Fixing up a John Deere Lawn Tractor - Was it Worth It?

[@empiesidbury1573]

I just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to make these videos of your work for us to enjoy. I find it extremely satisfying to watch them. You are very talented and do great work!!

[@evan__kumar]

16:35 & that’s why I love mowing the grass

[@Random-iz1gp]

I don't even fix lawnmower... I could watch you all day just your personality is just great

[@plee501pl]

192 people who watched this video missed the point. Excellent work family. Glad I found your channel. Your formidable Skill and talent can't be denied.

[@lowbudgetfilmguy8626]

Thank you so much for this video. This is the only in depth on repairs on this model I can find on KZbin and we'll done might I add. Thank you sir.

[@alterdphsycosis]

great job dag! looks like she just rolled off the assembly line

[@johnkinnane547]

G'day and greetings from Tasmania Australia, that was good watching that your like me I keep my mowers ect., in good condition, you gave that machine a new lease of life credit to you, thanks again John

[@dupree4397]

One of my favorite John Deere restorations.. Thank you!

[@hayksamvelyan]

You did a great job with the deck, I've never seen one with a timing belt before. Your work really took years off the mower.

[@markindzeris369]

She's choochin' skookum! Love my LT150..after 9 years of service got too close to the back porch and my beautiful hood is now in 10 pieces.

[@giantasiansticker8880]

Yeah I got a lt133 they are very brittle

[@robj2704]

You're absolutely right about using genuine John Deere belts. I tried using what some suppliers referred to as "equivalent" or equal. Those suppliers didn't do their homework when selecting an "equal" belt, and often, they will slip. I have used generic parts on my J-D and many work fine, but when it comes to belts, I've learned to not cheap out by buying an aftermarket kind.

[@ianrandell9763]

As always, a great job plus when the footage is speeded up, that's the bonus 👍

[@chadcaudy9192]

Working for John Deere I always enjoyed working on these mowers. I thought they were fantastic little tractors. Never cared much for the freedom deck but it was better than the ltr155 and 166 with the integrated bagging system. What a pain in the ass those belts were to change. Both the deck drive and transmission drive. So many pulleys. But this brought me back to working at John deere I enjoyed the video. Hope you find more of them.

[@happycamper5900]

I am restoring a LTR 180. What a pain in the ass to change the drive belt. 5 idler pulleys! The rear bagging system is unique. It works well…. When it works.

[@rickleger3528]

love that side lifting jack gives great access to the lower part of the mower

[@biohazardshrimp]

I love my John Deere mower. You did a great job cleaning this one up.

[@oxidizedolive]

As someone who has always used zero-radius lawn mowers, these videos really make me want to use a traditional tractor-style mower. These just seem so much easier to work with, and a little more fun to use. And you don’t necessarily have to worry about the stupid problems with pump/motor transmissions in them if you choose the right traditional style mower. I find it ridiculous how easy it can be to get a zero-radius mower stuck or sliding all over the yard, regardless of what tire you’re running... but you can always weld/lock the axles on an auto or manual mower if need be. 🙃

[@bedebill]

How nice not to have any moronic back ground music, good job.

[@matthewdowd4686]

Daggz back in person!! Love it! Big fan mate!

[@ranwolfFARM]

You have so much great talent Daggerwin. Thank you for all your hard work. That John Deere looks brand new.

[@AndrewHCann]

Excellent video Marty :) ready be go more lawn care services to work with and long time now!

[@Hugebach]

Love these videos thank you

[@Andy_83_SWE]

Love these videos. So relaxing to watch

[@Jj-nohate]

I love watching! And you're very talented.

[@jeroentehennepe4255]

I like these kinds of videos. Really relaxing to watch between breakfast and Survival Role Play on Sunday’s 😁

[@fsgamer7920]

Hi Daggerwin this is my first time watching this channel

[@brianburke8595]

How have I only just realised that this is daggerwin, I have watched both channels for ages and never knew they were the same guy.

[@karenmanager1350]

Love that you have your own proving grounds.

[@DarkEclipse223]

John Deere would be very proud to see that you kept the original paint colour

[@curtisarmstrong6521]

Inspiring..I just finished servicing my JD LA 140

[@Liam_football]

The Lawn mower looks cool.Great job

[@carolinacrusher6808]

I have that exact mower, has done a great job the timing belt for the deck will Break very easily.

[@DoRC]

A heat gun will usually restore faded plastics really quickly.

[@SshiggyY]

Do RC or just a normal gun 😏

[@mechanic4744]

@@SshiggyY 😂

[@RJ-nh9hw]

Invest in a media blasting unit, be more efficient in your efforts and create a finer preparation. Your numbering system is excellent. With the media blasting equipment you could have cleaned up and painted the pulleys, etc. resulting in a more complete working restoration. In all, nice work, thanks for sharing.

