Jim wrote:
snip

We have a 214 that I bought in 1990 used.. had to put a couple
batteries in it (because it uses car sized batteries I usually pick
which car has the oldest battery in it, replace that battery, and
install the take-out in the 214). Couple of belts, other than that
haven't even tuned it up.

Currently having some problems with the belt tension system for the
mower deck drive, and as I am currently out of commision with double
hernia surgery we asked the daughter to take care of the lawn this
time around. Mentioned daughter tried to mow with the push behind, but
gave up and called her boyfriend, who brought over his family's old
mower, a JD 430. Watercooled 22hp diesel, 60" deck, Hydrostat trans,
differential lock, full hydraulics front and rear. Looks a little
rough, but mowed the yard without a problem.

They just bought a new mower to replace this one.. got a nice zero
turn radius JD. I asked what they planned to do with this one (the
430). They planned to sell it.

For $300

I took some pain meds, went and looked at it and told the wife, who
told him to unload it, we'll take it.

Sometimes you've just got to be in the right place at the right
time..

Regards,

Jim

We have a 214 JD bought new in 1979. Use it for mowing (half to
2/3 acre), blowing, and tilling. Used to till for neighbors but
now live where there is not much gardening. Mowed for a neighbor
that had hip replacement one year. Have done a lot of
snowblowing for myself and neighbors until a few years ago. (Now
have a small driveway.) Have replaced the drive belts once,
battery about 4 or 5 times, mower deck bearings and idlers a
couple of years ago (I forgot how quiet it was). I hope it lasts
another 25 years, unless of course I find a deal like Jim.

Roy (and anyone else),

The tiller for your JD317 was belt driven was it not? I'd heard that there
were problems with belt driven tillers. The local JD salesman where I live
said he rarely sells them. I'm looking at an JD LX 280. Would this model
with tiller do a good job breaking ground and keeping a garden tilled, in
your opinion?

Thanks.


"Roy" wrote in message
...
I would have to dissagree on needing gears if you pull heavy loads. I
would be hard pressed to believe the gears in most typical L & G
tractors are all that much stonger than a good hydrostatic drive unit.
MOst consumer type L & G tractors are offered as baaaseline units with
minimal everything be it gears or hydrostatic drives. I had a JD317
with over 4000 hours on it when I finally got rid of it, and it was a
hydrastatic drive, and it was used hard and put up wet all the time,
and it was used to pull more than what it should have all the time. I
used to drag around a trailer full of firewood that weighted about 5
or 6000 pounds. It was used for ground tillage and breaking in the
garden I had back then, 1 1/2 acres and it never missed a beat.

I now have a JD GX335 with hydro and its just as good as the 317
was..You do not need gears to pull things with and they certainly do
not make it any more efficient or stronger. The JD lineup of the L
series is built for light pulling loads as are most other similar
units.

Nnnothing could be easier and more trouble free than the layout JD
uses with their twin touch pedals. Throttle it up and go.......push
harder on the pedal you have ore speed and torque. No need to come to
a complete stop before hitting the reverse pedal either, so cycle time
and fuction is a lot quicker with a hydrastatic drive with twin pedals
than anay setup using strictly gears can even think about being. More
andmore heavy dury industrial equipment is being suypplied with
hydrostatic drives each year. Its a proven fact they are just as
strong when it comes to use and pulling with and will last just as
long.
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Bonehenge wrote:

Mechanically, the regular transmission has metal gears that last
forever. The automatic transmissions have belts that can break. For
reliability a regular transmission is best. For convenience an
automatic transmission is best.

Have you ever heard of a hydrostatic transmission? Many better mowers
have them. They vary the ground speed hydraulically and are extremely
dependable.

Yes, but hydrostatic transmissions are not automatic transmissions.
They are manual infinitely variable transmissions. Automatic
transmissions shift automatically with the load, not with a lever. The
automatic transmissions are belt driven on cone pulleys. My Kawasaki
Mule has an automatic transmission, not a hydrostatic transmission.

