Newbi intro and some JD troubles

[Bulldawg]

Hi all, new to the forum and have really enjoyed what little I have got to read so far. I cut about 14 acres of grass like a yard. It's not all connected. My mom live on the far side of my property and I try to keep her yard up as much as I can. A couple of ponds that I mow around and my shooting range. Sometimes I think it's way to much grass to mow. I use a Kubota L 3000 DT with a 72" Bush Hog finishing mower and my son does the tight spots on a rear engine Snapper. Mom has a Snapper and a John Deere.

If any body else has a JD L 130 out there I would love to hear your thoughts. Hers only has a little over 200 hrs on it and it's nothing but junk. She bought the snapper because we can't keep the JD running. I'll run down a few things I can think of right off the top of my head.

Engine would run about 20 min. and then die. Wait for 15 or 20 min and it would fire up and run about 5 or 10 and dead again.
Battery would go dead between weekends. Ended up burning entire wiring harness out. Had to rewire the entire mower.
Spindles pulled thru the deck. Had to plate the deck and drill it back out to mount spindles. This mower has been garage kept and adult used since new. This is just some of the major stuff that has happened so far. It lasted till the warranty ran out so all the repairs have been on us. Has anyone else had this trouble?

 

[KennyV]

Welcome to this fun friendly Forum...
The JD L130, seems to 'enjoy' a rather short and troubled life span... It is too bad as it cant help but smudge the good name that JD spent decades establishing...

We are mowing about the same amount ... I have a Kubota L4200 with an 84 inch rear mount finish mower for the big spaces...

Good that you have some dependable mowing equipment as I don't think anyone will have any solutions for the short comings of that particular JD...:smile:KennyV

 

[Rickpoolman]

Hello Bulldawg,

Just a thought on the JD cutting out on you. It may be the vent hole in the gas cap that is clogged. Try filling the tank about half full and then put a small rag held on with a rubber band over the gas tank opening. Start the engine and you would leave the gas cap off at this point just to see if the engine will keep going. I think you'll find this is the problem.

Rick

 

[Bulldawg]

Hi Rick, thanks for the input. I'll try that and see if it helps. That mower has been nothing but trouble from the day Mom bought it. She hates it but has so much tied up in it that she really can't justify selling. I really think it would be money ahead to cut her losses and send it down the road.

KennyV, just curious about your finishing mower. What kind is it and if you don't mind your thoughts on performance. I have been kicking the idea around about getting a bigger mower and cutting with my M 9000. I know that's over kill for a mower but I have quiet a few places where I make long runs and it takes (in spots) 3 passes with my 72" and I could get by with 2 on a wider mower. With the price of fuel these days any time saved is a plus. Another added bonus for the big tractor is the air cab. I looked at a 92" BushHog mower but I'm concerned about the width. Seems like everything would need to be about flat to prevent scalping. What do you think?

 

[Slater]

KennyV, just curious about your finishing mower. What kind is it and if you don't mind your thoughts on performance. I have been kicking the idea around about getting a bigger mower and cutting with my M 9000. I know that's over kill for a mower but I have quiet a few places where I make long runs and it takes (in spots) 3 passes with my 72" and I could get by with 2 on a wider mower. With the price of fuel these days any time saved is a plus. Another added bonus for the big tractor is the air cab. I looked at a 92" BushHog mower but I'm concerned about the width. Seems like everything would need to be about flat to prevent scalping. What do you think?

If you are worried about scalping, Ventrac has an awesome 84" finish mower! I know some golf courses in the area use it and love it (BTW can't wait till it gets dryer so I can go out and whack some golf balls around :licking I think its meant for finely manicured lawns, thus why they market it to golf courses, but it did a sweet job with the hills when I got a chance to try it out (no scalping whatsoever!) :thumbsup:

May not be exactly what you are looking for, but heres the link Ventrac Contour Mower, make sure to check out the videos on the side!

 

[KennyV]

Its a Land Pride Grooming Mower rear discharge... Model FDR2584.
It's the best rear finish mower I have ever had...
I have tried the wider ones.. but you are exactly right, you will be doing a Lot of excavating with the mower blades, unless you are cutting taller than 5 inch...
7 foot is about perfect and will eat up a 10 acre patch quick...
I'm with you on the AC, love my Grand L4200GSTC.. :smile:KennyV

 

[Bulldawg]

Thanks for the info Kenny. I can't think of a dealer around me that sells Land Pride implements but I will try to find one some where. I have looked at their product on-line and they seem to have a good line up.

Slater, I checked out the link you sent and that looks like one heck of a mower. I think if I was going to go with a mower like that I would get a Bush Hog tri deck and really go for it with a 17' model. I might even put out some extra grass seed just so I could mow more often. :biggrin:

 

[KennyV]

Even a used one, if you can find one, should give you great service... They are built tuff and should run for thousands of hours...
Dealer locater is ... Land Pride Dealer Locator
:smile:KennyV

 

[Slater]

Slater, I checked out the link you sent and that looks like one heck of a mower. I think if I was going to go with a mower like that I would get a Bush Hog tri deck and really go for it with a 17' model. I might even put out some extra grass seed just so I could mow more often. :biggrin:

Haha 17', when you think big, you think BIG :thumbsup: