 80 hours on it....I have only had to do a few minor repairs and I service it myself...looking forward to reading entries here and trying to help others with issues that arise..we cut about 1acre of level ground and use a wide cut 33" for the tricky bits

New to the forum, from San Antonio, TX have a John Deere D170 it does the job. Also to finish the yard have a TORO 22" self-propel and a Echo string trimmer, with a craftsman weed trimmer good little machines.

My current John Deere is an X485 AWS w/62C deck bought used in 2016 with 500hours on the clock.
My first experience with JDs was a first year model 110 my Dad bought new. A JD Construction (yellow) dealer, got 4 the first year. The owner bought one, a salesman bought one (friend of my Dad) and they had two to sell.
My first JD was a used 300. The exhaust valve would stick when it got hot after about two hours running. When it cooled down it started right up.
My next JD and first bought new was a 285 w/50" deck. It was stolen this year. Thieves beat on the steel walk door until it buckled/bent allowing the deadbolt to come out of the jamb. The jamb held.

Hello all:

I'm a John Deere newbie. I'm just a homeowner with an two acre lot and one acre or so to mow. Today I had my first mow with my D130. I know it's a Lowes special and whether it's a "real John Deere" is another discussion. I am moving back into my home after renting it for two years. As some tenants do he left the lot unmowed with grass over 18 inches in some spots. It was nine to twelve inches in most areas. It rained here in New England so I waited three days for it to dry out.

Here is the first mow report:

The D130 mowed beautifully. The quality of the cut was superb. When you buy the Deere they make a big deal out of the cruise control. The Poulan Pro which gave me twelve years of quality service had a hand lever controlled automatic which I actually find easier to use than the foot/cruise control D130 operation. This machine is comfortable, powerful and the quality of the cut is first rate. This even on the hilly portion of my property. It mowed my acre in 1.2 hours of service. So far I love the machine but will have get used to its quirks. The reverse operation is a bit dubious. I'll get used to it. I'll post another report at the end if the season. I hope I put this in the right thread.

I'm enjoying the forum and so far my D130.

Thanks

Larry

I have 2.5 acre lot and use a 1998 345 and 2002 x595 to keep it under control.Several attachments and always looking for more.

I mow an acre and a half with a 10 year old JD X300 which I bought new at retirement.
I spend most of my time out in my workshop tinkering with various projects. A few of which can be seen on my X300 in this picture.

Hi I'm Jim I just turned 50 just lost my favorite dog to lymphoma at 5yrs so I bought 2 2nd hand John Deere's to ease my pain. an 1986 model 130 with bagger (overpaid $650) but had to have it and a 2005 L100 w/ bagger for $350.
I really enjoy working on these and riding them. Also bought a used lawn cart and a 4x8 road trailer to haul 1 JD at a time as needed. It's been to much IT work for me in my life and not enough hands on stuff until now.
Best regards

Heaveno , i been here a couple months now and really enjoy helping and being help as i dont know everything i need to keep my fleet running. I am the proud owner of a 125A 100 series John Deere , A Sear 54" lawn tractor an old hurrucane harvey victim Swisher believe i tto be T11044 also own a Scotts wanna be John Deere ridng mowwer plus a 2003 Massey Ferguson gc2300. I enjoy working my garden and when not gardening i try to keep the place disced down.
I call my john Deere "Johnny" and my Scotts "Scotty" the Sears has not earned a name yet only had her 2 yrs . the swisher is swisher .
Also own a Jaques Mod 10 what i plan to restore . I am not ashamed to pick up old lawn mowers ifixing them up on heavey trash pick up day and giving them to a needed person . Recently retired as A industrial and municpal fireman , State certified EMT and Life Flight trained am 70 years young and can still run faster, dive deeper and come out drier than most men my age.
Thank you Admin and mods for your support!!:thumbsup:

Well, I am a small engine mechanic and enjoy buying lawn mowers to fix up and resell. Right now I have a '93 John Deere 425 with 60 inch deck (not on it right now). The deck needs work but I think I have the tractor pretty much finished. I hope to have it complete by spring so if anyone is looking for one, let me know. Also I have what used to be a lawn mower in which I turned into more of a go cart. I straight piped it, increased its speed, added LED headlights and RGB LED underbody strip lights w/remote. Also did some other things but I think you get the point. The one picture that shows the red mower is what it looked like the day I bought it.

Greeting's all,
I run two Z950a's one 60'' and one 72'' 27Hp Kaw and 31Hp Kaw. I'm not a Landscaper but I do mow for family members who are elderly. I will be pulling the left transaxle on the 72'' this winter to fix what i am hoping is the same problem posted by jakesmurray on his z930a. I'll try to post Pic's at a later time.

