I'm out doing my normal Friday morning deal and notice that there is a lot of noise coming from the rear end/trans area ... a LOT of noise.

I figured it was not good, but needed to try and nurse it along.

I've been hearing this gnarled thrash coming from way down deep and it's been getting louder and louder as the weeks go by.

I really don't feel like spending more money on this thing.

As I cruised along, the whole thing started jerking as I made turns, like spider gears were broken.

The sharper the turn, the more it seemed to free-wheel and then catch, jerking the thing forward.

And holy cow ... reverse was non-existent, but the noise was certainly there.

Shifting to ANY gear was next to impossible.

After about a third the way through, it got to the point where forward movement was in jerks and lurches.

I knew it was done!

My God .. the noise it was making.

















So, I said screw it ... I'm not spending any more money on this heap.



It has seen over twenty years of service, between me and my parents.



So I bought a new one ... sort of ...



22hp Briggs
46" cut
hydrstatic trans

It was a customer return marked down to $1149 from $1599 after replacing the ignition switch. I offered them $800 and was loading it up 10 minutes later.

Nice!

I don't think that is big enough for your yard. Now it will probably take 5 whole minutes to mow.

I see the new one is an automatic...watch those downshifts!
bock

Sliding the lever from full forward to "N" is a trip!

Not sure how to take this but my wife digs your new ride....

At first I thought you were talking about the CTS-V!!!

Watch those hydrostats, mine is on it's third one in 5 years. So far, this last one seems good. Luckily, they were replaced under warranty, that's one nice thing about the JD's, the warranty is pretty good and so is their service. Mine also has a 22HP Briggs but I have the 48" deck.

After looking at the JD at Home Depot, they looked identical.

Ditto.


I wouldn't spend a premium for a JD at least a HD one. No offense to any owners but they're made at a specific pricepoint for bigbox stores to compete with units made by MTD. A JD at Lowe's or Home Depot is like a pair of Levi's at Walmart.

Most of the hydrostatic drives on these level units are made by Hydrogear. I know I've seen hydrogear units under JD's that matched those under other units. I want to say I've seen the same drive on a Troy-Bilt (which is made by MTD along with Yard Machines, Cub Cadet and others).

The HD level JDs (the L or LA series) are almost identical to many other machines in that price level. I found this out when looking at them. Mine in an X300 series. It's a bit higher level, but still not enough for what I really need. My next one will be the X700 series. Of course you get what you pay for and the X700 series is stupid expensive so it will be a while before I get to upgrade.

So many of those things are made by Outdoor products. (I think). My Sears mower has a Peerless transaxle which is used by half of the industry. My brother has been a small engine mechanic forever, and likes Sears and Murray, simply because of parts availability. I like the old Sears, Wheel Horse, Speedex, etc. But that Troy looks like a heckuva deal to me!

Does it have a cup holder for your beer? Or are you modifying it to run your cool suit and a camel back?

Why, yes, it does with a nifty spring loaded wedge to keep it secure.

And check to see where your Hydrostat drain and fill plugs are. We have to pretty much disassemble our JD(Sears) to fill it. Drain is easy, of course.

Ours has put up with >10 years of abuse from my wife (primary user). It's taken a beating, but keeps on running. We've had to replace the deck (busted and curled the leading edge under and broke a mount off, 'cause hitting a tree root at full speed is 'easier' than going over it at low speed) and a front axle (wore through the tie-rod end joints) and it sux to have to go to JD for most of the replacement parts. While they aren't too far away, they have 'summer' and 'winter' hours. Winter hours has them closed on weekends.

Good info here.. My poor old Cub Cadet 1215 (Circa '89) is really on its last legs, but the bad part is having to go from 3rd to 2nd (of 5) gear in order to mow uphill.. the poor 12hp motor doesn't have the ass to swing a 44" deck AND go uphill.

But because my yard slopes both downhill and to the side, I really need something with a locking differential, and that takes me straight to sub-compact tractor territory.. cha-ching!

hmmmm .... there is no mention of a service interval for the hydrostat unit for my Troy Bilt.




The Craftman unit above has a 12HP Briggs I/C motor and anything more than flat ground or toe deep grass would bog it down as well. Sharp blades helped, but they would dull quickly.

I picked this guy up today:



It's used, just over 100 hours, and was definitely more than $800, but it's a NICE mower. Compared to the stuff at the big box stores, it feel very solid and sturdy, and the frame is even tubing! It also has shocks/springs on the rear to give a smooth ride. Does Koni have a set of shocks for a Kubota? What's the ideal ride frequency for a mower?

I haven't mowed with it yet, but I'm sure it will be worlds better than my $125 MTD Craigslist special, which also was experiencing transmission problems (slipping when in forward gear). I've managed to adjust the shift rod so it stays in gear, but I think it's time to put it back on Craigslist while it's still running.

Gonna be tough to heel/toe with that pedal configuration ...

Nice ride.

My manual says there is no way to drain and fill the tranny. They say it's a sealed unit, but I'm going to look for the plugs anyway. Thanks for the tip.

Mojave:
That Kubota looks like a nice machine.

Eskimo:
A locking diff puts you in the $5000 range. It's also something I want on my next one. In fact, if I can swing it, my next one will be 4 wheel drive. The JD 700 series offers both 4x4 and locking rear diff. Additionally, there are no belts on a 700 series. Everything is either shaft drive or hydraulic drive.