N/A JD Lawn Tractor advice. Stop me again!

mikea

mikea

Touchdown! Greaser!
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iWin
Another in the new homeowner series....

I've got a little less than 3/4 acre with lotsa lawn, parkway, roadside and trees in every yard.

I just looked at a John Deere LX188 Lawn Tractor a homeowner in a nearby town is selling. He's got the vacuum grass bag and the snow blower attachment!

It looks to be in decent shape with no rust. The seat is well-worn, which is strange considering he said his boss who owned it didn't use it much. I'd say it was used for a few years. We had some trouble starting due something lose at the battery connection (he just put in new battery.)

I had looked at what a new setup like this would cost. I think the snow blower alone is $1300 list. I had thoughts of talking to John Deere at Oshkosh this year.

He's asking $1700. I didn't even make an offer yet. I think I'll drop by the local John Deere dealer Monday to see what they're selling used ones for.

My fear: I know there's cable or rod missing for control of the blower. Parts could cost $200 each but I can check.

My (alleged) thinking: I want quality = John Deere or Snapper... vs. Craftsman which in customer reviews lately seems to be ultracheap and unreliable. I think I can do minor repairs and maintenance on it myself. I'm thinking as "boss" said the snow blower is fiddly and a pain to hook up but I wouldn't throw if off the driveway for eating iron.

I just stopped in Sears and saw that I can buy a new Craftsman tractor in various sizes for $900-$1600.

I thought that my ideal setup would be been a zero-radius mower - even if I couldn't add any attachments - and get a dedicated bigger two-stage snow blower to replace my big single stage which is proving to be too small for my big driveway.

More than that: I've been paying $35 a mow for lawn service, or $140 a month. The advantage there is I don't have a weekend chore, which I'm not sure I can handle, but I'm willing to try.

How dumb am I being?

Am I nuts for considering it or does it sound like a once in a lifetime deal?

Hmmm, It's looking with some Googling like the tractor itself sells for $1100 used. I thought I offer him $1200 to open and go as high as $1400. :dunno:

Sorry, and now back to your regular flying talk.
 
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BTW, just to further show the insanity. I calculated that I'd need some kind of ramp to load it in the mini-van and I saw at Auto Zone that those sell for $100. :hairraise: Maybe a couple of boards. :dunno:

I also have no garage to store the thing in and I don't think my shed is big enough to hold it. I'd have to put it in the carport and cover it with a tarp.
 
Get it, and convert it!

john-deere-chopper-lawn-mower.jpg
 
Mike,
My craftsman is 12 years old and other than "children induced" malfunctions it has been a great little lawn tractor. I mow just over an acre.

I have the 15.5 kohler and hydrostat transmission and would buy another one tomorrow.

I have always wanted a JD, but the extra price just wasn't worth it to me.
 
markb5900 said:
Mike,
My craftsman is 12 years old and other than "children induced" malfunctions it has been a great little lawn tractor. I mow just over an acre.

I have the 15.5 kohler and hydrostat transmission and would buy another one tomorrow.

I have always wanted a JD, but the extra price just wasn't worth it to me.
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My cousin who is lifelong mechanic and did small engine work for a John Deere dealer for a while said that Craftsman is a good choice. From what I read on sears.com reviews I get the impression it was a good choice. The new K-Mart overlords are putting the Craftsman name on the cheapest of Chinese imports. A lot of reviews of Craftsman stuff tell of parts breaking or falling off. That said, I just went for the sears.com Craftsman tool box deal, which was why I was at Sears. I picked up my cabinet which is evidently no longer available.

I'd rather have one quality tractor for $1400 that works for me with minimal aggravation for 10+ years than 2-3 $600 China-specials that keep beginning to fall down after the first season.
 
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Mike.

Don't know a lot about the older Deeres, but I have a 2004 L120 and it's far and away the the best mower I've had. I bought the plow for mine. Right around $300 or so. Moved all the snow we had this year with no problem and I do a 300'+- driveway.

Personally, I'd lowball him and if he doesn't bite, Look for a newer Deere or Cub Cadet. Get the plow and a tow behind sweeper. Baggers are too bulky and you have to empty them too often, the sweeper gets a lot up, but spreads the rest around and feeds the grass.

