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My John Deere 320 (i believe it's a 1994 model) has approx 975 hours. the mower is original other than the belts, blades, and filters. How many hours does the Kawasaki engine usually run before giving problems? I realize the main factor is the way the operator runs the unit. I'm asking as a general rule of thumb if the mower has been taken care of and serviced properly.

Thanks

Glyn Robinson said:

My John Deere 320 (i believe it's a 1994 model) has approx 975 hours. the mower is original other than the belts, blades, and filters. How many hours does the Kawasaki engine usually run before giving problems? I realize the main factor is the way the operator runs the unit. I'm asking as a general rule of thumb if the mower has been taken care of and serviced properly.

Thanks

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The answer to your question depends on the type of engine your mower has. Commercial grade? Residential? If you could post the model number it would help us give you a better answer.

Around 1500 to 2000 hours for Kawasaki motors. Back then they did not make consumer models.

sjessen said:

The answer to your question depends on the type of engine your mower has. Commercial grade? Residential? If you could post the model number it would help us give you a better answer.

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it has the water cooled Kawasaki engine. i believe it's a commercial grade.

Glyn Robinson said:

it has the water cooled Kawasaki engine. i believe it's a commercial grade.

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Used to be the rule of thumb was 100 hours of life for every horsepower, such as 23 hp =2300 hours. Biggest determining factors of engine life seems to be keeping the fins clean, changing oil and air filters. I've read lot of posts where guys were losing engines at 800 hours. Come to find out the engine had developed an oil leak under the shroud resulting in the cooling fins becoming caked with dirt and then damaging the heads or the entire engine. Since your's is a water cooled engine one might expect to get better than that.

As an extreme example there is a guy locally who has a 23 hp Kawasaki; h680-v that just turned 6700 hours and has never been overhauled or the heads worked on. But that is not the norm. This guy changes his oil at 25-35 hours but does not use synthetic.

There is nothing like regular oil changes to extend the working life of an engine.
There is an 84 year old "retired" market gardener up the road who occasioally pops in for some parts.
Being retired he only works 2 acres, single handed.
the first tim I went into his machinary shed, I thought I had gone through a time tunnel.
The newest piece of kit in there was a Jawa industrial engine from 1959 on an open crankcase pressure pump from 1942.
Most of his gear he inherited from his father.
Anyway there were empty 44's everywhere, cut in 1/2 lengthways for sorting and seedling beds, perforated for tumbling dirt from the spuds, supporting tables, being used as water tanks etc,etc,etc.
I thought he must have been a mechanic at some time, but no, the oil drums were all emptied on site.
He goes through 2 to 3 drums per year in total ( six different types of oil ).
Anyway , the 1941 BSA 320cc engine I was there to service, is still on its original bore,hanging off a 6 tyne walk behind rotary hoe he inherited from dad that was more weld than original parts.
I had a thought about it , 3 44s of oil is about $ 1600 down here and you could not service a quarter of the gear he had there for that price.

i appreciate the feedback! i change the oil in my mowers every year. i don't have that much to cut. as a spare, i put 33 hours on the john deere last mowing season. i typically pull my spreader and sprayer with it. i did do some mulching last fall.

BlazNT said:

Around 1500 to 2000 hours for Kawasaki motors. Back then they did not make consumer models.

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It could be longer if he takes very good care of it and keeps it clean. Heat and dirt are the enemy of long life.

A few weeks ago I changed all the hoses on the engine. That meant removing the radiator, the fan, and the fan shroud. oh my goodness at the mess! i cleaned it all the best i could. I'm sure that alone added several more years to the life of that engine. thank y'all for the feedback.

Modeere318 said:

Heat and dirt are the enemy of long life.

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Friction also

Yup

A pressure washer can do a lot to making sure the motor and overall machinery are clean at a low expense for the operator.

i agree

Modeere318 said:

It could be longer if he takes very good care of it and keeps it clean. Heat and dirt are the enemy of long life.

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Always wondered how long they would run. A place I used to work had a 365 that had just tripped 2200 hours on a single cyl. Kawasaki. It was sold 3 years ago, so quite possible it is still on the job.

very possible. i have painted the wheels and the deck. replacing all the worn pieces that i could before i repainted it. this past Sunday it flipped 1,000 hours.

The 320 has the liquid cooled Kawasaki 18hp liquid cooled V twin. The only weak point to these motors is the factory plastic cam gear they came with from the factory. If it ever does fail the replacement cam gear is now steel. Some people replace them with the steel gear before they fail just for piece of mind.
The other weak point is the original fuel pump which has also been updated to a better design if you replace it.

With that said these motors can go 5,000 hours if maintained properly. I have seen running 320/345's with 4,000 hours and just last fall seen one for sale locally with 3,000 hours on it. The 320 was one of the best garden tractors John Deere ever built.
If you take care of it it will outlast you.

Keep in mind a liquid cooled motor will typically last 3 times longer than an air cooled motor.

Another thing you might do is replace the fluid and filters in the Sundstrand BDU-21 hydro transmission if it hasn't been done. Also while power washing make sure you clean off any caked on dirt/grease off the transmission and differential. Caked on dirt/grease will make it harder for heat to dissipate. The Sundstrand BDU-21 is a very heavy duty transmission that has a life expectancy of 5,000 hours.

Even with 1,000 hours your 320 will still outlast many brand new John Deere's.
The 320 was built back when JD built them to last a life time.

thanks for the hints. i have replaced all belts, hoses, antifreeze, hydro oil and both filters, washed the transmission, replaced gas line under the deck pan, new front end bushings, fuel and air filters, and cleaned cooling fins on the top of the engine. i use all JD parts as well as JD engine oil and hydro oil. i thought i might replace the cam this fall. i don't know if i need to do that now or wait.