Got a great deal on a riding lawn mower

[DrPizza]

I was at a tractor dealer, discussing purchasing a tractor (farm tractor.) "By the way, how much is a starter for one of those <pointing at John Deere riding mower>?"

Turns out that mower was in mint condition, had the service manual, everything... leaf bagger, extra blades, mulcher attachment... Exact same model that I have at home.

Price? About what I'd pay for a new starter for my existing lawn mower, plus a leaf bagger. Sold!!

I haven't even mowed my lawn yet! My son used it to haul a load of leaves/dirt/etc that was raked up during spring cleaning to the top of the hill by our house. On his way down the hill, he attempted to drop the mower into neutral and coast down the hill (quite fun to do - I usually hit around 30 mph on the mower) Well, he missed neutral and dropped it into reverse... Time to take the mower to a mechanic... I just wonder how much this is going to cost me.

 

[Kelvrick]

So why not just take the starter and leafbagger and move it to your old mower?

 

[DrPizza]

Good idea, but for about $150 for parts, I can have the other mower up and running, and probably sell it for about $500. Or, keep the other mower - we could easily use two riding mowers around here.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Well, he missed neutral and dropped it into reverse... Time to take the mower to a mechanic... I just wonder how much this is going to cost me.

That is a really crappy mower if that broke it.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Well, he missed neutral and dropped it into reverse... Time to take the mower to a mechanic... I just wonder how much this is going to cost me.

That is a really crappy mower if that broke it.

QFT.

And what are you doing letting your son on the new mower? My dad bought a riding mower 3 years ago and still won't let me on it. 😛

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Well, he missed neutral and dropped it into reverse... Time to take the mower to a mechanic... I just wonder how much this is going to cost me.

That is a really crappy mower if that broke it.

Tell that to me when you accidently throw a car into reverse while moving forward. (A manual transmission) Report with results. Same basic deal going on with both the tractor and a car.

There is a reason why most manual transmissions on cars have something to stop you from accidently putting it in reverse. It's because it's going to completely effup your transmission.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Well, he missed neutral and dropped it into reverse... Time to take the mower to a mechanic... I just wonder how much this is going to cost me.

That is a really crappy mower if that broke it.

that's what i was thinking....

 

[BoomerD]

Wow...the stupid is strong in this thread....

Doc...all I can say, is "Kids, can't live with them, can't kill them"...hopefully, the repair won't be TOO bad...

You other morons apparently have no clue about mechanical devices, nor what would happen if you took your mommy's car out, got it up to 40, tossed it into neutral...coasted then threw it into reverse...IF you could get it to engage...that's usually pretty difficult...even with an automatic...but it CAN be done. doing that at 5-10 mph will usually lunch at least ONE transmission band in an automatic, in a manual, you could easily lose a gear, a shaft, or even something like the driveshaft, driveshaft crosses, or any number of parts in the differential...

 

[drnickriviera]

Did you get sticker shock from the JD tractors? Too many electrical gadgets for me. I went with a Kubota.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Did you get sticker shock from the JD tractors? Too many electrical gadgets for me. I went with a Kubota.

Yes, we definitely got sticker shock. It was a used JD, but in mint condition. It came with spare blades, bagger, mulcher attachment... It had the service manual, along with EVERY bit of service done to it, including the name of the store where the filters were purchased and the price of the filters. We had just been to an auction a week before at which dozens of JD riding mowers/tractors were sold. The one we purchased would have easily sold at that auction for nearly triple what we paid.

For those who aren't mechanically inclined, take a riding mower with a wagon behind it in 5th gear. Start heading down hill. Push the clutch in and start coasting faster and faster. Then, when you're going about 15 mph, drop it into reverse and let off the clutch. I assure you, unless you have a cheap belt drive, you're going to do some serious damage.

On the good side, it appears that we're only missing R and 1st gear. 2nd - 5th work just fine.