At what point do you put a mower out to pasture?
- Thread starter NavyVet88
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I bought a JD345. Pretty much their top model garden tractor at the time. Water cooled Kawasaki. Engine was fine but lots of electrical and misc mechanical problems after 300 hours. I was used to the Wheel Horse where you just did normal maintenance and mowed grass. The JD was constantly having breakdowns and parts are priced like BMW/Mercedes. When the fuel pump diaphragm leaks it drains on the muffler LOL. I was kind of sorry it didn't burn up.
I replaced it with a Ferris ZTR last year. The Ferris salesman who's been in the OPE biz for 30 years told me JD is pre-sold to every little kid who gets a green toy tractor and grows up to want one.
Familiar with the 345 but I'm getting more familiar with the successors, GT235 and GX345. Personally I found the Deere parts priced similar to others like MTD but definitely cheaper than Toro, maybe this is a Canada thing. The old 300 series are definitely strong work horses and should do 2000hrs with intelligent maintenance. I know many things get neglected that most people wouldn't do or be willing to pay for but I wouldn't expect any issues under 300 hours (that's warranty).
Sorry you didn't like the 345, I'm very happy with the GT235 but would rather the extras from the GX range and a liquid Kawasaki.
Sorry you didn't like the 345, I'm very happy with the GT235 but would rather the extras from the GX range and a liquid Kawasaki.
I've worked on several of those where the fuel pump or line leaked causing a fire. One got a new 25 hp Briggs put on in place of the toasted Kawi.
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Nice machine with the rare caster wheels. I upgraded my Ninja with those but then decided I wanted straighter lines versus easy turning around the edge of the yard.
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Those Onans are getting old by now. My JD 318 has about 800 hrs on it and the B43G is still running well. When it wears out, I'll repower with a Briggs Vanguard.
I absolutely love my Toro 60V electric mower for finishing up around the house. It is a great mower and produces a perfect cut. Unfortunately the control board went belly up last year and while not expensive at about $70 on Ebay, it only had about 20 hours on it and was out of warranty. I was able to find a new powerhead on Ebay for $60 and it's back and running. I expect the battery to last 10 years like my Dewalt batteries did.
It is very light, and extremely powerful. Will mow 1/3 of an acre. Battery charges very slowly, which is good, as it should extend the life.
I purchased it because Homeless Depot had it on sale for $399. They sell for $499 now.
You may laugh at the super clean E-mower being charged by a smokey HF 2 stroke generator....
It is very light, and extremely powerful. Will mow 1/3 of an acre. Battery charges very slowly, which is good, as it should extend the life.
I purchased it because Homeless Depot had it on sale for $399. They sell for $499 now.
You may laugh at the super clean E-mower being charged by a smokey HF 2 stroke generator....
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When the deck rusts out and continued used becomes hazardous. Probably wouldn't be an issue if I welded, but I don't, so..
I picked up a Troy Bilt TB120B from Walmart for $328 on rollback. The one it is replacing is the TB110. It lasted me 14 years so hopefully this slightly bigger brother will do just as good.
I also didn’t feel like paying $400+ for a push mower…
30W factory supplied oil in for about the first three hours and then I’ll swap it out for some 5W-40.
I also didn’t feel like paying $400+ for a push mower…
30W factory supplied oil in for about the first three hours and then I’ll swap it out for some 5W-40.
If my mower was acting up as much as the OP is, it would be gone. Mowing is enough work without the mower acting up, and fixing one mulopul times a year is to much. I dread thinking about replacing my Toro personal pace with its flat head briggs but another aluminum deck Toro would be a top choice
I've got 3 push mowers, the oldest is over 70 years old, works fine. The newest is from the early 90s, I've had to patch the deck with welds on that one. They've all been reliable, mice are about the only issue I have. Run em till they die (don't abuse them, be kind to mowers)
They sure haven't changed much. That basically looks like the one I got back in 2012 with the exception of the engine and wheels
Walmart/Autozone/Oreillys near me didn’t have a single quart of 10W-40 full synthetic. Plenty of five quart jugs. My local gas station about a quarter of a mile down the road had several quarts of Pure Guard Syn Blend 10W-40 on the shelf. Grabbed a few for the new push mower.
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