Re: John Deere Owner Check-In --- Read This First! ... Yes, a Newbie

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup: ... cut


Hi Everyone !
I´m a new member of this forum, glad to found! Because a forum is a mirror of the members, I will introduce myself at first =>

My name is Hans (surname Jacobsen, but I prefer JD, because a Jacobsen is too complex :laughing, 62 years old, retired, not poor, not rich, living in a croft near Cologne/Germany and owner of two John Deere => A 160 from 1988 and a 185 from 1987.
The 160 I bought as a aborted restauration projekt, the 185 was also coming for small money in the house for parts.

Why John Deere? To restore a solid premium-lawnmower will cost the same time and nearly the same money than a diy-market-machine. So everything depends on the price for the basic-machine. I searched more than a year before I could grab them.

My fav dream was a vintage wheel horse, but it seems here in Germany are 2 or 3 collectors and they buy every offered machine (and parts!) without asking for the price. No chance to reach the goal with my budget.

Here are some pics =>





So, now I hope to find and give help in all questions to restore and use such nice small tractors ...

greetings from the land of krauts

Hans

Click to expand...

Hello, I've been hanging in the back reading for a while,just joined a few days ago
I have a John Deere GT242 lawn Mower I bought it new back in 1998 when we bought our house. It's 20 years old been a good mower. I Change oil every season,spark plug and drain gas out of it, took battery out of it because it's in storage now for winter. I use it for cutting the lawn. I use My craftsman LT1000 only for plowing snow. Lots of good reading and information here and a whole lot of helpful good people here.

Re: John Deere Owner Check-In --- Read This First! ... Yes, a Newbie

:welcome::welcome::welcome:
From the land of kangaroos and better Larger :drink:

New to forum,

Just picked up a 1978 JD 316 (Kohler engine).
It needs a bit of TLC but it should be throwing grass in no time!

Darryl Van Gaal

hi i am new to forum and from Ireland!!
i have a few jd mowers but my most recent project is a John Deere R92 mower,
original 11hp b&s engine looking to maybe fit auto choke set up if possible! have mower running and driving just needs paint now! Anyone else have one!

Rick here from the Cheesehead state!

I have a STX38 for my yard and am in the process of *determining* if a JD built Scotts is worth my time to rebuild (dealing with a steering issue and the thing has a non-serviceable spindle on the right side, otherwise, it's in great shape).

In addition to loving my JD, I also like to tinker with stuff. I have another JD frame sitting around for me to convert it into a mudder for our cottage up north. Will be fun working side by side with my nephews, teaching them the finer points of wrenching and fabrication (they already know how to go fast!).

Looking forward to meeting you folks and hopefully contributing something of value!

Go Pack!
Rick

Ok I can do that, Dave46 here meaning my nickname in the army (and some times since) was a shortened version of my last name and I was born in 1946.

The reason I am here and new to the John Deere brigade is that I bought a John Deere 325 mower (1998) a few weeks ago after pondering several options.

The photo of the beast is going to have to wait until I take a presentable one and figure out how to post it.

I live in Central Washington on my granparents old farm that they started farming on in the early 1920's .

Hello all, riding a old F525 that refuses to die. At this rate it will, and should outlive me!! Aaah, all metal components. :licking:

Hello John Deere mower owners. Some issues with my F930 and 1435 prompted me to join

Hoping to learn some things about maintenance and repairs!

Thanks,
Dean

HELLO,i JUST JOINED THIS GREAT FORUM,BUT i HAVE BEEN READING IT FOR A WHILE.I really enjoy reading about everyone's Deere's.I had never had a jd until fairly recently.Now I have four but as yet none are operable.I have a 345,a 165 hydro,a 175 hydro and an l 130.I am ready to start work on the 175,so I thought it was time to join.Thanks for everything!!!

briggs said:

welcome to the forum hope you enjoy it ..The older deers last for ever ..there is alot of nice deers out there what are you looking for

Click to expand...

Hi I have a stupid question that's all I have. I need help my d-100 jd. New to me it looks real good for 80 bucks Keeps shearing the fly wheel key. 2 pops and a snort less than 2 sec latter snap. 4 times in a row. I laped it and torked the heck out of it. my wife thinks i am stupid. ps i was a jet eng mech in the USMC. please restore my faith.

Well ther was a reason why it was 80 bucks wasn't there.
Problem with used mowers you never have any idea what the DPO has done to it.
The shear key is designed to shear in order to stop the engine during a jamb type failure.
For a taper to work, there must be a gap between the top of the taper and the end of the hole in the flywheel.
When a flywheel breaks free it will oft damage the shaft and the hole.
By the time both are dressed the hole ends up being too big.
So firstly it is out with the bearing blue and check the fit of the taper.
The a bit more on the shoulder at the end of the threads to make sure the nut is not bottoming out.

