John Deere D-160. 500 hrs.

[Snagglefoot]

Our community owns a John Deere D-160 that has been used to cut the grass on the local ball diamond. It has 500 hrs. We’re budgeting for a new one. At what point would you recommend selling the old one and buying a new replacement? Would going to the X model make more sense? Opinions? Thanks.

 

[wwillson]

Is it beginning to have problems? 500 hours doesn't seem like enough to need to trade.

https://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/001/0/6/1068-john-deere-d160.html

 

[fantastic]

I'd say the x model could be worth it if you can get a step above the K46 transaxle. Those k46's are probably about toast with that many hours. The problem is how accurate those hours are. Anytime the key has been left on its racking up hours. Why not run it until something major happens? Then have a plan to go buy what you need like the x models.

 

[Snagglefoot]

So far it has just been the normal wear items such as the belt and blades. We did have a pulley where the mounting bracket wore out where it pivots. One good thing is that it was never operated at temps above 90 F. Its getting regular oil changes.

 

[SilentType]

If it hasn't been done I would strongly recommend changing the oil in the K46. You'll have to pull the transaxle from the mower but it's not a big deal. Done my Cub Cadet a few months ago with nearly 600 hours, Mobil 1 15W-50 made it substantially quieter.

 

[Rand]

d160 is box store.

X300 series is basic "real" deere.
x500 is heavy(er) duty
x700 is overpriced to heck but very nice

At this point I'd run it until something major blows or you find some sort of cant pass it up deal.

 

[ripcord]

If I was making the decisions, I would change the axle oil with 15w-50 Mobil 1 one (I did this in my mower with the K46 axle) and then drive it into the ground. You'll likely get double or triple the hours on this without a major problem except for maybe deck pulleys and spindle repairs which are basic wear and tear items.

 

[FowVay]

I currently own a old (30+ years) JD LX178 and a 22 year old JD L110. The LX178 is a work horse, the L110 is a residential grade piece of junk. However, John Deere is incredible with their parts support and ability to maintain their products. Even the parts prices aren't astronomical when you consider the inflated world we're in at the moment.

My LX178 has the ability to drain and refill the K62 transmission but the L110 has no such provision for the K46. I have changed the K46 fluid once in the L110 at 500 hours by removing the axle and I used the same hydraulic fluid that my LX178 uses which is John Deere spec'd J20C fluid. Neither IHT has ever given me any problems whatsoever.

I mention this because a new mower,,, even a cheap residential grade mower from Lowes or Home Depot, will set you back $2500. That's a lot of money to spend on something that simply isn't necessary. You can repair or replace any item on the D160 for a fraction of the cost of purchasing a new machine.

If I were a budget director I would not approve the purchase of a new lawn mower when the old mower hasn't even been apprasied for repair estimation. Pulleys, belts, blades, etc., are all affordable and replaceable on the D160 and honestly, the newer stuff is NOT an improvement. One area that might take a bit of researching for repair is if the mower deck errodes or cracks from use. The JD mowers use 12 gauge steel and they're not on the level of a SCAG commercial. My LX178 required a weld repair to two errosions areas around to 1000 hour mark. The L110 had a broken bracket at 500 hours. These both were easily repaired by me and gave me something to do on a boring Saturday.

I type all of this because I personally don't think it would be a wise purchase to buy a new mower when the old mower is still working. And it's just my opinion but I don't feel that the X series of JD mowers is worth the asking price. They're pricier but not necessarily more robust. Evaluate the machine on data other than engine power and deck width. And remember, WalMart has JD Green and Yellow paint for $6.88 a can. Keep it clean and green!

 

[Rand]

10 gauge for most of the decks on the x300/x500 platform.

of course I dont think the x380 is worth $5600 either.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Our community owns a John Deere D-160 that has been used to cut the grass on the local ball diamond. It has 500 hrs. We’re budgeting for a new one. At what point would you recommend selling the old one and buying a new replacement? Would going to the X model make more sense? Opinions? Thanks.

Where I live you could get a new machine in two or three days. If there is nothing obviously wrong with it then why replace it? Cutting a level ball field is pretty easy duty.

 

[odie]

This is from last night for the J.D. D130 with the B&S 22 H.P. Twin - Cylinder . Always used synthetic oil which is mostly 5w-30 . 1st O.C. was PENNZOIL Ultra Platinum 10w-30 . Most were PLATINUM 5w-30 and a SHELL Rotella Gas Truck 5w-30 . This years oil is P.U.P. 5w-30 ( S.P.,GF-6A ) and likely the same for upcoming O.C. for winter storage . Also used / use Unknown gas brand Top Tier non E 90 for all fills . The mowing has grades up to 30 > 35 degrees and little over 3+1/2 acres .