Anyone else own a John Deere S160 or similar mower?

[MaximumMini]

The guy I bought my home from threw it in cheap with only 50 hours on it so I took it.
I know it's a low end unit and there's way better machines but.....
It hasn't been bad overall. Turns out they were running it on one cylinder though and I had to repair a bent pushrod and adjust the valves. After that man, what a difference in power (obviously)

The belt guide/idler pulleys were making more noise than a 747 taking off so I replaced all three pulleys and that made a massive difference in noise level.
Installed a new carb end of last season. The fuel gauge hour meter went bad at 75 hours. So I installed an aftermarket fuel gauge.

Now it's beginning to make some new noises underneath. Not sure yet what it is. I'm a fix-a-holic. Learned it from my mother. I could buy a new one but I get so much satisfaction out of making things work well again. Can't explain it. The thing has nearly $2,000 of maintenance insurance coverage the previous owner bought. I hard a hard time believing someone would spend that much on service plans for a $3000 machine? I once looked into using it but Homedepot, the underwriter AND the local JD service center all put up way too many hurdles trying to get anywhere so I just decided to do the repairs myself. (John Deere said if the machine showed any signs of outside storage or ANY "abuse" I would have to pick up any and all costs, plus they wanted a non refundable upfront deposit of $150. All this with over $2,000 in service coverage.

Anyway, if you have a riding mower or a zero turn, and you choose to do your own service, what do you use to get underneath?
So far I've just been lifting it by the Left side and tipping it up until it's on it's side basically. A lot of oil comes out. Very easy to tip on it's side this way without worrying about jacks slipping or in the way. I guess I could drain the oil first.

Also, anyone know any common problems that could be causing these noises underneath?

 

[DukeOfFrontenac]

My dad had a similar model. I helped him take the mower deck off once, it wasn't that big of a deal. Only had to jack it up at the front axle area somewhere. Made it super easy to clean up and work on the cutting bits.

 

[Rand]

just a regular big box store lawn mower.

hit a pebble and bend something.

If you like fixing get a worthy tractor

A JD 200 or 300 series, 212, 316 etc.
or a newer x300 series etc.

 

[oldcodger]

Kind of hard to figure out when it is just described as noise. What kind of noise is it making, roar, squeal, knocking?
What do the belts look like?
Have you checked the blades for damage?
Do the spindles have any play?

 

[Brian123]

Turns out they were running it on one cylinder though and I had to repair a bent pushrod and adjust the valves.

Previous owner never blew the machine off after each use!

The belt guide/idler pulleys were making more noise than a 747 taking off

Previous owner never blew the machine off where the belts are!

Installed a new carb end of last season.

Left gasoline in there without some sort of Fuel Stabylizer!

The thing has nearly $2,000 of maintenance insurance coverage the previous owner bought.

It might not be transferable to another owner like yourself!

I hard a hard time believing someone would spend that much on service plans for a $3000 machine?

I am thinking the plan was maybe like $200.00 or $300.00!

I once looked into using it but Homedepot, the underwriter AND the local JD service center all put up way too many hurdles trying to get anywhere so I just decided to do the repairs myself.

Sounds like this is a Worthless Insurance Plan!

(John Deere said if the machine showed any signs of outside storage or ANY "abuse" I would have to pick up any and all costs, plus they wanted a non refundable upfront deposit of $150. All this with over $2,000 in service coverage.

They would not be saying that if this Mower was bought at a John Deere Dealer!

 

[martinq]

Any idea the age of this machine? If you post the PIN (usually starts with M) I can dig up some info.

 

[Boomer]

https://www.partstree.com/

For parts, you can use this site. On the main page there is a button to click for all models. Hit that and you will find John Deere. Great company to deal with.

 

[Saturnguy]

Either a set of Auto Ramps or mower / atv lift…

PITTSBURGH 4000 lb. Capacity Solid Steel Auto Ramp Set - Item 63250 / 68365 / 63305
https://www.harborfreight.com/4000-...&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=app_product_page

PITTSBURGH 300 lb. ATV/Lawn Mower Lift - Item 61523 / 60395 / 62325 / 62493
https://www.harborfreight.com/300-l...&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=app_product_page

 

[Vexorg]

Check out YT for spindle bearing seals. A lot of mower spindles have double sealed bearings and a grease nipple that is just for looks. Easy to replace and usually a source for odd noises.