Lastly, pedal drive is the BEST invention ever.

Mike
 
mikea said:
:goofy:

I almost forgot that John Deere is a cult in some rural circles. I'll have to get my JD cap.
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Come to Missouri!!!!!!!! Driving a craftsman is almost treason here.
 
My Snapper is 8yrs this year and has done some rough duty. I have done a lot of oil changes and some belts, a couple of batteries and filled the poor tires with leak-seal (mesquite thorns). A lot of our mowing is like cutting hay so it has done pretty well.
 
When we relandscaped the place a couple years ago, we got rid of what little lawn we had. What's a lawnmower? :D :D :D
 
Mike, I'm no expert, but that seems a little expensive to me. I purchased a Deere 265 tractor (17hp Kawasaki engine, hydrostatic drive, 48 in. deck) and a blower for > $6,000 in 1994. It was in excellent condition, garaged, regular oil changes, etc. I moved in 2000 to North Carolina and a small lot, and couldn't get $1,000 for it; the Deere dealership wouldn't even take it in trade, presumably because they weren't in the used tractor business. It's a shame because it was a great, flawless tractor that unfortunately I couldn't use on my lot.

I donated it to my daughter's high school in Charlotte, so now it's living out its life mowing football fields.

The blower attachment was no more difficult to attach than removing the mower deck. However, putting the chains on the drive wheels was a lot of work. I used it on a long, gravel lane in Iowa. It was tougher to blow through drifts because of its width, but you did have a big heavy tractor to push it through. I think the chains might have damaged a nice concrete or asphalt driveway, which I didn't have.

Good luck - you absolutely can't go wrong with a Deere.
 
nddons said:
Mike, I'm no expert, but that seems a little expensive to me. I purchased a Deere 265 tractor (17hp Kawasaki engine, hydrostatic drive, 48 in. deck) and a blower for > $6,000 in 1994. It was in excellent condition, garaged, regular oil changes, etc. I moved in 2000 to North Carolina and a small lot, and couldn't get $1,000 for it; the Deere dealership wouldn't even take it in trade, presumably because they weren't in the used tractor business. It's a shame because it was a great, flawless tractor that unfortunately I couldn't use on my lot.

I donated it to my daughter's high school in Charlotte, so now it's living out its life mowing football fields.

The blower attachment was no more difficult to attach than removing the mower deck. However, putting the chains on the drive wheels was a lot of work. I used it on a long, gravel lane in Iowa. It was tougher to blow through drifts because of its width, but you did have a big heavy tractor to push it through. I think the chains might have damaged a nice concrete or asphalt driveway, which I didn't have.

Good luck - you absolutely can't go wrong with a Deere.
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Thanks, Stan.

I Googled and found some Deere owners that say the LX188 is a workhorse where everything is heavier and stronger and they can't bear to part with it. I dunno how I blundered into a model of choice but I guess I did. (OK, I didn't look up other models.)

I found ones from the same year selling by dealers for anywhere from $999 to $1980. I think this one is worth $1200 or so by itself and I like the idea of the snow blower.

I'm gonna make an offer to the guy with consideration that it has to be ready to mow my lawn on arrival and maybe I need to reserve a few hundred for repairs and the missing rod.

The only thing that makes we want to choose this one is the good shape it appears to be in and having the blower and bag.

If I miss it I'll come across another. I hate being a grown up. :rolleyes:
 
tonycondon said:
you mow your yard every week!?
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I haven't but the lawn service did. When there was bad weather on Friday they mowed on Saturday. Is that excessive? (I hope!)

I just 'bout killed myself just watering and doing a weed and feed on about half of my lawn. Of course, I got all wet.