For any worthwhile information we need the make & model of the engine

Greetings all!

We have a couple of properties which have a variety of grass cutting equipment on them. My JD is an L-130 which I bought from a co-worker a few years ago. He was moving and needed cash, so I took on another lawn mower. It was funny that he delivered it in the back of his truck. He had a ramp but the angle was too steep due the the length of the tractor. (He had loaded it from a dirt mound and so did not know until arrival that his unload plan would not work. He kept trying and we almost had a disaster, but we managed to make it all work without too much damage to us, the truck or the tractor.

It did pretty well for a while, but the ignition switches started burning out. Also a few other issues came up, but we got through them and went on happily whacking down weeds and grass. However, we recently had an issue with the engine killing whenever the brake is released.

The name of this mower is not printable here. It was earned while trying to trouble shoot an earlier problem and not realizing that some electrical parts were superheated.

Oh well, that is the tale of my L-130. I actually like it, but would really rather it not be so complicated in its wiring. Life so much better when we just ran with simple electrical systems.

RT

I've been on the forum since late last year when I bought a bunch of push mowers from someone but my main mower I have had for a few years now is a JD L130 with a 23 HP Kohler in it. I got it when my wife's aunt passed and I've done some great cutting with it.

Rabby Tat said:

Greetings all!

We have a couple of properties which have a variety of grass cutting equipment on them. My JD is an L-130 which I bought from a co-worker a few years ago. He was moving and needed cash, so I took on another lawn mower. It was funny that he delivered it in the back of his truck. He had a ramp but the angle was too steep due the the length of the tractor. (He had loaded it from a dirt mound and so did not know until arrival that his unload plan would not work. He kept trying and we almost had a disaster, but we managed to make it all work without too much damage to us, the truck or the tractor.

It did pretty well for a while, but the ignition switches started burning out. Also a few other issues came up, but we got through them and went on happily whacking down weeds and grass. However, we recently had an issue with the engine killing whenever the brake is released.

The name of this mower is not printable here. It was earned while trying to trouble shoot an earlier problem and not realizing that some electrical parts were superheated.

Oh well, that is the tale of my L-130. I actually like it, but would really rather it not be so complicated in its wiring. Life so much better when we just ran with simple electrical systems.

RT

Click to expand...

The wiring on your JD is not much different to every other mower currently made.
The complexity was forced upon mower companies because no American ever makes a mistake that is their fault.
The good thing is JD also make a manual that a 10 year old could read & understand

Hi all. Just joined this forum. I had a L-120 I bought new in 2003. Put only 200 hours on it in 13 years. It had light lawn duty and then we moved to a "place in the country" last year where it's mowing duty increased exponentially. Last season alone, I put 44 hours on it. While it was still running and cutting good, I sold it for $650.

Even made a sprayer platform for it.



Then last fall I bought a beefier garden tractor with 724 hours on it for the new place. I expect to put 100 hours on it this season. I love it. Have done a little work to the deck as I had some trouble with belt wanting to come off. Here it is the day I brought it home.






I guess this is the right forum. I'm addicted to mowing grass.

weathda said:

Hi all. Just joined this forum. I had a L-120 I bought new in 2003. Put only 200 hours on it in 13 years. It had light lawn duty and then we moved to a "place in the country" last year where it's mowing duty increased exponentially. Last season alone, I put 44 hours on it. While it was still running and cutting good, I sold it for $650.

Even made a sprayer platform for it.

Then last fall I bought a beefier garden tractor with 724 hours on it for the new place. I expect to put 100 hours on it this season. I love it. Have done a little work to the deck as I had some trouble with belt wanting to come off. Here it is the day I brought it home.

I guess this is the right forum. I'm addicted to mowing grass.

Click to expand...

That is a TRUE John Deere ....................

It's a pleasure to use. I got around to making some video of the deck repair and some mowing. https://youtu.be/B4Xf_jWZ5o8

New guy alert from Washington!

Just purchased a home on a few acres and picked up my first riding mower. Decided to go with the E170. Pretty happy with it so far, except one of the hills that I have to mow. By using the search function, hopefully I'll find a solution whether it's my lack of skills or what. :laughing:

I qualify as new to the forum since I just signed up today. :smile:
I have an older model of John Deere EZ Trac Z245.
I also an older model of John Deere but can't remember the number right off hand and it is lightening outside right now!

I am 65 years old and have training in small engines.

Thank you for letting me join in. If I can help, I surely will.

