Another 318 newbie

[notmyj]

Just bought my first home with just over a 1/2 acre. I know its not much to some of you guys, but mowing with a push mower while smoking a cigar is not fun. And I have wanted a tractor since I was a kid.

A friend of mine had a 318, actually still has it... He took it apart to rebuild it a few years ago, and sadly it will probably never go back together. When it was running, I used it and was thoroughly impressed with it, and have secretly wanted one since. Now that I have my own piece of this earth, it is time to get one. However, they are few and far between in the Pittsburgh area so I have been looking out of state at dealers used inventory.

I found a 1988 318 with 750hrs for $2000 that has a 46" deck, and a #49 snow thrower.

I have put my name on it, and will have it shipped provided everything checks out good. I will have a ton of pics sent to me next week, the dealer is more than willing to get me any info they can along with pics vids etc as I will be buying it sight unseen. I'm not too worried about buying like this as I purchased a jeep 3 years ago like this and it worked out very well. It was and is a toy that only fits in the garage if I take the top down and flatten tires....I digress.

My big question is what should I be looking for in the pics? what are the big problems and what are instant deal breakers. Also, does the price seem fair? I would like to think it just needs washed, but who knows....

I am a mechanic, I am very capable in a garage, I can weld and fab and do **** near anything from engine rebuilds to rear end setups, so putting in a little work doesn't scare me, but the price of some parts does.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Dave

 

[Martian]

Life gets different with a tractor...

That is a nice model though, very popular. Definitely worth it considering the snowblower as well:thumbsup:

 

[glc24]

Hello Dave,and :welcome: to TBN

From the pics everything looks to be in pretty decent shape.:thumbsup:
The one thing I noticed,is the deck linkage looks to be broken for sure on the right side. But that is something that can be repaired/replaced,as with just about every part on JD equipment,no matter how old.
Yes,parts are expensive,but sometimes repairing certain ones is not worth the effort.

Ask the dealer to look for possible oil or hydro leaks. 750 hours for one that old is a pretty good find. I would be expecting it mechanically to still be in good shape. If you plan on keeping it for a fair amount of time,IMO I would refurbish as much as possible. That is what I did to my 316. That way,you wouldn't have to worry about anything "going south" for maybe another 750 hours.

Greg

 

[notmyj]

Hello Dave,and :welcome: to TBN

From the pics everything looks to be in pretty decent shape.:thumbsup:
The one thing I noticed,is the deck linkage looks to be broken for sure on the right side. But that is something that can be repaired/replaced,as with just about every part on JD equipment,no matter how old.
Yes,parts are expensive,but sometimes repairing certain ones is not worth the effort.

Ask the dealer to look for possible oil or hydro leaks. 750 hours for one that old is a pretty good find. I would be expecting it mechanically to still be in good shape. If you plan on keeping it for a fair amount of time,IMO I would refurbish as much as possible. That is what I did to my 316. That way,you wouldn't have to worry about anything "going south" for maybe another 750 hours.

Greg

What exactly is broken? LOL. I am not familiar enough to know what is wrong and what to tell the dealer that I want replaced. I want it to show up ready to blow snow and mow in the spring, save for some general maintenance and cleaning.

I would like to refurbish as much as I can, but not till after I am familiar with the tractor. K am expecting to to clean paint and replace bearings in the deck and possibly the spindle bushings and wheel bearings. Anything else I should mention to the dealer? I should have more pics in a few days too.

Thanks so much for the info so far!

Dave

 

[glc24]

Look at the pic of the deck where the mule drive is laying on it. There is a round bar that runs the length of the deck. It should have what is in the drawing I posted. The left side might be OK,can't tell from the pic.The linkage for the right side looks to be laying on the deck on the left side. You can barely see the spring latch. It should be attached to that little piece you see on the right side of the bar. I'm thinking it was broken off.

If you are doing the deck refurb consider getting the speedup pulley for the center spindle. It makes a world of difference in blade speed.:thumbsup:

Greg

 

[notmyj]

Look at the pic of the deck where the mule drive is laying on it. There is a round bar that runs the length of the deck. It should have what is in the drawing I posted. The left side might be OK,can't tell from the pic.The linkage for the right side looks to be laying on the deck on the left side. You can barely see the spring latch. It should be attached to that little piece you see on the right side of the bar. I'm thinking it was broken off.

If you are doing the deck refurb consider getting the speedup pulley for the center spindle. It makes a world of difference in blade speed.:thumbsup:

Greg

I think I see what you mean. I will request the dealer to at least send me parts with it to fix it. Do you think $2k is a fair price? Also where in SW PA are you? I am right at the alleghney/Washington county line near south park.

 

[glc24]

For what you are getting with it,and the condition of everything,I don't think it's a bad price at all.
I'm in the northwest corner of Beaver County in a borough called Big Beaver.

Greg

 

[C-Range]

Hi Dave and welcome aboard.

The 318 is a classic tractor and you have the two most critical attachments available for it. There were two engines put in them, depending on it's age. The Onan B43 with point ignition and the P218 with electronic ignition. Both are very simple engines and dependable, however they are basically obsolete at this point so I would be sure to get a bill of health from the dealer. Get a compression test reading and also have them check out the charging system. They use a stator which resides buried on the back of the engine and behind the flywheel, sort of major surgery for a newcomer. The other common wear point is the starter and ring gears, not that it is a plague, just something to check out. Once you get to know the 318, you will love its simplicity and dependability. There is nothing like it made today.

$2000 sounds like a good deal for this machine. Actually this would be an exciting find for someone who wanted a restoration project to add to their collection.

 

[glc24]

Very good points to bring up Chris, I didn't think of those ones.:thumbsup:

however they are basically obsolete at this point so I would be sure to get a bill of health from the dealer.

True,but even though they are obsolete,parts are still very plentiful,new and used. Pricey, but what isn't.
I'm thinking a 1988 would have the P218.
One other thing,you can get the shop manuals for both the Onan engine and the 318 tractor on the 'net.

Greg

 

[C-Range]

Hi Greg and Dave,

Regarding the engines being obsolete, I should point out that I am specifically referring to the engine block itself. Most everything else can still either be bought new from Deere or found elsewhere, sometimes used. As much as I don't like to promote them, eBay is a good source for 318 parts.

I also suspect that this machine will have the P218. If Dave can get the tractor serial number (last six digits), it's easy to tell which engine should be in it.

I love the ignition system in the P218. It doesn't get any simpler. Both cylinders fire on every stroke so theres no rotor, just a coil.

And Dave, as a mechanic you will be way ahead of this but one of the first things I like to do in these situations is look for missing screws and stripped screws in the most common areas, such as engine cowl sheetmetal. I also look for butchered wiring, paint over rust, etc. This tells a lot about the care the machine has received, or the lack thereof.

Congratulations again. I hope that you will be participating a lot here because I really want to hear more about your new gem.