The neighbor just came over and we used the deck for the first time ever. It was cold so I brought out one of my heaters from the packrat supply. They were impressed. :D
 
Mike,
FWIW....
I have a 1988 model LX 172 (the little cousin of the 188). I change the oil every year. I have changed the fuel filter twice and the plug once. It mows about two acres twice a month. It probably has about 600 hours on it right now and is working well. I work it hard, too, because I'm the guy that hates "mowing season" and lets the grass get about a foot tall before I mow it the first time.
The only advice I have is to cross reference the oil filter with an Autozone or NAPA one. Deere wants like $7 or something for one. Also, buy an extra belt set for the deck now, it seems like my belts always take a dive on the first (nice tall grass) mow of the season.
Anyhow, I know that the Deere stuff is good, but the neighbors use Cub cadet, Craftsman, and some orange zero turn radius thing....
--Matt Rogers
 
I have a 25 year old Wheel Horse lawn tractor that runs like it was new.
 
nddons said:
"Nothing runs like a Kubota"? It just doesn't sing. :D
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Oh yeah! 'nother thing I forgot! John Deere used Steve Goodman to sing the "Nothing runs like a Deere" on the TV ads in 1980s.

That, and I've been by the original John Deere farm a few dozen times. It's one of my favorite drives.

I just visited the local dealers including the John Deere dealer (which was the only one who didn't ignore me.) I'll go back there for a cover and supplies like a seat cover.

They have an LX188 for $1800. As is. :rolleyes:

I'm calling the dude NOW.
 
mikea said:
They have an LX188 for $1800. As is. :rolleyes:

I'm calling the dude NOW.
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It's Mine!

$1300, and he's going to bring it over, which is good because I don't have a ramp to fit it the van if I could.

Jest call me Farmer Mike.

Now, if it only works good enough to mow my lawn. :rolleyes:

I dunno how I'd handle getting to the shop if it needs repair. Maybe if it runs enough I can it drive down the road like in "The Straight Story."
 
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nddons said:
Mike, I'm no expert, but that seems a little expensive to me. I purchased a Deere 265 tractor (17hp Kawasaki engine, hydrostatic drive, 48 in. deck) and a blower for > $6,000 in 1994. It was in excellent condition, garaged, regular oil changes, etc. I moved in 2000 to North Carolina and a small lot, and couldn't get $1,000 for it; the Deere dealership wouldn't even take it in trade, presumably because they weren't in the used tractor business. It's a shame because it was a great, flawless tractor that unfortunately I couldn't use on my lot.

I donated it to my daughter's high school in Charlotte, so now it's living out its life mowing football fields.

The blower attachment was no more difficult to attach than removing the mower deck. However, putting the chains on the drive wheels was a lot of work. I used it on a long, gravel lane in Iowa. It was tougher to blow through drifts because of its width, but you did have a big heavy tractor to push it through. I think the chains might have damaged a nice concrete or asphalt driveway, which I didn't have.

Good luck - you absolutely can't go wrong with a Deere.
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Hey, Stan, it's home.

Would you consider stopping by to show me how to attach the mower and check for missing parts and such? I need to mow the lawn!

Steak dinner! ....and I'll pay for your gas.

I'm ordering the manuals and technical manual but I'd like to get to it. I'll keep searching to see if maybe there are manuals online for later models to clue me in.

One thing that scares me so far is the warning that you have to adjust the valves because they're prone to bend rods. I just bought a "narly set of tools" so it might be fun but I gotta know how to do it.


We managed to fit it in my Silhouette!(another thread) I was thisclose to having a rent a truck. I only had to rent a ramp set for $10!

I feel soooooo rural already! :goofy:
 
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mikea said:
Hey, Stan, it's home.

Would you consider stopping by to show me how to attach the mower and check for missing parts and such? I need to mow the lawn!

Steak dinner! ....and I'll pay for your gas.

I'm ordering the manuals and technical manual but I'd like to get to it. I'll keep searching to see if maybe there are manuals online for later models to clue me in.

One thing that scares me so far is the warning that you have to adjust the valves because they're prone to bend rods. I just bought a "narly set of tools" so it might be fun but I gotta know how to do it.


We managed to fit it in my Silhouette!(another thread) I was thisclose to having a rent a truck. I only had to rent a ramp set for $10!

I feel soooooo rural already! :goofy:
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Mike, you da man! Congrats on your purchase. I hope you went to the Deere dealership and got a hat too. It's required operating equipment. :D

Unfortunately, I'm heading for the Motor City tomorrow for work, through Saturday; maybe through Sunday if I can talk my way into Red Wings tickets for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday.

Hmmm. I have a plane reserved for Monday - what is your closest airport? (with a > 3,500 ft runway - a limitation for where I rent. :dunno:) Can you PM me with details?