I’m supper excited! Bought my fist JD this week. It is a 14SE walk behind. Got it for $30, it was running poorly and when the BBC was engaged it would die. Cleaned out a bunch of crud from the gas tank, put it back together added some gas and it started on the first pull! Still need to do some work to make it functional.

Hello all. Newbie here. My machine is a John Deere 345 which I bought in 1999. I have had the lawn tractor longer than I have had my wife. I like old cars, trucks and tractors. I have a 1948 8n Ford tractor which belonged to my maternal grandfather. I drive a 1990 F150 that runs better than my mind. I like to visit the mountains when I get the chance. There is something enchanting about winding mountain roads and waterfalls. Looking forward to browsing your posts.

I generally enjoy working on small engines, both 2 and 4 cycle. They get harder to troubleshoot with each new feature they think is needed. Remember when you used to work on your own car before it was almost totally computerized. Doing this as a hobby probably won't last much longer unless you stick with vintage equipment. Right now I'm working on a 30 year old JD 175 that is being difficult.

I generally enjoy working on small engines, both 2 and 4 cycle. They get harder to troubleshoot with each new feature they think is needed. Remember when you used to work on your own car before it was almost totally computerized. Doing this as a hobby probably won't last much longer unless you stick with vintage equipment. Right now I'm working on a 30 year old JD 175 that is being difficult. Thought I posted,but not showing up so this may be #2

Hi all! I just bought a new S240 with the 48 inch deck.

I know "they don't make em like they used to" but I have to live in today and do what's best for me and my family.

The Husquvarna-made Craftsman I am retiring had lots of problems and it is obvious if you look closely that the S240 is a much tougher machine.

I can see that the X300 series is tougher than the S240, also, but couldn't stretch the monthly payment that far. And the local dealer is great.

Anyway, I've mowed once with the S240 and am really impressed. It is better than the 6 year old Craftsman in so many ways.

Thanks for the forum and all the info I've gained, as well as being there for me in the future.

And even though it's not up to the quality of what most of you own, I'm proud of my new JD!

I have been a JD owner for about 7 years. I bought a used L130, which had been abused some but reworked by the local JD dealer.

I have replaced blades, oil filters, etc., several times and 1 mower deck spindle, so far.

The crankcase seal has a periodic leak, mainly in the Winter, when tolerances shrink. The local JD dealer said it would be cheaper to just routinely replace any leaking oil because it would be quite expensive for them to replace the seal. So, I am waiting to make that decision and don't have to worry about it during mowing season, just snow pushing season.

I have a YouTube channel and have made several videos on maintenance and repairs, if interested private email me.

Looking forward to learning more from you experts and helping out, if I can?

Hello everyone.. I'm new to the forum. I'm an 2nd owner of a very well taken care of John Deere riding mower 160 with 42" deck. Its an 80s model but start and runs great.
Hope to learn some things about servicing and removing blades to sharpening them.
Thanks for the invite.

Hello, I'm Richard from near Preston, England. I have a John Deere STX30, must be nearly 30 years old, I've had it from new, still runs like clockwork. Had problems this last week when the exhaust box fell off, quickly welded it back on but had problems with fastening the exhaust back on, also found that 2 engine mounting bolts were missing.

New to the site!

Hi Im Brenainn. I build big bore custom Stihl saws, repair lots of snowblowers and build 100 Series John Deere mowers. I like the 100 series 86-90 and stick to those only. Ive built or rebuilt maybe a dozen. Its a hobby I love. For work Im a union bricklayer but I grew up on a farm and fixing small engines is my fun time!

:welcome::welcome::welcome:

Do you grow big rocks or little rocks :laughing:

Some one with your skill set will be very welcome on a site like this.

Hello to all, Kevin from Indiana here. Just got an LT166 (1999) and am going to use site to do a little research as previous owner had no documentation. Will spend some time looking around to learn a little more about the tractor.

Hi all, I am Will from West Virginia, originally Pennsylvania. I have worked at a Deere dealership in the lawn mower shop since I graduated high school in 1998. I also own several John Deere mowers, including the 1964 110 that my great grandfather bought brand new, and I still mow grass with it! I am here to share my knowledge, help people out, and hopefully learn from others as well!

Hello,

My name is Paul. I am a retired farmer and live in Grand Forks, ND. I rent my land to a neighbor but I still have a farmstead to maintain. Currently, I have a 7' Bushhog for ditch and rough cutting (three point mount on a JD 4020), a 48" 'walk behind' 13hp Honda Commercial mower, and a Honda push mower.

I am looking to replace/retire the Honda with a ZTR. The Honda has a geared transmission and 1st is just too darn slow and 2nd is too often too fast the conditions and if more than the engine can handle. (and gears 3 and 4 are useless). Other than the poor gearing, the Honda is a sturdy machine and I will keep it rough cutting.