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On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 00:06:28 GMT, Bonehenge
wrote:

===On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 09:10:47 -0400, "S. M. Henning"
===wrote:
===
===
=== Have you ever heard of a hydrostatic transmission? Many better mowers
=== have them. They vary the ground speed hydraulically and are extremely
=== dependable.
===
===Yes, but hydrostatic transmissions are not automatic transmissions.
===They are manual infinitely variable transmissions. Automatic
===transmissions shift automatically with the load, not with a lever. The
===automatic transmissions are belt driven on cone pulleys. My Kawasaki
===Mule has an automatic transmission, not a hydrostatic transmission.
===
===Right! But why would anyone want one of those when they can have a
===hydrostatic drive? There are an awful lot of hydrostatic drive
===mowers on the market.
===
===Barry


For one reason a hydrostatic drive is much more smoother, and it does
adjust itself automatically according toload on a lot of models, but
its by applying more pressure, and no difference in shifting is felt
as it does not shift, it just applies more pressure for more torque
when needed. Put it in drive and go and forget about everything else.
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Hello, be leary of the LX model deere's they have a weak point in the
transaxle. I have fixed many of them

Bonehenge wrote:

Right! But why would anyone want one of those when they can have a
hydrostatic drive? There are an awful lot of hydrostatic drive
mowers on the market.

Because some people don't have to keep changing the speed of their
mower. They let out the clutch and mow until it is done without
shifting. A hydrostatic would be a total waste. Why pay extra for
something you are never going to use. The dealers push them because
they make more money on them. Not everyone needs one.

I have arranged my 2 acres so that all obstacles have a nice round edge
that are easy to mow or I have a mow pattern that makes it easy to mow
all sides without backing up and slowing down.

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(Roy) wrote:

For one reason a hydrostatic drive is much more smoother, and it does
adjust itself automatically according toload on a lot of models

That is called the governor and it is on the engine, not the
transmission. The governor keeps the speed of the engine constant. All
tractors have engines where the speed is controlled by a governor. The
throttle just adjusts the spring on the governor.

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On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 09:15:23 -0400, "S. M. Henning"
wrote:

===Bonehenge wrote:
===
=== Right! But why would anyone want one of those when they can have a
=== hydrostatic drive? There are an awful lot of hydrostatic drive
=== mowers on the market.
===
===Because some people don't have to keep changing the speed of their
===mower. They let out the clutch and mow until it is done without
===shifting. A hydrostatic would be a total waste. Why pay extra for
===something you are never going to use. The dealers push them because
===they make more money on them. Not everyone needs one.
===
===I have arranged my 2 acres so that all obstacles have a nice round edge
===that are easy to mow or I have a mow pattern that makes it easy to mow
===all sides without backing up and slowing down.


Now if this ain't the biggest bunch of bullshit I have ever
heard............Yea right, most folks put it in gear and lug the
tractor down, or mow at a snails pace or go to fast because they are
just to freaking lazy to select gears as needed. If it only needed one
gear why do manufacturers use 4 , 5 or 6 speeds, it wold even save
lots of money again in making them and buying them..........
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On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 09:19:20 -0400, "S. M. Henning"
wrote:

(Roy) wrote:
===
=== For one reason a hydrostatic drive is much more smoother, and it does
=== adjust itself automatically according toload on a lot of models
===
===That is called the governor and it is on the engine, not the
===transmission. The governor keeps the speed of the engine constant. All
===tractors have engines where the speed is controlled by a governor. The
===throttle just adjusts the spring on the governor.