[@frankcloskey7789]

Excellent restoration and repairs. 4/17/2021

[@glory_warrior6213]

I love how he didn’t want to take the easy road, I know for myself it would have haunted me for days not trying to make an effort at it

[@IR-nq4qv]

Good job on the restore and detail, personally I don't care for mulching decks, while they may be good for the grass, They are not so good for use this time of the year, they don't pick up anything and running over fallen autumn leaves and twigs.., well..., that just makes more of a broader mess that continually blows around. Mulcher decks often clog up when travelling over wet or damp grass and must be routinely cleaned out to avoid build up and rusting out the deck as we see here. I use lime and fertilizer annually for lawn care and don't rely on mulching. A mower deck is much more friendlier with a chute that can vacuum up all the leaves with each pass, the leaves can be then placed in a compost for other great uses in the garden.

[@matthewvaldez6387]

Well done Dag! Just as fun to watch as the farm sim 👍👍👌

[@Adub_Modding]

Great video

[@greentom]

You forgot to put on tire shine! Just kidding. It came out great.

[@aldo9535]

Or grease the bearings!

[@Mike-su8si]

And turtle wax

[@jamesgibson5606]

Epic restore, enjoyed your adventure.

[@raphaelelvish2430]

I love this video! Great job Dag. I also love working on these old machines but never have time but when I do I have all the fun in the world. Again great job mate.!

[@loydcourson5276]

Very sharp looking i like the care you put into things.

[@cwmaxfield2000]

I'm pleased to see you cl. Drives me crazy when i watch these will they run videos and they dont clean prime or paint.

[@maxmott7489]

Looks great question; mixture of 50 percent paint thinner and 50 percent of what oil ??

[@jimstelljes3925]

Looks new again. Good job.

[@tinkeringinthailand8147]

Liked this one. I have just bought a Daewoo 350cc mower for my 1 acre fruit farm here in Thailand, it seems to be doing the job, which initially involved cutting 2 foot grass. But lets see how it does over time. Thanks for the great video :)

[@HywelPlayz]

daggerwin, i enjoy watching you fixing stuff.

[@kirdot2011]

@machinery restorer Great...now I wish you came to my house and serviced my JD like this

[@frankvucolo6249]

Wonderful video. Thank you. The Freedom 42 is a really great timed, dedicated mulching deck. I have it over a larger Kawasaki engine. The deck is on the smaller side, but that’s why I chose it. Get as much HP as possible over a modest sized dedicated muncher and the cut is superb. By the way, those timing belts are expensive! Lucky thing it was in such good shape.

[@soonerlegendspodcast]

Wow brother that is slick great job

[@PoorBoysproduction]

Great video daggerwin I give you an A+

[@whit4275]

I had 2 of those lawn mowers & really liked them.

[@sa_car_garage]

Hi Daggerwin I love your voice

[@michaelbenoit248]

Hey @Machinery Restorer, our mower is the LT160 and it has a little over 800+ hrs and is still going fine. Those Kohler motors will run forever. Ours has been though a lot to. Ours has the same deck to. But we’ve broken that timing belt almost 3 times and it’s not cheap. It’s still in great shape none the less.

[@lwrdcarsandcoffeemedia3679]

Easiest and quickest way of restoring plastic is useing heat via a heat gun or something along those lines Edit: great job btw dagger love you content and would love to meet you in person some day after the quarantine is all over anyways keep up the good work and love your content

[@marksmith7002]

What means is used to paint the underside of the cutting deck? Thank you lg

[@henryduke722]

You did an awesome job

[@justchillin131]

You have the same mower lift as me 😂 great job done it looks fantastic

[@markssmallengines3542]

If you noticed JD stopped using an etch primer before they paintd their mower body's an decks from about 2000 onwards. It's a real issue for them as my friend gets alot of warranty claims coming back into the shop with flaking paint an premature rust with ones that are only 3 month old machine's. It's just mowers not tractors or implements I so I believe it's a cost cutting idea. An the dam broken bonnets lol I make a nice bumper for the front as bonnets are not cheap lol nice vid an love your JD 155 she is a beauty. Oh an I'm guessing it's a tough torque K46 hydro? If it's done 200-300hrs I would suggest removing it, drain the oil an clean the magnet in the top an if your keen split the case an do the lower magnet then put fresh oil in. They claim there not servicable but that's b.s. A lot of people spend big money and replace the hole transmission due to low oil in the sump plus it's easier to throw a new hydro in at the buyers expense. Over the years oil can slowly escape through the axle seals while its moving an you won't even notice. Older model JD, Toro ect had a oil reservoir to check which should never have been deleated. Take care Mark.