I got this old green deck 12sb a while back, got it running decent. Mows great. Cant get the mulch cover to seal right on the bag chute though.

Took me a while but here are my tractors

Now those are real John Deere machines! Hooah.

1652 said:

I got this old green deck 12sb a while back, got it running decent. Mows great. Cant get the mulch cover to seal right on the bag chute though.
View attachment 44898

Click to expand...

Looks like the younger brother to my old SP21. Those things just won't quit.

tom3 said:

Looks like the younger brother to my old SP21. Those things just won't quit.

Click to expand...

Looks like a nice mower you have. I was kinda curious if a briggs would bolt on this deck if the need ever arises.

First time tractor owner here. Just picked up an E120. My lawn is a little under half-acre and while it was doable with a push mower, it has just been too time consuming. Just leveled my deck today and switched to mulching blades.

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! :thumbsup:

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name :laughing. maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

I have a jd 212 its a 1980 model with 47 inch deck. it runs good it painted it black because I had a case of black paint it will be painted eventully. it runs good getting it going has been fun and it mows great

wingnut1955 said:

I have a jd 212 its a 1980 model with 47 inch deck. it runs good it painted it black because I had a case of black paint it will be painted eventully. it runs good getting it going has been fun and it mows great

Click to expand...

For shame painting a JD Black.

Dad had a 212, put about a million hours on that machine, then rebuilt the Kohler and put another million on it. Mowed 5 or 6 acres in summer and hauled wood in the winter. Still running ok but he decided to go hydro and got a 445 with power everything. Back when men were men and Deeres were Deeres.

Recently bought an old 21 inch Silver Deck push mower with the Kawasaki engine and 5 speed self propelled transmission. The drive worked but the clutch cable came off at the linkage under the mower. Looks like an early style cable with the spring on the bottom. After re-attaching it to the shoulder bolt on the linkage, the drive no longer engages. Seems adjusted properly, no tension when released, and when you engage the clutch bail it rotates the unit backward and drives the input pulley. It just has no drive at the axle or wheels. The shift lever will select all 5 gears (detents) while stationary. Is this correct? didn't seem to want to shift when not moving before the cable came off.

Active User in Scag Forum and have acquired a Deere D110 for the homestead. Nice mower and the Spousal Unit likes to mow with it, except the mower drive belt keeps coming off. I have posted about this in the Deere Forum. So will look for answers there. Thanx.

Hi all. Just joined the forum today. I'm on my second JD riding mower. First one I bought in 2005 L110 (I think) that I loved. Sold it to a friend in 2011 when I was moving and didn't think I'd need a riding mower. Two years later I bought a house on a one acre lot. Bought a old Craftsman on Craigslist that blew the engine in three months. Sucked it up and bought my Z255. This mower is awesome and it cut mowing time by about 40%. It was a bit of a learning curve especially navigating turns while on a grade, but it really gets the job done.

I have had several jd lawn tractors over the years I presently have a 212 I am using it runs great

Just joined. L120 mower with a push mower size lawn!

Hello all. Another newb here. Bought my first JD mower last Spring for my 3 acres, and first ZTR. A 48" 740R. Awesome machine, worth every nickel for the time it saves. Really love everything about it. Cut quality, speed, maneuverability, and build quality. Hope it lasts me 20 years, and I think it will. It gets the same non-ethanol gas that all my small engine equipment get.

Hello, fellow JD lawnmower people. I got a JD JS63C. I bought it from Home Depot in roughly 2005. It mows well. The drive system IMHO is rather poor. Without the drive system operating on this mower I am out of luck because the JS63C is heavy and my lawn is hilly. JDs part system for the JS63C is poor. No problem with engine parts (Briggs and Stratton) but everything else is a hassle.

Just purchased a 2021 John Deere X380 48" earlier this week. Not my first Deere, but my first NEW one. I shopped many other mowers, extensively, and ultimately landed on the Deere due to their quality of cut, overall reliability and great dealer network.

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! ?

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name ?). maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

I'm new to JD ownership. I grew up riding my grandfather's steel wheeled popcorn popper.
My JD is a new to me 2012 X-324. It had 610 hours on it, and had been well maintained by previous owner through the local JD dealer. It came with a Cyclone Lawn vac, plus the powered JD 3 bag grass catcher (Plus a new motor for the catcher, 7 Oregon blades, and the JD mulching system)... The Cyclone even had a new, electric start motor installed over the summer.
Not bad for $2300!

Prior to this, most of the property was mowed weekly by my 89 year old mother-in-law. She did it for recreation!

The 4 wheel steering is especially nice, since I maintain my family's 7 acre homestead, which includes a lot of trees to mow around.

