John Deere 320 issues

[Gumby542]

I just picked up a John Deere 320 that I found on Craigslist that I could not pass up. It has 700 hrs on it, needs some minor work. I have a few questions based on issues it's giving me.

1- the battery charging light will not go off. I just charged the battery and cleaned all the connections, but it still stays on.
2- mower will not start when PTO is engaged. When I took the deck off, nothing moved because the belt was stuck to the spindles. Would this keep the blades from turning when I turned on the PTO? It certainly made it almost impossible to turn by hand. On my 318 I used to hear the PTO engaging. I don't hear that noise when this one turns on, but I dnt have the deck back on yet either.
3- I can push the brake pedal all the way to the bottom. Is there a way to adjust the brakes?

Is this a decent machine? I've had the 318 for several years before I started having motor problems. I originally thought this was similar, but they are very different machines. I'm not into this for much at all yet, but wondering How much it's worth putting into.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[beenthere]

:welcome:
Your charging light issue may be a bad sensor or may be the voltage regulator.

For 2, the mower needs to be free to move, and should turn easily by hand. If not, I'd look for a seized deck spindle bearing. Remove the belt and see if the spindles are free and tight and don't make a grinding noise.

For 3, there is a way to adjust the brakes. Follow the linkage back to the brake drum and brake pads. Possibly the pad is worn and needs replacing.

Shouldn't be expensive to fix it up. Then again, many feel the 318 was such a solid tractor that it would be worth fixing too. They were well built.

Wish you well.

 

[Gumby542]

Thank you! The 318 had a few too many issues. I'm in this 320 for about $500 so I definitely have some money I can put in it and not be upside down. It just seems to be a bit more obscure than my 318 was.