[@robj2704]

Yes. I almost put a new transaxle in my J-D mower, but luckily, I discovered the traction drive belt was worn out instead. Saved myself the cost of a new transaxle.

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I got a couple MTD’s in non-running condition recently, my first-ever lawn tractors. Got one running and it seems to vibrate a lot when engaging the PTO. I had already sharpened and balanced the blades so my next thought was whether blade orientation to each other makes any difference. This video shows the orientation makes a difference if they are timed but mine are not (just the standard spindles, idler and tensioner all on one belt. Is the timing for purposes of balance and vibration or for cutting efficiency? Is there a standard orientation for non-timed blades?

[@Fav_JessyYT]

Nice job Daggerwin. 😀

[@feverhelper]

Any chance you could provide (or already have) a video on making your power washer in a blast cabinet?

[@stevecapper9321]

great job mate looks much better than it did on to the next one . S C UK.

[@Adi-S]

Great Video! I have a question, it the timing belt a JD thing? I have never seen it on my Lawn Mowers and the have three blades.

[@mikespain8655]

Walker mowers (zero turn), use timed blades also.

[@legoboycustom3895]

the John Deere that you have looks good. I have a John Deere LT 160 it is a good mower also

[@tomhints2904]

I’ve got a John Deere 455 and what a beast it is, yeah it’s a bit old but it’s better than the new ones in my opinion, properly built with a yanmar and it’s 22HP

[@cookie4205]

What a magnificent mechanism

[@copper44]

Cool vid daggerwin I never new you were a mechanic that plays farming simulator

[@mferrarorace]

Nice job! The side lifting Jack is something I have never seen before. Where did you get that?

[@andrewschmitt5792]

I have two LT-160's that are in decent shape similar to yours. They are good tractors. Nice job.

[@idahojune5307]

Impressed! great job!.

[@mrl3975]

Good video keep them up daggerwin

[@thardyryll]

I have two F932 front mowers with 72- and 76- inch decks and if either of them looked like the “before” JD here I would consider them brand new. Pressure wash the machine, replace worn non-decorative parts and get back to work. A couple hours’ work covers them with grass anyway. Keeping the deck from rusting out is a good idea, and crucial on cheap riders with their flimsy steel. JD equipment is usually pretty thick steel. A better treatment might be to pressure wash the deck underside, wire-wheel the rust off and spray with epoxy paint. A tiny deck like that is easily painted topside with some of the many aftermarket matches. In the US Rustoleum makes decent paint. Or, just keep mowing.

[@almolloy5817]

Another good video. Side discharge and bagging are not options with this mower deck?

[@ThePlayerToBeNamedLater]

Easy way to save a deck is put some Shaeffers Deck sealant on it. There's a great commercial here on YT for it.

[@typoagain1]

John Deere makes a great mower-with a really crappy and expensive hood.

[@typoagain1]

I have a x300. I replaced the hood (NOT including all the parts that bolt to it) the seat the stickers on the hood and deck belt. Just over $750 US.

[@Denvermorgan2000]

Nice Mower good job.

[@thedumbestofthedumb6343]

Dag you got some nice arms

[@wibo3218]

TheDumbest OfTheDumb ur name says it.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

Good god, looks like my grandparents took care of it! Barely used it, but made sure not to scratch it. And at the same time never took care of the blades.

[@blueovalfan23]

that deck was gravy. i had to get a welder, learn enough about welding to get me by and replace every bearing in it on top of patching the rust holes. well i plugged the holes and burnt the thinner stuff out. not pretty or ideal but effective enough for a bandaid. also had other issues but it was a free mower that i got some use of, parked it for awhile and got it back out and fixed it up decent. it's an old hydro 180, love that thing it. way better than my old craftsman ii. that thing is still going but the dogs in the rearend are going out. i really should get that thing apart and see what i can do with it. don't need it but it would make someone a good mower.

[@tdumford1]

i have one similar with a 16hp vanguard twin and the freedom 42 deck. I love it

[@wimpytigger7423]

You better be careful your 700 series going to get jealous

[@Andrew-mv5kt]

Lol

[@davidstill754]

The deck belt time wasn't to far off. The major issue he has is the front tire alignment. Notice how both front tires are not in alignment. This causes the transmission to work harder due to the fact the mower has one tire rolling straight and the other pushing as it goes forward. The mulching deck is also another killer of these LT model john deeres. Its a mulching deck not a mowing deck. The way he was using it is the way it was designed for just grass clippings and leaves not for cutting grass. You'll over work the engine and cause it to fail trying to mow your lawn with a mulch plug or a mulching deck

[@Rdrake1413]

I have a John Deere L145 with a 48'' deck. I bought it new and have had it for about 15 or more years. Been a good mower. We have very sandy soil here and when I was a mechanic for our local John Deere dealer I saw many deck with holes in them. The sandy soil here is just like sand blasting the deck eats them up over time. I have patched my deck once and other than normal maintenance have not had any problems with the mower.