New member, I've had a 316 for 16 years and have used it for mowing and plowing snow. The past 4 years I've mowed with a Simplicity with a slightly larger deck and better lift. The 316 was still used for plowing snow and other more rugged work, and I have 5 hp lawn vacuum attachment on the deck for fall leaf pickup. This fall I bought a 320 for snowblowing and mowing. It was well maintained until two years ago when the owner went into assisted living and the daughter began using it. Still a nice machine, just needs some maintenance. I will probably have questions as I get this 28 year old machine ready for winter.

I've been a member here for a few weeks or so now but just found the "welcome" thread.
First time John Deere owner which is also my first yard tractor.
The last thing I owned for mowing was a "big box store" Troy Bilt riding mower.
As most here already know, the difference between a riding mower and a lawn tractor is a few thousand dollars.
There is also a big difference in the quality of the product.

Anyhow, a month or so ago I bought my John Deere X570. It's bigger than I need for our property, JD recommended the 300 series
based on our yard size. After reading a LOT of reviews I went with the X570.
I read many items about the 300 series having issues with the rear axle getting too warm after a couple of hours use.
I don't want anything to do with that. The only complaint I read about the 570 was that the headlights aren't bright enough.
That will not be an issue with me. I don't work nights.

Going from a 30 inch cutting deck to a 48 inch deck is saving me a lot of mowing time.
What used to take an hour or so now can be done in 35 minutes. I'm still a working stiff, up to 60 hours per week.
ANYTHING that can save me a half hour in a day is worth good money to me.

The only gripe I had with my X570 was the deck was not adjusted properly by the factory or the dealer.
It would cut the grass to just over 3 inches when it was set to 4 inches, the maximum height.
That has been addressed, both by the dealer and the good folks on this forum. Now my Bluegrass sod is much happier.

Well, just wanted to say hi to everybody and give a formal introduction from the Syracuse, NY area.

Todd K Stearns

Hello people, new to the site and today brought my first John Deere mower, now I am a bit old school so I brought a 285, for a steel to be honest, not working, but in better than average condition for age. 987 hrs on the clock. I have spent 2 hrs on it and got it working, which when I picked it up it wouldn't even turn over. All pretty much electrical issues but it has cut the lawn this afternoon, albeit I have had a few head scratching moments lol. All that aside I am very happy with my purchase and once summer is over and the grass is left to go wild, the plan is to fully restore her back to new condition over winter.
So I no doubt will be asking some random questions on here in the future and if I can I will willingly help others when there having a bit of a head scratch themselves.
My other mower is a JD S690i combine with a 40ft cut if that counts lol.
So there you go, that's me, a crazy farmer, who will inevitably need help at some point from all you experts on 285 mowers.
Thank you in advance.
pics to come in the future.

Hello to all here. Looks like a nice forum.
Have been trying to play mechanical nurse to a 2003 John Deere GT225 lawn tractor w/48" mower deck over the last 4 years.
The quality of the cut is still beautiful, even though 2 of the 3 spindles have some big cracks and chunks missing. :~\

Notwithstanding lots of other issues; mostly starting problems with the [ Kohler CV15S-41571 15hp OHV engine w/Walbro carb # 75 3349 1205393 ], as well as engine dying problems (of which I must've accidentally fixed recently - by resetting the gap btwn the ignition module and the magneto on the flywheel).

* New problem & reason I joined this forum: I'm looking for a new 'Fuel Shutoff Solenoid' (that screws into the bottom of the carb bowl); the red wire broke on ours - right where it comes out of the bottom of the cylindrical solenoid. Tons of 'em on the Brazillian River website, all from China, and the weird thing is...the pic of the Kohler solenoid/kit at the JD dealer's...looks the same as the short/squatty cheap looking China ones !:~\
But our Fuel Shutoff Solenoid is one of those longer (perhaps 1 3/8" long) ones, with the single wire coming out of the bottom, and with no rubber bumper on the top of the little vertical piston rod.

Any suggestions? Tried jackssmallengines .com but they only have the whole carb kit. Found a few others, but they're all the short/squatty looking ones. Thanks so much for any & all suggestions.

* If I wasn't supposed to jump right into all my problems—right here on this "read this first & introduce yourself" thread . . .
then please allow me to introduce myself as I apologize.

Hmm, Is my low post count not allowing me to post pic's? Every pic I've tried to post - looks like it's loading, but then says: "The uploaded file is too large"; same for zipped file.

Muhammad said:

GREETINGS to all John Deere mower owners! ?

If you're new to the forum, please reply to this thread and introduce yourself and your mower (that is, if your mower have a name ?). maybe attach a photo or two of your mower and show off your pride and joy.