Bullshit again dude.....my engine is run at a constant speed, as power
erequirements change the flow out of the hydrostatic unit is changed
automatically , similar to a auto tranny would use that to shift gear
ranges, and only when I get it really loaded down does my engine rpm
change. You can even atch the governor linkage it does not
move.,..........so now I guess you will tell me its out of
adjustment.........Perhpas on a cheap assed Murray or Stanely that may
be how they woprk but the Cub Cadets and JD and Kubotas certainly
don;t
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(Roy) wrote:

Bullshit again dude.....my engine is run at a constant speed,

That is what a governor does, it maintains the speed of the engine
constant. When there is a heavy load, the constant speed is putting out
more power so the engine needs more power. That works the same with a
standard transmission or a hydrostatic. No difference.

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(Roy) wrote:

If it only needed one
gear why do manufacturers use 4 , 5 or 6 speeds,

You obviously never used a farm tractor. You don't drive a garden
tractor like a car. The mower speed is not controlled by the
transmission. It is constant. Hence if you go too fast, the mowing
quality goes down. If you go too slow it takes too long. You select
the gear that does the best job. The other gears are for going fast
when you are not mowing like going back to the garage or going slow like
when using a snow blower.

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On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 22:17:36 -0400, "S. M. Henning"
wrote:

(Roy) wrote:
===
=== Bullshit again dude.....my engine is run at a constant speed,
===
===That is what a governor does, it maintains the speed of the engine
===constant. When there is a heavy load, the constant speed is putting out
===more power so the engine needs more power. That works the same with a
===standard transmission or a hydrostatic. No difference.

I agree the governor holds the engine at a preset speed, and prevents
over reving, but on the hydro I have that motors governor does not
fluctuate and the hydro will vary in ouotput all due to its load
governed by a pressures senseing valve in the tranny, that
automatically adjust hydraulic flow independant of engine
speed..........do your homework!
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On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 22:21:20 -0400, "S. M. Henning"
wrote:

(Roy) wrote:
===
=== If it only needed one
=== gear why do manufacturers use 4 , 5 or 6 speeds,
===
===You obviously never used a farm tractor. You don't drive a garden
===tractor like a car. The mower speed is not controlled by the
===transmission. It is constant. Hence if you go too fast, the mowing
===quality goes down. If you go too slow it takes too long. You select
===the gear that does the best job. The other gears are for going fast
===when you are not mowing like going back to the garage or going slow like
===when using a snow blower.


Why snip out the pertinent part of your reply that stated you only
need one gear as thats all thats used anyhow.....that was the point
being made.............Just because your in the dark on how a
hydrostatic tranny works as compared to mechanical drive trannys and
too cheap to have one, why knock em...........There is absolutely no
advantage a gear drive in a L & G tractor has over a hydro
drive.........hands down its the better , no, BEST way to go.....Has
all the power at low speeds as well as high all with just pushing the
pedal down...........simple enough for even you to operate......I
hope!
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(Roy) wrote:

There is absolutely no
advantage a gear drive in a L & G tractor has over a hydro
drive.........hands down its the better

It is only better if you use it. Many people such as myself can do a
job in one gear and wouldn't use the hydromatic lever other than to
start and stop. It would be a big waste of money and maintenance time.
I would think that a person that thought they were frugal would not
advise people to buy something they aren't going to use.

Tractors with front-end loaders and back-hoes are better also, but I
don't need one. Tractors with 6 cylinder engines are better, but I
don't need one. Tractors with hydromatic transmissions are better, but
I don't need one.

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(Roy) wrote:

There is absolutely no
advantage a gear drive in a L & G tractor has over a hydro
drive.........hands down its the better , no, BEST way to go.....

In the manual for the John Deere OMM149664, Issue L3 Lawn Tractors
LX280, LX280AWS, and LX289 PIN, automatic transmission tractors it
specifically says:

"Do not use cruise control when going down hills. Machine speed will
increase."

That means you have to keep your foot on the "forward pedal" like a
throttle when going down hills.

With a gear-shift transmission you go up and down hill without touching
any levers or pedals. Their speed doesn't increase going down hills.
They are much safer.

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