I pulled this up, but it looks like you'd have to order a manual from the Deere dealer http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/products_non_current/manuals/lx188_manuals.html

I'd be happy to come down one way or the other if we can work it out. But keep in mind I'm a CPA, not a mechanic! I can help with the mower deck, but my motor skills were limited to oil changes, gas, oil, and air filter changes, and spark plug changes. I have no idea what goes on inside that chunk of metal. :redface:
 
nddons said:
Mike, you da man! Congrats on your purchase. I hope you went to the Deere dealership and got a hat too. It's required operating equipment. :D

Unfortunately, I'm heading for the Motor City tomorrow for work, through Saturday; maybe through Sunday if I can talk my way into Red Wings tickets for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday.

Hmmm. I have a plane reserved for Monday - what is your closest airport? (with a > 3,500 ft runway - a limitation for where I rent. :dunno:) Can you PM me with details?

I pulled this up, but it looks like you'd have to order a manual from the Deere dealer http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/products_non_current/manuals/lx188_manuals.html

I'd be happy to come down one way or the other if we can work it out. But keep in mind I'm a CPA, not a mechanic! I can help with the mower deck, but my motor skills were limited to oil changes, gas, oil, and air filter changes, and spark plug changes. I have no idea what goes on inside that chunk of metal. :redface:
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No hat yet. I wanted to do a payback to local dealer that gave me a good briefing so that might be among it.

How about a helmet? I seriously thought about it. I think I'll just wear a dust mask.

I called Deere for the manuals (nearly $100) and ordered new mower blades and a tune-up kit (I know, Just one to get me started) and some other small parts (another $100+) I called another dealer downstate who had pricing 20% less on eBay. The parts guy was another friendly, informative guy.


And then I see this: http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Deere-LX18...ryZ50377QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Which is the exact same as mine. I got depressed for quite a while until I released that $850 is the starting bid. You guys bid it up so I feel better. :P

I tottered around on the tractor last night. Manuals or no I've read enough hints online and groked the hieroglyphics on it to figure out how it all works. Like I threw in a $20 order for a manual for the grass catcher. It's pretty obvious, but hopefully the manual will have some tip I wouldn't have figured out.

It seemed to me like it's gonna make mowing a pretty quick job. (Prolly famous last words.) It's barely overkill, and not at all since I tried the neighbor's and quickly decided couldn't lug around a walk behind mower.

Get this: The snowblower is heavy and really hard to roll around. I had it in front so the house began to look like a junkyard. I decided to move the blower to the back yard which meant dragging it across the lawn. I had a brainshower! I grabbed two bungee cords from the van, hooked them to the blower and the holes on the back of the tractor and towed the thing, expecting a disaster It worked! :rofl:

I realized later I should be able to store the blower in the hangar. Now if I can only get it back into the van. It weighs a ton.

I opened the tractor up in the daylight. Simple. Cool design.

It's was like with the house. You can see that the previous owner just did not get how to use a screwdriver. How about tying down the (new) battery and putting the air intake grill clamps on right?

Once I get the new blades installed, I'm gonna make an attempt to puzzle out how the mower attaches. Although we mowed the yards you can see, I'm very afraid the neighbors are ready to call the village on me - which they did to previous home owners, although it doesn't look that bad yet.

I'll PM ya, Stan, to see if we can hook up.
 
mikea said:
Get this: The snowblower is heavy and really hard to roll around. I had it in front so the house began to look like a junkyard. I decided to move the blower to the back yard which meant dragging it across the lawn. I had a brainshower! I grabbed two bungee cords from the van, hooked them to the blower and the holes on the back of the tractor and towed the thing, expecting a disaster It worked! :rofl:

I realized later I should be able to store the blower in the hangar. Now if I can only get it back into the van. It weighs a ton.
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Mike: You need a shed. :yes:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Mike: You need a shed. :yes:
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Yep. I looked at the plastic rubebrmaid ones. They've got them at Costco, or at least the last time I was there, and they had some fancy pre-fab wooden ones at costco.com.

I just hesitate to pay as much for the shed as the stuff that goes inside it, when I may have a garage someday, whether the neighbor wants me to build one or not. *sigh*
 
mikea said:
Yep. I looked at the plastic rubebrmaid ones. They've got them at Costco, or at least the last time I was there, and they had some fancy pre-fab wooden ones at costco.com.