Also, if you haven't done so already you can upload a user avatar (picture under your user name). You can do so by clicking on settings and "edit avatar" or just click here.

Please be helpful and friendly to all other John Deere owners (how could you not, right?) and if you like this forum, tell your friends about it. :biggrin:

We want to make this the best resource for John Deere mower owners, and to do that we need your help! Questions? Experiences? Stories? Data? Photos? Articles? Links? Cool John Deere stuff? Post it here!

Last but not least, please let me know if you have any suggestions for the site. We'd love to hear them.

Click to expand...

H

winmod21 said:

Hello to all here. Looks like a nice forum.
Have been trying to play mechanical nurse to a 2003 John Deere GT225 lawn tractor w/48" mower deck over the last 4 years.
The quality of the cut is still beautiful, even though 2 of the 3 spindles have some big cracks and chunks missing. :~\

Notwithstanding lots of other issues; mostly starting problems with the [ Kohler CV15S-41571 15hp OHV engine w/Walbro carb # 75 3349 1205393 ], as well as engine dying problems (of which I must've accidentally fixed recently - by resetting the gap btwn the ignition module and the magneto on the flywheel).

* New problem & reason I joined this forum: I'm looking for a new 'Fuel Shutoff Solenoid' (that screws into the bottom of the carb bowl); the red wire broke on ours - right where it comes out of the bottom of the cylindrical solenoid. Tons of 'em on the Brazillian River website, all from China, and the weird thing is...the pic of the Kohler solenoid/kit at the JD dealer's...looks the same as the short/squatty cheap looking China ones !:~\
But our Fuel Shutoff Solenoid is one of those longer (perhaps 1 3/8" long) ones, with the single wire coming out of the bottom, and with no rubber bumper on the top of the little vertical piston rod.

Any suggestions? Tried jackssmallengines .com but they only have the whole carb kit. Found a few others, but they're all the short/squatty looking ones. Thanks so much for any & all suggestions.

* If I wasn't supposed to jump right into all my problems—right here on this "read this first & introduce yourself" thread . . .
then please allow me to introduce myself as I apologize.

Hmm, Is my low post count not allowing me to post pic's? Every pic I've tried to post - looks like it's loading, but then says: "The uploaded file is too large"; same for zipped file

Click to expand...

It is a file format problem
Upload the photo to your computer
Resize it to around 12" on the long axis and adjust the resolution to 72 dpi then SAVE it .
That photo will display 6 to 12" on computer screens.
Web hosts see the RAW format used in cameras as 4 times the size the file really is and a 500 kb photo will display on a 30" screen quite well so no need for 2-4 Gb file .
Image resolution on digital devices has gone the way of tininess did for phones where they got so small no human could use them.
Photo resolution is so fine now days the eye can not see 75% of the detail in the image till it is enlarged 1000 times.

As for the solenoid, for now just chop the end off it .
When you shut down, pull the throttle to the lowest position, count to 5 then turn the engine off.
The solenoid provides no useful function other to stop the unburned fuel accumulating in the muffler then going Bang a minute after the engine has stopped.
It does act as a back up should the magneto kill wire fail to shut down the engine but that is a 1 in 10,000,000 event.

bertsmobile1 said:

It is a file format problem
Upload the photo to your computer
Resize it to around 12" on the long axis and adjust the resolution to 72 dpi then SAVE it .
That photo will display 6 to 12" on computer screens.
Web hosts see the RAW format used in cameras as 4 times the size the file really is and a 500 kb photo will display on a 30" screen quite well so no need for 2-4 Gb file .
Image resolution on digital devices has gone the way of tininess did for phones where they got so small no human could use them.
Photo resolution is so fine now days the eye can not see 75% of the detail in the image till it is enlarged 1000 times.

As for the solenoid, for now just chop the end off it .
When you shut down, pull the throttle to the lowest position, count to 5 then turn the engine off.
The solenoid provides no useful function other to stop the unburned fuel accumulating in the muffler then going Bang a minute after the engine has stopped.
It does act as a back up should the magneto kill wire fail to shut down the engine but that is a 1 in 10,000,000 event.

Click to expand...

