JD 44 inch snow caster(*&^%$#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$# GGGGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

[leonz]

What wonderful day NOT!

First I had the secondary belt break in two after I had the starter
repaired plus hauling it back and forth. with that done I started
clearing snow and the secondary belt snapped in two. I asked them to
order the drive belt for the tractor and the primary belt for the snow blower
yesterday as they are 4 years old at least now GRRRRR!

Second I had to wait for the primary belt as it was not in stock.

Picked up belt today long trip with coffee and sandwich break going and
coffee stop on return leg.

Third after doing major surgery to remove the snow caster
and taking it apart to install a new secondary belt,
low and behold the plastic snubber pulley which was
not a cast metal pulley crapped out on me.

Not saying they were at fault just the wait for parts etc.


GGGRRRRR!

The snubber pulley was injection molded with a solid spoke
pattern rather than a metal snubber pulley it has other metal pulleys,
go figure GGGGGRGRGRGGRGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

SO they have the Offending "pulley" in stock and I will be making another long journey with
a coffee and cookie break on the way through and probably back as it is a very tiring drive.

Crazy people do not like that I drive fifty miles per hour and insist on traveling near the
sound barrier speed and get stuck behind me. Oh well, your either the lead dog or your
looking at his backside.

I am going to shop a couple of dealers to see how much my LA115 is worth with the
mower snow caster, plow and chains on a 1023E and go from there as I am not getting any younger.

The unit I priced today was a dollar shy of thirteen thousand plus tax with the loader.
I figure I can wait a while before I buy a 5 foot Pronovost snow caster from my dealer friend in Canada.

I know, you get what you pay for/I had to buy dump trailer at the same time I bough the tractor. I could sell the dump trailer and get back more than I paid for it, but I would rather not have to pay to have coal hauled and the tractor hauled would save me bundle on hauling coal and the new mule for service if I need to have it looked at.

I have read good things about the 1023E on the forum here. If I get it I will be installing a
Racor fuel filter on it first thing. I can load the tires with WWF myself as I have the valve etc.
I probably will do that this year if I buy it/go into debt ;^0

I may just keep it if they will not offer me much on trade we will see I guess.

My bank has good long term personal loan rates better than JD 0% so we will see what happens.

 

[beenthere]

Leonz
I finally, at the end of the post, figured out what you meant by a "caster". It being a snowblower or thrower.

Does Deere call it a caster, or is this a local use term? Just curious...

 

[leonz]

NO, Deere does not make the effort to enlighten the consumer.

Technically its a little bit of a play on words Beenthere.

In strip mining for coal the overburden is "cast" aside
when a crawler or walking drag line strips away the soil
and then the shale or sandstone rock to get to the coal.


When The Union Pacific/Uncle Pete comes through the
plains with the rotary plow trains the rotary plows
"cast the snow to the left or right as they cannot cast it forward".

And provided they do not knock down any cow barns by the tracks
they might have good day and the 6 plus locomotives and the
two B units that power the rotary plows have burned through
4,000 plus gallons of diesel fuel.


A snow blower is actually a snow thrower/caster as it physically
picks the snow up and casts it aside with the second stage impeller
and does not use an air stream of any kind to move the snow in front
of it or to the side.

Of course if I used one of the jet engine snow blasters/clearer's
used to free switches on the CSX/LIRR/METROLINK and a few other
railroads it would be a jet blower/snow blaster and I would not have any
of my barberry hedge left and the attached garage would be blown
away and burned down in the process (a blessing in disguise mind you).

A high speed material thrower does the same thing when stock
piling mined materials or grain in a ships hold.

The only difference being that the material is dropped onto a horizontal type thrower
that uses paddles like an impeller and diverter boards to spot drop the material
and the other uses a very short high speed conveyor that runs at about 70 plus
miles an hour or more that is rotated by a gear drive system to stack loose material
in either an arc to create a trapezoidal stockpile or to simply throw the material off
to one side or the other of a surge pile conveyor.

I hope I have not bored you to tears with the explanation.


I have to add more duck tape to the chute and spout as the plastic has
holes in it from throwing ice and snow chunks.

 

[beenthere]

For Deere, a snowblower is a two stage, with auger and blower working together. The single stage auger at high rpm is their "thrower".

Play on with the "words".

 

[MossRoad]

You left out ~~``@=+-<>??

 

[s219]

Well, the LA series are a waste of money in my opinion, meant to trick people in to buying a JD who would otherwise buy a Craftsman or Lowes/HD cheapo mower. You get what you pay for. A Deere 1-series would be a huge step up, but even going to a better Deere lawn tractor would be an improvement, like an X500. If shopping for a Deere 1-series, also look at Mahindra Max and Kubota BX.

 

[Gator6x4]

You need to take some good photo's of the JD 115 before the trade if you do trade. Then you will have the pictures to look at reflect on what you purchased in a weak moment after you start using the 1023E for mowing, loader work, fertilizing the lawn with a PTO driven spreader and snow removal.

 

[leonz]

Having just returned from the parts safari;

I stopped at the convenience store for coffee and
a breakfast sandwich probably should have bought
two slices of breakfast pizza instead with the coffee
and newspapers.

I purchased the snubber pulley for the snow caster and the
drive belt for tractor and then it got interesting.

Asked about trading in the LA115 with the mower, snow caster,
plow, suitcase weights, and snow chains and I was told the
mule was only worth $600.00 US dollars with 144 hours on it towards
the trade on a 1023E. I spent almost $3700.00 on the tractor, mower,
and snow caster when I bough the bloody thing as excess "crated" inventory


I was told I would get purchase discount if I bought two implements.

The mower would add 2K to the $13,000.00 price with loader, plus tax
plus the rear blade offer cost+-. I said the trade would not be worth the effort.

I then asked what an outright purchase with the loader would be and I was
told "I will get you a good price" and send it to you.

Dealing with an up scaled unit with a mid mount mower and front mount
snow caster is something I want/I hope to get away from completely simply for
the desire for simplicity and buying a rear mount flail mower and a rear mount
Pronovost snow caster.

The trip was uneventful except for the Bloody Tailgaters!F&^%$#@#$%^&*()(*&^%$SSHOLES.

 

[leonz]

For Deere, a snowblower is a two stage, with auger and blower working together. The single stage auger at high rpm is their "thrower".

Play on with the "words".

============================================================================

These so called three stage snow blowers being offered now are a hilarious piece
of machinery. Everyone; meaning MTD/RAD is forgetting the simpler the better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish these people would wake up and offer a solid cross auger snow caster with
shear pins using the 4 paddle impeller. They would not be able to keep up with
the orders once they were out in the market place.

 

[leonz]

You left out ~~``@=+-<>??

Yes, I did for sure.
I have to check my email to see if the magic sales quote is in my mailbox.