I just hesitate to pay as much for the shed as the stuff that goes inside it, when I may have a garage someday, whether the neighbor wants me to build one or not. *sigh*
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I inclined to this:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11169510&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US
vs. a Rubbermaid, based on the reviews. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100323487&N=10000003+90401+502219

It's arisk with little info, but the first one looks betetr made with mroe features.

I gotta a) check how it will fit where I have it planned in the back yard, b) talk with the neighbor, beucase it's on the fence on his side (it'll hide my view of his sump outlet. :D) c‚ ask teh village. I know a garage has to be 5 feet off the property line. Dunno about sheds but they may have that on the web site, too.

I ain't jumping on this soon.

Now, how about a trimmer? :D I have an electric one I'm gonna try for a while. I'm intrigued by the ones that take accessories like a pruner or edger. I think I want a 4-cycle to rid myself from the smoke and mixing I have with my snow blower, but if 2 cycle is lighter that's not a big deal.
 
I had that exact troy-bilt 4 cycle edger/trimmer, and it died this year - started leaking oil from all sorts of places and getting hydraulic lock like a radial engine. I went out and bought a Stihl KM-55R motor (two cycle) and an edger and trimmer attachment. more money, but great warranty and there are places that will work on them - I had no luck getting work done on the TroyBilt.

I think what killed my Troy-Bilt was the ethanol in the gas - the Stihl dealer told me he's had a ton of lawnmowers and other power tools in this spring, all with rotten fuel lines and seals. He advised not keeping any gas/oil mix around for more than 30 days. He told me to put the old gas/oil stuff in my car, but I'm not sure I'll do that as I don't know what it would do to my car
 
TMetzinger said:
He advised not keeping any gas/oil mix around for more than 30 days. He told me to put the old gas/oil stuff in my car, but I'm not sure I'll do that as I don't know what it would do to my car
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John Deere recommends exactly that. They say the gas/oil mixture is already at 50:1 or 30:1 so there's not enough oil in there to cause a problem if you add it to a full tank in the car.

https://groundscare.custhelp.com/cg...=&p_page=1&cat_lvl1=121&p_cv=1.121&p_cats=121

I didn't drain the fuel or even get fresh gas in the can for my 2-cycle snow blower this season. The first start was not not exactly the "Guaranteed on the first pull!" kind. Wonder why. :P

I didn't necessarily choose the Troy-Bilt trimmer. I looked at Echo and others. It'll be another research project.
 
Update: Got the parts and the manuals.

The manuals are not the clearest, like giving the wiring color code with black and white pictures with letters for each color depending on model, with sections in one of 6 languages and parts that don't apply. :dunno:

I figured replacing the PTO switch would be quick. I wuz wrong. Hoo boy. Wuz I wrong.

After a half dozen panics, like when the original switch broke and I was sure I'd never get it working again because I couldn't get behind it; I removed the steering wheel and some panel bolts. Didn't help. I couldn't get the old wires out; I thought I needed to thread to wires through and get new crimp terminals (I didn't. Panic again.) 3 hours later and jiggling my too-fat fingers in a too small space I couldn't see, I managed to get the connector on not as tight as I'd like and it works. Woot!

I replaced the mower blades and cleaned the mower deck. Went well. No blood or broken bones.

Got use of my recent bargain Craftsman tool set.

Tried installing the mower. Panic again. The "front suspension assembly" is missing. I'm thinking of waiting days to order the part. Only it wasn't missing. I eventually recognized I had it in the pile with the bagger.

I still didn't get the mower mounted. I need a hand from my neighbor. I think I'll get done tomorrow if he's around.

I need a grease gun for my official John Deere grease. I started to buy one at Ace but bolted when they had my standing in the checkout line for 15 minutes watching the POS computer not work. For the second time in 3 days. I ain't going back. I'll order from Amazon.

I made a run and filled the gas tank.

I have a tune-up kit that I'll work with in a few weeks.

In my younger days this would have been a breeze, *sigh*
 
It took shifts on two days, but my place looks as good or better than it did when I hired the pros! I had to go out again and admire my work. Whew! Woot!