Oh okay, thanks very much for those suggestions !;-)
The photos were in computer; the image .jpg file properties show: Dimensions 3624x2448 / Horiz Res 72 dpi / Vert Res 72 dpi / 3.43 MB ...and displays at approx 9" wide x 6 3/4" high - on our 15.6" notebook screen. And when I right-click an image in our 'Pictures' folder (Windows 10 Home) - my only editing choices are "Edit with Photos" & "Edit with Paint 3D". And it looks like the best resizing controls are in Paint 3D, where the 'Crop' framing choices are: 16:9, 5:3, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, 9:16.
1:1 brings the width & height down to 2448x2448 px's, but other than I have no idea what I'm doing. ? As I'm not seeing any other resizing options. :~\

Is the shutdown action the only function of the fuel shutdown solenoid? It doesn't assist anything/have any function with starting? I thought it did. :-0

What do you mean by 'just chop the end off it'? The red wire broke right where it comes out of the bottom (end?) of the solenoid.
I have a shorter/fatter/squattier solenoid (like you'll see in practical every pic online - from every supplier)—that I unscrewed from a $30 China-made carb that I bought last summer on amaz— that does have the same threads as our existing solenoid, but I haven't tried it yet, as I have to mod the elec connector a bit (our ex. solenoid has a bullet connector), and the short/fat one (off the cheap carb) has a black bumper/seal thing on the top of the vertical piston rod, which ours does not. Not sure if it'll work or not, but gonna try it later today.
The JD price is $95. *ouch* ...and it looks just like the cheap short/fat ones on amaz & elsewhere, and just like the one I unscrewed from the cheap $30 carb; so hope it does work, as I'm hoping to not have to dish-out the $95. :~\

Thanks again for your help & suggestions !;-)

I use a mac so don't ask me about the actual actions needed to resize in a PC .
The only job of the solenoid is the shut down function.
It is an EPA regulation to prevent unburned fuel escaping into the atmosphere which is a noble cause but over kill on a mower engine
Take the solenoid out and chop the plunger right off
Some have a rubber end that can come off & get stuck in the carb so have a peep inside to make sure you can see the main jet .
And yes they are expensive because they are a precision piece of machining , are part of the fuel system so can cause an explosion so big insurance and mainly because they are legally mandated so have to be fitted .

bertsmobile1 said:

I use a mac so don't ask me about the actual actions needed to resize in a PC .
The only job of the solenoid is the shut down function.
It is an EPA regulation to prevent unburned fuel escaping into the atmosphere which is a noble cause but over kill on a mower engine
Take the solenoid out and chop the plunger right off
Some have a rubber end that can come off & get stuck in the carb so have a peep inside to make sure you can see the main jet .
And yes they are expensive because they are a precision piece of machining , are part of the fuel system so can cause an explosion so big insurance and mainly because they are legally mandated so have to be fitted .

Click to expand...

Thanks again for info.
Just today I was wondering about that rubber end piece; wondering if our ex solenoid did have one, and if it disintegrated over time and/or did come off and may still be stuck up in there. So thanks for heads-up on that; I think I glanced in there once or twice—when the bowl came off—but didn't take time to inspect it closely. Though it's been so long since I rebuilt a carburetor....I just hope I can recognize the main jet.

Once upon a time I had a 1947 Ford 1/2 ton - (that we put a 67' Ford 289cid & 67' Warner T-18 4-speed tranny in, but restored all the rest to original showroom quality - incl original 'Village Green' body paint w/'Tacoma Cream' trim paint - looks very similar to this one in link); a 48' F1 - from orig owner; and 51' & 52' F-2's - both from the orig owners; the 52' had sat under a huge wheat barns' side lean-to for 13 years - without ever being started or driven, covered in Mt St. Helen's volcanic dust, but all 4 tires were still full of air, and a couple buddies & I got it started in less that 45 mins. Spotted that one whilst Sage Grouse hunting in the high plains of Douglass County WA, over 4000', of mostly all Winter Wheat farms and ranches, with huge monolithic rock formations deposited during the Columbian Basin ice age flow). Anyhoo, lets just say it's been awhile since I've looked in a carb. *inexplicably missing embarrassed emo*

farmermark said:

Hello people, new to the site and today brought my first John Deere mower, now I am a bit old school so I brought a 285, for a steel to be honest, not working, but in better than average condition for age. 987 hrs on the clock. I have spent 2 hrs on it and got it working, which when I picked it up it wouldn't even turn over. All pretty much electrical issues but it has cut the lawn this afternoon, albeit I have had a few head scratching moments lol. All that aside I am very happy with my purchase and once summer is over and the grass is left to go wild, the plan is to fully restore her back to new condition over winter.
So I no doubt will be asking some random questions on here in the future and if I can I will willingly help others when there having a bit of a head scratch themselves.
My other mower is a JD S690i combine with a 40ft cut if that counts lol.
So there you go, that's me, a crazy farmer, who will inevitably need help at some point from all you experts on 285 mowers.
Thank you in advance.
pics to come in the future.

Click to expand...

Hello farmermark, I'm new here too and just wanted to say I enjoyed reading your re-introduction post, and will be looking forward to reading about your restore project over the winter. As I would love to do the same, someday, with our 20 yr old GT225. So I'll be watching for your future posts. Best to You & Yours.