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Hey all,

First off, I'm new to this site and mowers in general. I just moved into a home last year and my landlord wanted to do the mowing but has not kept up very well so I went out and bought a used John Deere Z225 with 251 hours on it. It was used for professional landscaping and when I was shown the mower it worked perfectly. I know that used products need work, usually, and this one is no different. The question is - how much work does it need? Here's the problem:

"Mower started as normal the first time this morning, but the engine never fully got to speed. I drove it slowly but it died when I pushed the button to engage the blades. Engine cranks, but does not turn over. New spark plugs and battery have been installed".

Any help would be appreciated. I'm taking it in for servicing soon and just want to know what I'm dealing with before I get told a price that might be shocking. I also bought a fuel filter and air filter for it (Neither have been installed). I was shown the oil at the time of purchase (it looked good) and he said he had it changed about 10 hours prior.

never engage the blades until engine is at full throttle & always mow at full throttle. let the shop doing the maintenance work know that you would like to see old parts that they have replaced, examples: belts, spark plugs, blades, etc. if they are reputable they will do a good job & let you know beforehand if any major issues come up. do you know last time transaxles were serviced? front end & spindles should be greased at fittings. they should do a battery load test just to make sure new battery has enough CCA'S. as far as billing i would guess between $200 & $400 without major issues. let us know how it goes, thanks Mark

absolutely, transaxles & their filters as well as new OEM fluid & bleeding air from system is most important. you are doing your Z225 a service by taking it in for preventive maintenance.

mechanic mark said:

never engage the blades until engine is at full throttle & always mow at full throttle. let the shop doing the maintenance work know that you would like to see old parts that they have replaced, examples: belts, spark plugs, blades, etc. if they are reputable they will do a good job & let you know beforehand if any major issues come up. do you know last time transaxles were serviced? front end & spindles should be greased at fittings. they should do a battery load test just to make sure new battery has enough CCA'S. as far as billing i would guess between $200 & $400 without major issues. let us know how it goes, thanks Mark

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I see. I will do that, thank you for the tip! I have no idea when the last time the transaxles were serviced so that's something for me to think about. I will keep you updated!

Check the deck hangers very closely.
The Z225 is the bottom end residential Zero Turn.
The contractors who do residential yards used a lot of them down here as they are very well built and very compact.
However the deck lift arms seem to crack when used commercially, I have welded several of them and braced the hanger with some old blades ( got to do something with them & blades are made from really strong steel )
If you want to maintain the mower yourself then go to the JD web site & purchase the Technical Manual.
It is not cheap, (quality never is ) and will pay for itself the first time you use it.
A lot of my residential customers have ex commercial use Z225's and there are quite a few with 1000+ hours on them.
The hydros are sealed on this mower & require no service .
However changing the oil will not hurt, but leave it to the off season so you can take your time & do it properly.

If the mower just runs slowly then the best guess would be the throttle cable has slipped.
Start the mower, set the parking brake then go round the back.
Locate the governor arm & push it on with your finger.
If the engine accelerates & maintains full speed then it is just a linkage problem.

If you did not get an owners manual they are on the JD web page as well but you can not download the entire manual in one lump.
The JD owners manual has more repair information in it than most service manuals.