[@dboyle1234]

Sorry I missed the name of the product you used to restore the plastic body panels?

[@julianeaston8607]

Hi, I didn't quite catch if you mentioned the coating that you applied to the deck underside for protection and would like to know what you used. As I would like to put some protection on my 22 inch walk behind, I was considering Hammerite but that can be a bit pricey.

[@MachineryRestorer]

I use Bitumen

[@julianeaston8607]

@@MachineryRestorer I always thought bitumen was black and dried black! Your product almost looked like a PVA/Resin product, it also dried transparent, could you possibly name the specific product used, that is available here in UK? Cheers.

[@MachineryRestorer]

@@julianeaston8607 oh i thought you meant the final coat. The treatment was called Vactan

[@julianeaston8607]

@@MachineryRestorer Many thanks.

[@dafyd242]

good tool to have is needle scaler gun. great for removing heavy rust and scale from metal. cost anywhere from 30 quid and up.

[@rhys71racing4]

Hi daggerwin I have a jonsered lr10 and i bought it with the deck of it and i have been trying to get the deck on but not sure. I was wondering if you could shed any light on the situation. Thanks rhys

[@Daggerwin]

Sorry Rhys I haven't ever worked on a Jonsered. You will need to find a manual or service book for it.

[@rhys71racing4]

Thanks for the help though I will have a look now it's like 20 years old so not much on it .

[@rhys71racing4]

@Alex Oxbrow hi I can't seem to find one and the front of the deck is fine and the back is almost like it needs an extender and I cant find anything

[@christopherhopkins4805]

You really do good work

[@brodzmutt1512]

What polish did you use when polishing your ride on?

[@DanVR001]

Every time I see a John Deere lawnmower it reminds me of that scene in Madmen where that guy gets his foot run over by a John Deere lawnmower in the office.

[@deakdeagen938]

Had one very similar to this a few years back. Like you, I bought it used. It was sad and tired. Replaced the exact things (front bumper and belts). Shined it up. Repainted the rough spots and the thing ran and looked like a new one. Like an IDIOT, I sold it a couple of years later. Wish I still had it. It was a great mower!

[@gordbaker896]

Outstanding job. I have never seen that model in Canada or U.S. videos. The 42" I have seen are all 3 blades. Never seen one with a timing belt! There is no visible Discharge Chute. Complete mulching? The steering is much more direct and likely trouble free than the Rack and Sector in N. A. models. They are a pita to change. I had an LA 125, 145 and LA 165. Now have an X-320 which does a beautiful job. Actually built by John Deere. Completely different from LS and LA, LT 100 series. I would have recommended Sandblasting the deck to get a good anchor pattern for industrial coating, possibly pick-up Truck Bed liner coating on the underside. Was that powder coating You used? Great job replacing what was needed and cleaning up the remainder. Is that "1 CUT" an abrasive polishing compound? It does a nice job on the paint. Sometimes I drill out worn Deck Bogey wheels and insert copper tubing and renew the 1/2" dia axle bolts. Briggs and Stratton engines prior to 2000 are much better than the newer Chinese M'f'g. Great 'Tipper' for getting at the underside. Heat guns carefully used can bring back the gloss to the plastic.

[@mike623030]

what was the white stuff you used under the deck???

[@huntermeek3980]

Is this daggerwin this sounds so much like daggerwin

[@davetaylor4741]

Enjoyed this again. Restored a couple of John Deere's. Plastic pieces of crap. The T in the LT must be for that fancy timing belt. I have not come across one of them yet. The two I worked on were the old D series and one newer L series. You get a variety of engines in them yours had one stamped John Deere which is no doubt made for them under license. I prefer the Kohler that seems to last well. The decks are made of tin foil and fall apart and the L series being hydrostatic factory sealed doesn't last any longer. The X series professional range has serviceable parts and better build but you pay for the privilege. You certainly do a good job and know your stuff.

[@H28-u3u]

Awesome great job dag

[@Sanacara]

What did you put on the underside of the deck?

[@MrGeroth]

You’ve got a good machine there. I have a LA150 with a 52” deck.

[@daveb1081]

Yeah, my dad had an LA 145, I learned to cut grass on that machine, it conked out and we switched to Toro. NGL, I'm a huge Toro fan now, but I prolly haven't been around other brands Enough to make a true diesicion! Great video! Keep up the good work!

[@thegamingchannel8797]

The noise at 0:16 the caption thought it was an applause