 

[Saturnguy]

Get a grease needle.
A lot of spindles do not have grease zerks…

Performance Tool W54213

 

[MaximumMini]

I am thinking the plan was maybe like $200.00 or $300.00!

I would have thought that would be reasonable.
I think I have scans of these service agreements.
It came to nearly a good amount of the purchase price of the mower.

 

[MaximumMini]

They would not be saying that if this Mower was bought at a John Deere Dealer!

I heard (on various forums) that this could go either way.
Makes no difference where you bought it.......makes a difference where you bought it

 

[martinq]

I heard (on various forums) that this could go either way.
Makes no difference where you bought it.......makes a difference where you bought it

In my experience it is not uncommon for "box stores" to sell Deere equipment that is not assembled, adjusted or PDI'd properly. If you have the owners manual, go through it in detail.

 

[JoeDirt41]

I’ve got a Deere X310. To work on it, I had one of those lawn mower/ATV jacks that harbor freight sells. I didn’t buy it, it was a gift. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of it. It was a PITA to set up and use and especially to store. I prefer a plain floor jack and a block of wood, usually a 12” long 2x6 works well. If you have something sturdy to hang it off of, I’ve also used a chain fall to lift tractors.

If I have to do anything to the deck, I pull it off. It’s really not hard to do. A few pins and it slides right out.

Those lower end lawn tractors generally have a lot of sealed bearings and ungreased bushings and they do tend to fail often, especially if the machines aren’t cleaned and greased regularly. I pressure wash my tractor usually twice a year, once at the beginning of the season and once at the end, and I grease it two or three times during the mowing season. I also use a leaf blower after every use and blow the loose clippings and dust off before I park it.

 

[MaximumMini]

I’ve got a Deere X310. To work on it, I had one of those lawn mower/ATV jacks that harbor freight sells. I didn’t buy it, it was a gift. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of it. It was a PITA to set up and use and especially to store. I prefer a plain floor jack and a block of wood, usually a 12” long 2x6 works well. If you have something sturdy to hang it off of, I’ve also used a chain fall to lift tractors.

If I have to do anything to the deck, I pull it off. It’s really not hard to do. A few pins and it slides right out.

Those lower end lawn tractors generally have a lot of sealed bearings and ungreased bushings and they do tend to fail often, especially if the machines aren’t cleaned and greased regularly. I pressure wash my tractor usually twice a year, once at the beginning of the season and once at the end, and I grease it two or three times during the mowing season. I also use a leaf blower after every use and blow the loose clippings and dust off before I park it.

I think pulling the deck off and going through everything might be in order. Good info thanks.
There is a large pulley that looks as though it may be electronically controlled on the engine output shaft.
I'm suspicious it may be clunking. When it's running it's a constant, rhythmic clunk that occurs when the blades are engaged or not.

It's called the Clutch Assembly (Item #20), but could be #16 or could be something else completely. I replaced the three pulley guides recently and they are nice and quiet.

 

[martinq]

I think pulling the deck off and going through everything might be in order. Good info thanks.
There is a large pulley that looks as though it may be electronically controlled on the engine output shaft.
I'm suspicious it may be clunking. When it's running it's a constant, rhythmic clunk that occurs when the blades are engaged or not.

It's called the Clutch Assembly (Item #20), but could be #16 or could be something else completely. I replaced the three pulley guides recently and they are nice and quiet.
View attachment 348251

Any idea how old this unit is or when it was purchased?

 

[MaximumMini]

Any idea how old this unit is or when it was purchased?

It's an early 2023 model or late 2022 AFAIK

 

[martinq]

It's an early 2023 model or late 2022 AFAIK

Yeah that sounds far too young to be having bearing issues unless it was pressure washed often.

 

[wavinwayne]

...Anyway, if you have a riding mower or a zero turn, and you choose to do your own service, what do you use to get underneath?..

Doesn't look drastically different from my old LA110 from 2007. I always dropped the deck whenever I needed access to it. The process is easy and just involves removing a few clips. The noise...I'm inclined to believe there might be something wrapped around the blades or maybe the spindle bearings have prematurely gone kaput? Or if one of the spindle shafts is bent, the ends of the blades could be making contact. Let us know what you find.

 

[MaximumMini]

just a regular big box store lawn mower.

hit a pebble and bend something.

If you like fixing get a worthy tractor

A JD 200 or 300 series, 212, 316 etc.
or a newer x300 series etc.

I hadn't planned on buying another JD machine to be honest.