Garden tractor life span

[ROUSTABOUT]

I was given one in 1999 and have used the coon dog crap out of it. Bush hogged and cleared land with it. Hacked briar thickets down, backing up and making full speed runs at 7' tall brush, clearing acres. Mowing trees down that raise front wheels off the ground. Never even changed oil in it. Broke one deck belt. Replaced spindle bearing because a trash bag wrapped up on blade. Replaced battery twice. That's all folks.

 

[jjeff]

!976 John Deere 300 with plenty of hours just keeps going and going.
Regular maintenance, new connecting rod, starter and rectifier about 25 years ago, and new carburetor about three years ago.


View attachment 800467

Old 100-300 series Deere lawn tractors were built like a tank as long as you had traction could pull a house (well not really) no comparison to a box store rider or zt of today, gear or cheap hydrostatic, id definitely stay away from big box sealed hydrostatic. I have 4 70s and 80s vintage gear drive 200 series 3 with old Kohler's and peerless transmissions all still in operation (yeah I was an old garden tractor hoarder til a few years ago). 2 still mow pretty good and all run well for a "working tractor" all aren't pretty. 5 years ago prices for these used up jd lawn tractors were pretty cheap not so much anymore though. A couple months ago saw a non running taken apart what was left of one without deck go for several hundred I paid $50 bucks for a non running 212 with a deck 5 years ago. Was going to use it for parts until I pretty easily got it running. Still hauling trailers and a lawn roller with it.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP,

I have a very similar model to yours, only mine's 24 hp. I've had it 7 or 8 years now. I've only got 180+ hours on mine, and other than being dirty, it runs like new. I have never broken or damaged anything on it, other than blades. Still original except I'm on my second battery (last year). Used mine for 3 hours today mowing for the first time this season.

Respectfully speaking, it sounds like you're h*ll bent on destroying yours, with all the damage you've caused to it. I seriously doubt you will get anything close to "average" life out of it.

 

[Thomas]

Have older Cub Cadet no hour meter just keep greasing oil and filter changes,and most of use common sense...if you take care of it,it will take care of you.

 

[Yander]

I borrowed a friends Husqvarna ZTR back in 2014. It was a good 5 years old then or older. He mowed a lot of grass with that thing. I'd say over 1,000 hours easily. He just replaced it a couple weeks ago and it still runs.

I'll say, it depends. All gas engines are not created equal. A lot of commercial gas engines you can easily get 2,000 hours if maintained properly. I don't see that happening on an air cooled modern box store engine. I think you probably have some more life left in it.

I put close to 1,000 on a JD 170 that I bought in 1990. Used it about 10 years on a large yard and a church yard several times. sold it still running fine. Kawasaki 14hp.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

OP,

I have a very similar model to yours, only mine's 24 hp. I've had it 7 or 8 years now. I've only got 180+ hours on mine, and other than being dirty, it runs like new. I have never broken or damaged anything on it, other than blades. Still original except I'm on my second battery (last year). Used mine for 3 hours today mowing for the first time this season.

Respectfully speaking, it sounds like you're h*ll bent on destroying yours, with all the damage you've caused to it. I seriously doubt you will get anything close to "average" life out of it.

I wouldn't say I'm hard on it but I put it thru its paces. My wife mowed our 6 acres weekly back in 2020 when we had nothing else to do.

The t post tend to reach out and snag the casters.

The blades were literally worn so bad they were too short and leaving a strip in the middle. They seem to last about 100 hours a set before the wings and ends are worn off

I'm going to look for a new deck since the right side is so tore up. it's super thin gauge metal

The drive for being a cheap sealed unit has been solid

 

[mo1]

Would you say about the same life expectancy for the box store ZTRs with gas engines?

I'd guess they would not be much if any better. However, the only zero turn I have that kind of experience with is a commercial unit with serviceable hydrostatic units, which is a very different kind of unit with a much longer lifespan.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Old 100-300 series Deere lawn tractors were built like a tank as long as you had traction could pull a house (well not really) no comparison to a box store rider or zt of today, gear or cheap hydrostatic, id definitely stay away from big box sealed hydrostatic. I have 4 70s and 80s vintage gear drive 200 series 3 with old Kohler's and peerless transmissions all still in operation (yeah I was an old garden tractor hoarder til a few years ago). 2 still mow pretty good and all run well for a "working tractor" all aren't pretty. 5 years ago prices for these used up jd lawn tractors were pretty cheap not so much anymore though. A couple months ago saw a non running taken apart what was left of one without deck go for several hundred I paid $50 bucks for a non running 212 with a deck 5 years ago. Was going to use it for parts until I pretty easily got it running. Still hauling trailers and a lawn roller with it.

We had two 317 ? 318 ? John Deere mowers around here. Used them like little tractors. Run all around here. On a real working for profit farm. Handy as a bag of chips. We put a new engine on one. They were both horizontal shaft.

 

[plastikosmd]

I have a engineer friend that worked for a company in the snowblower division.

His job?

To reduce the quality until failure and target the failure for a specific # of hours.

I told him he should write an article

 

[WranglerX]

I have JD L120 that has 450 plus hours still going strong.... have replaced blade spindles and have has to weld up a few problems with deck.... But still going... Going to have to keep it going because After Jan 1 2024 can not purchase a new one in California unless its 'lectric.......