The best discovery is that I don't have to get a leaf blower/vac. I can just rake the leaves out into the lawn and the mower and turbo-bagger will scoop them.

The only casualty was the bark at the base of one tree when I ran the mower into it while trying to trim close around it.

As I was finishing, the blower started sounding funny and I spotted a rusty old spring on the ground. I think it's the spring to the belt tensioner on the blower belt. It prolly means I have to drop the mower again, but my neighbor helped me and we can hack it.

There are one of two parts missing in mower lift so the lift and the height adjustment don't work I ran it on the wheels at the highest settings. I was worried that the cut would be too short but it looks about what the pros did normally and I don't see much scalping.

I'll go on a parts search next week.

The biggest problem was dealing with about 30 bags of yard waste. Today it occurred to me that I had the mulch I was looking for for the flower bed: so I spread the stuff out there. I'll rent a roto-tiller to churn it after Gastons. We'll see if turns into a stinky mess before I get back. :redface: I told the neighbor to just set fire to it if it gets offensive. :D
 
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I finally had to surrender and give up on figuring ways to avoid it and give in to my round tuit last yesterday. I ran the mower/blower to pick up the piles of leaves.

I thought I would have a hard time starting it when it was so cold soaked. I put on the choke and it started right up. The only issue I had was it stalling when I engaged the PTO. I let it warm and retried over and over for a few minutes. I guess I needed to get the lubricants in the accessory system flowing. (I have a tune-up kit but the round tuit gremlin won that battle won this summer.

It worked amazingly well! The only gotcha was having no reliable way in the cockpit to know when the bags are full. I learned that the main sign is when the leaves blow around rather than disappear. I had to remove and clear the long chute and the blower a few times when the system was packed. I dumped 8 loads without ever picking up a rake!

The best part is I was able to just dump the chopped up leaves by the curb in hopes the village leaf vac truck would take them. This morning the pile on my lawn was clear. I didn't even hear the truck. :happydance:

My neighbor and I agreed that we should have tried converting to mount the snow blower by now because a) we need to know if I have all of the parts, and b) we didn't want to have to work outside in my no-garage in 20 degrees. I need to make a few leaf runs like this so, owell. (Hey. He's got a garage. :redface:)
 
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mikea said:
More than that: I've been paying $35 a mow for lawn service, or $140 a month. The advantage there is I don't have a weekend chore, which I'm not sure I can handle, but I'm willing to try.

How dumb am I being?
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Dumb as a box of rocks. Makes as much sense as having children so you'll have someone to mow the lawn.... Keep the service and the space in the garage.
 
Too bad you don't have just a quarter acre like us. ;)
 

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Henning said:
Dumb as a box of rocks. Makes as much sense as having children so you'll have someone to mow the lawn.... Keep the service and the space in the garage.
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It has proved to be a good financial decision. I think I'm way ahead already, - like buying the old cars and the old plane - being that a) the price I paid is $200-$400 less than street value, and about 20% of the price of new b) I saved $600-$700 in fees this year, i.e. I just removed the leaves in about an hour which could have cost me a $200 "cleanup" from the pro, c) I do a better job at cutting the lawn, d) I see what's going on on my property, e) if I'm lucky I'll be able to do my own snow removal in 20 minutes with no physical strain...

The downside is the time I have to invest in it, doing the chore and storing and maintaining it; and the money I spent in parts for fixing the thing up. Luckily I have a nice neighbor who loves doing mechanical stuff.

I *wish* I had the garage. Think I'll out up a cheap shed next year and eventually get a better one...or a garage.
 
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Somebody should invent a Roomba for lawns.... WOOT.com, here we come!
 
Mike, on the leaf bin filling up with no "indicator" and then having to unplug the chute with a rake... all of which makes the job more difficult:

When I had some land and the same setup, I ran for 5 minutes, stopped and checked, then another 5, stopped and checked.... you'll find out in a hurry that you can vacuum/mow "__ minutes" before the catcher is full. Put a magnetic-backed kitchen timer on the dash, and you're good to go. Run til it's "almost full", stop and empty it. It's easier to do it when it's at 80% than when it's at 110% full.

If your property is geometrically simple (rectangle, for example), you can get even simpler: 6 passes, etc.
 
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