My John Deere , ( a 2010 w / only 126 hours of mowing & snow blowing ) quit 3 times during the last mowing, Fuel filter was empty all 3 times . After a more careful inspection , found out there was about 7 1/2 feet of fuel line , including fuel filter , from the engine - top - mounted fuel pump to the very top of the tank next to the cap ! then down inside about 2 ft , (where it misses the bottom by 2 " , of unusable gas ! ) They couldn't have made it any longer ! So the weak diaphragm gas pump , driven by crankcase air pulses , would have to suck gas ( or air ) against gravity almost the entire , long way !
The long way over the top of the tank then down along the frame was probably always mostly air trapped to the filter . How retarded !
I clipped the hose close to where it went into the tank , at the back of the J.D. & plugged that off .
I put a 90° brass hose nipple screwed in , with automotive grade sillicone , close to the bottom of the tank in the back , That made the fuel line & filter fill up by gravity alone , all the way up within about 3 inches from the pump , @ a full tank , without trapped air in the system . Now it's getting gas , after years of "mysteriously" quitting !